Undergraduate degree structure
Degree courses at Cambridge are also sometimes referred to as Triposes. The undergraduate degree at Cambridge is divided into two parts:
Part I is completed either in one or in two years, depending on the discipline. Many Part I courses are formally divided into ‘Part IA’ and ‘Part IB’, both of which are formally assessed. Two-year Part I courses which are not divided in this way are formally assessed at the end of the second year; many also have a preliminary exam at the end of the first year. (A preliminary exam differs from others in that it may not be a formal university exam, and may be ‘unclassed’, that is, marked simply as pass/fail.) Undergraduates may, subject to conditions, switch degree on completion of Part I. This is quite common in some subject areas (quite a large number of humanities students take Law as a Part II), and virtually unknown in others.
Part II extends over one or two years, depending upon the subject; the formal exams which undergraduates sit at the end of Part II are ‘finals’. Study in some subjects, such as Mathematics, may, in addition, be extended by a further year, in which case candidates will take a Part III exam. A comprehensive overview of the Cambridge undergraduate degree system, as well as details of the structure of and possible combinations within individual degree courses may be found in the ‘Guide to Courses’ published by the University; the Guide may also be accessed online (for details, see below).
Cambridge undergraduate degrees are assessed largely through formal examinations, although many disciplines also allow or require dissertations, portfolios, or project work as part of this assessment. The exams are known as ‘Tripos’, and the term is also regularly used to denote the entire course. Successful completion of an undergraduate degree course at Cambridge results in a BA (Hons), regardless of whether the degree is in the Arts, Humanities, or Sciences.
Further information is available in the University's Guide to Courses.