| Postgraduate Study

The Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge is a world-class centre for teaching and research in Sociology. It has a proud tradition of research grounded in engagement with contemporary real-world issues.

Our Department is ranked first for Sociology in the Complete University Guide League Table 2025 with a 100% score, and second for Sociology in the Guardian's Best Universities league table 2025.

The Times Higher Education World University ranking 2025 rates our department second overall in the UK for the Social Sciences. The QS World University rankings list our department as sixth of 375 sociology departments across the world in 2025.  

Our PhD programme combines taught content in research methods and academic skills with independent study under the supervision of one or more experts in the student's chosen field.

Many who graduate from our PhD programme go on to become professional researchers or academics; others work in national government, international organisations, NGOs, think tanks, and consultancies.

Our PhD programme aims to create an environment which supports our students:

to think critically
to undertake state-of-the-art research in their chosen fields
to engage with the world at the interface between theory, policy and practice
to develop a full portfolio of research skills
to produce a scholarly, exciting and socially relevant PhD
to move on to interesting and fulfilling jobs

Continuing

Admission to the PhD programme is via a competitive process in which current Cambridge students are considered on the same basis as external applicants. Cambridge students must achieve a Pass in an MPhil by Thesis or achieve a final mark of at least 70% overall and 70% on the dissertation in an MPhil by Advanced Study to continue to PhD study.

Open Days

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.
Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages.

Details of Open Day events run by the Sociology Department can be found on the Department's Outreach Page.

The programme aims to produce graduates who:

have a critical understanding of the different forms of social and organisational change as seen through the lens of sociology, political science and organisational theory;
are prepared to lead, build and manage collaborative initiatives of the corporate, public and social sectors to tackle the global wicked problems;
are skilled in the practice of business planning, financial planning and impact measurement principles and can apply these in a global context to create blueprints for social ventures, social change organisations or internal change projects; and
are equipped with the advanced quantitative and qualitative research skills required to actively contribute to the academic debate on social innovation and to engage with intellectual rigor with individuals and organisations working towards the development of novel solutions to deep-rooted problems of poverty and inequality in both rich and poor countries.

The programme consists of four modules plus a dissertation, which build on each other towards meeting the above educational aims:

Module 1: Organising for Social Change

This module looks at the theory and history of social change, innovation and ventures. Students learn and critique ideas from sociology, political science and organisational behaviour in order to build a deep knowledge and understanding of different forms of social and organisational change.

Module 2: Leading Social Innovation

This module focuses on strategies for leading and executing social innovation. Students examine the distinctive leadership challenges inherent in creating social innovation (as social entrepreneurs and social intrapreneurs within large organisations) and discuss opportunities and challenges of cross-sector collaboration for social change.

Module 3: Social Innovation in Practice

During this module students work towards building their own social innovation project. Students either create a blueprint for a social venture, develop an internal change project or write up a case study, applying the knowledge and skills gained so far. This part of the course will focus on applying the lessons of project creation, business models, financial planning and social impact into practice in order to make a compelling case for implementation.

Module 4: Social Innovation Research

Students learn and then apply advanced quantitative and qualitative methods in the study of social innovation and ventures in preparation for the dissertation.

Dissertation

Students write a dissertation based on primary research related to their own work or other context agreed.

Learning outcomes

This programme will provide an overview and understanding of social innovation and approaches to addressing social, cultural, economic, and environmental challenges and opportunities. We aim to provide an open environment for critical dialogue, so the programme will be highly interactive with workshops, case studies, subject experts, and practitioners engaging in the discussion of key concepts, theories, frameworks, and emerging ideas for creating, developing, and enabling social innovation across sectors in the UK and internationally.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

Understand the fundamental processes, business models, and leadership in the social innovation and social venture space.

Understand, articulate, communicate, and integrate key theories and frameworks in social innovation and social ventures with practical strategic and tactical courses of action.

Recognize, appreciate, understand, and assess multiple stakeholder perspectives in social innovation.

Reflect upon and critique theory and practice with regard to social innovation.

