Oxford University Department of Education

About Us

Oxford has been making a major contribution to the field of education for over 100 years. Today, the Department of Education has a world-class reputation for research, for teacher education and for its Masters and doctoral programmes. Our aim is to continue to be a world-leader in cross-disciplinary education research that is closely connected with policy and practice.

Director's Welcome 

Welcome to the Department of Education, University of Oxford!

Our department is an intellectually stimulating and inclusive environment in which to learn and teach. Our academics and students are internationally renowned for their research which encompasses early years, primary and secondary levels of formal schooling, higher education, and into the workplace.

The range of topics we study includes key themes such as the impact of socioeconomic status, educational effectiveness, parental engagement, being in care, multilingualism, digital education and ethics, assessment, vocational learning, internationalisation of education, to name just a few.

We are at the forefront of the research agenda across a wide range of educational disciplines including English, geography, history, foreign languages, mathematics, medicine, religious education, and science. We offer a range of rigorous academic programmes in the vanguard of both research and professional practice.

Our work contributes to all phases of public education in the UK and beyond. Our distinguished academics and students themselves come from a range of international contexts and disciplines, many of whom have significant roles in advising governments, Ministers, and important national and international organisations.

All the work we do is based upon our deep commitment to develop the most rigorous forms of evidence from which we can expand and enhance our shared understanding of key problems of educational relevance.

This evidence serves to advance educational theory and policy, and underpins effective educational practice. Our department is at the nexus of the knowledge economy and is dedicated to excellence in all spheres of our work