Teaching and Learning

Academically curious, self-motivated and keen to broaden your knowledge?

You’ll thrive on the Online Summer Research Programme!

Our programmes are renowned for their rigorous and intellectually challenging content, and at the centre of our ethos is the individualised nature of Cambridge teaching.

Over four weeks you’ll immerse yourself in a subject area of your choice and, working one-to-one with an academic expert, produce a body of high-quality research work.

Discover some of the research projects students have produced on the programme. 

How the teaching programme works

Our programme offers you two choices: the Subject Stream or the Open Stream.

On both streams you’ll have 8 x 1-hour sessions individually with your supervisor who will guide your project, challenge you academically and support your work.

The key difference: on the Open Stream you propose your own research project while on the Subject Stream you choose from one of our proposed topic areas and research questions.

The focus of a Cambridge education is on depth of knowledge, cultivating critical thinking and independent study, not on contact hours. So outside of supervisions you should expect to spend roughly six hours a day studying, researching and preparing for supervisions and your final submission. 

The Open Stream

This option is perfect if you have a keen research interest or a good idea of a project you’d like to work on.

You choose your own research topic or research question to answer and we’ll work to pair you with a supervisor who matches your proposal.

Explore the Open Stream.

The Subject Stream

Need some inspiration? Not to worry!

We have a range of topic areas and proposed research questions for you to tackle on the Subject Stream.

Take a look at what we have on offer for 2024. 

What support will I get?

We offer you plenty of guidance. Before you start the programme, we’ll send you information about the practicalities of completing a research project and you’ll be well briefed during academic orientation at the start of the programme.

You’ll also be assigned a Director of Studies who will help monitor your progress and be available to provide support alongside your supervisor, academic or otherwise. They’re available over email or you can book a time to speak to them.

Resources

We expect you’ll carry out most of your research online and your supervisor will help you navigate this throughout your project.

We’ll provide a guide to free e-resources and you’re likely to be able to access a number of digital resources through your home institution’s libraries online. If you’re not currently enrolled at a higher education institution, we’ll discuss access to resources as part of your application.

Unfortunately we’re unable to offer access to the University of Cambridge or Pembroke College’s library resources.