What should I expect from the academic programme?
All students will choose between these five dynamic courses:
Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning and Deep Learning
This course will cover two crucial methods to contemporary use of artificial intelligence. Machine learning is a field of scientific study concerned with algorithmic techniques that enable machines to learn performance on a given task via the discovery of patterns or regularities in exemplary data. Consequently, its methods commonly draw upon a statistical basis in conjunction with the computational capabilities of modern computing hardware. This first week aims to acquaint the student with the main branches of machine learning and provide a thorough introduction to the most widely used approaches and methods in this field.
The second week will focus on Deep Learning. Neural networks and deep learning approaches have revolutionized the fields of data science and artificial intelligence in recent years, and applications built on these techniques have reached or
surpassed human performance in many specialized applications. After a short review of the origins of neural networks and deep learning, this course will cover the most common neural network architectures and discuss in detail how neural networks are trained using dedicated data samples, avoiding common pitfalls such as overtraining. The course includes a detailed overview of alternative methods to train neural networks and further network architectures which are relevant in a wide range of specialized application scenarios.
Business Management / Strategic Management and Leadership
This two week course will cover the two essential features of modern business management, using actual case studies throughout to make the most practical course possible.
Various methods of strategic market analysis are presented in the first week so as to allow students to evaluate risks and opportunities in global markets, highlighting intercultural aspects, by looking at organizations operating in different countries. Students learn to analyse and understand strengths and weaknesses of organizations from various disciplines (products, services, NGOs etc.) that face specific market situations. Supported by new developments in the field of market research, the process for identifying and analysing core competencies and competitive advantages in national and international environments is discussed at length. Students are supported to plan strategic alternatives and to implement and control these by taking on fictitious roles within various different organizations. Exercises and international case
studies help students to identify with the role of management and participate in the strategic planning process as well as in operational management. This helps students understand the problems companies regularly face and comprehend how methods of modern management can be used in order to solve these.
With this background, the students can turn to business leadership. In today’s knowledge-based society, employees are a firm’s most valuable resource. A key responsibility of leadership is to develop the knowledge, expertise, and skills of employees. Good leadership is crucial for the continued success of a firm in the face of increasingly competitive markets. This course presents the necessary competencies of the leader in a modern, knowledge- based organization. Central questions raised by modern leadership theory are presented and discussed. In doing so, the course focuses on requirements and instruments of professional leadership, aspects of situational leadership, and leadership communication and interactions, both in the context of strategic management and change processes. The methodological and conceptual foundations of leadership are presented to students, along with empirical examples and best-practice principles, with the intent for students to master the challenges of enhancing the firm’s most valuable asset—its employees—via professional and contemporary leadership practices.
Economics / Political Economy in the 2020s: Transformative Insights from the German Liberal Tradition; and Economics in a Time of War, Sanctions, and Tariffs
Students will cover one week of Political Economy before moving on to a week on Economics in a Time of War, Sanctions and Tariffs.
The first week will examine the political economic challenge to liberal democracies in the 21st century. Liberal democracies are reeling from the combined effects of a dysfunctional public sphere, a disaffected electorate, and the threat of illiberal violence at home and abroad. A key factor contributing to this predicament is a narrowly rationalist understanding of human psychology, which leads in turn to a failure to sufficiently acknowledge, analyse, and nurture the social habits and shared culture on which liberal democracies depend. The German liberal tradition that developed since the 1790s, and which still thrives today in works such as Elif Özmen’s What is Liberalism? (Suhrkamp 2023), offers powerful resources for analysing, understanding, and responding to this major crisis. The course will introduce key figures from this tradition and explore the guidance they offer for political economists grappling with the challenges of the twenty-first century.
The second week will will explore sanctions and tariffs in the evolving context of economic warfare and geopolitical competition. Students will investigate theoretical approaches to sanctions and to apply those to real world case studies. Sanctions and tariffs will be analysed with reference to wider political debates, including national security, state sovereignty, economic warfare and sustainability, legality and legitimacy. Alternative voices and narratives will be explored to analyse this topic from all sides.
This course will address the following questions. What are the main theoretical approaches to analysing sanctions? What are the main motives for sanctions and the mechanisms through which sanctions operate in receiving states? What are the effects of extraterritorial sanctions on international trade and global value chains? How do economic sanctions affect third parties and what are the political implications of disagreements regarding the legitimacy of extraterritorial sanctions? The impact of sanctions on global economics will be assessed by looking at sanctions-engendered tendencies and trends in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Eurasia, Middle East and other regions.
