Taster Courses are a great way to broaden your experience. Each taster course takes place over a couple of
afternoons. You can choose two tasters for each 2-week
Community Outreach
Join Reach Cambridge's Community Outreach taster course to explore how you can make a meaningful impact on society. By examining real-world examples of successful outreach and development initiatives, you will learn how to create your own plan to uplift and improve the community around you. Through this exciting taster, you will learn valuable skills in teamwork and project management and leave with the tools to inspire positive change in your community.
Creative Writing
In a fast-paced and chaotic world, the creative arts represent an increasingly important endeavour, fundamental to the human condition and forming the bedrock of cultures around the world. Providing guidance and the space for honest expression, the Reach Cambridge Online Creative Writing course aims to foster talent, help to connect students with exciting techniques and examples, and provide the comprehensive feedback every creative soul needs to grow their skill and achieve their goals - whether that goal be to set off on a future writing career or simply to share their thoughts with family and friends. Specialising in all fields of creative writing, from long and short-form fiction, to poetry, stage plays, screenplays, memoir and more, our passionate and talented teachers are happy to focus on every genre or one alone.
Cybersecurity & AI
This course combines the two exciting and important disciplines of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI). Cybersecurity is one of the most pressing challenges of our time and developments in artificial intelligence are progressing at a rapid pace. In this taster course you will receive a solid introduction to these exciting areas of study.
History & Politics
There may be no better place to look at past, present or future, than the heart of Cambridge where medieval buildings have long been paired with cutting-edge research to help drive the UK and the world onwards. Taking students out of the classroom to look at history in person as well as in theory, this taster examines where we've come from, in order to understand where we are going. War, politics, monarchy, discovery - the past is always within us, even in the cobbles beneath our feet!
Introduction to Architecture
Understanding what we make, spend money on, and admire throughout history, is often another way to ask who we are. Through wide-spanning this introduction to the beautiful study of architecture, students will learn about some of the biggest architectural movements through history, discover the discipline of a study which is both theoretical and practical, and be asked to pick up their architectural pencils themselves! Can we make houses better - more beautiful or more useful? What makes one design perfect for a winter in Russia but terrible for a summer in Spain? The homes and buildings we live in could arguably be seen as psychological extensions of our bodies. Should design always be practical? What might you do differently if you are designing an opera house vs a GYM? Learn who we are by studying what we build!
Introduction to Coding
Learning to code is essential for all those who wish to stay on track with the rapid technological advances of the modern world. In this taster course, students learn the basics of programming and create their own algorithms, similar to the ones behind our computers, iPhones and webpages. It’s perfect for those who have no prior experience with programming and want to learn this useful and fascinating 21st century skill!
Introduction to Economics
Which nation will be the next economic powerhouse? What is money? How do banks work? If you want to find out answers to these questions while also learning the foundational principles of economics, this taster course is ideal for you. No previous knowledge required!
Introduction to Engineering
Explore the fundamentals of problem-solving, innovation, and design that are at the heart of engineering. Ideal for those curious about how things work, this course highlights the exciting role of engineering in transforming the world around us.
Introduction to Law
Explore key legal principles, learn how the justice system operates, and dive into real-life case studies. Perfect for anyone who has a passion or curiosity for law or considering it as a future degree or career. This course will help you develop critical thinking and argumentation skills while giving you a glimpse into the role of law in society.
Introduction to Neuroscience
Delve into the study of the brain and its complexities, gaining insights into how it influences behaviour and thought. Perfect for those interested in the workings of the mind, this course will develop your understanding of one of the most dynamic areas of science today.
Introduction to Psychology
Psychology examines the human mind, behaviour and experience, through both scientific research and conceptual theorising. From Freudian psychoanalysis to the latest advances in brain-scanning, Psychology addresses the question of what it is to be human through a focus on the way we think and act. Requiring both rigorous scientific method and profoundly open thought, no other subject addresses both the Sciences and the Humanities in quite the same way. We provide students with an engaging introduction to the many different areas of the discipline that can be pursued at university level.
Philosophy & Ethics
Do you ever wonder about the big questions like what it means to be alive, or how to be good in a world as complicated as ours? Philosophers have been asking these questions for centuries and some of their suggestions may surprise you. This taster asks students to dig in deep and bring their thinking caps with them for sessions all about reality and our place in it. Based on lively, respectful debate and deep contemplation, this taster is perfect for anyone looking to challenge their assumptions and expand their mind.
Pre-Hospital & Emergency Medicine
Have you always wondered what really happens inside the ER? What to do in case of an accident? How to help a person collapsing in the subway? Taught by passionate professionals with extensive experience in teaching emergency medicine, this fully practical taster course will help you to gain life- saving skills whilst having fun.
Study Skills
What does it take to succeed in university and in life? How can you take care of yourself, emotionally and psychologically, while doing your best every step of the way? Complement your passion for learning with concrete skills to help you thrive and succeed, through sessions covering everything from revision techniques and exam preparation, to essay writing, interview skills and more.
Young Leaders
What does it take to be a young leader? In a world as bustling and busy as ours is today, stepping up to make a difference can be a daunting task. In the Reach Cambridge Online Young Leaders Course, students will consider questions of leadership, youth involvement, the role of the internet and social media in 21st-century leadership, global vs. local engagement, and how leadership can be used to make the world a better, kinder place. In parallel to these theoretical discussions, students will be challenged to consider the most important issues facing the world today and to develop their own forms of leadership. Workshops on public speaking, presentation skills, interview skills, exam and revision help, academic writing, and more, will reinforce leadership discipline and ideals and help tomorrow’s young leaders to achieve their goals!