Develop and apply advanced research skills.

Open Days

We run regular online events from September to March. Keep visiting the Master of Studies in Social Innovation web page for the most up-to-date schedule or, if you would like to be notified of dates and locations of these admission events, join our mailing list.

Departments

This course is advertised in the following departments:

Judge Business School

Professional and Continuing Education

The PhD in Social Anthropology is intended for students who already have full training at undergraduate and/or Master's level in the methods and perspectives of Social/Cultural Anthropology. A first class Honours degree or strong High Pass in a Master's degree in Social Anthropology is normally required. The course includes intensive fieldwork training in the first year, a research period of 12 to 15 months, and a further year for writing the thesis (a maximum of four years is allowed in total). The part-time course proceeds in a similar sequence but over a longer duration, with a maximum allowed length of seven years. Students work under the guidance of a Principal Supervisor and a Faculty Advisor, and are supported also by a general research training curriculum and extensive programme of department seminars and workshops. Students beginning their training through the PhD Pre-Fieldwork Course can expect to leave for field research at the end of their third term (June-July). Part-time students can expect to leave for field research at the end of their second year.

A Cambridge PhD in Social Anthropology is very highly regarded, both in the UK and overseas. Department alumni have been enormously influential in academic Anthropology globally. A major portion of our PhD graduates go on to jobs in academia, while others build very successful careers in the media, civil service, and the NGO sector, among others. The Cambridge University Department of Social Anthropology is unparalleled as a place to study for a PhD, combining world-class teaching and resources with a friendly but intellectually challenging atmosphere.

Continuing

MPhil students at Cambridge wishing to continue to the PhD in Social Anthropology are required to achieve a mark of at least 73 overall in the MPhil in Social Anthropology or in the MPhil in Social Anthropological Research.

Open Days

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.

Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages.

The Cambridge MPhil by advanced study in Social Anthropology is an intensive 11-month course (early October to end August). The course is academically challenging and is intended for postgraduate students who are studying the subject for the first time, who have studied Anthropology in the context of a more general degree, and/or for those with little knowledge of the tradition of British Social Anthropology.

The degree can be a free-standing qualification or a route to the original research involved in a PhD, or a means to acquire knowledge of anthropology for use in other fields and professional contexts.

This is a demanding course which enables students to reach a fairly high level of specialist knowledge in social anthropology within a relatively short time and, subject to performance in their exams and assessed work, equips them to undertake a research degree. Given that MPhil students are supervised on an individual basis in order to provide a programme of teaching tailored to individual needs, the assignment of supervisors is spread as evenly as possible among the staff attached to the Department.

Principal fields of anthropological analysis are covered in two core seminar courses in 'The Scope of Social Anthropology'. Attendance at these is compulsory for all students. These two courses cover, respectively, 'Production and Reproduction', which includes the fields of economic anthropology and kinship; and 'Systems of Power and Knowledge', which includes political anthropology and the anthropology of religion.

Students also take a non-assessed course in theory and methods and one course in a specialist option subject. Different optional papers are on offer each year. Examples of optional papers include : Ethnography; Gender, Kinship and Care; History, Archive, Time. In addition, for those wishing to specialise in a particular professional field, the Department may also offer options in Social Anthropology and Museums and Medical Anthropology. A provisional list of planned modules can be found on the Department's website.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

The course addresses key problems in anthropological theory, interpretation, comparison and analysis in relation to particular ethnographies and substantive debates in the anthropological literature. Through critical reflection on a range of anthropological theories, and through practice in the application of those theories to bodies of ethnographic material, students acquire a thorough and intensive grounding in a range of styles of social anthropological analysis.

Practical and transferable skills

The General course offers training in the following transferable skills:

ability to engage with and undertake critical analysis of complex issues;
ability to engage constructively in discussion in groups in which many different views are held, often passionately;
ability to present an argument in clear and convincing terms both orally and in writing; and
ability to design and undertake hands-on research. This includes training in:
- archival review of literature;
- ethnographic research methods;
- analysis of results; and
- skills in research proposal preparation and presentation.

