The Spanish and Portuguese Section offers undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan. It is unique in its commitment to exploring the trans-historical and cross-cultural interrelations between all these language areas and their corresponding cultural formations. The research interests of its academic staff thus span a wide range of areas including Medieval and Golden Age Spanish cultures and their consolidation in dialogue with the diverse cultures and faith systems of Africa and the Americas; the literature, art and cinema of Portugal, Brazil and Lusophone Africa; the literature of modern Spain and its relationship with the Enlightenment, colonialism, and modernity; the cinema of the Ibero-American world from early silent film through to its avant-garde, indigenous, popular and transnational dimensions today; and the culture of Catalonia from its rebirth in the Renaixença, through its resistance to Franquismo in literature and film, to its vibrant contemporary artistic, architectural and cinematographic expressions.

The Section also has one of the largest contingents of Latin American specialists in the United Kingdom, whose interests span the poetry, chronicles, and indigenous cultural production of the colonial period; the formation of national cultures in post-Independence Spanish America and Brazil; the experimental literatures of the Spanish American "Boom"; and the literature, cinema, and visual art produced in the interlocking contexts of post-dictatorship, mass urbanisation, narcotráfico and neo-liberal globalisation. The intellectual vitality of the Section is further evidenced by a dynamic research culture of public lectures, section seminars, postgraduate workshops and conferences, all of which add to a close-knit system of postgraduate supervision and mentoring that encourages both individual and collective endeavour within the section.

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.

The Spanish and Portuguese Section and the Centre of Latin American Studies are pleased to share the details of a Consortium in Latin American Cultural Studies for PhD students. This new flexible arrangement will foster a greater exchange of ideas between students and scholars in the Section and the Centre and provide more opportunities for them to access relevant training, funding and other resources. For further information, please visit the Latin American Cultural Studies Consortium page on the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages website.

The MPhil in Population Health Sciences includes the academic disciplines of epidemiology, global health, health data science, infectious diseases, public health, and primary care research. In the first term, all students take five core modules in biostatistics, epidemiology, applied data analysis, public health and research skills. Students subsequently select at least six additional modules, either following a designated pathway in one of the named specialisation themes (epidemiology, global health, health data science, infectious diseases, public health, and primary care research) or following a more personalised pathway.

The course is open to postgraduates who wish to pursue a research, practice or leadership career in population health sciences.

The overall aim of the programme is to provide course participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to serve as a foundation for a career in population health sciences in an academic, practice or in other settings. Students will receive basic training in the core research methods used in the related academic disciplines of epidemiology, global health, health data science, infectious diseases, public health, and primary care research, and will then be given the opportunity to further specialise in their chosen area of interest. The course will teach students how to critique and design population health studies, and will give them the opportunity to carry out focused research under close supervision. Ultimately, we expect our postgraduates to contribute to the study and improvement of population health.

Please see the course website for further details.​

For full-time students, the first year of the PhD is spent in Cambridge, with two major activities: firstly, developing a research topic with the guidance of a Supervisor, and secondly, training in research methods. The development of the topic often involves extensive reading into relevant literatures, the discovery of relevant information sources (such as archives or databases), and formulating plans for primary research, such as through making plans for fieldwork. This is done in combination with your primary Supervisor. The first year culminates in the production of a report, which serves as the basis for the registration exercise at the end of the year. This registration exercise is required to move on to official registration for the PhD degree and is conducted through a meeting with your postgraduate advisor and an independent assessor. Its purpose is to ensure that your research project is viable, that an appropriate methodology is being applied and that relevant literatures are being drawn upon.

The second major focus of the first year is research training. There is a weekly seminar on the methodological and philosophical questions that underpin research in the contemporary social sciences, which all first-year PhD students attend.

Alongside the methods course, PhD students choose two further courses to attend from a range of options, such as statistics, qualitative methods and languages. This is mandatory for the registration exercise.

For part-time students, whilst the methods training is expected to be carried out in the first year, additional training and the registration exercise may take place in the second term (Lent) of the second year.

The content of the second and third years for full-time students and the third and fifth years for part-time students varies considerably depending on the type of research being conducted. Many students spend a considerable portion of the second year (3/4th year part-time) of their PhD out of Cambridge on fieldwork, while others are resident throughout. To assist you in developing your research, we schedule an annual meeting with your primary Supervisor and postgraduate advisor, for which you produce a report for discussion.

The MPhil in Politics and International Studies is a nine-month full-time course offered by the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS). It is designed to meet the needs of all those who wish to enhance their understanding of international relations and politics at a postgraduate level. It is appropriate for those who wish to embark upon an academic career, in the first instance, through pursuing doctoral research, but also for those looking to embark on careers in the media, politics, law, public administration, civil service, finance, teaching, and the charity sector.

The programme offers advanced engagement with various aspects of the academic study of Politics and International Studies. It will provide you with a critical understanding of a range of issues involved in studying these disciplines, primarily through a mixture of lectures and research-driven seminars.

