The course aims:

• to provide students with advanced training in linguistic theory and language sciences using a range of approaches and methodologies
• to give students the opportunity to acquire expertise in the domain of their specific research interests
• to provide the foundation for continuation to PhD research
• to offer the opportunity to participate in the research culture within and beyond the Faculty, for example within the Cambridge Language Sciences community, by attending and contributing to postgraduate seminars and reading groups
• to develop the research skills required to conduct independent research such as: computational and corpus-based methods, statistics, on-line and lab-based behavioural experimental methods, eye-tracking, electroencephalography (EEG), phonetics and speech sciences skills

The course aims:

• to give students with a strong background in Linguistics, Language Sciences or Computational Linguistics the opportunity to experience the kind of independent, focused research they would pursue in a PhD
• to provide foundations for continuation to PhD research
• to offer the opportunity to participate in research culture within and beyond the Faculty by attending and contributing to postgraduate seminars and reading groups
• to further develop research skills required to conduct independent research such as: computational and corpus-based methods, statistics, on-line and lab-based behavioural experimental methods, eye tracking, electroencephalography (EEG), phonetics and speech sciences skills. machine learning

The Cambridge LLM (Master of Law) is a nine-month taught master's degree commencing at the beginning of October each year and finishing by the end of the following June. The LLM, as a master's degree, is intended for those who wish to pursue further legal studies after completing their first degree in law, including those who are considering an academic career or intending to practise law.

LLM students take four courses from the list of available LLM course offerings. Whilst in principle students have a free choice as to the four courses they take, if a course is particularly popular it might become necessary to limit the number of students enrolled in the course to ensure the best possible learning experience for all participants. In recent years, the number of LLM courses on offer has tended to be in the region of 30. The advanced nature of the LLM programme is reflected in the fact that it is organised and taught separately from the undergraduate law degree at Cambridge. All of the LLM courses are specifically tailored for the LLM programme.

Courses in the LLM are assessed by means of an examination at the end of the LLM year, although students can apply to write a full dissertation in lieu of the examination for one course (only), subject to prior formal approval of their dissertation topic and availability of the dissertation option.

Competence standards are set for the LLM to identify the competences and abilities that students are required to demonstrate in order to successfully complete a programme of study. The competence standards relating to LLM courses are available on the Faculty of Law website.

The MLitt in Law may be awarded after two years of supervised research (or a proportionally longer period if undertaken on a part-time basis) and following examination of a thesis not exceeding 60,000 words inclusive of footnotes but exclusive of appendices, bibliography, table of contents and any other preliminary matter. For a candidate to be awarded the MLitt, their thesis must have demonstrated all of the criteria below:

1. provides evidence of a useful contribution to the field of study;

2. systematic understanding of knowledge and critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights in the field of study;

3. includes critical evaluation of current methodologies and wider research in the area of study;

4. provides evidence of an understanding of applicable techniques for research and advanced academic enquiry;

5. submission of work of a quality and quantity expected for two years of full-time postgraduate research (or part-time equivalent)

The PhD in Law may be awarded after three to four years of full-time study or five to seven years of part-time study (including a probationary period) of supervised independent research on the basis of a thesis not exceeding 100,000 words, exclusive of bibliography, table of contents and any other preliminary matter.

A doctoral candidate's thesis must demonstrate all of the criteria below:

1. a significant contribution to the field of study through the creation and interpretation of new knowledge, connection of previously unrelated facts or the development of new theory or revision of older views;

2. submission of work of a quality in whole or in part of a standard to merit publication (whether or not subsequently published);

3. provides evidence of the acquisition of knowledge and a detailed understanding of applicable techniques for research and advanced academic enquiry;

4. is of a quality and quantity to reflect three years of full-time postgraduate study (or part-time equivalent).

A PhD research proposal of between 2,000 and 3,000 words in length (inclusive of footnotes but exclusive of bibliography) should be submitted at the time of application for consideration by the Faculty's Degree Committee.

This course is designed to meet the needs of two groups:

• those who have developed an interest in Latin America through study or work and wish to develop this for personal or professional reasons
• those who intend to proceed to a doctorate, and possibly an academic career in the field

The course seeks to provide participants with a critical understanding of Latin America in all its complexity, and of the means and methods that have been devised to study and understand it better.

The criteria for the assessment of the 30,000-word thesis is rather more stringent than on Master’s programmes at most other Universities, where (in the UK) the thesis typically represents only a quarter of the year’s work. In particular, there is a requirement for originality, which must be met either by research using primary sources (documents, interviews, official publications, or the like) or else by developing a distinctive approach to an existing debate or literature. This is consistent with the aim of the thesis, which is to develop advanced skills of research and expression.

The Centre of Latin American Studies (CLAS) offers a full-time and a part-time PhD programme. The Centre currently has approximately 15 PhD students at different stages of the programme, working in a range of areas.

Full-time PhD students are required to be resident in Cambridge for the duration of their degrees, with the exception of extended fieldwork trips. It is important to note that the part-time PhD at Cambridge is not a distance-learning course. Part-time students are expected to fully engage with the Faculty, to integrate into the research culture of the University and to attend the University on a regular basis for supervision, study, skills training, research seminars and workshops.

