Whether you are planning to come to university straight from school or college, or you're returning to academic life after a break, it's likely that you'll find undergraduate study very different from what you've experienced before.

How will I be taught?

All students are offered guidance and support throughout their studies. Courses are taught by a combination of lectures, small group seminars and tutorials, but may also involve lab work, practical lessons or placements depending on your course.

Lectures are held in one of our many and varied lecture theatres around campus with anything from 30 to 400 people depending on the module. Many of the facilities are newly built and are well equipped with IT and media facilities, allowing tutors to conduct the lectures using programmes such as Microsoft PowerPoint.

• Click on the image for a 360° tour by Pan 3Sixty
  
• Watch a video about Starting University and students' experience of lectures and seminars

Seminars usually take place in teaching rooms or, for smaller groups, in the tutor's office. These sessions provide an opportunity to explore a subject more thoroughly with your tutor, and may involve a debate or discussion on particular topics. The tutor will often suggest what you should read or prepare for discussion in addition to giving you feedback on your progress. This is a very important feature of learning at Warwick, especially when you first arrive. You will also have a personal tutor with whom you can discuss both academic and personal matters.

But formal academic teaching with your fellow students is only one aspect of learning at university. The key element of the transition from school to university is independent study – learning to work by and for yourself. This is essential if you really want to get to grips with your subject, and the Warwick curriculum is designed to help you develop as an independent learner. The most important person to guide you here is your subject tutor, who will suggest what you should read, and discuss it with you. And there are many other ways in which we help you train to be an independent learner – through the Warwick Skills Certificate, organised by the Student Development and Enterprise Centre.

How many hours per week will I be studying?

At Warwick, the way you study depends greatly on your chosen course. For example, a degree in History might involve a small number of scheduled lectures and seminars each week (typically 8 or 9 hours), however, your commitments on a Mathematics course, may entail more than 20 scheduled hours per week. This doesn't mean that some students are working harder than others; it just means that courses with fewer scheduled hours demand a higher proportion of independent study.

Are there any opportunities to study other subjects while I'm at Warwick?

Warwick encourages cross-disciplinary study and extra-curricular opportunities. On many degree programmes, students can take modules outside of their own department, allowing them to develop new skills and ideas. Some courses also offer the opportunity for overseas study, or to spend a year in industry.

There are also opportunities to continue learning languges or to start a new foreign language through the Language Centre. Some courses offer language modules as part of your degree, but there are also courses available for you to attend in your free time. Classes are generally taught in small groups, but you can work independently in the Centre's Self-Access Suite if you prefer. We encourage all students to use the Language Centre, which has become one of the University's most valuable learning resources.

The Centre for Lifelong Learning offers modules which can be studied part-time alongside your degree course. Although designed for mature students, the Open Studies Certificates are accessible to undergraduates and are often taught during the evening, so fit in around your degree course. Open Studies modules can be a useful introduction to a new subject or a good accompaniment to your degree course.

Undergraduate Skills Programme

The Undergraduate Skills Programme offered by the Centre for Student Development and Enterprise offers a wide range of activities to support students' learning at Warwick. We work with students to help them find the learning interventions that are timely and appropriate for them.

The Warwick Skills Certificate (WSC) is designed to make Warwick graduates more employable. All students are given the opportunity to participate in the WSC which aims to develop your comptence, confidence and credibility in a range of essential graduate-level skills. The Certificate comprises 30 credits, and most modules represent 10 credits so many students take one module per year. As you progress, you will build up an extended personal development record that will enable you to demonstrate your skills and experience to employers who are looking for the best graduates.

Lord Rootes Memorial Fund

Entrepreneurial students can apply to the Lord Rootes Memorial Fund for financial support to develop imaginative projects, and successful applicants may receive anything from £100 to £5000. Applications to this fund are welcome from all part time and full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students studying on courses of two years' duration or more.

Recent projects include: Sea turtle conservation; 'Young men, old mountains' - a kayak adventure in Tibet; Taking stand up comedy to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival'; and The role of culture in HIV prevalence in Africa - a South African Model

• Visit the Lord Rootes Memorial Fund website
• Visit the website of two students who explored 'The Role of the Park in the Community' 2006
• See also Employment and Skills