Part-time undergraduate qualifications 2013-14: now open for applications

Applications are now open for ICE’s one and two-year Undergraduate Certificates, Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas starting in October 2013.

These part-time University of Cambridge qualifications are taught at undergraduate level and are designed especially for adult and part-time learners who want to advance their personal and professional development. All our courses are led by Cambridge academics who are experts in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

New courses for 2013-14

Subjects on offer in 2013 include Archaeology, Astronomy, Coaching, Creative Writing, Educational Assessment, English Literature, Evolutionary Biology, Historic Environment (landscapes and gardens), History of Art, International Development, Local History, Philosophy and Religion.

This year we’re offering a number of new qualifications: Undergraduate Certificates in Creative Writing, Evolutionary Biology and Philosophy; and an Advanced Diploma in Ecological Monitoring and Conservation. We have also expanded the Certificates in English Literature and History of Art, so there are now multiple Certificates in these subjects.

Certificate courses open to all

For most Certificate courses all you need is an interest in the subject; you don’t need any special qualifications to apply. What you will find is that you are surrounded by fellow students who, despite their diversity, share an enthusiasm to learn and to satisfy their intellectual curiosity.

New teaching model for Historic Environment and International Development

Our Certificates in Historic Environment and in International Development are offered to a different timetable this year. Instead of weekly classes, the teaching has been consolidated into weekends and day schools, respectively, so that you can study these courses even if you live farther away from Cambridge.

Study your own research project part-time over two years

As successfully trialled in 2012, our Undergraduate Advanced Diplomas continue in the new two-year structured format, with two intakes of students per academic year: one in November and one in February. The Advanced Diplomas offer the opportunity to study particular subjects in greater depth and include a significant element of research on your own project, for which individual guidance and supervision are given. Because they are research-based, Advanced Diplomas can easily be studied from a distance, and they provide an excellent basis for postgraduate study and research.

Get support when and where you want it

All of these courses are supported by our virtual learning environment (VLE), which will accelerate your learning and enhance your experience of the course. You will be able to download course materials, contact your tutors and talk to fellow students via the web at a time and place that’s convenient to you.

You will also be provided with a University of Cambridge student card for the period of your study, giving access to University facilities, such as the University Library, other services and concessions. Plus you'll retain access to the learning resources for your course on ICE Online, and to the student common room, for two academic years after you have completed your course.

Bursaries and loans to help you with your fees

If you are new to higher education, new to ICE, or if you’re a state-funded teacher, you could be eligible for an ICE Bursary.

You will also be able to pay your fees in instalments to help spread the cost, and you may be eligible for a part-time student loan.

Find out more about these and other sources of financial support

Madingley Hall: your place in Cambridge

Most of our Certificate and Diploma teaching now takes place at Madingley Hall, a 16th-century manor house three miles to the west of Cambridge with state-of-the-art tuition and study facilities. The Hall is easily accessible by road with ample free parking, and is situated in seven acres of landscaped gardens.

What our students say

"The lessons are always interesting and exciting: the lecturers are so enthusiastic that the lessons seem to be over too quickly. The quality of teaching is really good. I feel that I am being encouraged to think for myself."

"When I look at what education and Cambridge means to me, it’s about personal development, not prestige. The course has made me more aware of my own thinking, patterns of behaviour, and listening."

“I would encourage anyone to get into Madingley. It does not judge you on what you have or haven't got as qualifications. It listens to the concerns of those like myself who lack initial confidence and it has opened up for me the world of English Literature.”

"Studying at ICE was an enjoyable, exhilarating, yet challenging experience."

"This experience has been one of the highlights of my last five years living in Europe and I will never forget it."

Read more of what our students have to say about their experience of studying with us.

Find out more

If you have any queries about undergraduate qualifications at ICE, please contact ug-awards@ice.cam.ac.uk.

The paper explores, through the case study of March, a large town in the northern part of the Cambridgeshire peat fens, the general invariability of interpretation as planned markets of new medieval settlements that include both regular plots and one or more geometric open spaces.

It asks whether manorial lords might achieve similar ends to those derived from medieval market grants - an increase in income from rents and tolls - by applying lessons learned from commercial planned settlements in other economic contexts.

Find out more about the paper - on the Landscape History website

Tell us your views: new Certificate course in social sciences

Here at the Institute of Continuing Education we are developing a new one-year, part-time University of Cambridge Certificate course to cover subjects in the social sciences.

