Writing a Thesis or Dissertation

A course for students who are either writing, or preparing to write, a dissertation or thesis for their degree course at Oxford

Course Timetable: Hilary Term 2026

For Learners without an Oxford University SSO, or who are not members of the University, enrolment information can be found here.

                                      Mode of delivery   Duration    Day and time of classes       Date of first class     Date of final class
  TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC
  TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC
  • Enrolment for the Hilary term courses is not yet open.

  • To ensure that we have time to set you up with access to our Virtual Learning Environment (Canvas), please make sure you have enrolled and paid no later than five working days before your course starts. 

  • MT = Michaelmas Term (October - December); HT = Hilary Term (January - March); TT = Trinity Term (April-June)

Course overview

This course is for students who are either writing, or preparing to write, a long standard academic text, such as a thesis, dissertation or research article. Each lesson focuses on a different section of such long form writing (e.g., introductions, literature reviews, discussions) and examines the expected structures and language conventions found within them. The course builds upon the foundational focus of our other course  “Introduction to Academic Writing” (IAW); however, completion of IAW is not a requisite for enrolment. The course also offers practical tips and expert guidance on addressing the significant challenge of preparing, organising, writing and revising a thesis or dissertation.

Learning outcomes

  • Gain an understanding of the different organisational structures used within Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences dissertations and theses
  • Consider works of previous Oxford students in order to understand the common structural, linguistic and stylistic issues that arise when drafting a research project
  • Increase competence in incorporating citations into texts, including choosing appropriate tenses and reporting verbs   
  • Learn how to structure the various parts of a dissertation or thesis (Introduction, Literature Review, Discussion, Conclusion and Abstract)
  • Learn how to use AI tools within the University’s rules to assist in the writing process

Enrolment information

For Learners with an Oxford University SSO (Single Sign-On) simply click on the enrol button next to the class that you wish to join. 

For Learners without an Oxford University SSO, or who are not members of the University, once enrolment opens, please email admin@lang.ox.ac.uk with the following details:

  • Full name
  • Email address and phone number
  • The name of the course you wish to study
  • The start date and time of the course
  • Your connection to Oxford University, if any (to determine course fee)

We will then provisionally enrol you onto the course and send you a link to the Oxford University Online Store for payment. Once payment is received we will confirm your place on the course. Please note that we will be unable to assist you until enrolment has opened, so please do not send us your enrolment details in advance.

 

Course structure

  • Taught in Weeks 2-8 of term
  • Classes per week: 1
  • Length of class: 2 hours
  • Total hours of tuition per term: 14

Intensive course structure

  • One week intensive course
  • Taught in week 9 of term (Monday - Friday)
  • Number of classes throughout the week: 5
  • Length of class: 2-3 hours
  • Total hours of tuition over the week: 14

Course fees

VIEW THE COURSE FEES

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