Oxford Governance for Board Directors

Online programme

Get ready for the boardroom. Over six weeks you will learn to read what management puts in front of a board, find what has been left out and ask the questions that hold a company to account. Attend a live cohort with the Oxford Faculty of Law, with work graded by subject matter experts, built on case studies of real corporate failures. This is a programme designed for people already on a board, and for those preparing for a first seat.

6 weeks, excluding orientation

6–8 hours per week, entirely online

Weekly modules, flexible learning

Multiple payment options

On completion of this online programme, you’ll walk away with:

1

The judgement to read a set of board papers and identify the risks, conflicts and omissions that management has not flagged.

2

A practised method for handling conflicts of interest, from recognising an incomplete disclosure to putting the right questions to a board chair.

3

The ability to critically interrogate AI proposals by exposing overlooked risks and defining necessary oversight mandates, alongside a clear understanding of accountability and the board’s duty of care when automated systems make incorrect decisions.

4

A working command of directors' duties, including whose interests a board must serve and how far a decision made in good faith is actually protected.

This programme is for you if you are:

Someone who sits in board discussions, or expects to, and wants the governance judgement those rooms demand.

Those in the following roles will benefit from this programme:

  • Current board members and directors, newly appointed or long serving, alongside those preparing for a first board seat

  • Trustees, governors and board members of hospitals, universities, foundations, housing providers and public bodies

  • Company secretaries and heads of governance, risk, compliance, internal audit and ESG

  • Senior executives who present to a board, including chief financial officers, chief operating officers, general counsel and divisional managing directors

Programme curriculum

Orientation module

Meet your cohort, your head tutor and the platform before the first module opens.

Module 1

Establish what independence actually requires of a board member, and where a board's authority begins and ends.

Module 2

Work through whose interests a board is bound to serve, using cases where getting that judgement wrong proved expensive.

Module 3

Learn to recognise the governance red flags that precede corporate failure, and the standard of care the law expects of you.

Module 4

Practise identifying, disclosing and managing conflicts, including how to probe a disclosure that does not add up.

Your Programme Directors

John Armour

Professor of Law and Finance
Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford

John Armour is Professor of Law and Finance at Oxford and a Fellow of the British Academy and the European Corporate Governance Institute. His work integrates legal and economic analysis of company law, corporate insolvency and financial regulation. He has advised the UK's Department of Trade and Industry, the Financial Services Authority, the Insolvency Service, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the World Bank.

Assaf Hamdani

Professor of Corporate Law
Faculty of Law, University of Oxford

Assaf Hamdani is Professor of Corporate Law at Oxford and a Fellow of Jesus College. His research covers corporate governance, institutional investors, shareholder activism and the governance of controlled companies, published in the Yale Law Journal, Stanford Law Review, Columbia Law Review and the Journal of Law and Economics. He holds an SJD from Harvard Law School.

Hear from our past participants

"The programme was excellent and has certainly helped deepen my knowledge on corporate governance, particularly with the later modules that focused on two big areas of risk at the moment in climate change and AI."

– Jamie B. | Director, Cynnal Group Limited
"The Oxford Governance for Board Directors course was an engaging and intellectually rewarding experience. The content was well structured, relevant and practical, helping me develop a stronger understanding of legal frameworks, governance principles, accountability and effective decision-making."

– Dr Abdiaziz Ali M. | Chairman of SomBank Somalia

About GetSmarter

GetSmarter delivers online education from world-leading universities and institutions to transform the lives of thousands of students across the globe. GetSmarter’s online certificate courses are designed to advance your career and fit in with your busy lifestyle. Each course is expert-led, fully supported and community-based, helping you build career-critical skills. GetSmarter is owned by 2U.

An online education that sets you apart

This Oxford Faculty of Law online programme is delivered in collaboration with online education provider GetSmarter. Join a growing community of global professionals and benefit from the opportunity to:

Attend a premium, cohort-based program featuring live sessions, with opportunities to engage and network with other executive leaders in similar functions.

Enjoy a personalised, people-mediated online learning experience created to make you feel supported at every step.

Experience a flexible but structured approach to online education as you plan your learning around your life to meet weekly milestones.

Want to know more?

Enter your information to access the programme prospectus and learn more about this course from GetSmarter.

Want to know more?

Enter your information to access the programme prospectus and learn more about this course from GetSmarter.