Primary tabs
Teaching
The department aims to provide all its postgraduate students with every opportunity for a broad education and a compatible environment in which they may complete a PhD or MPhil successfully. The department will aim to provide guidance and, where appropriate, the facilities to allow postgraduate students to develop a number of different skills, including the following:
- research methodologies and the process of research, including quantitative and qualitative methods and data analysis
- project planning and management
- the effective use of learning resources, including library and information technology
- personal skills, including oral and written communication, time management and teamwork skills, professional development, and the preparation of a curriculum vitae and employment applications
- road knowledge of the discipline in which the student is working
- technical training to enable the student to undertake their research work effectively and efficiently
- professional presentations
All students in this programme will be members of the University’s Postgraduate School of Life Sciences (PSLS), which offers a wide variety of core skills and professional development training. For more information, visit the PSLS website's Researcher Development page.
| One to one supervision | Expect regular uninterrupted discussion sessions for MPhil students, ideally at least once a month, to consider any immediate matters about the research programme. 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 and during the planning and writing-up phases. All students should have the opportunity to seek formal feedback from their Supervisor, and supervisors should have the opportunity to give such feedback. 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 | Postgraduate students are asked to attend all the lectures in the Plant Sciences Seminars series. Other sessions can be attended as needed, decided following a discussion with supervisors. |
| Lectures | Lectures can be attended as needed, decided by a discussion with supervisors. |
| Journal clubs | As decided following a discussion with supervisors. |
| Literature Reviews | Within 4 weeks, MPhil candidates draft a project proposal. This provides an opportunity to become accustomed to academic writing and clarify their research project and the techniques to be used. A thesis plan must be submitted before the thesis submission date. |
| Posters and Presentations | The first-year seminar is a good opportunity for students to present an outline of their research, including the project's background and results to date. |
Placements
The department has several projects that involve collaboration with Partner Institutes, including the Sainsbury Laboratory, NIAB (National Institute of Agricultural Botany), BAS (British Antarctic Survey), and international conservation organisations based in the David Attenborough Building (e.g., UCCRI). The department also has several links with industry and/or breeding organisations. Placements will be dependent on the availability of a Supervisor and project.
Feedback
After the end of each term, the primary supervisors are asked to provide a brief report on each student's progress via the online feedback and reporting system. The report will be available to students, who will be invited to respond to comments via a termly self-assessment. This will allow students to review their progress and highlight any difficulties they face.
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
The examination for the MPhil degree consists of a thesis of not more than 20,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, footnotes, bibliography, and appendices. The assessment also includes an oral examination, with two examiners, of the thesis and the general field of knowledge within which it falls.