Skip to main contentCambridge University Reporter

No 6393

Wednesday 1 July 2015

Vol cxlv No 37

pp. 693–741

Regulations for examinations

Human, Social, and Political Sciences Tripos

(Statutes and Ordinances, pp. 355 and 362)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Faculty Board of Human, Social, and Political Science, have approved an amendment to the scheme of examination for Part IIb of the Tripos for Biological Anthropology candidates who have not taken Part IIa.

Regulation 18.

By amending paragraph (b) so as to read (retaining all footnotes):

(b) Candidates in Biological Anthropology

Candidates in Biological Anthropology who took Part IIa in the Human, Social, and Political Sciences Tripos shall offer papers and other exercises as follows:

(i)BAN5;

(ii)two papers chosen from Papers BAN6–9, one of which may be substituted by a dissertation on a subject approved by the Head of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, which shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 20;

(iii)either one paper chosen from ARC8–33,1 POL13–14,2 SAN8–12, SOC6–15,3 PBS 8–11, Paper 10 for the subject History and Philosophy in Part II of the Natural Sciences Tripos or a further paper chosen from BAN6–9.

Candidates in Biological Anthropology who did not take Part IIa in the Human, Social, and Political Sciences Tripos shall offer papers and other exercises as follows:

(i)Papers BAN2–4 of the Human, Social, and Political Sciences Tripos;

(ii)either one paper chosen from BAN6–9, ARC8, ARC10–33, BAN6–9, POL3–4, SAN8–12, SOC2–3, Paper 1 for the subject History and Philosophy in Part Ib of the Natural Sciences Tripos, Paper 2 for the subject History and Philosophy in Part Ib of the Natural Sciences Tripos, one paper chosen from PBS3–4 borrowed from Part IIa of the Psychological and Behavioural Science Tripos, or a dissertation on a subject approved by the Head of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, which shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 20.

By amending paragraph (c)(iii) so as to read (retaining all footnotes):

(iii)either one paper chosen from ARC8–33, BAN2–4, BAN6–9, SAN8–12, SOC6–15, Paper 7, or Paper 10 for the subject History and Philosophy in Part II of the Natural Sciences Tripos, or a further paper chosen from POL10–19.4

Footnotes

  • 1Paper ARC9 can only be taken if a candidate has taken Paper ARC8 at Part IIa.


  • 2Papers POL13–14 can only be taken if POL3 or POL4 was taken at Part IIa.

  • 3Paper SOC6 can only be taken if SOC2 was taken at Part IIa.

  • 4Paper POL10 cannot be taken if POL8 was taken in Part IIa.


Psychological and Behavioural Sciences Tripos

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 432)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Faculty Board of Biology, have approved a series of amendments to the regulations to remove an incorrect reference to the Faculty Board, to amend the title of PBS 6 and change its content to a research methods course assessed by a 2,000-word paper critique, and to amend the method of approval of dissertation titles.

Part I

Section B.

By amending the subtitle to Section B so as to read:

Optional papers from the list published in accordance with Regulation 9.

Regulation 16.

By changing the title of PBS 6 from ‘Research skills project’ to ‘Research methods’.

Regulation 19.

By amending the regulation so as to read:

19. Candidates offering PBS 6 shall submit a critique of a research paper of not more than 2,000 words, excluding bibliography, tables, or any figures. The choice of research paper must be approved by the Committee of Management not later than the division of the Michaelmas Term. The critique should be submitted to the Secretary of the Committee of Management in printed or typewritten form not later than the end of the second week of the Full Easter Term in which the examination is to be held.

Regulation 24.

By amending paragraph (a) by deleting the first two sentences and inserting in their place:

The topic of the dissertation shall be a subject either proposed by the candidate and approved by the Committee of Management or chosen by the candidate from a list of approved subjects announced before the beginning of the Michaelmas Term.

And by amending paragraph (b) so that appendices are excluded from the word count.

Examination in Archaeology for the M.Phil. Degree

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 516)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Human, Social, and Political Science, have approved an amendment to the numbering of papers.

Regulation 1.

By amending the list of options so as to read:

Option 1.

Archaeological heritage and museums

Option 2.

Archaeological science

Option 3.

Archaeology of the Americas

Option 4.

Egyptian archaeology

Option 5.

European prehistory

Option 6.

Medieval archaeology

Option 7.

Mesopotamian archaeology

Option 8.

Palaeolithic and Mesolithic archaeology

Option 9.

South Asian archaeology

Option 10.

Archaeology

Examination in Development Studies for the M.Phil. Degree

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 523)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Human, Social, and Political Science, have approved the following amendments to the scheme of examination.

Regulation 2.

By adding the following to the list of subjects in Group 1:

5. Cities and development.

By removing the words ‘of the General Board and’ appearing in the first sentence pertaining to Group 2 subjects.

Examination in Industrial Systems, Manufacturing, and Management for the M.Phil. Degree

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 533)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Engineering, have approved a change to the title of the subject for examination to ‘Industrial systems, manufacture, and management’. They have also approved amendments to the regulations, so as to introduce four written exercises into the scheme of examination.

Regulation 1.

By amending the title of the subject for examination and by introducing a new paragraph (b) as follows, with the subsequent renumbering of the existing paragraph (b) as (c):

(b)four written exercises of a form and on topics announced by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Engineering;

And in renumbered paragraph (c), by amending the word ‘subject’ to ‘topic’.

Regulation 3.

By replacing the text with the following:

The examination may include, at the discretion of the Examiners, an oral examination on the thesis and on the general field of knowledge within which it falls, and on any other work submitted by the candidate under Regulation 1.

Examination in Latin-American Studies for the M.Phil. Degree

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 534)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Human, Social, and Political Science, have approved an amendment to the list of modules.

Regulation 1.

By amending paragraph (b) so as to read:

(b) three essays, each not exceeding 5,000 words in length, including footnotes, but excluding tables, appendices, and bibliography, on subjects chosen by the candidate, subject to the approval of the Degree Committee, from the following list of modules:

1. Cities in Latin America

2. Inequalities in Latin America

3. Latin-American literary culture

4. Latin America: Violence and human development changes

5. Race and indigeneity in Latin America

6. Latin-American film and visual arts

7. A subject or subjects in Latin-American studies specified from time to time by the Degree Committee

Examination in Machine Learning, Speech, and Language Technology for the M.Phil. Degree

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 535)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Engineering, have approved amendments to the regulations, so as to increase the number of required modules and decrease the length of the thesis.

Regulation 1.

In paragraph (a) by replacing ‘ten modules’ with ‘eleven modules’ and in paragraph (b) by replacing ‘20,000 words’ with ‘15,000 words’.

Examination in Gas Turbine Aerodynamics for the M.Res. Degree

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 551)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Engineering, have approved amendments to the regulations, so as to specify the structure and format of the industry courses, and to revise the structure of the reports into mini-projects as announced by the Degree Committee.

Regulation 1.

By replacing the text of paragraph (b) with the following:

(b)three mini-projects on topics approved by the Degree Committee;

And by replacing the text of paragraph (c) with the following:

(c)the completion of two industry courses held outside Cambridge and assessed by attendance and participation in exercises during site visits.

Examination in Graphene Technology for the M.Res. Degree

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 552)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Engineering, have approved amendments to the regulations, so as to reduce the length of the two reports and to specify the number and form of research skills sessions.

Regulation 1.

By replacing the text of paragraph (b) with the following:

(b)six research skills sessions each evaluated through a coursework exercise of up to 2,000 words in length, including diagrams and footnotes, but excluding bibliography and appendices;

And by amending the word length in paragraph (c) from 12,000 words to 8,000 words.

Examination in Integrated Photonic and Electronic Systems for the M.Res. Degree

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 552)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Engineering, have approved amendments to the regulations, so as to reduce the length of the two reports and to include an oral presentation in their assessment.

By replacing the text in Regulation 1(b) with the following:

(b)two reports, each of not more than 10,000 words in length, including diagrams and footnotes, but excluding bibliography and appendices, on projects approved by the Degree Committee; the assessment of the first report shall include an oral presentation of the project work on which the report is based.

Examination in Ultra Precision Engineering for the M.Res. Degree

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 554)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Engineering, have approved amendments to the regulations so as to remove reference to optional modules throughout, to add completion of laboratory classes to the scheme of examination, and to include an oral presentation in the assessment of the reports.

In Regulation 1(a) by replacing ‘at least five modules selected from a list of mandatory and optional modules’ with ‘five modules selected from a list of mandatory modules'.

By inserting new Regulation 1(b) as follows, and renumbering the subsequent paragraph:

(b)eight laboratory classes, each assessed by coursework exercises of up to 2,000 words in length;

By adding the following to the end of Regulation 1(c):

The assessment of the first report shall include an oral presentation of the project work on which the report is based; the assessment of the second report shall include an oral examination.

By removing the reference to additional modules in the first sentence and the word optional in the last sentence in Regulation 2.

By amending Regulation 3 so as to replace the reference to the ‘thesis’ with ‘reports’.

Examination in Construction Engineering for the M.St. Degree

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 560)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Engineering, have approved amendments to the regulations, so as to include an oral presentation in the assessment of the thesis.

By adding the following to the end of Regulation 1(c):

The assessment of the thesis will include an oral presentation of the project work on which the thesis was based.

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 571)

With effect from 1 October 2015

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee for Clinical and Veterinary Medicine following review of the arrangements for the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, have approved amendments to the regulations for the Degree, in particular to adopt the standard University Ph.D. Degree fee levels, and to allow the broadening of entry. With effect for candidates commencing from 1 October 2015, the regulations will be as follows:

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

Revised Regulations

1. In order to qualify for the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine a candidate shall be required to provide evidence of a significant original contribution to the study of veterinary medicine.

2. Any person may apply to be registered as a candidate for the degree who

either

(a)

holds a degree of the University,

or

(b)

holds a University office or an unestablished appointment on the staff of the Veterinary School,

and also holds one of the following qualifications:

either

(i)

a veterinary degree giving entitlement to provisional or full registration with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons,

or

(ii)

a degree recognized by the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for the purpose of full registration with that college,

or

(iii)

a veterinary degree approved by the Degree Committee for Clinical and Veterinary Medicine for the purpose of candidature.

No person whose candidature has been approved shall submit a dissertation or any other work as part of their assessment for the Vet.M.D. until four years have elapsed since the date of his or her admission to a veterinary degree as specified above.

3. Any person who wishes to be registered as a candidate for the degree shall submit an application to the Degree Committee for the Faculties of Clinical Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. The application shall specify:

(a)the applicant’s proposed subject of study or research, including a plan of the work to be undertaken and an account of the methods to be used;

(b)for applications in which the candidate wishes to conduct studies outside Cambridge, the place and time where the work is to be undertaken;

(c)the method of financing the work;

(d)the name of a suitably qualified University teaching officer or other University staff member who is proposed as supervisor of the work.

Each application shall be accompanied by a fee in respect of an admissions charge as recommended by the Board of Graduate Studies for an application for admission as a Graduate Student.

4. If the Degree Committee and the Board of Graduate Studies approve an applicant for admission to the Vet.M.D. programme, the applicant’s name shall be entered on the Register of Graduate Students.

The Degree Committee shall determine the conditions, if any, of an applicant’s registration and shall assign the term from which he or she is to be admitted.

5. A candidate whose application has been approved shall pay the University Composition Fee for the course.

6. The examination for the degree of Vet.M.D. shall consist of:

(a)the submission of a dissertation embodying the results of the candidate’s study or research, which shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of Regulations 8 and 9;

(b)an oral examination on the subject of the dissertation and the general field of knowledge within which it falls.

By special permission of the Degree Committee, candidates may submit with the dissertation published work or other materials which they wish the Examiners to consider; such work may be considered by the Examiners at their discretion.

