The School of Geography and the Environment offers a growing number of courses to inspire professionals as they approach global challenges and work towards building sustainable futures.

Our professional development programmes are designed for both early-mid career and senior leaders and attract participants from a diverse range of organisations and nationalities.

We also offer a summer school, suitable for undergraduates, recent graduates and young professionals, plus a 'Training Better Leaders' course aimed at current Oxford University students.

Executive Programmes

Global Challenges in Transport: Leadership Programme

This programme run by the Transport Studies Unit (TSU) provides decision-makers from a range of sectors with the necessary skills and expertise to address the complex challenges of sustainable transport futures. The courses attract both early-career and senior professionals, as well as academic researchers and focus on four core challenges. Visit the TSU programme website


Programmes run by the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment


More about the Sustainable Finance Foundation Course

Sustainable Finance Foundation Course

The course has been designed and developed by the Oxford Sustainable Finance Programme as an introduction to sustainable finance for current and future leaders working in a range of sectors.

These include staff at environmental NGOs who would like to help the global financial system create better environmental outcomes; civil servants and regulators working to develop policies to foster the development of sustainable finance; executives working in financial institutions who need an introduction to sustainability, the environment and climate change as they relate to finance and investment; philanthropic funders looking to navigate sustainable finance topics so as to support the most impactful activities; and trustees or company directors who want to understand how sustainable finance relates to their fiduciary duties.

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More about the Oxford Climate Emergency Programme

Oxford Climate Emergency Programme (Online)

This online programme is for senior leaders who recognise the need for change within their business and are looking for guidance on how to best activate it. Held over 6 weeks, the programme uniquely combines the academic expertise and research of the University of Oxford's Smith School and Saïïd Business School.

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More about the Climate-related Financial Risk Course

Climate-related Financial Risk Course

The course has been designed and developed by the Oxford Sustainable Finance Programme to support individuals working in a range of areas, including: risk officers in financial institutions; analysts and portfolio managers; corporate risk managers and strategists; financial regulators supervising or considering how to supervise firms in relation to climate-related risk; government officials integrating climate-related risk into government decision-making and policy; and those in NGOs working on climate-related financial risks.

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More about Customised Education

Customised Education

Our bespoke courses are designed and delivered for global organisations. We understand that all companies are unique and therefore we shape interventions that are individually tailored to each client and made relevant for their current and future ecosystem. Each engagement will be rooted in the architecture of learning at Oxford and underpinned by expert faculty, as well as benefiting from our ability to utilise networks across the University of Oxford.

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Courses for Students and Young Professionals

More about the Enterprise and the Environment Summer School

Enterprise and the Environment Summer School

This Summer School run by the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment is aimed at undergraduates, as well as recent graduates and young professionals who are passionate about environmental change. Our Enterprise and the Environment Summer School combines world-class faculty, cutting-edge research and expert practitioners; they will explore topics with you such as environmental economics and policy, enterprise management, financial markets and investment to approach critical environmental challenges in the 21st century.

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More about the Training Better Leaders Course

Training Better Leaders Course

This three-day course is organised annually by the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) as part of its Sustainability Internship Programme, and is open to all students at Oxford University, regardless of their degree course or year. The internship programme helps us to equip the next generation of environmental leaders with the skills, experience and networks that they will need to make a real contribution to sustainability during their careers. The course focuses on environmental, social and financial issues, and is taught through talks, workshops and practical work delivered by sustainability professionals coming from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

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Our Teaching Approach

Research underpins our executive, summer school and internship programmes, which are designed and delivered by the School of Geography and the Environment's internationally-renowned research centres - the Transport Studies Unit (TSU), the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment (SSEE) and the Environmental Change Institute (ECI).

Course content is current, relevant and of the highest quality. All our programmes are designed to be highly engaging and interactive, using a wide variety of teaching methods - including making use of bespoke case studies, group discussions, panel interviews, debates, and simulations, as well as experiential learning.