Undergraduate Advanced Diploma (Continuing Education)

You are a proper student of the university with access to all resources. You have a Raven account, university card, member of the SU and you can register to every society you want. In general you are a proper Cambridge student and alumni, you can even apply for associate membership to most colleges at an extra cost. I hope this helps!

I figured now that I've signed up for the course and finished my first term's worth of lectures I would update this for anyone looking into it.

- You are a full Cambridge student in most ways that matter, you can sign up for the Mathmos library, have access to the University Library, and can do all the same societies and clubs. I've basically spent the last 2 weeks signing up for every freshers event and student event possible and the only ones that have told me 'no' were the Cambridge careers service. (Fair enough on that one.) At 4000 GBP a year, the networking possibilities are a bargain. Even the administrators of the Institute of Continuing Education were surprised at how much I'm actually allowed into, as most students are working adults who leave as soon as lectures are over, so they've never tried.

- You do NOT get a college, as part time undergraduates do not matriculate.

- As I recently found out, if you do make friends in the actual colleges however, you can wear a gown to the formals. (Peterhouse is the default undergraduate gown, and this is the one you must wear if you do not hold a BA elsewhere and you're doing an Advanced Diploma. Although everyone else on the course this year has a degree save 1 guy.)

- The qualification is a Cambridge qualification NOT an 'Ice Qualification', whatever that would mean. It's mentioned in the University's constitution as a qualification open to non members of the university. This might be pertinent to younger individuals who are hoping the Cambridge name gives them something of an early career boost.

- What you can research is extremely open ended and they will work hard at finding you an appropriate supervisor for your specialism.

- Most people on the course are significantly older than the average age of TSR users, I reckon. The mean age is probably around 35, but there are a significant number of retirees who already went to Cambridge years ago and who are just learning for fun. There's a lot of working adults who are using the qualification as a segway to a masters or return to research.

- If you pass the course with a high enough grade, it's potentially a direct route to an MST at ICE without need for a Bachelor's, as the two year 'complete' advanced diploma course. (It's divided into two certificates) is equivalent to a Bachelor's degree.

- They are fairly selective about who they let on the course, and they made that abundantly clear first day of lectures.

If you're still around: sure, what would you like to know?

N.b.: Undergraduate diploma is different from the *advanced* diploma. One is second year level, the other is final year level.

You are a proper student of the university with access to all resources. You have a Raven account, university card, member of the SU and you can register to every society you want. In general you are a proper Cambridge student and alumni, you can even apply for associate membership to most colleges at an extra cost. I hope this helps!

Hi,
First off, thank you for your updates on your experiences and the advice on how to best maximize the benefits of being at ICE.

I have a couple of questions for you if you are still willing to share/answer as I am considering completing the advanced undergraduate diploma in research, however, I'm not from the UK and I'm finding it a little tricky to navigate the different terms for the different awards. I'm hoping that as your name is "The UKAmerican" that you might be able to help a Canadian out as I'm familiar enough with the US post secondary education system.

There is mention that the advanced diploma is taught at the 3rd year undergraduate level. Did you find, in your experience, that the research supervisors adapted to the knowledge base of the student they were supervising? I have both a bachelor's and master's, however, they were both professional degrees that did not require dissertations. Now that I'm looking to do research as a part of my job I'm looking to bolster my educational background with a supervised research project prior to going it alone. I've also read that you can apply to just the second half of the advanced diploma so as to just engage in research if you have adequate prior academic training. Did you know of anyone who did this? Were they successful? Or is it really expected that you will do both years?

You mentioned in your previous posts about how this can be considered an equivalent to a bachelors degree. Is an "advanced diploma" generally recognized as such in the UK? Having taught in the college system and been through the undergraduate and graduate university system in Canada, diploma's are granted by colleges which are institutions that are generally geared towards applied learning and trades and take 1-2 years to complete at a lower academic level (like a US community college) and degrees are granted by universities and take 4 years at a higher academic level and are more theoretical and less applied unless you are doing a professional degree such as engineering, nursing etc. Did you find that it was as academically challenging as an undergraduate degree?

May I ask what the wording was on the award that you received at the end of your studies? Was it "Advanced Diploma"? Is there a transcript that accompanies the award that indicates the level at which the study was completed? Is the second course in which the research is completed done on a pass fail basis or was it graded on a scale?

As for the research that is conducted, is there funding made available for the research? What is the scale that is expected? Are you expected to design and run your entire project start to finish in the span of an academic year? Is it expected that you publish your results (or that they be of publishable quality) at the end?

One final question: is there a graduation ceremony where the diplomas are awarded?

