MPhil in African Studies

Apply using the Applicant Portal

The Apply Now button on the right will take you to the Applicant Portal. There, you can create and submit your application and supporting documents, and you can also request your references.

An application is only complete when:

1. you have submitted your application and supporting documents via the Applicant Portal
2. you have paid the application fee if applicable. For further information on application fees, and which courses require an application fee, see here.
3. your referees have provided their references.

If you miss the deadlines specified in this section, you will not be able to submit your application.

Note: Please be aware that places on the MPhil in African Studies are limited and that the course may fill up before the published deadline. Applications can often take up to 8 weeks to be processed.

The Centre welcomes and encourages early applications where possible, and encourages applicants to take careful note of the relevant funding deadlines. This is in your best interests, as places are limited.

For further information on how to apply visit the course page on the Centre of African Studies website.

Selection Process

Applications are considered as they are received (rolling admissions) and can often take up to 8 weeks to be processed.

Further information on How To Apply

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Things You'll Need

You should start preparing the things that you'll need when you apply. These will be mandatory, unless specifically flagged as optional.

• Two referees willing to give you a reference
  Either academic or professional – please see our References guidance for more information about which type you need. Your referees will need to have submitted their reference by the course deadline.
• Transcript  
• CV/resume
• Evidence of competence in English
  If required - please see our Competence in English guidance for more information.
• Research Proposal (document upload) (mandatory)
  All applicants for the MPhil in African Studies are required to provide a longer and more carefully argued statement of intended research. This statement is effectively a preliminary research proposal for the dissertation that the applicant intends to write. It should be a detailed statement 600’1000 words in length, which outlines the area and parameters of the proposed dissertation topic. Applicants should take care that the scope and/or chronological range of their proposal is not too broad, and thus unviable for a nine-month course of study. In addition, applicants should submit a clear, short title for the proposed research topic. Applicants can, if they wish, indicate a particular member of the University by whom they would like to be supervised, although there is no guarantee that this supervisor will be available.
• Sample of Work (1) (document upload) (mandatory)
  The applicant is required to submit a sample of their own written work. The writing sample must be in English and should be no longer than 4,000 words in length. The piece can be an undergraduate essay, or part of an undergraduate or graduate (MA or MPhil) dissertation. If no suitable written work is available from the applicant's previous university study, an essay written specially for the Cambridge application is acceptable, but this should be clearly indicated.

Gates Cambridge Scholarships

If you wish to be considered for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship you will also need to provide the following:

• Gates Cambridge Reference  
• Research Proposal (PhD applicants only)

See Gates Cambridge for more information.

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How to Find a Supervisor

A dissertation supervisor will be allocated to the student prior to the commencement of the MPhil programme.