A typical week
During your foundation year you will be expected to attend around five hours of lectures and classes per unit per week, participate in regular meetings with tutors to discuss work, carry out independent research and participate in laboratory work. All CEMS students follow two or three units per week.
Your time will be spent both on academic work for your CEMS programme and work related to the Preparation for Undergraduate Studies course.
In each term you will study modules which will lead to your degree pathway. In your final term you will complete a written project on a subject related topic of your choice, deepening your subject interest and building your skills in independent study.
Tutorials are usually for around two students and a tutor. Classes and laboratory sessions are slightly bigger, they may vary depending on the modules that you choose. There are likely to be around four students in a class or laboratory session, however when the whole CEMS cohort is together, this may include up to 12 students.
Lectures are a larger format again, and are likely to be delivered to the foundation year cohort (up to 50 students) as a whole.
Most tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by staff who are tutors in their subject. Some teaching may also be delivered by postgraduate students.
To find out more about how Oxford's teaching year is structured, visit our Academic Year page.