Students are also encouraged to use the range of training and developmental opportunities available across the University, including training on research methods through Cambridge Research Methods, careers advice through the Cambridge University Careers Service and language learning through the Language Centre, including Academic English.

Museum Option students are expected to:

develop a comparative understanding of the history and contemporary roles of museums;
examine different ways that specific objects are produced, circulated, interpreted and displayed;
critically compare theoretical approaches to the study of material culture, art, materiality, and the relationship between persons and things;
develop skills in artefact-based analysis as a key component of anthropological research; and
obtain transferable museum skills through practical work experience.

Medical Anthropology Option students are expected to:

develop a critical comparative grasp of the cross-cultural variety of illness through a contextualisation of both diseases recognised by biomedicine and varieties of illness or suffering that may be understood and remedied on the basis of different assumptions;
develop an understanding of the biomedical diagnosis of diseases and why certain illnesses are contested;
reflect on some of the ethical issues surrounding biomedical research and practice;
improve communication skills that enable cross-disciplinary discussion.

Continuing

Continuation to the PhD is usually subject to the following:

Acceptance of an application for continuation by the PhD Committee
An overall mark of at least 73 in the MPhil is normally required for continuation to the PhD

Applicants intending to continue to the PhD programme should state so in their statement of purpose, as well as making a separate application to the PhD course within the application period; continuation is not automatic and those wishing to continue must make a full application. Acceptance for the MPhil does not guarantee that you will be accepted for continuation to the PhD course.

Open Days

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.
Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages.

The Department strongly encourages all candidates applying to this course to research the many different Colleges and to put down the names of Colleges that best fit their pastoral, social and other needs.

The MPhil is an academically challenging course that enables students to develop their knowledge of social anthropology to a high level of specialization within a short time. It is a demanding course that enables students to develop their knowledge of social anthropology to a high level of specialization within a short time. It is designed for postgraduate students who have a strong background in Social Anthropology, either on its own or as part of a joint degree; and who want to engage directly and more deeply than before with debates in contemporary social anthropology. The course provides specialist social anthropological training in a dynamic programme of research-led teaching and professional development.

In addition to individual supervision to support their dissertation and essay writing, students attend a core course seminar and seminars on specialist modules. The core course covers contemporary themes and concerns in social anthropology as well as professional and skills development. Specialist modules cover research methods and themes related to staff research interests, with topics that vary each year. A provisional list of planned modules can be found on the Department's website.

Students will develop a critical and well-informed understanding of the discipline of social anthropology that they can use as the foundation for focussed individual research, building their capacity for social anthropological research in academic and other professional contexts. For those who intend to go on to doctoral work the course will help them to acquire the requisite research skills and to prepare a well-planned and focussed PhD proposal.

Learning outcomes

Graduates of the course will have developed a deeper knowledge of key problems in anthropological theory, interpretation, comparison and analysis in relation to ethnographic practice and debates in anthropological literature. They will have formed a critical view of a range of anthropological theories, and the application of those theories to bodies of ethnographic data, and acquired a conceptual understanding and critical perspective that enables the evaluation of current research and methodologies in the discipline.

The course offers training in the following transferable skills:

ability to engage with and undertake critical analysis of complex issues;
ability to write for both a general and an academic audience;
ability to engage constructively in discussion in groups in which many different views are held, often passionately; and
ability to design and undertake hands-on research. This includes training in: archival review of literature; ethnographic research methods; analysis of results; and skills in research proposal preparation and presentation.

Continuing

Continuation to the PhD is usually subject to the following:

Acceptance of an application for continuation by the PhD Committee
An overall mark of at least 73 in the MPhil is normally required for continuation to the PhD

Applicants intending to continue to the PhD programme should state so in their statement of purpose, as well as making a separate application to the PhD course within the application period; continuation is not automatic and those wishing to continue must make a full application. Acceptance for the MPhil does not guarantee that you will be accepted for continuation to the PhD course.

Open Days

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.
Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages.

