Frequently asked questions

See more. Achieve more. Be more.
The Imperial Horizons programme was introduced in October 2012 and is available to all undergraduates. It is designed to broaden your education, inspire your creativity and enhance your potential. Our wide-ranging and innovative modules can be taken as part of, or alongside, your main degree. 

Imperial Horizons is one of the streams from which students taking an I-Explore module as part of their degree can choose. However, undergraduate students are also allowed to take a Horizons module for extra or non-credit in their other years of study.

Find out more about I-Explore

You should be able to find all the information you need on our web pages. If you have any specific queries about a module, you can contact the field leader or the lecturer (whose email address appears on the side of each module description web page).

For information on any additional information events that will be running, please see Information events.  

Details of how to enrol can be found on the Enrolment page. 

The Imperial Horizons programme is completely free of charge and open to undergraduate students studying at Imperial College London.

(Postgraduates and staff can instead consider enrolling on Imperial's after:hours adult education programme, where a range of courses are available at a discounted price for Imperial students and staff.)

There is detailed information about each module on the module description. Please see module options for more details. You should choose a module in a subject you are interested in. If you have any specific queries about a module, you can contact the field leader or the lecturer (whose email address appears on the side of the module description). You can also attend one of our Information events where we will have a Q&A session. 

Yes*, you should enrol on a module for the year of study you are joining at Imperial, i.e. if you are joining Year 3, you should choose from the Years 3 & 4 Horizons modules. (You should not consider yourself a Year 1 student, even if it is your first year at Imperial.) You may be permitted to take a module offered to another year group where spaces remain and your timetable allows you to attend. Please email horizons@imperial.ac.uk with any queries.

*Please note that exchange students need to obtain permission from their host academic department and their home university if they wish to take an Horizons module as part of their agreed study plan. Any exchange student wishing to undertake an Horizons module in addition to their agreed study plan is advised to think carefully about their overall workload before doing so and, if in doubt, to discuss this with their host academic department.

Please complete the relevant form on the Enrolment page. Where modules are full you may be added to a waiting list and contacted if a place becomes available.

Yes, you should choose from the Years 3 and 4 Horizons modules, as this is the year of study you will normally be joining at Imperial. (You should not consider yourself a Year 1 student, even if it is your first year at Imperial.)

Please complete the relevant form on the Enrolment page. Where modules are full, you may be added to a waiting list and contacted if a place becomes available.

Late enrolment applications will be accepted, where spaces are still available, up until the second week of the module. 

Please complete the relevant form on the Enrolment page. Where modules are full you may be added to a waiting list and contacted if a place becomes available. 

Extra credit, non-credit and degree credit students:

Before the start of the module

Module changes are only permitted where there are still spaces available. If you wish to change modules, please complete the waiting list form linked to the Enrolment page. 

After the start of the module

If waiting list spaces become available, places will only be offered by the end of the first week (for 8-week modules) and by the end of the second week (for two-term modules).

If you are having problems with your Imperial Horizons module, please contact the relevant coordinator or field leader or email the Horizons team for advice.

I-Explore students:

Please note that changes to I-Explore modules are only permitted in very specific circumstances. Please see the I-Explore Switching Policy for more information. Any queries should be directed to the I-Explore team.

Classes take place as follows during the autumn and spring terms:

• Year 1: Tuesdays, 16.00- 18.00 
• Year 2: Mondays, 16.00-18.00
• Years 3 and 4: Thursdays, 16.00-18.00

See Timetable and term dates for term dates

Departments have been asked by the university to set aside these times to avoid clashes with your core studies.*

In addition to the class time of two hours a week, you will need to set aside extra time (two to three hours for two-term modules and one hour for one-term modules) for preparation and follow-up activities that will be given in class. This is important if you want to make good progress in the module you have chosen.

*Please note:

• MBBS and BMB students in Year 3, and MBBS students in Years 5 & 6, are not permitted to take Horizons modules due to clashes with clinical/lab placements or final year projects.
• MEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Management students in Year 4 are not permitted to take Horizons modules due to clashes with their core degree.

Year 1 students

• Language modules are 19 weeks in duration and run over the autumn and spring terms
• All other modules are 8 weeks in duration and run in the autumn or spring term
• Year 1 undergraduates are encouraged to take two 8-week modules (one in autumn, and one in spring) if they are not enrolled on a two-term Horizons language module

Year 2, 3 or 4 students

• All modules are 20 weeks in duration and run over the autumn and spring terms

Please see the Timetable and term dates page for further details on the module start and finish dates. 

Please see Taking a module for credit for more information regarding your credit options. 

Students on a degree which includes a year abroad (including those studying a BSc/MSci with a Language for Science) are required to study a language in preparation for that year. You will attend two hours per week of language tuition through the Imperial Horizons programme, plus an additional third hour of language tuition per week intended to prepare you for study abroad.

It is not possible for you to take an additional Imperial Horizons module in another subject, as all modules for your year group are taught during the same timetable slot.

Students returning from their year abroad are able to take any of the available Years 3 and 4 modules.

Imperial Horizons modules are designed to be open to all. However, you should note the restrictions below before applying.

Students can only take a module in the reserved time slot for their particular year of study. It is not permitted to enrol on an Imperial Horizons module from another year group (one that runs on another day of the week); for example, Year 3 students cannot take a Year 1 module, and Year 1 students cannot take a Year 2 module.

Languages modules

Languages modules are offered at a range of different levels, from complete beginner (Level 1) upwards. Please make sure you are eligible for the language module that you are choosing, by checking the pre-requisites chart on the relevant language-specific page, which can be found under the module options for your year group. Please make sure you are eligible for the language module that you are choosing. If you are in any doubt about your eligibility, please fill in our 1-minute form to see if a level check is required. 

Humanities and Social Sciences modules

Students are not permitted to take modules with the same name/ overlapping content in both Year 2 and Year 3. This rule applies to modules such as the Creative Writing, Humanities Project, Practical Art, and Music Technology modules.

The Advanced Humanities Project (Level 7) requires students to have successfully completed and achieved highly in a Humanities and Social Sciences module at the previous level. If you are in any doubt about your eligibility, please email the contact listed on the module description.

There are some BPES modules which have online and face-to-face versions. Students are not permitted to take one version for I-Explore and another as a degree credit elective.

I-Explore students

Please read through the Module restrictions page.

No, School of Medicine students cannot take Horizons modules in years 3, 5 and 6 due to clashes with clinical/lab placements or final year projects. However:

• MBBS students can take Horizons modules in years 1, 2* and 4
• BMB students can take Horizons modules in years 1 and 2*

*In Year 2, Horizons is one of the streams from which School of Medicine students can choose their I-Explore module.

All modules for your year group are taught during the same timetable slot, which means you can only follow one Imperial Horizons module per academic year if you choose a two-term module. If, however, you enrol for an autumn term only module in your 1st year, we encourage you to also enrol for a module for the spring term.

No, you cannot take an Extra Credit Horizons module in the same academic year as you take your I-Explore module. 

The reasons for this are timetabling clashes, as well as module capacity. 

If you are going into your I-Explore year and interested in taking a Horizons module, we would suggest taking this as part of I-Explore.

No, students who are on a placement year are not eligible to take an Imperial Horizons module, even on modules that are online only.

If your degree course involves returning to Imperial for another year of study after your Year in Industry/Research, you will be able to take a Horizons module again once you return. (If your I-Explore year falls after your placement year and you wish to take a Horizons module upon return, you would need to enrol for this as part of I-Explore.)

Language modules
Students may usually repeat a language module if they have less than 50% attendance and have completed no more than one piece of assessment (either coursework or in-class test). However, all requests to repeat will be reviewed by the relevant language coordinator.

Students wishing to repeat may be asked to attend a brief meeting after their Horizons or I-Explore application has been reviewed.

Change Makers, Humanities & Social Sciences modules
If you have not attended more than 50% of the module (actual attendance) you may be eligible to re-enrol. Re-enrolment will be considered on a case-by-case basis depending on how much of the assessment has been completed.

Provided the above conditions are met, you may repeat a module for degree credit or extra credit. In this context it is important that you make a commitment to the module and consider the consequences of erratic attendance/submission of coursework over a longer period of time.

If you have any queries regarding whether you are eligible to repeat a module, please contact horizons@imperial.ac.uk.

Degree Credit 
Your numerical grade will be recorded on your Academic Transcript, and the numerical mark you obtain will be included in the calculation of your final degree result. 

I-Explore
I-Explore modules are pass/fail and this means that while you will obtain a numerical mark, the numerical mark you obtain will not be included in the calculation of your final degree result. You will be awarded the full 5 ECTS credit provided you pass the I-Explore module. The numerical mark you receive will be recorded on your Academic Transcript.

Extra Credit & Non-Credit
All passes, merits and distinctions will be recorded on your Academic Transcript.  Any fails will NOT be recorded for students who take Imperial Horizons for extra credit or non-credit.  You therefore have everything to gain from taking an Imperial Horizons option and you are encouraged to work hard to enjoy the benefits of this opportunity.

Full information on the Imperial Horizons mark scales is listed on the Results page.

Please check the module notes on the Virtual Learning Environment for the submission deadlines.

If you have a serious problem affecting your performance on your Imperial Horizons module, including coursework and examinations, please see the mitigating circumstances information in our CLCC UG Modules Handbook for how to proceed.

The Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication does not permit the auditing of Horizons modules. Students must be formally enrolled on our modules and there is an expectation of regular attendance and engagement.

If you have to miss a session through illness or an unavoidable commitment, you should inform your lecturer in advance and ensure that you catch up on the work independently.

For more information, please read our full attendance policy.

Extra credit and non-credit students

If you have four consecutive unauthorised absences, you will be automatically withdrawn from your Horizons module through lack of attendance (our admin team will email you in advance to alert you).

Please note: If you are flagged for withdrawal due to non-attendance, you will not be permitted to take or submit any assessments.

If you have decided to withdraw from your module, please follow the withdrawal instructions.

Please see the Withdrawal page. 

No, Imperial Horizons is an undergraduate programme.

Postgraduates and staff can instead consider enrolling on Imperial's after:hours adult education programme, where a range of courses are available at a discounted price for Imperial students and staff.