Among postgraduate courses in international relations and politics at British universities, the Cambridge MPhil in Politics and International Studies is distinctive in its multidisciplinary approach and breadth. Teaching takes the form of lectures and seminars on a range of advanced topics across a variety of subjects. The taught part of the course aims to familiarise you with the range and variety of disciplines required for a thorough critical understanding of the field in all its complexity, and of the means and methods that have been devised to understand it better.

The programme is suitable both for students who have just completed their first degree and for mature students from, for example, industry, teaching, the civil service, or the armed forces.

The department is looking to attract around 67 highly qualified candidates for the MPhil programme each academic year.

The MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History is aimed at students interested in both the theory and history of political thought (including those wider intellectual idioms which provide the context for its development). It also welcomes students whose previous study had a more specialised historical or theoretical (or philosophical) bent, provided that while doing this course, they are willing to engage with both approaches to research.

The MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History attracts students from all over the world, and its training provides an ideal foundation for doctoral research not only in the United Kingdom but around the world.

The MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History combines taught and research elements over a nine-month full-time programme, with a focus on pursuing the individual student's research for a dissertation of 15,000-20,000 words. Classes are provided in core methodology and the reading of selected texts, and on key concepts, which offer opportunities to explore different methods used in the field, different approaches to reading texts, and a variety of political concepts.

The MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History offers students a rounded and flexible master's programme that provides them with an introduction to all three of the fields contained within its scope (History of Political Thought, Political Theory, Intellectual History), while allowing them to specialise in their own area of particular interest. It offers a thorough training in the key techniques of higher-level academic study and research. It is an inter-faculty programme linking History, Politics, and Classics. The teaching staff and examiners, as do students on the course, have diverse disciplinary backgrounds.

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

The aims of the course are to provide an understanding of key contemporary research problems in a range of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences relating to the Arctic and Antarctica, and to allow students to undertake original research on a topic selected in consultation with members of staff.

The MPhil in Polar Studies consists of a core interdisciplinary element after which students follow one of two strands (Social Sciences and Humanities; or Natural Sciences). Lecture, seminar and practical-based teaching takes place in the Michaelmas term. The remaining two terms are devoted to a supervised research-led dissertation.

The course is examined through the submission of two pieces of coursework, a presentation and the dissertation. Dissertation topics are agreed with supervisors and are closely integrated with the ongoing research activities of the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI).

Research in polar studies embraces both the natural sciences and social sciences and humanities. The PhD in Polar Studies is a full-time, three-year research degree (or 4 to 7 years part-time) examined by a thesis. A successful thesis will represent a substantial contribution to knowledge and will also represent a realistic amount of work for three years of full-time study (or equivalent part-time). Students are based in the Scott Polar Research Institute, which is a sub-department of the Department of Geography.

In the first year, students attend a comprehensive training programme based around lectures, seminars, and workshops on fundamental ideas in geography, the design of research projects, and empirical methods and techniques. The University of Cambridge also offers a wide range of training courses for personal and professional development. There is no set course material.

The Department of Plant Sciences is an outstanding University Centre for research in plant and microbial sciences. It offers excellent research and training opportunities in the following areas of plant and microbial science:

• Cell function & responses to the environment
• Developmental biology & signalling
• Genetics and epigenetics
• Ecosystem function and conservation
• Evolution and diversity
• Microbiology & biotic interactions
• Plant pathology and epidemiology
• Mathematical biology
• Enhancing photosynthesis
• Biotechnology and engineering

The Crop Science Centre is an alliance between the University of Cambridge's Department of Plant Sciences and the crop research organisation NIAB. The Centre will serve as a global hub for crop science research and a base for collaborations with research partners around the world.

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is the University's principal research degree. A PhD in Plant Sciences takes three to four years of full-time study to complete (or four to seven years part-time) and consists of research and courses as required under academic supervision. Applicants should contact a potential supervisor before proceeding with their PhD application. You can browse the personal/group pages of the Research Group Leaders to check details of their research.

The aim of PhD training is to develop a deep theoretical and practical understanding through research into aspects of Plant Sciences, augmented by appropriate lecture courses delivered within the department or, more generally, across the Postgraduate School of Life Sciences.

The course provides training in a wide range of disciplines, including plant genetic engineering, plant development, plant molecular biology, plant biochemistry, plant-microbe interactions, microbiology, plant ecology, crop biology, plant virology, plant epigenetics, epidemiology, plant taxonomy, plant physiology, eco-physiology, and bioinformatics.

Having identified a research area of interest and contacted the appropriate Supervisor, the first stage in developing an application should be to draft an appropriate research summary of the training to be undertaken.

Full-time PhD students must submit a thesis for examination by the end of their fourth year of study, although we encourage students and their supervisors to complete the thesis and submit it within the period of funding support, which, depending on the programme, may range from three to four years.

All postgraduate students attend induction and safety training courses in the department.

