Understanding the Part time courses and how they are structured
At EC we mainly run part time courses on Islam and the Islamic Sciences along with general courses that may be of benefit to the whole community such as courses related to health & wellbeing, fitness, motivation, lifeskills, social cohesion, multifaith issues, etc.
Our part-time and short courses can be categorised as follows:
- Courses that are part of the EC Alim Course curriculum.
- Courses outside the Alim Course curriculum.
1. Courses that are part of the EC Alim Course curriculum
Part-time and short courses related to the Alim Course are in fact courses and modules that cover specific parts of the Alim Course currently taught full-time at EC. Most of our Arabic language, tajweed (Qur'an recitation), Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), Aqeedah (Islamic creed or theology), hadith, tafsir and other Islamic sciences related courses fall under this category. These courses can be studied in two modes:
- As a dedicated 'part time Alim course' student with the aspiration to eventually complete the course, receive Ijazah and become an Alim.
- As someone who is interested for the sake of increasing their knowledge of Islam, its beliefs and practices.
Both types of students may be enrolled on the same courses and cover the same content. The difference is that the Alim course student is like someone taking on a part-time degree, he/she has a clear progression route according to the structure of the Alim course while the non-Alim course student will be much more casual. In theory, however, it is possible for someone to casually complete the whole Alim course over a long period of time buy sticking to the course structure but progressing module by module at their own pace. These courses are an excellent opportunity for both talented and driven people who have always wanted to become Alims but never got the opportunity, as well as for others who are just dedicated to a lifelong quest for knowledge. Non-Alim students who remain steadfast on our courses, will realise after some time that they too have actually completed a significant portion of the Alim course. People graduate in their 30s and 40s all the time, no reason why someone cannot graduate as an Alim at a mature age too. In fact, lifelong dedication to knowledge is the mark of a Muslim.
Any course that is part of the Alim Course will be suffixed with a code that indicates which level of the Alim course it belongs to. For example, ISP1 Arabic Language is the Arabic language course taught in the first year of the Alim course, Similarly othe levels will be coded ISP2... and so on. This way every student can map and track his/ her progress through the Alim course. To understand the Alim course and its levels and courses and to get more information on studying the Alim course part-time please visit the Alim Course section.
2. Courses outside the Alim Course curriculum
These are courses that are not part of the Alim course curriculum but nevertheless relate to the Islamic sciences, or compliment a part of the Alim course, or relate to a general issue or topic of interest to Muslims and anyone interested in Islam. They may also overlap with areas taught in the Alim course or in one of the Islamic sciences but are structured and taught in a different way. Many short courses that are designed to introduce Islam and the Islamic sciences (taster courses) fall under this category, as well as courses on topics such as marriage, calligraphy, history, philosophy, Islamic civilisation and culture; and courses on Islam for non Muslims. In this category we are open to suggestions and ideas from the community and existing and potential students about topics that they may be interested in.
Intensive Courses: Intensive courses are courses condensed in to a shorter period compared to the period of time they are normally delivered in. These courses are a good opportunity for people who cannot commit to a whole academic year of study or the normal period over which any course is taught. However, before enrolling on such courses students need to be sure they can cope with their intensity. When a course is marked intensive, it does mean exactly that. Students should consult course tutors and take advice to be sure about these courses and also carefully read specifications and entry requirements.
To see our list of part-time courses go to the course list page.
Certificates and Qualifications
For every course successfully completed students will receive certificates from EC. Students who successfully complete all of the courses in any level of the Alim Course will receive an additional certificate to state and certify this. If you sit an external exam such as a GCSE, AS/A level or undergraduate examination validated by a university, then you will receive those certificates additionally when we receive them from the respective board/s or validator/s.