Roles
- In this section
- Admissions Process
- Departments and Supervisors
- Degree Committees
- Board of Graduate Studies
- Board of Graduate Studies Office
- Graduate Students
There are many people who have a role to play in graduate education, including students, supervisors, institutions of the University, degree committees, graduate schools, colleges and the Board of Graduate Studies. Information provided here seeks to provide clarity and transparency on administrative processes and the interactions between students and their supervisors, institutions, degree committees and colleges throughout their period of study.
A separate overview of roles and responsibilities during the admissions process is provided as a concise reference.
Who Does What?
- On this page
- Supervisor/Advisor
- Faculties and Departments
- Degree Committees
- Board of Graduate Studies
- Schools
- Graduate Schools
- Colleges
Supervisor/Advisor
Each student is assigned an individual who acts as his or her principal supervisor. A second person is also appointed to act in a less formal capacity as an additional advisor.
Faculties and Departments
The course is under the jurisdiction of a faculty (in Cambridge, a 'faculty' is 'a body of persons ... for the purpose of furthering the study of a subject or subjects' - not an individual member of staff). Each faculty may or may not be divided into departments or other institutions specialising in the subjects that make up the overall area of interest of the faculty. Some of these are 'approved non-University institutions'; the regulations equally apply to students and supervisors in these institutions. Each department or institution normally has a Graduate Education Committee that oversees the progress of students within its remit, although this may be provided in some cases at faculty level. This committee is led by a person with a title such as 'Director of Graduate Education'.
Degree Committees
Each faculty has a degree committee, made up of academic representatives of the areas of interest of the faculty, which has oversight of supervision and graduate education and examinations in the faculty.
Each student and his or her supervisor are embedded in the supervisory team within a faculty or department, and under the jurisdicton of a single degree committee.
Board of Graduate Studies
The degree committees (of which there are 25) are under the general oversight of the University's Board of Graduate Studies, a body of senior academics from a wide range of subject areas plus a college graduate tutor and a graduate student member.
Schools
Faculties are grouped into six schools. The councils of these schools are responsible for allocation of major resources, and have oversight of the overall academic position in the faculties within their jurisdiction.
Graduate Schools
Graduate studies in the departments of the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Clinical Medicine, and in most of the approved non-University institutions, are supported and co-ordinated by the Graduate School of Life Sciences.
Colleges
Every graduate student is a member of a college. The colleges are social and academic communities, offering moral support, companionship and enrichment through intellectual diversity. They also provide some of the key practical services and infrastructure that help graduate students to flourish in Cambridge, such as accommodation and communal meals. These features enable the student to focus on work and to make the most of his or her time in Cambridge. Each graduate student is assigned to a graduate tutor or equivalent (the title may vary) at the college, who will not necessarily be familiar with the student's subject area, but rather is intended to be a source of personal advice and pastoral care.