High School Program

The Oxford Tradition

Grades: 10 - 12

Pembroke College, University of Oxford

Program Overview

The Oxford Tradition is housed in Pembroke College, which was founded by King James I, in 1624. Pembroke boasts American Senator J. William Fulbright, Samuel Johnson, creator of The Dictionary of the English Language, and Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg among its alums.

Our students live in the same rooms as undergraduates do during the university year, and work with leading academics, including professors. They pick two courses, a Major and a Minor, from a myriad of choices that includes Medicine, Business, Psychology, Politics, or Law.

Costs & Payment

Apply before

December 31, 2023 to receive discount pricing

Dates

$12,225 $11,750

July 2 - July 27

$12,225 $11,750

Barcelona connection

$2,515 $2,395

July 27 - August 2

At the end of the program, students can choose to add on the Barcelona Connection and spend 6 days exploring one of the world's great cities.

$2,515 $2,395

Tuition Information: Costs include accommodation, classroom instruction, workshops, field trips, two daily meals, and all program-organized activities. We also offer a select number of scholarships based on financial need. For full details, see our Tuition page.

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A Day in the Life

Breakfast in Hall
Major classes in a broad range of academic and creative topics, ranging from The Biology of Disease to Philosophy, meet in classrooms, labs, studios, or out and about in Oxford
Students can choose to have lunch at any local restaurants or sandwich shops in town
Three afternoons as week, Minor classes meet in classrooms, workshops, labs, or studios. When there is no class, students are free to join in organized activities or trips and tours in and around Oxford
Dinner in Hall
Evening activities, events, or shows

What's Included

Access to cultural sites and local events

Accommodations

Extracurricular activities, workshops, and event offerings

Continuous support

On-site staff of experienced professionals

Local meals

Full Course List

Archeology

Biomedical Engineering

Drawing on a range of disciplines, including Medicine, Engineering, Biology, and Computing, Biodmedical Engineers develop the systems and devices that make advances in medicine possible. On this course, students will develop a firm grasp of engineering principles and techniques while using medical case studies to discover how these are applied to solving a range of problems. The class will be exposed to various aspects of the field, from new-age prosthetics to medical imaging and drug delivery via engineering for the heart. The course will conclude with students designing and presenting a model healthcare engineering project of their own.

Classics

Creative Writing

Students compose fiction and poetry under the guidance of a published writer, with Oxford's rich literary history as their inspiration. They explore their own potential by experimenting with new forms and styles of writing. Successful authors give workshops in which students learn about the creative process and the practicalities of publication. Students develop a portfolio of their best writing and collaborate to design, edit, and publish a literary magazine.

Criminology

Through workshops, debates, and visits to police stations and criminal courts, students explore individual and social theories of crime, philosophies of punishment, criminal profiling, incident analysis, and basic forensic science. They consider the causes of crime, the influence of the media upon crime, and issues of race, inequality, and gender within the context of the British and American criminal justice systems.

Critical Thinking

To what extent do people subconsciously take on ideas from the society in which they were raised? Are we all unwitting products of forces we did not choose? This course combines philosophy with critical theory to examine why the world is the way it is. Students call on a range of thinkers to analyze the political and societal trends that define the 21st century. They learn to interrogate information, discuss controversial topics sensitively, and construct persuasive arguments.

Development Economics

Students get to grips with the global economy and, within it, with its inequalities. Drawing on geography, economics, biology, demography, social and political history, they seek to determine why, in the past 150 years, certain parts of the world have thrived while others have not, and what measures – if any – communities, governments, and supranational organizations can take to make the global economy more equitable while ensuring its sustainability. Students complete the course by proposing their own measures either for individual states, regions, or supranational organizations.

Engineering

English Literature

Entrepreneurialism

Environmental Science

As the world teeters on the brink of ecological disaster, students are introduced to the complex science behind the headlines. They learn about the different disciplines that combine to make Environmental science possible, notably Atmospheric Science, Chemistry, and Ecology. Working from a range of case studies, they discover how environmental scientists assess and respond to different challenges, and learn about the benefits and disbenefits popular proposed solutions, from carbon offset to electric cars, lab-grown meat and the prospect of radical lifestyle change.