The Slavonic Studies Section at Cambridge is unique in the United Kingdom for offering postgraduates opportunities in the advanced study of Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, with an emphasis on cultural history from the medieval period to the present day. The intellectual vitality of the Section is evident in its thriving research areas: medieval Rus culture; early-modern Ukrainian culture, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian literary and cultural studies of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries; cinema studies; nationalism studies; memory studies; visual culture; the history of science and medicine; print and media culture; sensory history; and Slavonic linguistics. Students taking the PhD in Slavonic Studies may focus on a single national or linguistic tradition or pursue comparative research across languages and national boundaries. A dynamic research culture of public lectures, seminars and conferences, together with a close-knit system of supervision and mentoring, encourages individual and collective endeavour.

The Slavonic Studies Section is part of the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, which has a Postgraduate Centre with computing, study, seminar, and social areas. It maintains extensive library resources, which include the Catherine Cooke Collection of Soviet visual materials. Postgraduate students at Cambridge benefit from a rich, diverse research culture, both within the Slavonic Studies section and across the University as a whole.

The Slavonic Studies Section also works in close collaboration with the Cambridge Committee for Central and European and Eurasian Studies (CamCCEEES) and the Cambridge Centre for Research in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CRASSH).

In British universities, the PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy) is traditionally awarded solely on the basis of a thesis, a substantial piece of writing in English that reports original research into a closely defined area of enquiry. The completion of the PhD thesis is generally expected to take three to four years, and most funding is based on this assumption. It's also possible to take a part-time route through research degrees, and the expected timeframe would be four to seven years.

During your research, the student will have the opportunity to work closely with a Supervisor who is a specialist in the candidate's research area. In addition to the Supervisor, the candidate will normally also be able to draw on the help and support of one further academic advisor and consult other academics working in related fields. The student might reasonably expect to see their Supervisor fortnightly or at least three times per term.

In addition to providing specialist supervision, the Faculty runs a programme of professional training for the benefit of all research students. The programme includes seminars and workshops on library resources, giving conference papers, publishing, applications and interviews, teaching skills, specialist linguistics training, and film-making. The School of Arts and Humanities runs a central programme covering a range of topics from PhD skills training to language training and writing and editing skills. If you wish, you are likely to be given the opportunity to gain experience in small-group teaching from Colleges. There may also be opportunities to gain some experience in language teaching in the Faculty.

Continuing

For Cambridge students applying to continue from the MPhil by Advanced Study to a PhD, the minimum academic requirement is an overall Distinction in the MPhil.

For Cambridge students applying to continue from the MPhil by Thesis to a PhD, the usual academic requirement is a Pass in the MPhil.

All applications are judged on their own merits, and students must demonstrate their suitability to undertake doctoral-level research.

Open Days

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.
Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages.

Departments

This course is advertised in the following departments:

Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics

Department of Slavonic Studies

This Master of Research (MRes) programme focuses on the science, technology, and applications of sensors, preparing students for research careers in both academic and industrial settings. It covers a broad range of topics across the sensor science value chain, including the physical and biological principles of sensing, sensor design, sensor networks, data processing, and applications in healthcare and sustainability. The programme was designed to provide a structured learning experience that addresses national and international workforce demands, fostering leadership, innovation and interdisciplinary expertise in sensor science.

More specifically, the programme’s educational aims are to:

· Produce science and engineering leaders with a high level of understanding and skills in sensor technology, including fundamentals of sensor science, knowledge of sensor systems and applications and relevant hands-on skills.

· Produce leaders who understand sustainable practice and can bring innovative solutions to pressing societal problems (e.g. those relating to our changing environment and health).

· Encourage an appreciation of relevant technological opportunities for sensors and their networks, along with the business, road-mapping and cost-analysis tools used to assess the adoption of new technological solutions.

· Foster an understanding of responsible research and innovation specific to sensor technologies and applications (e.g. data privacy and ownership, trustworthiness of sensor information and unintended use of sensor technologies).

