Courses in London & Online

The biggest choice of adult education short courses in London and online

Looking for courses? City Lit offers thousands of courses, guided walks, expert talks, and events—more than any other college in London. Whether you’re interested in a one-off talk, a short course over a few weeks, or a year-long programme, you’ll find flexible options to suit your schedule and goals.

We offer online courses as well in-person courses from our Covent Garden campus and we offers a variety of classes 7 days a weekin order to fit into your lifestyle whether you want to learn in the daytime, evenings, or on weekends.

Looking for an online course? Browse our online courses.

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Use our subject categories to find the right course for you. Narrow down your selection using the filters to find your course by level, location, start date, duration, and price.

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All our courses are taught by experts with professional industry experience. From published authors and academics to exhibited artists and performers.

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Choose from thousands of courses

With our daytime, evening, and weekend courses, there's course that is convenient for you.

Centre for Deaf Education

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City Lit is the UK’s leading adult education provider. Over 30 000 learners choose City Lit every year to learn something new. From mastering new languages and honing creative skills to advancing your career with professional development courses. Whatever your passion or goal, our diverse curriculum has the perfect course to inspire your next step.

Taught by experts and practising professionals

All our courses are led by expert tutors including published authors, academics, practising artists, and experienced professionals; and they look forward to sharing their valuable knowledge and experience with you.

Dive into an unparalleled range of online courses with City Lit, the UK’s leading adult education provider. From mastering new languages and honing creative skills to advancing your career with professional development courses. Whatever your passion or goal, our diverse curriculum has the perfect course to inspire your next step.

Courses in London & Online

Thousands of short courses in London and online as well as longer skills-based courses and qualifications available to book online now!

Whether you want to try something new, revive your passion, or take your skills to the next level; we have a huge range of courses for you to explore. Discover Languages, Art & Design, Drama, Music & Dance, Technology & Business, Writing, British Sign Language and much more!

All our courses here at City Lit are taught by expert tutors such as published authors, academics, practising artists, and experienced professionals. Our friendly, supportive, and inspiring tutors are here to boost your confidence and motivate you at every step. We always ensure that your journey with us is enjoyable, positive, and thought-provoking.

We offer online courses and in-person courses. Our interactive online courses are taught live and in small groups. Read our guide to online learning for more information. In-person courses are delivered at our modern college campus in London near Covent Garden

Please use the filters on this page to search by subject, location/delivery mode, time of day, price and more to ensure you find the perfect course for you.

If you can't decide which subject to study, why not try some of our short taster courses?

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  1. Friday lates: Pacific portraits - British artists, Pacific sitters and their impact on 18th century portraiture
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 21 Feb 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Ben Pollitt
    From Joshua Reynold's portrait of Omai to portraits made during the voyages of Captain James Cook, discover how encounters with Pacific Islanders changed the course of British eighteenth-century.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
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  2. Japanese festivals
    Course start date:  Fri 21 Feb 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Kiyomi Unten
    Japan is a land of many festivals. Some have religious significance and others celebrate the seasons. You will be introduced to what the Japanese people celebrate and how they go about it! You will make some paper crafts relating to the celebration as well as gaining cultural knowledge.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £29.00
    Rating:
    97% of 100
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  3. Friday lates: Homer in art
    Course start date:  Fri 7 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Julia Musgrave
    When Homer’s ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey’ were rediscovered in the renaissance they went on to inspire artists from the mid-fifteenth century to the present day. We explore how artists through the centuries have used the stories as a literary source and consider how their approach to them has changed over time.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
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  4. Friday lates: Women of Surrealism, convulsive beauties
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Fri 14 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    Learn how and why the surrealists re-defined beauty. Understand how the historical context of war and psychoanalysis inspired them to challenge conceptions of 'normalcy' and how it planted seeds for feminist artists to visualise bodies in untraditional ways.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
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  5. Friday lates: Art and maps
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 21 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Christopher Collier
    Maps have a long and fascinating history, yet it was really the 20th Century that saw them come alive as an artistic medium, as artists turned to them to explore their place in a disoriented world. Discover the many ways artists have worked with maps, from Surrealism through to Digital Media.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
    Rating:
    80% of 100
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  6. Japanese: the wonders of onomatopoeia
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 21 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Noriko Inagaki
    Japanese language is rich in onomatopoeia or sounds associated with words. These are used in daily conversation, manga, anime and literature. In this fun evening session, you will discover a whole world of sounds that will help you depict scenes, atmosphere and feelings more intuitively. A genuine Japanese experience!



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £29.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
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  7. Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £10.00
    Rating:
    98% of 100
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  8. Japanese workshop: Japanese Gairaigo
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 28 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Kiyomi Unten
    Do you want to learn how foreign languages words appeared in the Japanese language? This workshop will tell you about the origin, the process and the pronunciation through lively activities.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00
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  9. Friday lates: Agnes Martin – pioneer, painter, icon
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 28 Mar 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Henry Martin
    This course examines the unconventional life and artworks of Agnes Martin (1912–2004), regarded as one of the great artists of the Twentieth Century. Topics covered include Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, LGBTQ artists, and the role of the biography in Art History.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
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  10. Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
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  11. Music history bookclub: The Thorn of the Honey Locust
    Course start date:  Fri 11 Apr 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Edward Breen
    The music history book club meets towards the end of each term to discuss novels and biographies with musical themes and references relevant to the music history programme.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00
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  12. Lunchtime lecture: Hiroshige and his influence
    Course start date:  Fri 2 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    An introduction to the art of Utagawa Hiroshige and how his innovative landscapes influenced Western artists like Van Gogh, Whistler and Frank Lloyd Wright.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00
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  13. Music of the Arab world
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 9 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Taïssir K Mahmoud
    Get an insight into the various genres and styles of Arabic music and sample a selection of Arabic melodies. Open to all levels.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £29.00
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  14. Friday lates: The body as image and material in 20th century art
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 9 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Irina Chkhaidze
    Explore the representation of body and body-related practices by prominent modern and contemporary artists of the twentieth century.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
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  15. Tokyo: an insider's guide
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 16 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Kiyomi Unten
    Join this lively course and learn about this bustling capital that mixes the ultramodern and the traditional, from neon-lit skyscrapers and anime shops to cherry trees and temples. Open to all levels.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £29.00
    Add to Compare
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