Frequently asked questions

Students join us from varied sectors and professional backgrounds. Many already work in the field the course subject relates to, while others are looking to gain the skills needed to enter the field and launch a new career.

To pass the course and qualify for a certificate of completion, you must receive an overall grade of 75% or higher.

No.

We offer MSc and DPhil courses on campus. You can check these out on the Smith School of Enterprise website. 

Yes. Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a digital certificate from Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford, which will enhance your resume and help to support your career progression.

You’ll also receive a digital badge via our partner, Credly. The badge is a certification you can share online, for example, on LinkedIn or in your email signature. It details the skills you’ve acquired on the course and allows employers and/or clients to easily verify your new competencies. 

You can expect your certificate 7 to 10 working days after completing the course. 

On completion of the course, you’ll receive an email from our badge partner and provider, Credly. This will include instructions on how to set up your account and access your badge. 

The badge is a certification you can share online, for example, on LinkedIn or in your email signature. It details the skills you’ve acquired on the course and allows employers and/or clients to easily verify your new competencies. 

• It can give you a competitive edge: In today’s job market, showcasing certified skills can help you stand out from other candidates and make your profile more attractive to employers.  

• It highlights the specific skills you’ve gained: The badges detail the exact knowledge and skills you’ve acquired throughout your course, so you can clearly show new competencies.  

• It demonstrates an ‘always-learning’ approach: Earning micro-credentials like digital badges provides evidence of your commitment to continuous learning and self-improvement.  

Our Law and Sustainability and The Future of Sustainable Business courses are certified by CPD UK. Upon successful completion of one of these programmes, learners will be able to request their certificate from CPD, using their certificate of completion as proof of eligibility. The courses have an estimated 40 hours of learning, equating to 40 CPD points.

Note, the onus is on students to request these CPD certificates at the end of their studies. The University and partners accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation of hours or points.

We recommend 5 hours of study per week. 

We aim for a 1:25 Facilitator-to-learner ratio per course to ensure every student has a first-rate experience and the opportunity to interact with both the academic staff and fellow learners.

You can pay for this course through our online payment platform.  

If your company is funding the course and require an invoice, please contact us to set one up.  

Please remember that the full course fee is required before the course start date. 

Discounts may be available for alumni, those working in the public sector and those in certain geographical regions. Please register your interest on the relevant course page to talk to an Enrolment Advisor and discuss your eligibility.

Yes, you can receive a refund within 14 days of paying. After this point, we can only defer your enrolment to the next intake start date.

Should your circumstances change after your payment has been made, we have a 14-day cooling off period in place to enable full refunds to be processed if necessary. 

After this period ends, payment refunds are not available, and payment will be forfeited. Please see our full terms and conditions for further information.

Depending on when your payment was made, you may be entitled to a full refund. If your payment falls outside of the 14-day cooling off period, you will have the option to defer your place to a future intake or forfeit the payment.  

When considering a course, we recommend checking your availability for the teaching period and reviewing the recommended study hours commitment.

Yes! Employer sponsorship is a great option if you would like to study a course that would benefit both yourself and your organisation, but you need financial support to do so. What’s more, if your employer could benefit from multiple employees studying the same course, they may be eligible for a corporate discount. 

Learn more on our sustainability courses for organisations page.

During registration, payment is made through Shopify. You can either pay from your personal account (and later be reimbursed by your organisation) or use a company credit card to complete the registration. If your organisation requires payment to be made by invoice, this can also be arranged and our team of Regional Development Managers can support you with this process. Please email us if you have any questions about paying by invoice or generally about employer sponsorship.

No, the course is designed to be studied completely online. There will be no need to come into the school, even for tasks or assignments.

You will have a number of tasks and activities to complete throughout the course, all of which will be completed online. These will vary in format – from multiple choice quizzes to taking part in discussion forums – and some will count towards your final grade. For most courses, 50% of your final grade will come from successfully completing the assignment in your final module.

You do not need any specific tools but it is vital that you have reliable internet access throughout your course. This is so you can access our online learning platform, which contains your learning materials, in-course communication tools and more.

Please be aware that this course is taught in English, and all assignments must be submitted in English. Although we do not require learners to have taken any specific language tests, we recommend that you should feel confident reading and writing in English if it is not your native language.

If you have any further questions which haven’t been answered here, please email our team at oxfordshortcoursesonline@boundlesslearning.com.