Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge
CHAPTER IV
pp. 316–321
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS AND TRIPOS EXAMINATIONS

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

In this section

TRIPOS EXAMINATIONS

ENGINEERING TRIPOS

Amended by Notices (Reporter, 2012–13, p. 289)

General

1. The Engineering Tripos shall consist of four Parts, Part Ia, Part Ib, Part IIa, and Part IIb.

2. No student who has been a candidate for any Part of the Engineering Tripos shall again be a candidate for the same Part.

Examiners and Assessors.

3. The Faculty Board of Engineering shall nominate such number of Examiners as they think sufficient for each Part of the Engineering Tripos. They may also nominate for appointment one or more Assessors to the Examiners in such subjects as they consider desirable; the Assessors so appointed shall set papers or parts of papers and shall advise the Examiners on the performance of candidates in their subjects. The Assessors, when summoned by the Chairman, shall attend meetings of the Examiners for the purpose of consultation and advice, but shall not be entitled to vote.

4. In each Part of the Engineering Tripos the questions proposed by each Examiner or Assessor shall be approved by the body of Examiners, or by a sub-group of those Examiners as nominated by the Chairman of Examiners.

Supplementary regulations.

5. The Faculty Board shall have power to define or limit by supplementary regulations all or any of the subjects of examination, to determine the credit that shall be assigned to each subject, and to mark out the lines of study that are to be pursued by candidates. They shall also have power to modify or alter any such supplementary regulations as occasion may require, due care being taken that sufficient notice is given of any change.

Part Ia

Standing of candidates.

6. The following may present themselves as candidates for honours in Part Ia:

  1. (a)a student who has kept one term, provided that three complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence;
  2. (b)a student who has obtained honours in another Honours Examination in the year after so obtaining honours, provided that nine complete terms have not passed after the student's first term of residence.
Papers in Part Ia.

7. The following papers shall be set in Part Ia:

   1. Mechanical engineering

   2. Structures and materials

   3. Electrical and information engineering

   4. Mathematical methods

Every candidate shall offer all four papers. Each paper shall be of three hours’ duration.

Course-work.

8. The Examiners shall take into account such course-work done by candidates as shall from time to time be determined by the Faculty Board. For this purpose the Head of the Department of Engineering shall present to the Examiners detailed reports on the performance of each candidate in this course-work. Details of the work required of candidates shall be published by the Faculty Board by Notice in the Department of Engineering not later than the beginning of the Full Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination.

Class-lists for Part Ia.

9. The names of the candidates who obtain honours in Part Ia shall be arranged in three classes, of which the second shall be divided into two divisions. The names in the first and third classes, and in each division of the second class, shall be arranged in alphabetical order.

Part Ib

Standing of candidates.

10. The following may present themselves as candidates for honours in Part Ib:

  1. (a)a student who has obtained honours in Part Ia of the Engineering Tripos, in the year after so obtaining honours;
  2. (b)a student who has obtained honours in any Honours Examination, other than Part Ia of the Engineering Tripos, in the year after so obtaining honours, provided that he or she has attained a satisfactory standard, as defined by the Faculty Board of Engineering, in his or her last Honours Examination; provided always that the student has kept four terms and that nine complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence.
Papers in Part Ib.

11. The following papers shall be set in Part Ib:

   1. Mechanics

   2. Structures

   3. Materials

   4. Thermofluid mechanics

   5. Electrical engineering

   6. Information engineering

   7. Mathematical methods

   8. Selected topics

Each paper in Part Ib shall be of two hours’ duration, except Paper 8. The examination for Paper 8 shall consist of either a written paper of two and a half hours’ duration, or a written paper of one and a half hours’ duration and the submission of course-work in one foreign language. Every candidate shall offer all eight papers.

Course-work.

12. The Examiners shall take into account such course-work done by candidates as shall from time to time be determined by the Faculty Board. For this purpose the Head of the Department of Engineering shall present to the Examiners detailed reports on the performance of each candidate in this course-work. Details of the work required of candidates shall be published by the Faculty Board by Notice in the Department of Engineering not later than the beginning of the Full Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination.