The students form a lively academic and social community, playing a full part in the Centre's activities, meeting regularly to present their latest research to each other and organizing seminars and conferences with the Centre's support.

Further information, including current and past student profiles, is available on the Centre's website.

Most of our PhD students come here to work on their thesis with leading scholars in their fields, but we are also committed to helping you develop your future career. CLAS provides specialized in-house training on a range of topics, including:

• teaching undergraduates
• publishing in Latin American studies
• improving your academic writing
• applying for academic posts

CLAS' own training provision is complemented and augmented by a wide range of skills training sessions offered by the University, including research skills, IT, personal development, communication skills and careers advice. Bursaries are available for those wishing to take language courses, and CLAS is currently able to offer specialist in-house training in Brazilian Portuguese. Whatever your future aspirations, you will be encouraged, if you wish, to take the opportunity to gain valuable teaching experience during your time here, in the form of small group supervisions and/or lectures.

This course is designed to meet the needs of two groups: those who have developed an interest in Latin America through study or work and wish to develop this for personal or professional reasons, and those who intend to proceed to a doctorate, and possibly an academic career in the field. The course seeks to provide participants with a critical understanding of Latin America in all its complexity, and of the means and methods that have been devised to study and understand it better. This is achieved through the three main elements of the course:

• A core course, highlighting key critical issues in Latin American Studies and providing a forum for interdisciplinary debate;
• Modules in a range of different fields, of which each student selects four, providing some sense of contrasting disciplinary methods;
• A dissertation of up to 15,000 words, providing an opportunity to study a topic in depth.

The dissertation is a very substantial element of the MPhil. course, and the examination process and criteria for the assessment of the dissertation are accordingly rather more stringent than on Master’s programmes at most other Universities, where (in the UK) the dissertation typically represents only a quarter of the year’s work. In particular, there is a requirement for originality, which must be met either by research using primary sources (documents, interviews, official publications, or the like) or else by developing a distinctive approach to an existing debate or literature. This is consistent with the aim of the dissertation, which is to develop advanced skills in research and expression.

This course combines taught elements and research methods training with a significant level of independent research. Students admitted to this course will be those who have a strong background in land economy-related subjects and who may already have some research experience. They will normally be those aspiring to and who have good prospects of proceeding to the PhD prior to an academic career.

Candidates study one core or two optional modules chosen from a list of options taught by the Department of Land Economy. They are also required to satisfactorily attend and complete the Social Sciences Research Methods Centre (CaRM) training programme, and to complete a 20,000-word dissertation, supervised by one of the academic staff within the department. The dissertation will review the literature and develop research hypotheses, and possibly involve some preliminary data collection and analysis.

The CaRM programme is described on the CaRM Website. Candidates must take six CaRM core modules and produce a research methods essay of not more than 4,000 words as part of this programme. It is anticipated that the research training provided by the CaRM plus the dissertation (20,000 words) and the choice of specialised modules from the other Land Economy MPhils will provide the necessary and sufficient background for commencing PhD research.

MPhil courses offered by the Department of Land Economy share common aims:

• Enable students of high calibre to pursue their education at an advanced applied level drawing on the primary disciplines of economics, planning and environmental policy, with additional specialisms in finance and law.

• Provide students with opportunities both to build on and develop material which they may have studied at the undergraduate level as well as to broaden their knowledge base.

• Equip students with the necessary skills to pursue careers at a high level in a range of areas, including business and finance, civil service, public service, property professions, environmental agencies and organisations, national and international agencies and further study.

• Provide opportunities for education in a multidisciplinary environment so as to advance the understanding of cognate disciplines and their applications.

• Provide opportunities for learning with colleagues from different social, economic and legal systems.

• Provide students with appropriate skills and experience to enable them to use information and resources critically and to equip them with the means to undertake their own research.

• Provide an educational environment with a strong research ethos that brings together students from a wide variety of backgrounds and fosters an international approach to common problems.

This is a thesis-only MPhil and the Department will not admit students to it unless it can be satisfied that they have the necessary research skills, together with a clear vision of their topic and a good grasp of the appropriate methodology to explore it. Further details are given on the course page on the Department of Land Economy website.

MPhil courses offered by the Department of Land Economy share common aims:

• Enable students of high calibre to pursue their education at an advanced applied level drawing on the primary disciplines of economics, planning and environmental policy, with additional specialisms in finance and law.

• Provide students with opportunities both to build on and develop material that they may have studied at an undergraduate level as well as to broaden their knowledge base.

• Equip students with the necessary skills to pursue careers at a high level in a range of areas, including business and finance, civil service, public service, property professions, environmental agencies and organisations, national and international agencies and further study.

• Provide opportunities for education in a multidisciplinary environment so as to advance the understanding of cognate disciplines and their applications.

• Provide opportunities for learning with colleagues from different social, economic and legal systems.

• Provide students with appropriate skills and experience to enable them to use information and resources critically and to equip them with the means to undertake their own research.

• Provide an educational environment with a strong research ethos that brings together students from a wide variety of backgrounds and fosters an international approach to common problems.