|
The University of Cambridge, located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. As reflected in international surveys, it has a reputation as one of the world's most prestigious universities. History
Students and Acceptance Rates
Noble Prize and Cambridge
Structure of Cambridge Majors and Degrees
History The University of Cambridge is one of the oldest universities in the world and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. Cambridge first appears in written records as a considerable town. The bridge across the River Cam, from which the town took its name (Cam-bridge), had existed since at least 875. By 1200, Cambridge was a thriving commercial community, which was also a county town and had at least one school of some distinction. Then, in 1209, scholars taking refuge from hostile townsmen in Oxford migrated to Cambridge and settled there. By 1226 the scholars were numerous enough to have set up an organization, represented by an official called a Chancellor, and seem to have arranged regular courses of study, taught by their own members. King Henry III took the scholars under his protection as early as 1231 and arranged for them to be sheltered from exploitation by their landlords. At the same time he tried to ensure that they had a monopoly of teaching, by an order that only those enrolled under the tuition of a recognised master were to be allowed to remain in the town. For more information about the history of the University please follow this link . Students and Acceptance Rates At present the University has around 18,000 students, of them 7,000 are at the graduate level. Of the graduate students, 50% come from overseas, and over a third are women. Acceptance rates for international students vary by departments and type of degree, but are usually between 10% to 20% of applicants. For more information on undergraduate acceptance rate please follow this link. Noble Prize and Cambridge Nobel Prize is awarded each year since 1901 for the achievements in Physics, Medicine, Chemistry, Peace and Literature. The university of Cambridge is heading the list of Nobel Prize winners. It has more Nobel Prize winners that any other institution in the world. 81 members of the university have won the Prize since 1904, and most of them, 31 winners, were the members of Trinity College. Affiliates have won in every category, with 29 Nobel prizes in Physics, 22 in Medicine, 19 in Chemistry, seven in Economics, two in Literature and two in Peace. Dorothy Hodgkin, member of Newnham / Girton Colleges was the first and only woman who won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for the structure of compounds used to fight anaemia in 1964. Frederick Sanger, from St John's and fellow of King's, is one of only four individuals to win a Nobel Prize twice. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1958 and 1980. Structure of Cambridge The University has a structure that is different from other universities, except the University of Oxford. It consists of different units independent in their administration and finance, but they are working for the one goal, to provide quality education to every student. It looks as below:
- Academic Units: Schools, Faculties and Departments
The term School in Cambridge represents an administrative grouping of related subjects. There are six Schools: - Arts and Humanities
- Biological Sciences, including Veterinary Medicine
- Clinical Medicine
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- Physical Sciences
- Technology
Each School is subdivided into Faculties, which are responsible for organising teaching and research. The Faculties cover the whole of the academic programme in the University, each being responsible for a broad subject area. Cambridge has the following Faculties: For more information about Faculties please visit University Faculties.
Some Faculties are then further divided into Departments, particularly in the sciences. Teaching and Learning is organized by the Departments. Departments are responsible for provision of lectures, seminars and classes, as well as for organization of examinations and assessment. As a graduate student in Cambridge you are expected to work independently in the department where you belong. However you are provided with a personal supervisor, who is an expert in your field and whose role is to guide your programme of study or research. You work your supervisor regularly to discuss progress on your academic achievements, written assignments, essays, thesis and dissertations. For the list of departments and detailed information please visit Department Directory. For more information about graduate subjects please visit Graduate Studies Prospectus, and for undergraduate subjects please visit Undergraduate Admissions. - Administrative Units: Colleges
There are 31 Colleges in Cambridge. Three are for women only (New Hall, Newnham and Lucy Cavendish) and two admit only graduates (Clare Hall and Darwin). The remainder house and teach all students enrolled in courses of study or research at the University. A College is the place where students live, eat and socialize. Each College has its own library and sports facilities, and some have their own bar and theatre. Most Colleges have their own clubs and societies, offering a variety of non-academic activities for students to take part in. They provide accommodation, catering, sports facilities and provision for other student activities. Every college has Tutors - who look after all non-academic aspects of their students' time in Cambridge, including providing advice and support on personal, welfare or finance problems. Tutors also monitor academic progress, but in the context of the whole student experience. They are the primary sources of information for all aspects of student support. Choosing the right college is important as it can provide good accommodation, appropriate academic support and even financial aid for your studies and travel. It is had to say which colleges are the best, as each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. The few that we would recommend looking at are: For more information about the Colleges, their role and the list of Colleges please visit The Colleges. Majors and Degrees The University of Cambridge offers following Degrees: Summary of course structure can be found here. Some faculties offer three-year doctoral course after first degree (it can be Bachelor's). Most faculties require a candidate to have a completed one-year postgraduate degree, usually on a research preparation course, such as MPhil prior to starting PhD. Various routes to the PhD are possible and, if you are made an offer of admission, it will be made clear whether you are required to study for a masters degree or certificate in the first instance, or will be admitted directly to a probationary year for the PhD 'not at first registered for any qualification'. Some faculties also offer part-time PhD courses. For detailed information about PhD degree, routes to be accepted and evaluation system during the course please visit this link. The MLitt and MSc are six terms (usually 2 years) full-time research degree course. These courses require residency in Cambridge. These degrees can be an option for students for who the requirement for PhD is beyond their reach and who does not have enough finance to cover PhD degree. For more information about MLitt and MSc degrees please visit here. - MPhil, LLM and MBA Degrees
MPhil is a full-time, 9-12 months programme. There are two options: - I. MPhil Taught - which is course is a partly taught course, assessed by written examinations and dissertation at the end of the year.
- II. Mphil Research - which is available by research only, and assessed by written assignments and dissertation at the end of the course.
For the students who are not confident in applying to PhD MPhil is the best option to have introductory experience before the PhD. Some MPhil courses are the requirement towards the PhD and student's acceptance for PhD degree depend on his/her performance as a MPhil student. For more information about the degree please visit here. Information on MPhil courses in different subjects is described in the faculty web-sites. LLM (Master of Law) is one-year taught course offered by the Department of Law. The LL.M., as a Masters 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 intend to practice law. For more information about LLM please visit Faculty of Law website. MBA is a 12 months degree course offered by Judge Business School. Developed in 1990 the course is one of the Best MBA Programmes in the world. For more information bout Judge Business school and MBA programme please visit this link. The university offers following undergraduate courses: More detailed information on the courses can be found here. These are the minimum entrance requirements for all applicants regardless of course and age, and are designed to ensure you have had a sufficiently broad general education. Qualifications are required in: - English
- One language other than English
- Approved mathematical or scientific subject
- Two other approved subjects.
The vast majority of undergraduates are 18 years or older when they come into residence. If you would be under 18 when you hope to start your course, you should check the websites of the Colleges you are considering or contact their Admissions Tutors to discuss your individual circumstances. For matriculation purposes, grade 5 or above in the Standard Level of the international student is considered equivalent to GCSE grades A, B or C. If your first language is not English, one of the following formal qualifications is required: - GCSE in English Language/IGCSE English Language (as a first language): at grade C or above
- IELTS: normally a minimum overall grade of 7.0, usually with 7.0 in each element
- Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English: at grade A
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English: at grade A or B
Only 10% of undergraduate student come from outside of the UK so the admission process can be hard. More information about requirement can be found here.
|