In addition to undertaking their research, students will attend relevant courses and lectures, for example, instrumentation, sequencing and database use, statistics, experimental design, analysing data, writing reports and a thesis, and how to give effective scientific presentations. Students are expected to take part in the Postgraduate School of Life Sciences' Researcher Development Programme.

Students receive termly reports on their work.

Plant Biosystems Design is jointly administered by the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and York, and the John Innes Centre. It aims to catalyse interdisciplinary partnerships and drive innovation in the application of engineering principles to plant biology and biotechnology. Research projects will develop knowledge, talent and technologies to provide sustainable access to plant products, optimise crop performance and drive novel applications of plants through rational engineering. The interdisciplinary nature and focus of the course align to the UK’s National Engineering Biology Programme. We offer two types of studentships: standard and iCASE. Standard studentships are supervised by academic researchers while iCASE studentships are co-supervised by an Industrial Partner. All students must undertake a placement which lasts a minimum of three months. This placement does not need to occur in one single continuous period. iCASE students must undertake a placement with their Industrial Partner for a minimum of three months.

A PhD in Plant Biosystems Design takes four years of full-time study to complete (or equivalent part-time) and consists of research and training courses under academic supervision. All students will attend an annual three-day residential training retreat. Students will develop a deep theoretical and practical understanding through research into aspects of Engineering Biology in plant cells and systems, augmented by training courses delivered within the University of Cambridge’s School of Biological Sciences, or in cohort training delivered by Universities of Bristol, York and the John Innes Centre. Students will be trained to apply the engineering principles of problem-driven research, standardisation, and iterative design-build-test-learn processes that incorporate simulations and modelling. Training will include computational modelling, data science, genetic logic and circuit design, protein design, entrepreneurship, and responsible innovation. These specialist training will be underpinned by training in data-management, statistics, personal development, project management, research integrity, health and safety, wellbeing, writing a thesis, and how to give effective scientific presentations.

Full-time PhD students must submit a thesis for examination by the end of their fourth year of study.

The objectives of this program are to train students to conduct research in bioengineered plant cells and systems, and to apply engineering biology to the application areas of clean growth, environmental solutions and food systems. Students will follow a programme that includes research and personal and professional development via training in specific (technical) and generic (transferrable) skills. In the final assessment, candidates will be assessed on their thesis and by oral examination. They will demonstrate attainment of higher education qualification at level 8 on the FHEQ (Doctoral degree) via the creation and interpretation of new knowledge, original research that extends the forefront of the discipline, and demonstration of the ability to conceptualise, design and implement research projects.

The unequal distribution of income, jobs, and welfare across cities, places, and regions is one of the defining issues of our time, and it is increasingly seen as a waste of economic potential, as well as a challenge for social cohesion and sustainable development. The MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration (PGR) is the flagship programme of the University of Cambridge aiming to address issues of urban and regional planning and development.

The programme is based on renowned planning research and practice at the Department of Land Economy, with input from leading planning and relevant professionals. It provides advanced skills training to professionals involved in managing local economic growth and regeneration through place-based public policy, regulating land use, and undertaking strategic planning at different subnational scales.

The course features a multidisciplinary approach which draws from Urban and Spatial Planning, Economics, and Geography, with additional specialism in Law, Finance, and Environmental Policy. It aims to enable students to 1) understand the nature, processes and challenges of planning, growth, and regeneration in an urban/regional context, 2) develop key analytical skills for assessing and devising spatial planning solutions based on international best practice; and 3) work cooperatively with relevant professionals to develop effective and just planning policy solutions.

Core and optional modules focus on both Global North and Global South policy examples and case studies, with the goal of identifying the different spatial planning and developmental challenges and opportunities at different urban, local, and regional scales. Most teaching material draws on original cutting-edge research carried out by lecturers and international best practices, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods.

The focus of the course is applied and policy-relevant, and graduates from PGR are expected to join private (such as consultancies, real estate developers and financial professionals) and public organisations (such as civil service and NGOs) leading spatial planning and development practice at the subnational, national, and international scale. PGR is also an excellent starting point for a career in postgraduate research in local and regional planning and development, with the possibility to progress to the PhD in Land Economy.

The programme is targeted at two groups of applicants. First, those who have finished a degree in a relevant discipline and aim to gain a better understanding of urban and regional planning and development, and build up applied research skills. Second, practitioners, managers and planners who have some work experience in relevant sectors and want to widen their current knowledge in the interdisciplinary environment of Land Economy.

The MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration is designed to provide students with the following competences in spatial planning and development:

• Understanding the process of and key considerations for land-use and infrastructure planning and development at various spatial levels;
• Designing efficient and effective spatial planning policies to manage transformative socio-economic, environmental and technological changes;
• Evaluating alternative approaches for the design and implementation of spatial plans, and then assessing their outcomes;
• Addressing the legal implications of planning policies for landownership, land/property law and use rights, and resources management;
• Developing an interdisciplinary and cooperative approach for understanding and managing growth and decline.