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Latin American Studies is no longer accepting new applications.
Teaching
The MPhil course of study includes lectures, seminars and individual supervision, with teaching provided by University and College lecturers. The MPhil comprises a Core Course and four taught modules of your choice.
| One to one supervision | 10 to 12 hours of individual supervision per year. The University of Cambridge publishes an annual Code of Practice which sets out the University’s expectations regarding supervision. |
|---|---|
| Seminars & classes | Approx. 88 hours per year. |
| Lectures | Approx. 30 hours of lectures per year. |
| Small group teaching | Approx. 48 hours small-group teaching per year. |
Placements
Not applicable, although students may wish to carry out some research or fieldwork towards their dissertation in Latin America during the Easter vacation period, depending upon the research topic. Fieldwork is expensive, however, and although some funding is available in the form of small travel grants (usually up to £600), students should expect to incur some costs themselves.
Feedback
Students will receive feedback via the individual essay and dissertation supervisions, with detailed feedback provided by examiners for all coursework.
Students receive formal termly progress reports from their principal supervisor on their dissertation writing and research, with more regular feedback provided on an ongoing basis via email or in face-to-face meetings.
All students are also invited to present their work at the MPhil Research Day, held in the third term, and to receive verbal feedback from their cohort and members of teaching staff present.
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
Each candidate for the MPhil is required to submit an original dissertation on an approved topic. On application students are asked to submit a dissertation proposal (500 words) and, subject to the success of an application, will be assigned a dissertation supervisor as part of the admissions process. In some cases, further study may lead to a change of topic and even to a change of supervisor, if appropriate. The provisional title for the dissertation must be agreed between candidate and supervisor by the end of the Lent Term (mid-March). Dissertations submitted for the MPhil in Latin American Studies must not exceed 15,000 words, including footnotes, tables, and any appendices but excluding the bibliography, and must be written in English.
The dissertation counts for 50% of the overall mark awarded for the degree.
Essays
Students write one essay over the course of the first term and two essays during the second term. Each essay must be no more than 5,000 words long, including notes, but excluding bibliography, tables, and appendices, and must be written in English.
The three essays combined count for 50% of the overall mark awarded for the degree.
Other
An oral examination must take place if the dissertation is in danger of failing or if the internal and external examiners cannot agree on a recommendation. Moreover, an oral examination must be held in any case where a candidate who, because of a borderline or failing performance in the compulsory essay examinations, needs to achieve high performance in the dissertation examination in order to qualify for the award of the MPhil degree.