We would very much welcome your views on the proposed course, and invite you to complete a short survey to help inform the design process.

Complete the survey »

About the course

The Certificate course would be open access, i.e. no special qualifications would be needed to apply beyond an interest in the subject and a willingness to commit to the course.

It would be taught at first-year undergraduate level and would give 60 credits at FHEQ level 4 on successful completion of the course. (For reference, one year of a full-time undergraduate degree is typically equivalent to 120 credits.)

The course is likely to cost between £1,500 and £2,000. Eligible students would be able to apply for Part-Time Student Loans, and we also have some bursaries available offering a fee reduction of between £200 and £500.

Teaching would take place at the Institute of Continuing Education at Madingley Hall, Madingley, Cambridge, CB23 8AQ, which is approximately 3 miles west of Cambridge.

About the survey

The survey consists of nine questions and will only take you a few minutes to complete.

Complete the survey »

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Dr Susan Oosthuizen publishes new book on Anglo-Saxon England

We are proud to announce the publication of a new book by Dr Susan Oosthuizen, University Senior Lecturer and Academic Director for Historic Environment (landscapes and gardens) at the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE).

Tradition and Transformation in Anglo-Saxon England: Archaeology, Common Rights and Landscape is published as part of Bloomsbury Academic's 'Debates in Archaeology' series.

Most people believe that traditional landscapes did not survive the collapse of Roman Britain, and that medieval open fields and commons originated in Anglo-Saxon innovations unsullied by the past. Dr Oosthuizen tests that belief by contrasting the form and management of early medieval fields and pastures with those of the prehistoric and Roman landscapes they are supposed to have superseded. The comparison reveals unexpected continuities in the layout and management of arable and pasture from the fourth millennium BC to the Norman Conquest.

Dr Oosthuizen's results suggest a new paradigm: the collective organisation of agricultural resources originated many centuries, perhaps millennia, before Germanic migrants reached Britain. In many places, medieval open fields and common rights over pasture preserved long-standing traditions for organising community assets. In central, southern England, a negotiated compromise between early medieval lords eager to introduce new managerial structures and communities as keen to retain their customary traditions of landscape organisation underpinned the emergence of nucleated settlements and distinctive, highly-regulated open fields.

The book is available as hardback, epub ebook and PDF ebook from Bloomsbury Publishing.

Find out more about the book - on the Bloomsbury Publishing website

About the author

Dr Susan Oosthuizen has been involved in lifelong learning since 1985. Her undergraduate degree in Archaeology and History was taken at the University of Southampton; she holds an MA from SOAS (University of London), and a PhD from the University of Cambridge, where her research on Anglo-Saxon landscapes bridged archaeology, history and historical geography.

Dr Oosthuizen teaches Historic Environment courses for ICE, including landscape archaeology and garden history, with a special interest in the Anglo-Saxon and medieval landscapes, and in research skills. She also supervises full-time and part-time postgraduate students in the University.

Profile of Dr Susan Oosthuizen

Historic Environment courses at ICE

Most people believe that traditional landscapes did not survive the collapse of Roman Britain, and that medieval open fields and commons originated in Anglo-Saxon innovations unsullied by the past. The argument presented here tests that belief by contrasting the form and management of early medieval fields and pastures with those of the prehistoric and Roman landscapes they are supposed to have superseded. The comparison reveals unexpected continuities in the layout and management of arable and pasture from the fourth millennium BC to the Norman Conquest.

The results suggest a new paradigm: the collective organisation of agricultural resources originated many centuries, perhaps millennia, before Germanic migrants reached Britain. In many places, medieval open fields and common rights over pasture preserved long-standing traditions for organising community assets. In central, southern England, a negotiated compromise between early medieval lords eager to introduce new managerial structures and communities as keen to retain their customary traditions of landscape organisation underpinned the emergence of nucleated settlements and distinctive, highly-regulated open fields.

Find out more about the book - on the Bloomsbury website

Doing things by committee, a belief that we all have a right to be heard on issues from how the BBC to the NHS should be run - consensus in decision-making is a British habit. It may all, says Susan Oosthuizen, go back to how prehistoric people managed their land.

Find out more about the paper - on the British Archaeology website

ICE welcomes new divisional directors

We are delighted to announce the appointment of three new divisional directors at the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education (ICE).

Jonathan Baldwin: Director of Teaching and Learning

Jonathan Baldwin leads the Teaching and Learning Division, incorporating the ICE Registry and ICE eLearning team.

Jonathan studied for a BA and MA with the Open University while working as a graphic designer and marketer for a FTSE100 company in his native North Yorkshire.

He later moved in to education and has worked at the University of Brighton, the Higher Education Academy, and most recently the University of Dundee where he taught across several design disciplines with a focus on visual and cultural studies, advertising and branding, service and strategic design, and Chinese culture and history.

Jonathan received several awards at Dundee for innovation and excellence in teaching. He is frequently invited to participate in validation events and act as an external examiner. He has been a guest on BBC radio to discuss branding of the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and in 2007 won a British Book Award for Visual Communication: From Theory to Practice, which is a set text on design courses internationally.

A big believer in understanding the student experience, Jonathan often studies courses himself, most recently in subjects as diverse as statistics, Chinese, and object-oriented programming.

Tamsin James: Director of Resources and Administration

Tamsin James comes to us from Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust, where she was Head of Corporate Governance and Trust Secretary.

Tamsin is a law graduate and a professionally qualified company secretary (specialising in business law, corporate governance and finance). During her time with the NHS she supported the creation of the first Community Services NHS Trust and worked with Cambridge University Health Partners in the development of the Eastern Academic Health Science Network.

Previously, she worked for the University of Cambridge for 10 years; initially in the Registrary’s Office and later as Faculty Administrator and Secretary to the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Classics and then the Faculty of English.

Dr Tim London: Director of Programmes

Dr Tim London takes on responsibility for the Institute’s Public and Professional Programmes Division. He has worked internationally in a range of educational environments. After completing his undergraduate degree in Psychology (as well as the teacher licensure program to become a primary school teacher), he worked in schools in Las Vegas, Egypt, and Saipan before heading to Washington, DC to work for the American Federation of Teachers.

Following this, he worked with a non-profit foundation that provided educational services to underserved families/children and then took a post as Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. He then served as Director of Education and Teaching Fellow in the School of Education at Queen’s University, Belfast before coming to Cambridge.

Tim has taught at the primary, secondary, and higher education levels, most recently teaching courses/supervising students in the area of leadership at Master’s and Doctoral levels. He has published articles and a book in areas related to leadership and different perspectives on educational systems and has been invited to speak to both education and third-sector groups on these issues.

Tim is passionate about the idea of – and opportunities related to – continuing education, having earned several degrees in different disciplines following his undergraduate degree, including a PGCHET, an MA in Educational Leadership, an LLM in Corporate Governance and Public Policy, and a doctorate in Leadership, Policy, and Organizations.

Open Day at Madingley Hall: join us on 2 April for a day of free events!

The University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education at Madingley Hall offers hundreds of courses for the public, from weekend short courses to part-time Master's degrees.

Join us for our Open Day on 2 April 2013, where you can enjoy more than 35 free events:

• Top University experts speaking on their specialist subjects
• Taster sessions so you can find out what it's like to study with us
• Tours of the historic 16-century Hall and Gardens
• Family-friendly activities, including a Nature Trail
• Food and refreshments throughout the day

View the Open Day programme and book your place today to attend a talk or tour.

Contact us

If you have any queries about the day, please email us at enquiries@ice.cam.ac.uk or call +44 (0)1223 746421.

2013 Summer School Plenary Lectures announced

Interdisciplinary Summer School Term I

8 July – 2 August 2013

The chosen theme for this year’s Interdisciplinary Term I lecture programme is Vision. This truly interdisciplinary lecture series, put together by International Programmes Director Sarah J Ormrod offers a wide range of topics for debate. Lectures and speakers will include: Sir Tony Brenton: Calpurnia’s vision: democracy in difficult places, Professor John Mollon: Perception of colour, Michael Ramage: Visionary architecture, Professor Nicola S Clayton: Imagination and the door to identity and Dr Gillian Sutherland: "A men’s University - though of a mixed type": Cambridge and the education of women?

Find out more about the Interdisciplinary Summer School Term I.

Interdisciplinary Summer School Term II

4 – 17 August 2013

An exciting range of evening lectures is currently being planned for the Interdisciplinary Summer School Term II.

Find out more about the Interdisciplinary Summer School Term II.

