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Expected Academic Standard
Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK High II.i Honours Degree.
If your degree is not from the UK, please check International Qualifications to find the equivalent in your country.
Applicants for this course should have achieved a good UK II.i honours degree (or equivalent) in Modern European Language/Culture, with other humanities degrees also considered. In addition to this, applicants should be able to demonstrate an advanced level of familiarity with relevant research methods and topics within their field and readiness for advanced independent research and writing. They would ordinarily demonstrate their readiness to write the MPhil thesis by showing that they have written long independent research essays as part of their undergraduate work (i.e., a final-year 'optional dissertation' or 'senior thesis' of 10,000 words or more). Students who have not undertaken such projects in the past are advised to apply instead to the 'by Advanced Study' version of the MPhil.
All shortlisted 'by thesis' applicants will be interviewed. If an applicant is found to be unsuitable, it is a possibility that we may offer a place on the MPhil 'by Advanced Study' instead.
A thesis requires research on material in the original language(s). By 'literature and thought', we do not mean studying any or all literatures in English translation. Applicants must show evidence of advanced reading competency in the language of the material proposed for the student's dissertation research, which must fall within the purview of one of the language sections of MMLL. (Prospective students are encouraged to look at the profiles of the Faculty members in the different language sections who might supervise their work.) In cases where one is not a native speaker of the target language, competency ordinarily must be demonstrated by a degree in the related field from a university where instruction was conducted in the language in question or by an undergraduate degree from another university where the student has taken advanced (i.e., final-year) coursework in a relevant field using the material in the target language. If such coursework is not indicated on the student's academic record, the student should submit the results of a formal language assessment of reading proficiency at the time of application (Common European Framework, C1 or higher, or American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages, Advanced High or Higher).
Students sometimes have this competency in more than one MMLL language, but many students use the MPhil to work solely on primary material from one particular language (e.g., working on Russian primary material alone for all of their written work here). It is sometimes possible to develop the knowledge of one of the dissertation MMLL languages whilst the student is at Cambridge (e.g., via the University Language Centre), though it is not plausible to do so from scratch, as the student will be busy with the core work of the MPhil.
University Minimum Academic Requirements
Language Requirement
IELTS (Academic)
| Element | Score |
|---|---|
| Listening | 7.0 |
| Writing | 7.0 |
| Reading | 7.0 |
| Speaking | 7.0 |
| Total | 7.5 |
TOEFL Internet Score
| Element | Score |
|---|---|
| Listening | 25 |
| Writing | 25 |
| Reading | 25 |
| Speaking | 25 |
| Total | 110 |
CAE
Score: Grade A & B (overall score of 193, with no element lower than 185 plus a Language Centre assessment)
CPE
Score: Grade A, B, or C (with at least 200 with no element lower than 185).