Teaching
The MPhil is a 12-month full-time or 2 years part-time programme that involves minimal formal teaching: students are integrated into the research culture of the department by joining a research group. Most research training is provided within the group structure and overseen by their research supervisor, but MPhil students are also expected to attend the department’s programme of research seminars and other postgraduate courses and skills training offered by the Postgraduate School of Life Sciences. Informal opportunities to develop research skills also exist through mentoring by fellow students and members of staff.
| One to one supervision |
Students can expect to have regular lab meetings with their supervisor and with other lab members. The regularity with which postgraduate students meet with their supervisor varies throughout the year but meetings are likely to be more frequent to start with, during the planning stages, and during the writing-up phase. The University of Cambridge publishes an annual Code of Practice which sets out the University’s expectations regarding supervision. |
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| Seminars & classes |
The Department offers a 3-day course in "Core Statistics in R" for first-year PhD students. |
| Posters and Presentations |
MPhil students are expected to deliver a short presentation at the end of their course. |
| Taught/Research Balance |
Entirely Research
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Feedback
Students will receive regular oral feedback and advice from their supervisor about performance and research direction throughout the course, and students can also expect to receive termly formal feedback reports via the online feedback and reporting system.
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
The examination for the one-year full-time or two-year part-time degree of Master of Philosophy in Biological Science (Pharmacology) consists of a thesis of not more than 20,000 words in length (exclusive of tables, footnotes, bibliography, and appendices), and an oral examination on the thesis and on the general field of knowledge within which it falls.