College of the Sea

During a dark, damp and dreary January you may think there's plenty of time to decide if you want to enter for GCSE/A Level exams in what seems a far-distant summer. But you'd be wrong, because entries have to be submitted by February (GCSE) and March (A Level).

Arrangements for sitting GCSE/A Level exams this coming summer can be found in our Download Centre

In partnership with Middlesex University, The Marine Society is offering a unique route for seafarers to top up their HND or Foundation Degree into a full honours degree by means of a programme that is entirely distance taught.

We're also offering a route whereby seafarers can use their Class 1 certificate of competency to gain a Masters degree through work-based learning - all without the need to step ashore!

These are truly ground-breaking opportunities! Find out what's available!

Last year was another extraordinary year for us in terms of examination results: 93% of our students achieved grades A* –C at GCSE level last summer. And an impressive 87.5% of our learners passed their A Level exams. These figures are well above national average.

We'd like to congratulate all our students who sat their exams, many of whom did so in ships deployed throughout the world.

An approved centre for GCSE and A Level exams, we're the only college in the UK able to arrange examinations at sea wherever our learners find themselves.

Lloyd who was awarded a grade A* in his GCSE Science says: "I found your organisation to be very professional and highly organised".

Lloyd added "I was able to arrange my studying around a busy work schedule which made The Marine Society and Sea Cadets an ideal choice for undertaking learning. I successfully passed the exams which helped me to get a job on leaving the services”

You can find more information on our GCSE and A Level courses and guidance on how to enrol here.

Here at MSSC HQ we’re often asked to express a view on what would be the most appropriate learning and development route for an SCC adult to undertake: CVQO, or the MSSC/Open University Foundation Degree.

For convenience, we’ve set out the salient facts here.

And please remember: impartial advice and helpful guidance is just a mouse click or call away!

If you work with the Sea Cadet Corps then you might like to regard the College of the Sea as your one-stop shop for learning and development opportunities.

We offer a range of tutor-supported distance taught courses and you can also find out about CVQO provision for SCC adults.

We've teamed up with the UK's biggest provider of distance taught degrees to offer an exciting opportunity to gain a recognised and worthwhile qualification in youth work: Foundation Degree in Working With Young People. And what's more we're offering scholarships to cover costs to all who work with the Sea Cadets!

You can find both the scholarship and Foundation Degree application forms in our Download Centre.

Members of the Sea Cadet Corps can now enjoy access to Europe's biggest e-Learning resource: the Defence Learning Portal.

We are the first volunteer-led organisation to secure such access. More here

We introduce a new suite of courses.

Nutrition Awareness, Sports Management and the Sports Higher Diploma are now available for those who are looking to improve their knowledge in nutrition and exercise or for those who wish to gain a professional qualification in sports and recreation management.

Delivered in association with our partner - the National Extension College - these courses are entirely distance-taught and require no attendance for examinations.