Ancient Empires Summer School

7 – 20 July 2013

ICE Academic Director Dr Justin Meggitt, University of Cambridge Senior Lecturer in the study of Religion and the Origins of Christianity and Programme Director of the Ancient Empires Summer School is currently putting together an excellent line up of speakers. This year lectures centre on the theme Culture and Conflict and will include: Professor John Ray: The romance of Alexander and the last Egyptian Pharaoh, Professor Roel Sterckx: Philosophies of war and peace in Ancient China, Professor Judy Lieu: Diversity, difference and distancing in early Christianity and Professor Paul Cartledge: Alexander the great (cultural) warrior.

Find out more about the Ancient Empires Summer School.

Dr Justin Meggitt will be giving a free taster session at our forthcoming Open Day on 2 April. Find out more.

Science Summer School

Term I: 7 – 20 July 2013
Term II: 21 July – 3 August 2013

This year’s lecture series, Creation and Discovery promises to be an exciting collection of very different approaches. Dr Rob Wallach, University of Cambridge Senior Lecturer in Materials Science and Metallurgy and Programme Director of the Science Summer School will chair a sequence of talks on areas including: light, particle physics, stem cell research, genome sequencing, evolution, CERN and ‘The creative navigator’s compass’.

Find out more about the Science Summer School.

Dr Rob Wallach will be giving a free taster session at our forthcoming Open Day on 2 April. Find out more.

Literature Summer School

Term I: 7 – 20 July 2013
Term II: 21 July – 3 August 2013

This year’s plenary lecture theme Crossing Frontiers offers the chance to look at a range of literary works in a new light. Dr Fred Parker, University of Cambridge Senior Lecturer in English and Programme Director of the Literature Summer School, is currently piecing together a series of talks. Lectures will include: Dr Joe Moshenska: True Romance: piracy and poetry in the 17th century Mediterranean, Dr Jenny Bavidge: ‘Queer dreams’: dreams and day-dreaming in the work of the Brontës, Hester Lees-Jeffries: Shakespeare’s souvenirs, Dr John Lennard: Writing the Raj from home and abroad: the contrasting cases of Forster and Scott, Dr Jacqueline Tasioulas: Boarders and frontiers in Chaucer's Knight's Tale and Miller's Tale and Dr Alexander Lindsay: Gulliver’s Travels.

Find out more about the Literature Summer School.

Dr Fred Parker will be giving a free taster session at our forthcoming Open Day on 2 April. Find out more.

History Summer School

21 July – 3 August 2013

Planned by Dr David Smith, Affiliated Lecturer, Faculty of History, University of Cambridge, Affiliated Lecturer, Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge and Programme Director of the History Summer School, the central theme of this year’s History Summer School is Defining Moments. Speakers and lectures will include: Professor John Morrill: The night of 22/23 October: the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Dr Bill Foster: Decisive shock: Western Secret Intelligence and North Africa from Suez to Benghazi, Dr David Smith: John Milton and the English Revolution: a defining moment?, Dr Amy Blakeway: The deposition of Mary, Queen of Scots, 1567, John Jackson: Visions of the future: the Arab Spring and its unexpected consequences, Dr Tom Freeman: Re-defining defining moments in history: the challenges of counter factual history and Dr Isabel DiVanna: France, 1870: the birth of the Third Republic. 

Find out more about the History Summer School.

Dr David Smith will be giving a free taster session at our forthcoming Open Day on 2 April. Find out more.

Shakespeare Summer School

4 – 17 August 2013

The series of talks and performance-based sessions, put together by Dr Catherine Alexander, Programme Director of the Shakespeare Summer School and Honorary Research Fellow of the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, will follow the theme Time and Times. Speakers and lectures will include: Dr Catherine Alexander: Shakespeare in 1923, Professor Stuart Sillars: Dimensions of time in Victorian Shakespeare images, Dr Charles Moseley: Pleasing some and trying all, Professor Kate Belsey: Romeo and Juliet from time to time, Professor Kate McLuskie: ‘The future in the instant’: time and action in Macbeth, Dr Alexander Lindsay: Time in the Sonnets, Dr Paul Prescott: Troilus and Cressida: taste, trends and time's wallet, Dr Erin Sullivan: Shakespeare and the question of Human Nature and Dr Catherine Alexander: Hamlet and time.

Find out more about the Shakespeare Summer School.

