Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge
CHAPTER VII
pp. 567–574
DEGREES, DIPLOMAS, AND OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

The Ordinances contained in this Chapter are Ordinances of the General Board

In this section

CERTIFICATES OF POSTGRADUATE STUDY

GENERAL REGULATIONS

Amended by Grace 2 of 9 November 2011

Subjects of study.

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research. A subject of such study, and the special regulations for each subject, shall be approved by the General Board on the recommendation of the Faculty Board or other body concerned after consultation with the appropriate Degree Committee, who shall satisfy themselves that candidates for the Certificate who may wish to become candidates for the degree of Ph.D., Eng.D., M.Sc. or M.Litt. will receive sufficient training in research to justify the granting of leave to count a whole or some part of the period of candidature for the Certificate towards a full-time or a part-time course of research for one of these degrees.

Course of instruction.

2. The full-time course of instruction for the Certificate shall normally extend over three consecutive terms and the part-time course of instruction shall normally extend over five consecutive terms. The Board of Graduate Studies, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee concerned, may agree that, for some specified courses, the full-time course of instruction may extend beyond three terms. The Board may also permit a candidate in exceptional circumstances to spend up to two years from the date of commencement of candidature in study for the Certificate.

Standing of candidates.

3. A candidate for the Certificate must have been granted admission as a Graduate Student, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee concerned, by the Board of Graduate Studies, who shall assign a date of commencement of candidature. A candidate for the Certificate must also

  1. either(a)if a member of the University, have completed the examination and residence requirements for the B.A. Degree;
  2. or(b)if not a member of the University, produce such evidence of fitness to study for the Certificate as may be approved by the Degree Committee concerned.

Each application for admission to the status of Graduate Student must contain a statement of the course of study which the applicant desires to pursue and a statement of qualification, attainments, and previous study, and shall be sent to the Board of Graduate Studies, who shall forward it to the Degree Committee concerned.

Supervisor.

4. A candidate shall study for the Certificate in Cambridge, or such other place as the Board and the Degree Committee concerned shall determine, under the direction of a Supervisor appointed by the Degree Committee concerned, and under any special conditions that the Committee may lay down in his or her case. All appointments of Supervisors shall be communicated by the Degree Committee to the Board of Graduate Studies, who shall be competent to make representations to the Committee about any particular appointment.

Every Supervisor shall send to the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies reports on the work of each candidate under his or her charge, in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 8 of the general regulations for admission as a Graduate Student.

Dissertation and oral examination.

5. Each candidate shall be required to submit a dissertation, unless otherwise prescribed in the Special Regulations for the subject for which he or she is registered, and to undertake an oral examination and to undergo such other forms of examination as are prescribed in the Special Regulations for that subject.

6. The names of candidates who are to be examined in written papers shall be sent by the Degree Committee to the Secretary of the Board of Graduate Studies on or before 1 December next preceding the examination, together with a statement of the approved field of study in which each candidate is to be examined.

Selection of course of study.

7. Each candidate shall propose, on the advice of his or her Supervisor, a title for a dissertation, and shall submit the proposal, not later than the end of the second term of candidature for full-time students or the third term of candidature for a part-time student, to the Board of Graduate Studies, in accordance with detailed arrangements specified by the Board, for approval by the Board on the recommendation of the Degree Committee concerned.

8. Each candidate shall submit two copies of his or her dissertation to the Board of Graduate Studies, in accordance with detailed arrangements specified by the Board, so as to arrive by a date which shall be determined by the Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee, and which shall be not later than the last day of the student's third term of full-time candidature (fifth term of part-time candidature) unless the Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee, have allowed an extension of time under Regulation 2. Each candidate shall state generally in a preface to the dissertation and specifically in notes the sources from which information has been derived.

9. Each candidate's dissertation shall be referred to two Examiners appointed by the Degree Committee concerned.

Examiners.

10. The Examiners shall jointly examine the candidate orally upon the subject of his or her dissertation and on the general field of knowledge within which it falls. If the candidate is required in addition to satisfy the Examiners in a written examination, the arrangements for such an examination shall be made by the Degree Committee concerned, and the Examiners shall be the Examiners appointed to examine the dissertation. The Examiners shall report to the Degree Committee and shall at the same time return to them the two copies of the dissertation, which shall then be sent to the Board of Graduate Studies with the Degree Committee's recommendation on the award of the Certificate.

Award of Certificates.

11. The awards of Certificates shall be made and published by the Board of Graduate Studies, but no publication shall be made of an award to a Graduate Student who has been given leave by the Board of Graduate Studies to count the period or any part of it during which he or she has been a candidate for the Certificate towards a course of research for the degree of Ph.D., Eng.D., M.Sc., or M.Litt. No such Graduate Student shall be entitled to receive the Certificate so long as he or she remains on the Register of Graduate Studies, nor subsequently if he or she should submit a dissertation for the degree of Ph.D., Eng.D., M.Sc., or M.Litt. Nothing in this regulation shall prevent a person who has been awarded the Certificate, and whose name has been removed from the Register of Graduate Students, from being restored to that register as a candidate for the degree of Ph.D., Eng.D., M.Sc., or M.Litt., and, if the Board of Graduate Studies think fit, from being granted leave to count the whole or some part of the period of candidature for the Certificate towards a course of research for one of the aforementioned degrees. No candidate shall be entitled to receive the Certificate unless he or she has attended the prescribed course of instruction.

Form of Certificate.

12. The Certificate shall be in the following form:

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT              having diligently attended a course of postgraduate instruction in64            and having been admitted to the examination appointed by the University of Cambridge has been approved by the Examiners and has been awarded the Certificate of Postgraduate Study in64

Remuneration of Supervisors.

13. Payment of a fee to a Supervisor who is not a University officer (other than an Associate Lecturer who receives no stipend from the University) shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 14 of the general regulations for admission as a Graduate Student.

Candidate's fees.

14. While studying for the Certificate, a candidate shall pay a University Composition Fee as prescribed in Regulation 11 of the general regulations for admission as a Graduate Student.

15. A candidate who is not awarded a Certificate may not be a candidate again either in the same or in any other field.

SPECIAL REGULATIONS

Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)attendance at courses of seminars and classes approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of English;
  2. (b)research on a topic approved by the Degree Committee pursued under the guidance of a Supervisor appointed under Regulation 4 of the General Regulations;
  3. (c)completion of the registration procedure prescribed by the Degree Committee.

3. The dissertation shall take the form of either a substantive essay on the topic approved under Regulation 2(b) or a specimen of written work having an evident and central relation to the larger dissertation which the student intends to submit in candidature for the M.Litt. or the Ph.D. Degree. A dissertation shall be between 8,000 and 10,000 words in length, and shall have been composed wholly or largely in the period since the student's admission as a Graduate Student.

Chemical Engineering

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Chemical Engineering.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)courses of lectures proposed by the Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Syndicate and approved by the Degree Committee concerned;
  2. (b)practical work carried out in one or more of the following ways:
  3. (i)experimental or theoretical exercises of an advanced type,
  4. (ii)training in research by means of assistance with a piece of research,
  5. (iii)training in research by means of an original research investigation,
  6. (iv)training in some technique.

Computer Science

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Computer Science.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)courses of lectures approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Computer Science and Technology;
  2. (b)practical work carried out in one or more of the following ways:
  3. (i)organized experiments or theoretical exercises of an advanced type,
  4. (ii)assistance with a piece of research,
  5. (iii)a small research investigation,
  6. (iv)training in some technique.

3. At the discretion of the Examiners the examination for the Certificate may include (in addition to the submission of a dissertation and an oral examination as laid down in General Regulation 5) one or two written papers on subjects cognate to the lectures attended by the candidate.

4. The dissertation shall be of not more than 10,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, bibliography, and appendices.

Economics

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Economics.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)attendance at courses of lectures, seminars, and classes approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Economics;
  2. (b)research on a topic approved by the Degree Committee pursued under the guidance of a Supervisor appointed under Regulation 4 of the General Regulations.

3. The dissertation shall take the form of a research proposal having an evident and central relation to the larger dissertation which the student intends to submit in candidature for the M.Litt., the M.Sc. or the Ph.D. Degree. The research proposal shall be of not more than 10,000 words in length and shall include a review of the relevant literature, a research question, and an outline of a research design and methods.

4. At the discretion of the Examiners the examination may include (in addition to the submission of a dissertation and an oral examination as laid down in General Regulation 5) written papers or other exercises on subjects cognate to the lectures, seminars, and classes attended by the candidate.

Engineering

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Engineering.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)courses of lectures approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Engineering;
  2. (b)practical work carried out in one or more of the following ways:
  3. (i)experimental or theoretical exercises of an advanced type,
  4. (ii)training in research by means of assistance with a piece of research,
  5. (iii)training in research by means of an original research investigation.

English

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in English.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)attendance at courses of seminars and classes approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of English;
  2. (b)research on a topic approved by the Degree Committee pursued under the guidance of a Supervisor appointed under Regulation 4 of the General Regulations;
  3. (c)completion of the registration procedure prescribed by the Degree Committee.

3. The dissertation shall take the form of either a substantive essay on the topic approved under Regulation 2(b) or a specimen of written work having an evident and central relation to the larger dissertation which the student intends to submit in candidature for the M.Litt. or the Ph.D. Degree. A dissertation shall be between 8,000 and 10,000 words in length, and shall have been composed wholly or largely in the period since the student's admission as a Graduate Student.

Geography

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Geography.

2. The study and training shall include practical work carried out in one or more of the following ways:

  1. (i)organized experiments or theoretical exercises of an advanced type approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Geography,
  2. (ii)assistance with a piece of research,
  3. (iii)a small research investigation,
  4. (iv)training in some technique.

3. The dissertation shall be of not more than 10,000 words in length.

History

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in History.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)attendance at courses of seminars and classes approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of History;
  2. (b)research on a topic approved by the Degree Committee pursued under the guidance of a Supervisor appointed under Regulation 4 of the General Regulations;
  3. (c)completion of the registration procedure prescribed by the Degree Committee.

3. The dissertation shall take the form of either a substantive essay on the topic approved under Regulation 2(b) or a specimen of written work having an evident and central relation to the larger dissertation which the student intends to submit in candidature for the M.Litt. or the Ph.D. Degree. A dissertation shall be between 8,000 and 10,000 words in length, and shall have been composed wholly or largely in the period since the student's admission as a Graduate Student.

International Relations

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in International Relations.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)attendance at courses of lectures, seminars, and classes approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Human, Social, and Political Science;
  2. (b)research on a topic approved by the Degree Committee pursued under the guidance of a Supervisor appointed under Regulation 4 of the General Regulations.

3. At the discretion of the Examiners the examination may include written papers or other exercises on subjects cognate to the lectures, seminars, and classes attended by the candidate.

Legal Studies

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Legal Studies.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)attendance at courses of seminars and classes approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Law;
  2. (b)research on a topic approved by the Degree Committee pursued under the guidance of a Supervisor appointed under Regulation 4 of the General Regulations;
  3. (c)completion of the registration procedure prescribed by the Degree Committee.

3. The dissertation shall take the form of either a substantive essay on the topic approved under Regulation 2(b) or a specimen of written work having an evident and central relation to the larger dissertation which the student intends to submit in candidature for the M.Litt. or the Ph.D. Degree. A dissertation shall be of not more than 15,000 words in length, inclusive of footnotes but exclusive of appendices and bibliography, and shall have been composed wholly or largely in the period since the student's admission as a Graduate Student.

Music

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Music.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)attendance at courses of seminars and classes approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Music;
  2. (b)research on a topic approved by the Degree Committee pursued under the guidance of a Supervisor appointed under Regulation 4 of the General Regulations;
  3. (c)completion of the registration procedure prescribed by the Degree Committee.

3. The dissertation shall take the form of either a substantive essay on the topic approved under Regulation 2(b) or a specimen of written work having an evident and central relation to the larger dissertation which the student intends to submit in candidature for the M.Litt. or the Ph.D. Degree. A dissertation shall be of not more than 10,000 words in length, and shall have been composed wholly or largely in the period since the student’s admission as a Graduate Student.

Natural Science (Astronomy)

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Astronomy.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)courses of lectures approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry;
  2. (b)practical work carried out in one or more of the following ways:
  3. (i)organized experiments or theoretical exercises of an advanced type,
  4. (ii)assistance with a piece of research,
  5. (iii)a small research investigation,
  6. (iv)training in some technique.

3. At the discretion of the Examiners the examination for the Certificate may include (in addition to the submission of a dissertation and an oral examination as laid down in General Regulation 5) one or two written papers on subjects cognate to the lectures attended by the candidate.

4. The dissertation shall be of not more than 12,000 words in length, inclusive of tables, bibliography, and appendices.

Natural Science (Biological Science)

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study in Natural Science shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Biological Science.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)a course of lectures proposed by the Head of the relevant Department or other institution and approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Biology;
  2. (b)one or more original research investigations.

3. The dissertation shall be of not more than 15,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, footnotes, bibliography, and appendices. In it the candidate shall provide evidence to satisfy the Examiners that he or she can design and carry out investigations, assess and interpret the results obtained, and place the work in the wider perspective of the subject.

