The MPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Chinese Studies) is an intense one-year course primarily for students who intend to go on to do a PhD in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Chinese Studies) at the University of Cambridge or elsewhere. It is designed for highly motivated future researchers who have a substantial undergraduate background in Chinese Studies or related fields but need more exposure to topic-specific or discipline-based analytical frameworks and more intensive training in primary source language(s) and research skills.
The Educational Aims of the course are:
To give students with a relevant undergraduate degree and sufficient subject-language ability training in research skills and methodologies in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies;
To develop students’ expertise in relevant aspects of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies;
To give students the opportunity to carry out focused research under close supervision
Learning outcomes
At the end of the MPhil programme (Chinese Studies pathway), students will be expected to have:
acquired the ability to read, interpret and translate primary sources in Modern and/or Classical Chinese;
acquired a good knowledge of the general scholarship on modern and/or pre-modern Chinese culture(s);
acquired an in-depth knowledge of the secondary literature relevant to the subject of their dissertation;
developed the ability to formulate original research questions and produce a well-constructed argument to answer them, in the form of an independent piece of research based on the use of primary and secondary sources; and
developed independent archival and library- and internet-based research skills concomitant with the successful completion of a Masters-level degree in Chinese Studies.
Continuing
All applicants should submit, via the Applicant Portal, a workable and relevant research proposal and demonstrate that they have the required academic knowledge and skills to carry out their project.
Those students who are enrolled in an MPhil by Advanced Studies at the University of Cambridge and wish to continue to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies will be required to obtain at least 67 per cent overall in their MPhil by Advanced Studies degree and satisfy any pre-existing requirements also set by the Degree Committee, i.e. English language requirement. The prospective PhD supervisor may also set additional criteria when deemed necessary (e.g., a particular grade for a particular paper or for the MPhil dissertation).
Admission is at the discretion of the Degree Committee, which judges each applicant on their own merits and in accordance with its own set of rules and regulations.
Open Days
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Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars
Practical, step-by-step information about preparing a strong application for postgraduate study. Find out more on the Discover Cambridge webpage.
Virtual Postgraduate Open Days
The November Open Days focus on subject and course information. Webinar recordings are available until May.
Events for international students
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