Graduate Prospectus 2010-11
Studying at Cambridge
Graduate Courses
The University offers a wide range of courses for graduates, both full-time and part-time. This Prospectus describes the courses in two categories: research programmes, and courses with taught elements.
In a research programme, you carry out a piece of supervised research, and work towards the presentation of a dissertation. You may be given training, for example in research methods or health and safety, but the final assessment will be made purely on the basis of your dissertation and an oral examination (viva).
For research degrees there is no system of awarding grades or credits. When you have submitted your dissertation, it will be examined jointly by two experts in the relevant area (one of them is usually from Cambridge and the other from another university), and discussed at a viva with the two examiners. The examiners ask questions about your thesis and the general field of knowledge in which it falls. You are expected not merely to describe the contents of your dissertation but to engage in discussion about your research and results.
Note: The Diplomas in Legal Studies and International Law are research programmes, but the oral is discretionary.
If you study a course with taught elements, you will normally be in a group, or cohort, of other students studying the same course. There will be a significant element of taught coursework. Assessment will be by a variety of means, which may include essays, reports, projects, oral and written examinations. An external examiner is appointed for the cohort, but may or may not see your particular work.
For details of individual courses, follow the links at: