Teaching

This is a research-based programme, and there is no formal teaching requirement. However, all candidates are expected to take part in the department's Postgraduate Education Programme and the Postgraduate School of Life Science's Skills Training Programme.

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, and during the planning stages and the writing-up phase. 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.
Seminars & classes	All PhD students are expected to attend a number of specific postgraduate courses and seminars during their first year. In addition, they are expected to develop their research skills by attending a number of optional statistics and methods courses which are recorded in a student progress log book. The department hosts a number of additional seminar series, which all students are invited to attend.
Taught/Research Balance	Entirely Research

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

Students are required to submit a 60,000-word thesis (80,000 words by special permission) no later than the end of their fourth year (full-time), excluding tables, footnotes, bibliography, and appendices. The final PhD assessment will be of the submitted thesis and subsequent oral examination of the subject of the thesis and the general field within which it falls.

Other

Any methods or statistics courses taken as part of the student's personal development may be assessed or
examined upon their completion but do not currently constitute any formal qualification.

All PhD students are probationary in the first year, and progression to the second year (and registration for the PhD) depends on a successful first-year review (or part-time equivalent). The first-year probationary review involves the submission of a written progress report that covers the research work completed, a review of appropriate literature and a clear indication of how the PhD will develop in the second and third years (i.e., future work). The report is assessed by two assessors and an oral examination of the report will be undertaken.