Law / IP Rights and Management and Arbitration
There will be one week of IP Rights Law and Management, followed by a week of Arbitration and dispute settlement.
The first part of this course of Intellectual Property Rights Law, will have a special emphasis on Branding and Trade Marks, Geographical Indications and Copyright law. Elements such as the political economy of IP, collective and open innovation, the significance of registration for intangibles, and rights in data will also be covered.
The second part of the course in intellectual property rights management aims to give students a general overview of the three main regimes of IP: copyright, patents and trademarks. This will include discussions on the justifications of intellectual property; the requirements necessary to garner protection for literary or artistic works, inventions and brand logos; the infringement of these various rights; and the remedies available.
The second week will provide a comprehensive introduction to international dispute settlement. The course begins with an introduction to the obligation to settle peacefully international disputes and the basic concepts in the field, in particular the various methods of peaceful dispute settlement.
In this course you will study a number of institutions and processes that have been developing to deal with a variety of “international” issues, including some that will seem more “national” or domestic or “municipal” (such as in the aftermath of civil wars, genocides, or “internal” conflicts that may become international for a variety of reasons, including treaties, international customary law or just plain politics). We will look at issues that affect states (generally called “public international law”) and those that affect private parties (commercial dealings, generally called “private international law”). International disputes are both civil (involving contracts, commercial relations, and various torts and injuries, as well as involving employment and family law) and criminal (human rights violations, international kidnapping, economic crime, terrorism), as well as “diplomatic,” involving state to state relations.
The first part of the week addresses the role of international and regional organisations in dispute settlement. The course then explores the diplomatic or non-judicial means of dispute settlement: negotiation, mediation, inquiry, and conciliation.
The second part of the week concerns the advancement of international criminal justice and settlement of disputes through a range of international courts and tribunals, in particular the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court, and various international criminal tribunals that have been established up to date.
Sociology and Psychology / Social Networks and Society; and Immigration, Acculturation, and Adaptation
There will be one week on Social Networks and Society, followed by one week on Immigration, Acculturation, and Adaption
The first week provides an overview of immigration - the movement of people from one country to another - with a special focus on recent immigration to Europe. We will discuss how migration disrupts social networks and challenges peoples’ long held values and beliefs. Additionally, we look at individual ways to adapt to new social contexts and cultural systems, a process known as acculturation and discuss factors that facilitate or hinder immigrants’ ability to settle, thrive, and feel at home in their new environment. The workshop will include lectures covering key theories and recent research developments, as well as interactive activities and debates.
The second week will introduce social networks and explores the ways in which networks shape individuals and societies. A social network is the web of relationships that connects people, groups or organizations, ranging from personal networks to institutional structures. We will examine key social network processes, such as relationship dynamics and influence, to understand how networks form, evolve and facilitate the spread of information. A central focus will be on segregation within networks, analysing how divisions emerge based on factors like ethnicity, gender and ideology, and the consequences for societal cohesion and individuals’ wellbeing. The course will include lectures, theoretical discussions, and practical case studies, providing insights into the power of networks in contemporary society.
Who is teaching my course?
All tutors who are teaching on Oxford Certificate Programmes offered by Worcester College (University of Oxford) are taught by tutors from Oxford or Cambridge.
What do I receive for completing the course?
Upon satisfactory completion of the programme, participants receive a Certificate of Attendance and Achievement issued by Worcester College.
What is the teaching environment and where will I stay?
➤ Small study groups of 15–35 students
➤ Single room or Twin Room with standard facilities in student accommodation at Worcester College
➤ Breakfast in our historic college dining hall
➤ Welcome Reception and Farewell Dinner
What is Worcester College (University of Oxford)?
Worcester College is one of the historic colleges of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1714, but there has been an institution of learning on the site since the late 13th century. Although it is very close to the centre of Oxford, Worcester is the only college to have its sports grounds onsite. The college buildings are set in beautifully landscaped gardens.
Application deadline: 15th May 2026
Programme Fee: £4,330 GBP for single room lodging, also including the core academic modules, enrichment programme and breakfast.
If you would like to do multiple courses, please email enquiries.cpc@worc.ox.ac.uk for bespoke pricing.