skip to content

Institute of Continuing Education (ICE)

Do you wonder about why we get ill? Has Covid-19 led you to question what other infectious threats to health are hiding round the next corner? Learn from a range of experts across the breadth of infectious diseases – about the main types of pathogen: viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi. 

Key features

During this part-time online certificate course, you will:

  • acquire a broad knowledge base in infectious diseases
  • learn about the major types of pathogen and the immune system
  • explore basic experimental techniques relevant to the study of infection and immunity

Undergraduate Virtual Open Day: 29 April 2025. Click here to register.

Container

Teaching & Assessment

As part of our open and inclusive learning environment, you can enjoy the world-class resources and expertise of the University of Cambridge wherever you are on your academic journey.

Our video-based teaching platforms offer a flexible way to access lectures, while our Virtual Learning Environment makes it easy to study and learn online and interact with your tutor and fellow students.

Our teaching methods include lectures, presentations by guest speakers and facilitators, and interactive and experiential learning activities. We will also give you reading and assignments to complete outside of classroom sessions.

You will demonstrate your learning using a range of assignments submitted at the end of each unit and through the construction of a portfolio of work. There are more details about how this course is assessed in the course guide we will send you once you have enrolled.

 

Qualifications

This course is equivalent to half of the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree. It offers 60 CATS credits, which are recognised by higher education institutions and employers.

 

How many hours of study are required?

The award of academic credit is a means of quantifying and recognising learning and within the UK, one credit notionally represents 10 hours of learning. This course attracts 60 credits, so students should expect to need to study for approximately 600 hours in total to complete all units successfully. However, it is recognised that students study at different paces and use a variety of approaches, so this is a recommendation, rather than a hard-and-fast calculation.

SEEC Credit Level Descriptors for Higher Education (2021) here.

 

Unless otherwise stated, teaching and assessment for ICE courses are in English. If your first language is not English, please refer to our Information for Applicants pages for further guidance.

Course dates

10 Oct 2025 to 10 Jun 2026

Course duration

9 Months

Apply by

18 Aug 2025

Course fee

£3,300

Academic director

Academic Directors, Course Directors and Tutors are subject to change, when necessary.

Venue

Virtual Classroom
(via Zoom or equivalent)

Qualifications / Credits

60 credits at Level 4

Course code

2526CCR213