· Promote a strong business awareness of the commercialisation opportunities for sensors and related systems, and foster an understanding of the connections between technology, management and entrepreneurship.

· Expose students to a range of sensor technology areas.

· Encourage students to work across scientific and engineering discipline boundaries, with a resultant enhancement of interdisciplinary understanding.

· Equip graduates with communication and outreach training, personal development skills and specific research training to enable them to become future technology leaders with strong public engagement skills.

Learning outcomes

The programme has been designed around a set of core themes that provide a comprehensive foundation in sensor technologies. These include the principles of sensors and networked sensor systems, with emphasis on sensor fabrication, materials, electronics and communications. Students will also engage with data analysis and machine learning, particularly in relation to the large datasets generated by sensor systems. The curriculum explores the characterisation of uncertainty in sensor technologies across measurement, industrial applications and societal impact. In addition, students will learn concepts and strategies for device fabrication, system design and characterisation, and will gain hands-on research experience. The programme also addresses key aspects of business, innovation, technology development and entrepreneurship, particularly in the context of global challenges and Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Through these themes and a multidisciplinary approach, students will develop and demonstrate a well-rounded body of knowledge, understanding, skills and other professional competencies:

Knowledge and understanding

· Fundamental background, trends and concepts in sensor technologies.

· Understanding of the underlying physical technology background of sensors, devices and their networked systems.

· Broad knowledge of sensors, device and system fabrication and characterisation in the areas such as healthcare, built environment and fundamental research.

· Broad knowledge of data analysis and machine learning algorithms and their applications.

· Good laboratory and research practice based on University or industrial research programmes, and the ability to report research outcomes in an appropriate and ethical way for the intended audience.

· Understanding of business practice and tools in the areas of technology management, technology transfer, exploitation, with particular emphasis on sensor-based technologies.

Intellectual skills

· Ability to solve technical problems in the area of sensor-based devices and systems, and data analysis and machine learning.

· Ability to apply generic skills in modelling, simulating and experimentally evaluating sensor systems in order to optimise and improve them.

· Ability to critically evaluate technical problems and examine alternative approaches and technologies to solve them.

· Ability to deal with complex research issues, both systematically and creatively, and to make informed judgements in the absence of complete data and in unpredictable situations.

· Ability to understand commercial exploitation routes for sensor-based technologies and to evaluate options for technology transfer and/or implementation.

· Ability to understand health and safety regulations when dealing with sensor systems.

· Ability to work independently and in a team, and to plan, execute and critically evaluate original research work.

Transferable skills

· Preparation of formal reports in a range of styles suitable for research dissemination (e.g. journal paper, oral and poster presentations, literature review, extended project report).

· Critical reasoning, demonstration and exercise of independence of mind and thought and communication of ideas.

· Ability to disseminate research through public engagement, print and online media.

· Management of time and work to meet deadlines, ability to work effectively both independently and in teams, and to assess the relevance and importance of the ideas of others.

· Ability to find information quickly and to learn effectively for the purpose of continuing professional development and in a wider context throughout a career.

Continuing

This is a stand-alone MRes programme. Strong students on the programme can apply for a PhD place at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology or at other departments in the University.

Open Days

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.
Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages.

Beyond these events, prospective students are welcome to get in touch by email at any time of the year if they wish to request further information about the programme.

This course is aimed at students with backgrounds in natural sciences, technology, mathematics or medicine and a proven interest in sensing. It is structured in two phases: a one-year MRes course followed by a three-year PhD research programme.

The MRes phase consists of a combination of taught and research modules aimed at teaching students the technical and transferable skills required to carry out original research in the area of sensing and to become future leaders in sensor technologies.

Subject to passing the MRes in Sensor Technologies and Applications and demonstrating the ability to conduct research at PhD level, students continue to carry out an interdisciplinary PhD project in the area of sensing offered by the approximately 50 participating academic supervisors. Project supervisors will provide short project outlines. Each student will select their project and develop it into a detailed PhD proposal together with their supervisor and defend it in front of a panel of academic and/or industrial members of the Sensor CDT.

