In this section

Programme design and modification

New undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes

Policy and procedures

Forms

Templates

New collaborative programmes

The documents in this section should be read in conjunction with the documents listed under the 'General principles for working with other organisations' tab above.

Policy and procedure for new taught (UG and PGT) programmes

Policy and procedure for new postgraduate research (PGR) programmes

Forms

The following forms need to be completed for all proposed collaborations.

Collaborative modules

Policy and procedures

Procedure for establishing and reviewing collaborative modules [pdf]

Forms

New collaborative module [doc]
New partner for collaborative module [doc]
Renewal of a collaborative module partnership [doc]

New short courses

Short courses are units of study that are delivered by the university but do not result in the award of a formal qualification, such as degree or postgraduate certification. They may be delivered online, in person or in a hybrid format and take from a few hours to several months to complete.

Short courses may be assessed or unassessed. Assessed courses aligned with levels 4-7 of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) may lead to the award of credit up to a maximum of 15 ECTS per course.

Imperial offers a range of short courses, including:

Higher Education (HE) short courses, such as summer schools for undergraduate students, modules from existing degree programmes and pre-sessional courses for those needing to improve their English Language Proficiency before entering an Imperial degree.
Pre-HE short courses, such as outreach courses for UK school age learners and global summer schools for international learners aged 16 and 17.
Non-credit-bearing courses, including open professional development or executive education courses aimed at those needing to gain additional knowledge and skills applicable to their careers, or closed custom courses developed for national and international organisations for their members or employees.
Open online courses, such as MOOCs, that can be hosted by Imperial or another OPM such as Coursera or edX.

Many of the university's short courses are managed by Imperial Lifelong Learning.

Short course regulations

Short courses are subject to Imperial's Academic Regulations (Short Courses).

Short course approval

All short courses delivered by Imperial are subject to an approval process, with approval delegated to either the host department or faculty (or host central service department) depending on course type.

Micro-credentials

Micro-credentials are records of credit awarded for self-contained packages of learning that are rigorously assessed, and which equip learners with focused, impactful knowledge, and skills. They are flexible, accessible building blocks that can be stacked towards formal qualifications aligned with the UK Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ), allowing learners to tailor their education to their goals and circumstances.

The university has created a micro-credential framework as the basis for the development of these new lifelong learning opportunities.