Medieval Studies Summer School

4 – 17 August 2013

The theme for this year’s plenary series is Travel and Trade. Dr Rowena E Archer, Programme Director of the Medieval Studies Summer School and Fellow of Brasenose College, University of Oxford, is currently putting together a series of lectures to cover these areas. Speakers will include: Professor Michelle P Brown, Professor Wendy Childs, Margaret Condon, Dr Frances Wood, Nick Millea, Professor Peter Spufford, Dr John Maddicott, Dr Toby Jones, Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith and Dr Anne F Sutton.

Find out more about the Medieval Studies Summer School.

'Friends of Madingley Hall' launched to mark ICE's 140th anniversary year

Madingley Hall, home of the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education (ICE), means a great deal to many people.

Making friends here, renewing those friendships on return visits, studying with like-minded people, and enjoying the special atmosphere of the Hall and its gardens: this is what makes Madingley Hall magical and memorable.

These are exciting times for ICE and Madingley Hall and in recognition of our 140th anniversary in 2013, we have launched the Friends of Madingley Hall to make it easy for you to strengthen your association with the Hall.

How your membership helps

ICE’s vision is to share Cambridge – communicating its research and scholarship – with as many people as possible, locally and globally, and throughout life. Madingley Hall, as the home of ICE, provides the perfect environment for celebrating learning and life.

So, whether you love Madingley Hall for our programmes of study, our public lectures and concerts, our parties and events, our bed and breakfast accommodation, our gardens, or for the friends you meet here, your membership of the Friends helps us to achieve our vision.

You may wish to make a donation (Gift Aided or otherwise) along with your membership payment; alternatively, you can easily donate at any time via our Online Giving website.

Enjoy the benefits of membership

As a Friend you will be eligible for the following member benefits:

1. Introductory pack

You will receive a welcome pack including an exclusive Friends of Madingley Hall pin, membership card and wallet, guides to the Hall and Gardens, and the latest issue of the Cambridge Alumni Magazine (CAM).

2. Priority bookings for selected events

You will be invited book ahead of the crowd for selected events at Madingley Hall, such as the Madingley Lectures (our series of public lectures by leading authorities in their fields) and Open Days.

3. Invitations to exclusive Friends’ events

You will be invited to attend exclusive Friends' events at Madingley Hall, such as viewings and drinks receptions.

4.Subscription to our email newsletter

If you provide your email address, then you will automatically receive our regular email newsletter, which will include news of what we’re doing and a link to online termly editions of the CAM. (If you wish to stop receiving it, you can opt out at any time.)

5. Entry into an annual draw to win a complimentary Weekend Course

You will be entered into our annual summer draw to win a complimentary Weekend Course at Madingley Hall.

6. A 10% discount on our Online Courses

You will be eligible for a 10% discount on as many of our Online Courses as you wish to take. To register for an online course at the discounted rate, simply email onlinecourses@ice.cam.ac.uk with your membership number and the title of the course you wish to study. A member of our Admissions team will then contact you to complete the registration.

7. A 10% discount on selected events and non-course-related accommodation

You will be eligible for a 10% discount on non-course-related Madingley Hall accommodation, bookings for private events such as parties and dinners, and on open events such as our seasonal party nights. To activate your discount, please email enquiry@madingleyhall.co.uk or call +44 (0)1223 746222 with your membership number.

8. Complimentary attendance (plus one guest) to our Anniversary Summer Garden Party

You will be invited to help us celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Institute of Continuing Education’s foundation, with a summer afternoon garden party on 21 July 2013.

9. Monthly Sunday afternoon access to the Hall and Gardens

Friends are welcome to call in and enjoy tea, coffee, relaxation and a walk in the Gardens on the following Sunday afternoons in 2013 (simply show your membership card at Reception on arrival):

• 24 March 2013
• 7 April 2013
• 5 May 2013
• 23 June 2013
• 14 July 2013
• 18 August 2013
• 15 September 2013
• 6 October 2013
• 17 November 2013
• 8 December 2013

10. Access to an exclusive online forum for Friends

Between visits our exclusive online forum will enable you to make new friends, keep in touch with old friends and keep up to date with Friends’ events. If you have provided us with your email address, then you will receive a password so that you can access the Online Forum for Friends.

Find out more

To find out more about the Friends and how you can get involved, contact us at friends@ice.cam.ac.uk