The PhD projects will allow students to become experts in their specific fields. Continuing interdisciplinary research activities during the PhD phase, such as workshops and seminars, will foster collaboration across discipline boundaries and provide a peer network. Other opportunities during the PhD phase include entrepreneurship, outreach, and industry placements.

The programme has the following aims:

Produce science and engineering leaders with a high level of understanding and skills in sensor technology, in particular, the fundamentals of the field, together with the necessary systems and applications knowledge, and relevant hands-on skills;
To produce leaders who understand sustainable practice and bring innovative solutions to pressing societal problems, for example, those relating to our changing environment and health;
Encourage an appreciation of relevant technological opportunities for sensors and their networks, and the business, road-mapping and cost-analysis tools used to determine the adoption of new technological solutions;
Encourage the appreciation and understanding of responsible research and innovation specific to sensor technologies and applications (e.g. data privacy and ownership, trustworthiness of sensor information and unintended use of sensor technologies);
Develop a strong business awareness in the MRes for the commercialisation opportunities of sensors and related systems, and to foster an understanding of the connections between technology, management and entrepreneurship;
Expose the students to a range of cognate sensor technologies and application areas, and to provide the experience of a variety of different R&D cultures across the University.
Encourage students to work across scientific- and engineering-discipline boundaries, with a resultant enhancement of interdisciplinary understanding;
Equip graduates of the programme with communication and outreach training, personal and development skills, as well as specific research training to enable them to be future technology leaders with excellent public engagement skills.

Learning outcomes

The course aims to cover the full breadth of topics that encompass modern sensor research, including physical and biological concepts of sensing, sensor technologies, sensor-design principles, sensor networks, processing of sensory data, and sensor applications in the areas of healthcare and sustainable environments, society, and economies.

In particular, the MRes and PhD parts of the course are designed to develop the following broad themes:

Fundamentals of sensors and networked sensor systems, with special emphasis on sensor-fabrication, technology, electronics, and communications;
Fundamentals of data analysis and machine learning, particularly their application to the large data sets produced by sensor technologies;
Characterisation of uncertainty in sensor technology, including uncertainties in measurement, industrial applications and social impact;
Concepts of, strategies for, and research skills in sensor-based device fabrication, system design and characterisation;
Hands-on research experience via two mini research projects, together with a sensor team challenge for the whole cohort, often set in collaboration with the industrial partners;
Concepts of responsible research and innovation, trusted research, and environmental sustainability;
Aspects of business, innovation, technology development and entrepreneurship with a view to global challenges, including in Low- and Middle-Income Countries;
Specialist know-how in the student's chosen PhD research area combined with cross-disciplinary knowledge;
Effective communication skills across academic and industrial sensor research and development.

Continuing

Students would have to achieve a pass or higher at the MRes stage to be allowed to continue to the PhD stage.

Open Days

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.

Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages.

The MPhil programme in Scientific Computing provides world-class education on high performance computing and advanced algorithms for numerical simulation at continuum and atomic-scale levels. The course trains early-career scientists in the use of existing computational software and in the underlying components of the simulation pipeline, from mathematical models of physical systems and advanced numerical algorithms for their discretisation, to object-oriented programming and methods for high-performance computing for deployment in contemporary massively parallel computers. As a result, course graduates have rigorous research skills and are formidably well-equipped to proceed to doctoral research or directly into employment. The highly transferable skills in algorithm development and high-performance computing make our graduates extremely employable in all sectors of industry, commerce and finance, including aerospace, manufacturing, energy, hedge funds and fintech.

The MPhil in Scientific Computing is suitable for graduates from any discipline of natural sciences, technology or engineering, who have good mathematical and computational skills.