7. A candidate may submit his or her dissertation not earlier than two years and not later than six years after the date of registration for the degree, provided that the Degree Committee may give a candidate special permission to delay submission until a later date.

8. In submitting their dissertations, candidates shall state, generally in a preface and specifically in notes or in a bibliography, the sources from which their information is derived, the extent to which they have availed themselves of the work of others, and the portions of the dissertation which are claimed as original. They shall also be required to declare that the dissertation submitted is not substantially the same as any that they may have submitted for another degree or for a diploma or similar qualification. A dissertation, apart from quotations, shall be written in English. The Degree Committee for the Faculties of Clinical Medicine and Veterinary Medicine shall have power to specify a maximum length for dissertations.

9. Two copies of each candidate’s dissertation, accompanied by two copies of a summary of about 300 words in length, shall be sent to the Secretary of the Degree Committee for the Faculties of Clinical Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. Each dissertation shall be referred to two Examiners, appointed by the Degree Committee. Each Examiner shall make an independent report to the Degree Committee on the dissertation. The two Examiners shall jointly conduct the oral examination specified in Regulation 6(b), and shall sign a joint certificate of the result. If the Examiners do not agree in their recommendations or if for any other reason the Degree Committee or the Board of Graduate Studies need a further opinion or opinions on the merit of the work submitted, the Degree Committee may appoint an additional Examiner or additional Examiners, provided that not more than one additional Examiner shall be appointed without leave of the Board of Graduate Studies. Each additional Examiner so appointed shall make an independent report on the dissertation to the Degree Committee. Each Examiner shall receive a fee, and shall be entitled to claim travelling expenses and a subsistence allowance as specified in the Schedule.

10. If a candidate fails to satisfy the Examiners in the oral examination specified in Regulation 6(b), the Degree Committee may permit the candidate to be re-examined by the same Examiners. Permission so given shall be communicated to the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies and shall not be given on more than one occasion. Each Examiner who takes part in an examination under this regulation shall be paid an additional fee, in addition to any fees to which he or she may be entitled under Regulation 9, and may also claim travelling expenses in accordance with the provisions of that regulation.

11. The Board of Graduate Studies shall be the deciding authority on all recommendations for the award of the degree. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners on a candidate’s dissertation and on his or her performance in the oral examination, the Degree Committee are satisfied that the candidate’s work is of the requisite standard for the degree, a resolution of the Committee to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board of Graduate Studies, together with the reports of the Examiners. If the Board, after receiving such communication, at a meeting at which not less than five members of the Board are present, resolve that the candidate be approved for the degree, the Secretary of the Board shall publish a notice of the candidate’s approval for the award of the degree.

12. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners, the Degree Committee are of the opinion that a candidate’s dissertation is not of the requisite standard for the degree, they may recommend to the Board of Graduate Studies that the candidate be permitted to submit a revised dissertation or that the candidate be permitted to submit the dissertation for the degree of M.Sc. The communication conveying such a recommendation shall contain the names of those present and voting on either side, and shall be accompanied by the reports of the Examiners. The Board may permit a candidate to submit a revised dissertation on not more than one occasion.

13. Before being admitted to the degree, a successful candidate examined by oral examination and dissertation shall deposit with the Secretary of the Degree Committee two copies of the dissertation and of the summary, both the dissertation and the summary being in a form approved by the Degree Committee. The Secretary of the Degree Committee shall deposit copies of the dissertation and the summary in the University Library where they shall be available for consultation and for making copies for interlibrary loan purposes.

SCHEDULE

Payments to Examiners

To an Examiner for examining and reporting on a dissertation and for taking part in the conduct of an oral examination: £165.

To an additional Examiner not participating in an oral examination: £100.

To the Assessor: £45.

To an Examiner conducting an additional oral examination (Regulation 10): £42.

Each External Examiner shall receive in addition travelling expenses, in accordance with Regulation 12 of the regulations for the Ph.D., M.Sc., and M.Litt. Degrees.