Prime Highlight
- Oxford Law Faculty partners with 2U to offer its professional development programs online globally.
- The first course, Oxford Legal and Governance Foundations for Board Directors, begins in early 2026.
Key Facts
- Oxford’s Professional Development Program has been running since 2024 and now expands through edX.
- 2U already offers over 40 Oxford programs and strengthens long-term collaboration with the university.
Background
The University of Oxford Faculty of Law has announced a new partnership with online learning provider 2U to bring its professional development programs to a global audience through the edX platform. This marks the first time the Faculty will offer its specialised training online, expanding its reach to legal and business professionals worldwide.
The Faculty’s Professional Development Program has been running since 2024. With this new collaboration, Oxford wants to give senior professionals easier access to its research-based legal training as they handle complex governance and regulatory challenges.
The first online program under this partnership will be the Oxford Legal and Governance Foundations for Board Directors Program. Professor John Armour, Dean of the Faculty of Law, will lead the course, which is set to start in early 2026. It will focus on the essential governance and legal skills required by board directors across industries.
Professor Armour said the Faculty has a responsibility to share Oxford’s leading legal research beyond its campus. He added that working with 2U allows Oxford to deliver its expertise to professionals around the world at a time when governance challenges are becoming more demanding.
2U currently partners with Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government and Saïd Business School. With this new agreement, the company now offers more than 40 Oxford programs on the edX platform, strengthening its long-term collaboration with the university.
Michael Leavey, Director of the Professional Development Program, said the move online will help Oxford reach a wider community of practitioners. He said the programs mix academic knowledge with practical skills, helping professionals use modern legal research to solve real-world problems.
The partnership aims to strengthen global access to high-quality legal education and support leaders seeking to enhance their governance capabilities.