Natural Science (Chemistry)

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Chemistry.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)courses of lectures and research seminars approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry;
  2. (b)practical work carried out in one or more of the following ways:
  3. (i)organized experiments or theoretical exercises of an advanced type,
  4. (ii)assistance with a piece of research,
  5. (iii)a small research investigation,
  6. (iv)training in some technique.

3. At the discretion of the Examiners the examination may include (in addition to the submission of a dissertation and an oral examination as laid down in General Regulation 5) one or two written papers on subjects cognate to the lectures and seminars attended by the candidate.

4. The dissertation shall be of not more 12,000 words in length, inclusive of tables, bibliography, and appendices.

Natural Science (Earth Sciences)

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Earth Sciences.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)courses of lectures approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Geography;
  2. (b)practical work carried out in one or more of the following ways:
  3. (i)organized experiments or theoretical exercises of an advanced type,
  4. (ii)assistance with a piece of research,
  5. (iii)a small research investigation,
  6. (iv)training in some technique.

3. At the discretion of the Examiners the examination for the Certificate may include (in addition to the submission of a dissertation and an oral examination as laid down in General Regulation 5) not more than two written papers on subjects cognate to the lectures attended by the candidate.

4. The dissertation shall be of not more than 10,000 words in length.

Natural Science (Materials Science and Metallurgy)

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Materials Science and Metallurgy.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)courses of lectures approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry;
  2. (b)practical work carried out in one or more of the following ways:
  3. (i)organized experiments or theoretical exercises of an advanced type,
  4. (ii)assistance with a piece of research,
  5. (iii)a small research investigation,
  6. (iv)training in some technique.

3. At the discretion of the Examiners the examination may include (in addition to the submission of a dissertation and an oral examination as laid down in General Regulation 5) one or two written papers on subjects cognate to the lectures attended by the candidate.

4. The dissertation shall be of not more than 15,000 words in length, inclusive of tables, figure legends, and appendices, but exclusive of bibliography.

Natural Science (Materials Science and Metallurgy: High Performance Structural Metallics)

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Materials Science and Metallurgy in High Performance Structural Metallics.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)successful completion of a minimum of eight courses of training approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry;
  2. (b)practical work carried out in one or more of the following ways:
  3. (i)organized experiments or theoretical exercises of an advanced type,
  4. (ii)assistance with a piece of research,
  5. (iii)a small research investigation,
  6. (iv)training in some technique,
  7. (v)devising and commissioning experimental work and analysing the output of this work.

3. The dissertation shall be of not more than 15,000 words in length, inclusive of tables, figures, legends, and appendices, but exclusive of bibliography.

Natural Science (Physics)

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Physics.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)courses of lectures approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry;
  2. (b)practical work carried out in one or more of the following ways:
  3. (i)organized experiments or theoretical exercises of an advanced type,
  4. (ii)assistance with a piece of research,
  5. (iii)a small research investigation,
  6. (iv)training in some technique.

3. At the discretion of the Examiners the examination for the Certificate may include (in addition to the submission of a dissertation and an oral examination as laid down in General Regulation 5) one or two written papers on subjects cognate to the lectures attended by the candidate.

4. The dissertation shall be of not more than 12,000 words in length, inclusive of tables, bibliography, and appendices.

Theology and Religious Studies

1. Certificates of Postgraduate Study shall be awarded for advanced study and training in research in Theology and Religious Studies.

2. The study and training shall include:

  1. (a)attendance at lectures, seminars, or classes approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Divinity;
  2. (b)research on a topic approved by the Degree Committee pursued under the guidance of a Supervisor appointed under Regulation 4 of the General Regulations;
  3. (c)completion of the registration procedure prescribed by the Degree Committee.

3. The dissertation shall take the form of either a substantive essay on the topic approved under Regulation 2(b) or a specimen of written work having an evident and central relation to the larger dissertation which the student intends to submit in candidature for the M.Litt. or the Ph.D. Degree. A dissertation shall be of not more than 10,000 words in length, and shall have been composed wholly or largely in the period since the student's admission as a Graduate Student.

4. At the discretion of the Degree Committee the examination may include not more than two written papers on subjects cognate to the lectures or classes attended by the candidate; such papers may include passages for translation and comment in one or more languages relevant to the candidate's original research.

Footnotes

  1. 64. Insert the subject offered by the candidate (e.g. English, Natural Science (Biological Science)).a b