I do realize that many of these questions are truly best submitted to ICE but thought as someone who has been through the process that it might be best to find out from a student what their thoughts are on these matters vs a recruiter who may be more interested in adding a tuition fee to their roster. Thank you for your time and assistance!

"I have both a bachelor's and master's, however, they were both professional degrees that did not require dissertations. Now that I'm looking to do research as a part of my job I'm looking to bolster my educational background with a supervised research project prior to going it alone. I've also read that you can apply to just the second half of the advanced diploma so as to just engage in research if you have adequate prior academic training. Did you know of anyone who did this? Were they successful? Or is it really expected that you will do both years?"

Exactly my circumstance, my questions, and my motivations. I understand that since I have a Master's already (and have been paid adjunct faculty at the graduate level at multiple universities here in Chicago) that I would be well suited to the one/second year UGAdvDip course. I'm a little later in the career arc, been there and done that professionally, and mainly looking to refresh my credentials for a return to teaching as my "golden years" loom not far enough in the distance.

I ended up writing to Dr. Carter, the course director, and he was both prompt and helpful at answering my questions. I sent him my academic and employment CVs (I’m 15 years into my career which has straddled academia and healthcare) and he felt I would be suitable for just the second research portion. It is a stand alone program and award. It is also highly encouraged that you send him an idea of your research project prior to application to make sure they think they can find a supervisor. The project is entirely “lone wolf” he said and needs to be done between October and March when first draft is due. Sky is the limit for scale and scope if you can get it done. Publication is not the goal but they would support you in that he said.

Thank you, KatyInCanada. I've had similar contact with Dr. Carter. He's been great. He also said that the second position (the UGAdvDip in Research in the Arts and Sciences) was the appropriate one for me, rather than doing the first (the UGAdvDip in Research Theory and Practice) beforehand, since I already have a Master's degree in addition to 30 years' experience as a license architect, various academic and professional publications, a presentation of an early version of my topic at a professional conference, and I have already had multiple graduate-level adjunct teaching appointments. So I applied to the second one this past Wednesday, two weeks after first contacting him because, also at his recommendation, I first reached out to a potential supervisor - after quickly putting together a draft and updating my academic CV for him. That potential supervisor said he wouldn't be able to, because he's the master at his college and wouldn't have time, but he cc'ed another colleague in the same department (architecture). I have had additional exchanges with that professor, who's done some interesting work very relevant to my own topic. I have also sent him my draft proposal and CV. Both of those were also required, of course, with my application; after that second exchange Dr. Carter confirmed that I need to be accepted to the course first, rather than securing the supervisor before applying. So fingers crossed. I'm hoping for good news maybe this week (the auto-replay said they get back to you in two weeks).

Sounds like you are likely sure to get in. I am hoping for good news for you! I have been slow to put my application together as I had read on the program site that all applications were considered after the closing date and assumed I’d have the luxury of a few months more time to pull my proposal together. I work in a large teaching hospital and so in order to pull together a proposal I more or less have to put all of the pieces in place here to ensure it’ll meet ethics prior to submission, not a small task. Hopefully the course won’t fill up before I can submit!

Actually I re-rear the auto-reply to my application. It says they usually get back to you in two weeks…unless the website says otherwise, and it says they consider them all together in July :-(

Entire out of curiosity, did you in fact hear back after 2 weeks? I know the site says they consider all applications at once but thought I check to see if you had heard back with even a tentative offer.

I’m just wrapping up my application but I do not see anywhere to attach any sort of school transcripts or documents to support my academic CV. Did you see anything about submitting them or is it assumed you do not need them as it is ICE at the undergraduate level so not all applicants would have transcripts? Or do they need to be supplied once accepted?

You would normally include a research proposal and academic references. I have just completed the Adv Diploma, email Alex Carter or the admin team if unsure

How did you like the course? Was it worth it?
I am doing the RT&P one - I didn't get into the arts and sciences one.

I done the 2nd year research dissertation so its not taught, but you have a supervisor in the same way the main University works, but its down to you to progress, its equivalent to final year dissertation of a Bachelors degree. Is it worth it depends what you goal is

100% agree almost my whole cohort did a MSt or PhD at Cambridge afterwards. I do not how the university recognises that internally but I know WES in the USA has made a statement in 2019 that it will classify these degrees as either “non-honours bachelors” (which was my case with Harvard KS) or as graduate diplomas. In any case you will have problem when applying to other unis. I remember that LSE back in the day stated them as non honours BA degrees as well but that was 8 years ago.Last internally there are recognised same as the “pre masters” full time course which is again very helpful for MSt but in general again the academic world states them as Bachelors degrees.