Global Business

Students are exposed to the mechanisms, institutions, and principles that underpin modern business. They address the main business principles of strategic planning, marketing, economics, finance, accounting, and management. Concepts covered include SWOT analysis, developing a marketing strategy, as well as working through how to create a product-centered company and draft a business plan. For their final project, they create a mock company that they present in a "Shark Tank", mirroring the high-pressure, quick-tempo presentations used at colleges, business schools, and startup incubators around the world.

International Law

International Relations

This course addresses International Relations by focusing on key issues of the day. Subjects covered include globalization and its political, economic, and social effects; environmental challenges; new forms of war and peace; the changing nature of security challenges; peacekeeping operations; the regional complexities of areas like the Middle East, Africa, and South-East Asia; and the relationships and rivalries that define global order today.

Journalism

Students become full-time journalists, acquiring and perfecting their research, composition, editing, and formatting skills as they discover the varied skills required of all journalists these days: publishing a class magazine, running a blog, managing information on social media, and creating TV news reports. They address key topics in contemporary journalism as well as ethical issues surrounding journalistic responsibility and risk in a rapidly changing environment. Interview access to outstanding guest speakers deepens this fascinating introduction to the world of the working journalist. Production fee of $100 US for the Major; $50 US for the Minor.

Law and Society

Students examine the British and American legal systems and how they reflect the values and institutions of their respective societies. Emphasis is placed on legal history and modes of thought, precedent-setting cases, current controversies, and the kind of first-hand courtroom observation that brings them to life. Each course includes visits to a court and sessions with lawyers. Major courses culminate in a formal moot court competition.

Medical Science

This hands-on course introduces students to key aspects of medicine and modern medical practice. Combining specialist lectures with experiments and class discussions, students learn the main principles of human anatomy and physiology, the pathology and significance of certain diseases, the main challenges that medical science faces today, and the variety and changing nature of careers in medicine.

Neuropsychology

Philosophy

Photography Minor Only

Photographers of all levels of expertise spend much of their time in the field, pursuing assignments designed to improve their landscape, portraiture, art, and fashion photography skills. Students exhibit their best work at the end of the program. They require their own DSLR camera with USB cable, charger, manual, and at least one 8 GB memory card.

Materials fee of $75 US for the Minor.

Politics and Economics

Oxford's famous undergraduate degree, Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE), is adapted for our students. They examine the governing institutions and policies of modern Britain and contrast the British, American, European, and East Asian approaches to global problems. Students engage in practical exercises, such as a fantasy stock portfolio competition, and complete the course by participating in a mock Parliament.

Skills for Success Minor Only

This syllabus is built from the course typically taught on MBAs. Students learn to organize their lives, to create realistic schedules, to manage time-tables, and to define priorities. They learn how to collect and manage information, how to take notes, and how to condense and file them. They learn how to build their profiles, in order to leverage their growing experience and expertise as they take their first steps into the job and university markets.

Social Psychology

This course focuses on behavior and development in a social context. Students are introduced to major themes, including stereotyping and prejudice, cross-cultural differences, the dynamics of cooperation and conflict, conformity and persuasion, attraction, and the role of the individual in the crowd. Through case studies and interactive experiments, participants gain an introduction to psychology and the ability to analyze their own peer-group dynamics.

Speech and Debate Minor Only

Studio Art

Designed for all levels of expertise, this course explores a variety of media through which students engage imaginatively. They receive formal instruction in, oils, watercolor, pastel, pencil, charcoal, clay, video, photography, and collage, among others, and spend most of their time outside the studio, capturing Oxford. Students exhibit their best pieces at the end of the program.

Materials fee of $250 US for the Major; $150 US for the Minor

Theater

The Biology of Disease

HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis are thought to result in ten percent of all deaths every year around the world. Students will explore the biology of disease, using case studies of current outbreaks of diseases such as Ebola, SARS, and Zika. This interdisciplinary medical course investigates the biology of disease. Topics include animal models of human disease; cancer; conventional therapy and treatment strategies; the genetics of complex and simple traits; the interaction between environment and genetics; Karyotypic analysis; the molecular and cellular basis of genetic diseases; and the role of oncogenes in tumor initiation and treatment.

War in World History

War has been one of the greatest forces for change in human history and continues to shape the world. Violence in the Middle East and Africa, guerilla conflicts in South America and the Far East, and the global 'War on Terror' are the most recent examples of mankind's long history of conflict and combat. While covering military history, this course also examines war from other aspects: the political, economic, social, ethical, and psychological. It examines how and why wars are fought, what has changed, and what has remained the same, from conflicts in Ancient Greece to the war in Syria.

Cultural Enrichment

Every class is designed to use Oxford as a teaching tool. When not in class, students have access to a full range of optional activities designed to help them discover Oxford and immerse themselves in English life and culture. They have the option to take tours of local sights like the Bodleian Library and Christ Church, take part in a variety of sports, attend local Shakespeare productions, participate in talent shows, or take field trips to Blenheim Palace and London.

Residence Info

Accommodation and Rooms

In Oxford, students live in rooms that are occupied by undergraduates during the year. Students are housed in singles or doubles. Students can request a private bathroom (for a fee), on a first-come, first-served basis.

Facilities

Students have access to common areas within the residences as well as a variety of sporting and educational facilities (gyms, basketball courts, tennis courts, pitches, libraries). Oxbridge provides every program with computers, so students have daily access to email and social media. The program staff maintains message boards and distributes mail every day.

Meals

Students enjoy breakfast and dinner in their residence's dining halls. Breakfast is primarily continental style with choices such as cereal, yogurt, fruit, toast, coffee, and tea. Several options are available at dinner, including a vegetarian dish and a salad bar. Special dinners are regularly held, and each program ends with a formal banquet. Students are responsible for their own lunch, which can be purchased from a college snack bar or one of the many sandwich shops, small restaurants, or near each residence.

After the Program

Shortly after the program, all students and their parents receive a comprehensive set of grade reports, presenting their course syllabus and highlighting their specific contributions and achievements within their course(s). Most of our alumni later ask for additional copies to include in their college applications.

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What People Are Saying About Oxbridge Academic Programs

This was by far the most informative-while-being-interactive class I've ever had, and it made learning easier and more fun. Oxbridge made a huge impact on me by increasing my confidence and uncovering my strong interest in global business that I now hope to pursue.

Avery

Oxbridge Student

Thanks to the Cambridge Tradition experience, my daughter is much more mature, has a better knowledge of how to live abroad without her family, and she's better prepared for university! Her time at Oxbridge reaffirmed that she wants to study architecture and now she has all the skills to reach her goals.

Ana Maria

Cambridge Tradition Parent

Our daughter had a wonderful experience, and she found the Psychology and Genetics courses engaging and useful. She learned new things, made friends, and had 4 amazing weeks! Many thanks to your entire team for making this possible!

Oxbridge Parent

Our daughter loved the Oxford Prep program. She enjoyed her Major, made nice friends, and really began to feel more independent and confident while exploring beautiful Oxford. A great experience through and through and just what we all were hoping for! In fact, she is already talking about participating in the Cambridge program next year.

Daniel

Oxbridge Prep Parent

Just wanted to reach out to thank you for helping to make my daughter's summer spectacular! She returned on Saturday and has clearly grown from the summer experience. She raves about her time with Dr. Tijn Van Winden and her French teacher.

Sanjeev

Oxbridge in Paris Parent

Thank you for making my son's experience at Cambridge so memorable! Usually reserved, he talked the whole way home from the airport about what he learned in class, the friends he made, and the museums he visited. My son was initially a bit reluctant to attend a two-week course, but at the end of the second week - he was sad it was ending so quickly!

Cambridge Prep Parent