13. In order to obtain honours in Part Ib a candidate must satisfy the Examiners that he or she has such industrial or equivalent experience as shall be determined from time to time by the Faculty Board.

Class-lists for Part Ib.

14. The names of the candidates who obtain honours in Part Ib shall be arranged in three classes, of which the second shall be divided into two divisions. The names in the first and third classes, and in each division of the second class, shall be arranged in alphabetical order.

Part IIa

Standing of candidates.

15. The following may present themselves as candidates for honours in Part IIa of the Engineering Tripos:

  1. (a)a student who has obtained honours in Part Ib of the Engineering Tripos, in the year after so obtaining honours;
  2. (b)a student who has obtained honours in any Honours Examination other than Part Ia or Part Ib of the Engineering Tripos, in the year after so obtaining honours, provided that he or she has attained a satisfactory standard, as defined by the Faculty Board of Engineering, in his or her last Honours Examination; provided always that the student has kept seven terms and that twelve complete terms have not passed after his or her first term of residence.
Scheme of examination for Part IIa.

16. The scheme of examination for Part IIa of the Engineering Tripos shall be as follows:

 Group A:

Energy, fluid mechanics, and turbomachinery

 Group B:

Electrical engineering

 Group C:

Mechanics, materials, and design

 Group D:

Civil, structural, and environmental engineering

 Group E:

Management and manufacturing

 Group F:

Information engineering

 Group G:

Bioengineering

 Group I:

Imported modules from other courses

 Group M:

Multidisciplinary modules

 Group S:

Modules shared with Part IIb of the Engineering Tripos

In each of Groups A, B, E, and F the Faculty Board shall prescribe modules whose total duration for written papers shall be nine hours. In each of Groups C and D the Faculty Board shall prescribe modules whose total duration for written papers shall be ten and a half hours. In Group G the Faculty Board shall prescribe modules whose total duration for written papers shall be no more than nine hours. Not later than the end of the Easter Term each year the Faculty Board shall give notice of the modules prescribed for the examination to be held in the academical year next following, and shall specify the mode of examination for each module. In giving such notice the Faculty Board shall announce combinations of modules which satisfy the qualifying conditions for each engineering area specified by the Board and shall have power to announce restrictions on the combination of modules that a candidate may choose to offer.

17. Each module in Groups A, B, C, D, E, F, and G shall be examined either by a written paper of one and a half hours or by a written paper of three hours. Each module in Groups I, M, and S shall be examined either by a written paper of one and a half hours or by a written paper of one and a half hours, and course-work.

18. Each candidate shall offer modules whose total duration for written papers amounts to fifteen hours, chosen subject to any restrictions announced by the Faculty Board under Regulation 16.

Course-work.

19. The Examiners shall take into account such course-work done by candidates as shall from time to time be determined by the Faculty Board. For this purpose the Head of the Department of Engineering shall present to the Examiners detailed reports on the performance of each candidate in this course-work. Details of the work required of candidates shall be published by the Faculty Board by Notice in the Department of Engineering not later than the beginning of the Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination.

20. Every candidate submitting course-work under Regulations 18 or 19 shall be required to sign a declaration that the work submitted is his or her own work, unaided except as may be specified in the declaration; if two or more candidates have undertaken work in collaboration, they shall be required to indicate the extent of their collaboration.

Industrial experience.

21. In order to obtain honours in Part IIa of the Engineering Tripos a candidate must satisfy the Examiners that he or she has such industrial or equivalent experience as shall be determined from time to time by the Faculty Board; a statement of each candidate's experience shall be certified by the Head of the Department of Engineering.

Class-lists for Part IIa.

22. For each combination of subjects in Part IIa, announced by the Faculty Board under Regulation 16 as an engineering area, there shall be a separate class-list. The names of the candidates who obtain honours in each engineering area shall be arranged in three classes, the second of which shall be divided into two divisions. The names in the first and third classes and in each division of the second class shall be arranged in alphabetical order. For special excellence in Part IIa a mark of distinction may be awarded.

