The Department of Zoology has a vibrant community of around 80 postgraduate students. Postgraduate students are based in a research group but quickly become part of a wider community, with additional academic and pastoral support offered by faculty members beyond their immediate research group. We go the extra mile to ensure our postgraduate students are well-supported during their time with us by offering frequent cohort-building events and training opportunities for students, all overseen by a dedicated deputy Head of Department for Postgraduate Education.

The PhD degree requires a minimum of three years of full-time research with an individual Supervisor. At the end of their degree, students will produce a written thesis, which will be assessed by independent experts, and examined with a viva. This is the principal research degree offered in the Department of Zoology.

Students are supervised by at least one member of the academic staff who is an expert in the student's field of study. Supervisors support students in developing an independent and novel project in their field of interest. Students will learn how to review relevant literature, phrase and answer scientific questions, and report their findings to the scientific community at conferences and through peer-reviewed scientific publications. We very much encourage PhD students to get experience in undergraduate teaching, which can be either as demonstrators during practical classes or supervisors teaching small groups.

At the end of their first year of study, students are required to pass a first-year assessment based on a detailed progress report examined by viva by the student's thesis advisory committee. At the end of the second and third years, a brief report (without viva) is required to ensure satisfactory progress toward the timely completion of the PhD degree.

Most candidates taking this course start in October to take advantage of Departmental and University induction programmes, but admission in January or April is also possible.

Please note: part-time study may not always be viable and will be considered on a case-by-case basis, so please discuss this option with your proposed Supervisor before applying for this mode of study.

The overall aims of the MSt in Writing for Performance are to:

• enable students to develop high levels of expertise as writers of performance through engagement with forms of ‘embodied knowledge’, and ‘learning through doing’, within both group and individual contexts;
• facilitate students’ creative practice, and to encourage originality and experimentation with narrative structures and story-telling;
• use theory and philosophy to develop and enhance students’ creative practice through engagement with performance theory and the critical history of performance;
• identify, encourage, and consolidate the distinct and individual strengths within students’ work;
• explore, both critically and creatively, the world of dramatic writing across a range of performance genres and mediums;
• develop skills relevant to professional development for those working in creative, pedagogic, or industry contexts;
• create a safe and empathetic teaching environment that students can trust, in order that they may produce their most innovative creative work.

The overall aims of the MSt in Writing for Performance are to:

• enable students to develop high levels of expertise as writers of performance through engagement with forms of ‘embodied knowledge’, and ‘learning through doing’, within both group and individual contexts;
• facilitate students’ creative practice, and to encourage originality and experimentation with narrative structures and story-telling;
• use theory and philosophy to develop and enhance students’ creative practice through engagement with performance theory and the critical history of performance;
• identify, encourage, and consolidate the distinct and individual strengths within students’ work;
• explore, both critically and creatively, the world of dramatic writing across a range of performance genres and mediums;
• develop skills relevant to professional development for those working in creative, pedagogic, or industry contexts;
• create a safe and empathetic teaching environment that students can trust, in order that they may produce their most innovative creative work.

The MPhil in World History at the University of Cambridge compares and connects the history of regions and empires into global histories that consider convergence, divergence, and enduring historical dynamics, from c. 1500 to the late 20th century. It draws on a concentration of research in South and Central America, as well as Southeast and East Asian histories. The MPhil in World History enables students to develop strong expertise in this rich and expanding field of historical scholarship.

The MPhil in World History combines taught and research elements over a nine-month full-time programme. The taught elements include three modules, as well as training workshops and seminars, and all students will also complete a long piece of independent research (15,000–20,000 words). Students will also take language classes, a component that is required but not examined. This may be in any language offered by the Cambridge University Language Centre and may be elementary, continuing, or advanced. In this way, the MPhil in World History offers students a thorough preparation for an advanced research degree that will be highly valued in institutions across the world.

Throughout the course, students will be supervised by a dedicated member of staff, who will guide their research towards the completion of an original historical subject chosen and developed by them. In addition, students will benefit from Cambridge’s vibrant research environment, attending and participating in guest talks, workshops, and other events throughout the year.

The course is designed for those who have completed degrees in which History is the main or at least a substantial component and who want to consolidate their knowledge of world history. It is particularly appropriate for those who may wish to continue on to a PhD, at Cambridge or elsewhere, but it is also well suited for those who seek simply to explore world history at a deeper level. It is expected that this will be the normal means by which those without an appropriate master’s degree from elsewhere will prepare for doctoral study in world history at Cambridge.

The MPhil in World History attracts applicants from all corners of the world; graduate students from the World History Group, in turn, have taken up academic and academic-related positions in many continents.