Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford
Oxford University department
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Department for Continuing Education is a constituent department of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England, United Kingdom.
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| Established | 1878 |
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| Director | Dr Alison MacDonald (Interim) |
Academic staff | 90 |
| Students | c. 15,000 enrollees per year |
| Location | Oxford , England |
| Affiliations | University of Oxford |
| Website | www |
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It provides a range of courses and qualifications under the Oxford Lifelong Learning brand name, mainly for part-time and mature students, as well overseeing the university's Language Centre and foundation year programmes[1][2].
Names
Prior to acquiring its current name in 2025, the institution was also known as:[3]
- 1878-1892: University of Oxford Standing Committee of the Delegacy of Local Examinations;
- 1892-1924: University of Oxford Delegacy for the Extension of Teaching Beyond the Limits of the University;
- 1924-1970: University of Oxford Delegacy of Extra-Mural Studies;
- 1971-1990: University of Oxford Department for External Studies;
- 1990-present: University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education
- June 2025: added the brand name "Oxford Lifelong Learning"[4]
History
The 19th century saw an awakening social awareness to the needs of working-class people generally, and Oxford University signalled an educational responsibility to the general community by sending lecturers into towns and cities across Victorian England, bringing university education to a diverse adult audience. The University of Oxford was one of the founders, in the late 19th century, of the so-called 'extension' movement, wherein universities began to offer educational opportunities to adult learners outside their traditional student base.[5] The University of Oxford Standing Committee of the Delegacy of Local Examinations was established in 1878.[3] The first of the early "Oxford Extension Lectures" was delivered at the King Edward VI School in Birmingham, in September 1878 by the Reverend Arthur Johnson.[6] By 1893, Oxford University Extension Centres were bringing adult education to much of England and a few cities in Wales.[7]
In 1927 the university purchased Rewley House on Wellington Square in Oxford as the permanent base of what was then known as the "University of Oxford Delegacy for Extra-Mural Studies", and which later was renamed as the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education.[7] During the 1990s Kellogg College was co-located here.[citation needed]
In August 2024, the university's Language Centre was merged into the department.[1][8]
In June 2025, the Department for Continuing Education adopted "Oxford Lifelong Learning" as the brand name for the department's courses.[4]