Period of study at an institution listed in the Schedule.

23. A candidate who, under arrangements approved by the Faculty Board of Engineering, has spent not less than three terms studying at an institution listed in the Schedule to these regulations and who has been certified by the head of that institution, after consultation with the Chairman of Examiners for Part IIa of the Engineering Tripos, to have studied diligently during that period, shall be deemed thereby to have obtained honours in Part IIa of the Engineering Tripos. A list containing the names of persons so qualified shall be certified by the Chairman of the Faculty Board of Engineering and published in the Reporter.

Part IIb

Standing of candidates.

24. A student who has obtained honours in Part IIa of the Engineering Tripos or has been deemed to have obtained honours in Part IIa of the Engineering Tripos under Regulation 23 may, in the year after or next but one after so obtaining honours, be a candidate for honours in Part IIb of the Engineering Tripos, provided that he or she

  1. (a)has attained a satisfactory standard, as defined by the Faculty Board, in previous Honours Examinations;
  2. (b)has not proceeded to the B.A. Degree;

provided always that fifteen complete terms have not passed after the student's first term of residence.51

Scheme of examination for Part IIb.

25. The scheme of examination for Part IIb of the Engineering Tripos shall be as follows:

 Group A:

Energy, fluid mechanics, and turbomachinery

 Group B:

Electrical engineering

 Group C:

Mechanics, materials, and design

 Group D:

Civil, structural, and environmental engineering

 Group E:

Management and manufacturing

 Group F:

Information engineering

 Group G:

Bioengineering

 Group I:

Imported modules from other courses

 Group M:

Multidisciplinary modules

 Group R:

Research modules

In each group except Groups G, I, M, and R the Faculty Board shall prescribe not fewer than six and not more than twelve modules for examination; each module shall be examined either by a written paper which shall normally be of one and a half hours' duration or by course-work or by a combination of the two. Not later than the end of the Easter Term each year the Faculty Board shall give notice of the modules prescribed for the examination to be held in the academical year next following, and shall specify the mode of examination for each module. In giving such notice the Faculty Board shall announce combinations of modules which satisfy the qualifying conditions for each engineering area specified by the Board and shall have power to announce restrictions on the combination of modules that a candidate may choose to offer. For modules to be examined by course-work, details of the work required of candidates shall be published by the Faculty Board by Notice in the Department of Engineering not later than the beginning of the Full Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination.

26. Each candidate

  1. Project.
    (a)shall be required to undertake a project. Details of all elements of the project work, and the requirements of submission for their assessment, shall be published by the Faculty Board by Notice in the Department of Engineering not later than the first Friday of Full Michaelmas Term in the year of candidature.
  2. and
  3. (b)except as provided in Regulation 27, shall offer eight modules, subject to any restrictions announced by the Faculty Board under Regulation 25.
Dissertation.

27. With the permission of the Faculty Board, a candidate for Part IIb may submit, in place of any one of the modules which he or she would otherwise be required to offer under Regulation 26(b) a dissertation on a subject approved by the Faculty Board which falls within the field of the module concerned.

28. A candidate who wishes to offer a dissertation under Regulation 27 shall submit a statement of the modules that he or she intends to offer under Regulation 26(b), together with details of the project to be undertaken under Regulation 26(a) and the title of the proposed dissertation, to the Secretary of the Faculty Board, in accordance with any instructions issued by the Faculty Board, not later than the fourth Wednesday of Full Michaelmas Term in the year of candidature. A candidate shall obtain the approval of his or her proposed scheme of examination, and of the title of the dissertation, by the Faculty Board not later than the end of the third quarter of the Michaelmas Term.

29. A dissertation offered under Regulation 27 shall contain full references to any sources used in its composition, and shall be of not less than 4,000 words and not more than 5,000 words in length, including footnotes and appendices. Candidates shall submit their dissertations to the Chairman of Examiners not later than the end of the first week of Full Easter Term in the year of candidature. Each dissertation shall be in typewritten form (unless previous permission has been obtained from the Faculty Board through a candidate's Tutor to present the dissertation in manuscript).

30. Every candidate submitting project work under Regulation 26(a) or course-work under Regulation 26(b) shall be required to sign a declaration that the work submitted is his or her own work, unaided except as may be specified in the declaration; if two or more candidates have undertaken work in collaboration, they shall be required to indicate the extent of their collaboration. Every candidate submitting a dissertation under Regulation 27 shall be required to sign a declaration that the work submitted is his or her own work and that it does not contain material already used to any substantial extent for a comparable purpose.

Class-lists for Part IIb.

31. For each combination of subjects in Part IIb, announced by the Faculty Board under Regulation 25 as an engineering area, there shall be a separate class-list. The names of the candidates who obtain honours in each engineering area shall be arranged in alphabetical order in a single class, with distinctive marks attached to the names of those candidates who in the opinion of the Examiners deserve special credit, (d) for a distinguished performance, (m) for a meritorious performance.

SCHEDULE

Institutions approved for the purpose of Regulation 23 (Exchange Programmes)

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ecole Centrale Paris

 Technical University of Munich

National University of Singapore

SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS

Amended by Notice (Reporter, 2012–13, p. 585)

Part Ia

Paper 1. Mechanical engineering

The paper shall consist mainly of questions on: kinematics of particles and rigid bodies, and dynamics of particles, in two dimensions; mechanical vibrations; basic concepts of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and their applications.

Paper 2. Structures and materials

The paper shall consist mainly of questions on: equilibrium, compatibility and elasticity of structures; buckling phenomena in simple structures; properties and applications of engineering materials; the physical origins of the properties.

Paper 3. Electrical and information engineering

The paper shall consist mainly of questions on: linear circuits and devices; electromagnetics; digital circuits and information processing.

Paper 4. Mathematical methods

The paper shall consist mainly of questions on: vectors, functions, and complex numbers; ordinary differential equations; Fourier series, matrices; functions of several variables; probability; computing.

Part Ib

Paper 1. Mechanics

The paper shall consist mainly of questions on: kinematics and dynamics of particles and rigid bodies; moment of momentum; D’Alembert's principle; accelerations and dynamic stresses in mechanisms; applications to machinery.

Paper 2. Structures

The paper shall consist mainly of questions on: elastic analysis of statically indeterminate beams and frames; stress and strain in thin-walled structures; analysis of stress and strain; the Tresca and von Mises yield criteria; plastic theory of structures.

Paper 3. Materials

The paper shall consist mainly of questions on: the thermal and thermomechanical behaviour of engineering materials; the forming, joining, and heat treatment of engineering materials, and the control of microstructure and properties; the influence of manufacturing processes on design and material selection.

Paper 4. Thermofluid mechanics

The paper shall consist mainly of questions on: fluid dynamics, including boundary layers and internal flows: heat transfer by convection; heat exchangers; thermodynamics, including irreversibility, properties of working fluids, non-ideal cycles, and power generation.

Paper 5. Electrical engineering

The paper shall consist mainly of questions on: transistors; operational amplifiers with feedback; power in AC circuits; electrical machines; electromagnetic waves.

Paper 6. Information engineering

The paper shall consist mainly of questions on: control systems; transfer functions; feedback; stability; signal and data analysis; communications; signal and transmission path characteristics; modulation; digitizations of signals.

Paper 7. Mathematical methods

The paper shall consist mainly of questions on: vector calculus and PDEs; probability; linear algebra.

Paper 8. Selected topics

The paper shall consist mainly of questions on topics in professional engineering activities as shall from time to time be determined by the Faculty Board, and divided into sections corresponding to those activities. Candidates will be required to answer questions from two sections or, in the case of candidates offering a foreign language, one section. In addition there will be a section on Introductory Business Economics, from which candidates will be required to answer one question.

Footnotes

  1. 51. See also the regulations for Affiliated Students.a