The MPhil in Scientific Computing is offered by the Department of Physics as a full-time course and introduces students to research skills and specialist knowledge. Its main aims are:

To provide education in Scientific Computing of the highest quality at a graduate level and to produce graduates of the calibre sought by industry, the professions, and the public service.
To provide training for the academic researchers and teachers of the future.
To encourage and pursue research of the highest quality in Scientific Computing and its applications.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will have:

a comprehensive understanding of numerical methods and high-performance computing techniques applicable to their own research area;
demonstrated independent research capability in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in their field;
shown abilities in the critical evaluation of current research and research techniques and methodologies; and
demonstrated self-direction in tackling and solving problems, and acted autonomously in the planning and implementation of research.

Continuing

Students wishing to progress to PhD study after passing the Masters degree should reapply for admission to a PhD through the University admissions website, taking the funding and application deadlines into consideration.

Open Days

The Department of Physics participates in the University of Cambridge's Postgraduate Open Day.

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.

Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages.

Departments

This course is advertised in the following departments:

In a competitive international business environment, real estate professionals need a sophisticated understanding of finance, economics and law to succeed. The MPhil in Real Estate Finance has been designed to provide rigorous training in the latest concepts from these three key areas as applied to international real estate markets.

The course is aimed at those who may already have some experience or interest in real estate markets, banking or investment and wish to upgrade their skills, or for those who are looking to commence a career in this area. The programme offers an opportunity to study theoretical and practical finance, investment, economics and law applied to global commercial real estate markets, while enjoying the cultural, social and recreational facilities of Cambridge. The course takes students from a wide variety of backgrounds: finance, geography, economics, law, biology, international business and mathematics. These students have in common a strong desire to work in property and investments coupled with strong academic skills.

Tuition in the programme is based around classroom lectures, practitioner presentations and site visits to ensure students can apply the theoretical concepts taught. The programme can also serve as an entry point into PhD training for those interested in pursuing research in real estate finance in greater depth.

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 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.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, students will have acquired the following skills:

Knowledge and understanding of the subject matter of the various components of their course.
Intellectual skills: the ability to study steadily, assimilate issues and large amounts of literature swiftly, evaluate countervailing positions and to produce succinct arguments to tight deadlines and to engage with those with whom they disagree. Particular methodologies used include data evaluation, case evaluation, legal analysis, textual analysis, the convergence o theory and empirical data and advanced critical evaluation.
Practical skills: identification and use of bibliographic materials, via libraries and electronically; taking notes effectively, thorough IT skills.
Transferable skills: the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing; to work to deadlines and under pressure; to manage time; to set priorities; to formulate an argument; to work independently and with initiative; basic IT skills (email, data analysis and internet use); critical analysis; to present material in a seminar context; skills of analysis and interpretation; self-discipline, self-direction; and respect for other views. The ability to develop and present a major piece of written work.
Research skills: the ability to locate, utilise and organise a wide range of materials independently, on paper and electronically. The ability to assess and evaluate such material, to develop and pursue a critique of existing material. The ability to develop, structure and sustain a line of argument. The establishment of relationships with researchers in related areas. The ethical use of research material.
Communication skills: the ability to marshal arguments and present them succinctly and lucidly. The ability to effectively criticise the views of others powerfully but fairly. The presentation of written material in a persuasive and coherent manner.
Interpersonal skills: the ability to work with others in seminars and smaller groups towards common goals. The ability to share research data ethically. The ability to respect the views of others and to acknowledge deficiencies in one's own argument.

Continuing

Approval of an application to continue to the PhD degree will depend on three criteria:

Availability of a supervisor
The approval by the Degree Committee of a research proposal
The achievement of a minimum overall mark and minimum dissertation mark in the MPhil Examination as prescribed by the Degree Committee in any offer of admission

Open Days

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.
Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages.

Continuing

Open Days

Learning outcomes

Open Days

Departments

Continuing

Open Days

Learning outcomes

Continuing

Open Days

Learning outcomes

Continuing

Open Days

Continuing

Open Days

Departments

Learning outcomes

Continuing

Open Days

Learning outcomes

Continuing

Open Days

Learning outcomes

Continuing

Open Days

Departments

Learning outcomes

Continuing

Open Days

Postgraduate Admissions Office

About this site

University Policy and Guidelines

Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge