Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge
CHAPTER VII
pp. 448–452
DEGREES, DIPLOMAS, AND OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

The provisions contained in this Chapter are Regulations of the General Board

In this section

DEGREES IN BUSINESS

Master of Business Administration

Candidature.

1. A candidate for the M.B.A. Examination must be approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Business and Management, who shall assign to each candidate a date of commencement of candidature.

2. The Degree Committee may approve as a candidate for the M.B.A. Examination any student who has satisfied the Committee that by reason of previous study he or she is qualified to engage in postgraduate work in Management Studies.

3. Applications for approval under Regulation 2 shall be sent to the Secretary of the Degree Committee so as to arrive not later than 31 March next preceding the date on which the applicant wishes her or his candidature to begin, provided that the Committee shall have power to consider applications submitted after that date.

Course of study.

4. The course of study leading to the M.B.A. Examination shall cover the following aspects of business administration: basic skills and functional knowledge, organizational integration, the organization in its environment. The course of study shall consist, at the choice of the candidate, of one of the Options outlined in Regulation 12 below.

5. No student shall be a candidate for the M.B.A. Examination or for any part thereof on more than one occasion.

Supplementary regulations.

6. The Faculty Board of Business and Management shall have power to issue supplementary regulations determining the scope and manner of assessment of the examination in either Option, and shall be empowered to amend such supplementary regulations from time to time as they may think fit, due care being taken that sufficient notice is given of any change.

Examiners and Assessors.

7. The Faculty Board shall nominate such number of Examiners and Assessors as they may deem sufficient, including a resident member of the Senate as Chair of Examiners.

Class-lists.

8. The names of the candidates who satisfy the Examiners shall appear in separate class-lists according to the Option that they have followed. The names of the candidates in each class-list shall be arranged in alphabetical order in a single class; a mark of distinction shall be affixed to the names of those students whose work is of special merit. The Chair of Examiners shall communicate the marks of all candidates to the Registrary.

Fee.

9. While following the course of study leading to the M.B.A. Examination a student shall pay the appropriate University Composition Fee for each year of the course (including periods spent away from Cambridge).

Approval for M.B.A. degree.

10. On completing the requisite number of terms,1 or hours of study, as set out in Regulation 4 a student who has satisfied the Examiners in the M.B.A. Examination shall be entitled to proceed to the degree of Master of Business Administration.

Relation to courses of research.

11. A student who has taken the M.B.A. Examination shall not be entitled to count the period or any part of the period during which he or she has been a candidate for that examination towards a course of research for the degree of Ph.D., M.Sc., or M.Litt.

Options.

12. The M.B.A. Examination shall consist, at the choice of the candidate, of either Option A or Option B as follows:

Option A: one-year course

A course extending over one academical year, including three terms’ residence in the University. The examination for Option A shall consist of compulsory modules, elective modules, and project work, as outlined below. Examination of the modules may be by written paper, essay, coursework, or another mode of assessment announced by the Faculty Board. Each candidate will have to complete a minimum of three written papers, the duration of which will be announced by the Faculty Board.

  1. (a)Compulsory modules
  1. The Faculty Board shall give notice of the topics and form of assessment for each compulsory module by the end of the Easter Term immediately preceding the start of the course.
  1. (b)Elective modules
  1. The Faculty Board shall give notice of the topics for elective modules by the end of the Easter Term immediately preceding the start of the course. The Faculty Board shall give notice of the form of assessment for each elective module by the end of the term immediately preceding the term in which the work is to be completed.
  1. (c)Project work
  1. The Faculty Board shall give notice of the list of summer activities and the format for submission by the end of the Lent Term, provided that the Board shall have the power of subsequently issuing amendments if they have due reason for doing so and they are satisfied that no student’s preparation for the examination is adversely affected.

The Examiners shall have power to examine a candidate viva voce on any or all of the three sections of the examination (a)–(c).

No student’s name shall appear on the list of successful candidates for the M.B.A. Examination unless the Director of the Judge Institute of Management is satisfied that the student has diligently attended the course.

Option B: Executive M.B.A. course

A course extending over a period of two years comprising a number of course units and project work, which shall include not less than 300 hours of formal instruction in the University and not less than 120 hours of open study prescribed by the Faculty Board. The examination for Option B shall consist of compulsory modules, elective modules, and project work, as outlined below. Examination of the modules may be by written paper, essay, coursework, or another mode of assessment announced by the Faculty Board. Each candidate will have to complete a minimum of three written papers, the duration of which will be announced by the Faculty Board.

  1. (a)Compulsory modules
  1. The Faculty Board shall give notice of the topics and form of assessment for each compulsory module by the end of the Easter Term immediately preceding the start of the course.
  1. (b)Elective modules
  1. The Faculty Board shall give notice of the topics and form of assessment for elective modules by the end of the term immediately preceding the term in which the work is to be completed.
  1. (c)Project work
  1. The Faculty Board shall give notice of the format and length for submission of project work by the end of the Lent Term, provided that the Board shall have the power of subsequently issuing amendments if they have due reason for doing so and they are satisfied that no student’s preparation for the examination is adversely affected.

The Examiners shall have power to examine a candidate viva voce on any or all of the three sections of the examination (a)–(c).

No student’s name shall appear on the list of successful candidates for the M.B.A. Examination unless the Director of the Judge Institute of Management is satisfied that the student has diligently attended the course.

Doctor of Business

Amended by Grace 8 of 10 May 2018

1. In order to qualify for the degree of Doctor of Business a candidate shall be required satisfactorily to complete a course of training prescribed for that degree and provide evidence of a significant original contribution to study in the field of business and management.

Conditions of pursuing course.

2. Subject to clauses (a)–(b) below, a Graduate Student registered for the degree of Doctor of Business (Bus.D.) shall pursue in the University, and such other places as the Board of Graduate Studies and the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Business and Management shall determine, a course of training and research under supervision for not less than twelve terms.

The number of terms shall begin with the term from which the student is registered as a candidate for the degree and shall be consecutive except in so far as the student may have been allowed to intermit her or his course under clause (b) below.

  1. (a)The Board, after considering a recommendation by the Degree Committee, may allow a Graduate Student to spend all but three terms of her or his course as a candidate for a degree, or any lesser number of terms, working under supervision outside the University under conditions approved by the Degree Committee and the Board.
  2. (b)The Board, after considering a recommendation by the Degree Committee, may allow a Graduate Student to intermit her or his course of research for one or more terms on account of illness or other sufficient cause. Such terms shall not count for any purpose of these regulations except as provided in Regulation 7 of the general regulations for admission as a Graduate Student.
Application for dispensation.

Every application for a dispensation under clauses (a)(b) shall be made in writing to the Secretary of the Board, and shall be accompanied by a written opinion from the applicant’s Supervisor.

3. The Board may grant to a Graduate Student, after considering an application supported by the student’s Tutor, one or two terms of research towards satisfying the requirements of Regulation 2, on account of illness or other grave cause. For every term so allowed the student shall pay the appropriate fee as prescribed in Regulation 11 of the general regulations for admission as a Graduate Student.

Requirements.

4. In order to be registered as a candidate for the Degree, a Graduate Student must have completed, to the satisfaction of the Board and the Degree Committee, such coursework, undertaken either in the University or at such other place as may have been approved for this purpose, as the Board and Degree Committee may have specified by Notice published not later than the Easter Term next preceding the year in which the coursework is to be undertaken. The coursework will be referred to such Examiners as are appointed by the Degree Committee. An Examiner external to the University shall receive a fee from the Chest of £60 for providing a report on coursework under this regulation.

Supervision.

5. The course of training and research shall be conducted under such supervisory arrangements as the Board and the Degree Committee shall specify. The Board and the Degree Committee shall satisfy themselves that, during the periods when a student is working outside the University, appropriate arrangements for supervision and for reporting on the student’s progress are in place.

Bus.D. examination.

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

  1. (a)the submission of a dissertation embodying the results of the candidate’s approved course of research, which shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of Regulations 7–9; in place of a dissertation, a candidate may, by special permission of the Board and the Degree Committee, submit a portfolio of work of equivalent length;
  2. (b)an examination, conducted orally, on the subject of the dissertation, and the general field of knowledge within which it falls, provided that in exceptional circumstances, and on the recommendation of the Degree Committee, the Board may dispense with such an examination.
Dissertation.

7. A candidate may submit her or his dissertation not earlier than the first day of the term during which he or she expects to complete the requirements of Regulation 2 and not later than the last day of the vacation following the twelfth term after that in which the student was registered as a candidate for the degree, provided that, with the permission of the Board, a dissertation may be submitted later than that day. An allowance of terms made by the Board under Regulation 3 shall count in calculating the standing of a student for the purpose of this regulation.

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 a degree or diploma or similar qualification. The work, apart from quotations, shall be written in English. The Degree Committee shall specify a maximum length for dissertations for the degree. Candidates will also submit a statement by those responsible for their supervision certifying the conditions under which each candidate’s work was undertaken.

9. Two copies of each candidate’s dissertation, accompanied by the statement referred to in Regulation 8, and three copies of a summary of about 300 words in length, shall be sent to the Secretary of the Board, who shall forward the copies and two copies of the summary to the Secretary of the Degree Committee. In special circumstances the Board, after consulting the Degree Committee, may allow a candidate to submit one copy only of the dissertation. The dissertation shall be referred to two external Examiners, appointed by the Degree Committee. Each Examiner shall make an independent report on it to the Degree Committee. 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 needs 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. Each additional Examiner so appointed shall make an independent report on the dissertation to the Degree Committee.

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 and shall not be given on more than one occasion. Each Examiner who takes part in an examination under this regulation shall be paid a fee of £42 in addition to any fees to which he or she may be entitled under Regulation 11, and may also claim travelling expenses in accordance with the provisions of that regulation.

Payments to Examiners.

11. Each Examiner shall receive a fee from the Chest. Such a fee shall be £135 if the Examiner takes part in the oral examination specified in Regulation 6(b), or £100 if the Examiner does not so take part, either because the Board, on the recommendation of the Degree Committee, has dispensed with the oral examination or for any other reason. Examiners may claim travelling expenses, on terms and conditions specified by the Board if their place of residence is more than ten miles from Great St Mary’s Church or if an oral examination or a consultation between the Examiners is for good reason held outside Cambridge. The Board may also approve payment of other reasonable expenses incurred by an Examiner in connection with the execution of her or his duties. A subsistence allowance may be claimed by Examiners at rates determined from time to time by the Finance Committee of the Council, provided that payment may be made only in respect of a day or a night on which the Examiner’s absence from her or his normal place of residence in connection with the execution of her or his duties is necessary. The travelling expenses of a candidate who is required to travel to an oral examination outside Cambridge may be paid in whole or in part, at rates determined by the Board; such a candidate may also claim a subsistence allowance at rates determined from time to time by the Finance Committee, under the same conditions as apply to the Examiners.

Approval for Bus.D. Degree.

12. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners on the examinations specified in Regulation 6, the Degree Committee is satisfied that the student’s work is of the requisite standard for the degree, a recommendation of the Committee to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board, together with the reports of the Examiners. If the Board, after receiving such communication, at a meeting at which not less than five members are present, resolve that the candidate be approved for the Bus.D. Degree, the Secretary of the Board shall publish a notice of the candidate’s approval for the award of the Degree unless the candidate has requested the removal of her or his name from the published list in accordance with a procedure approved from time to time by the General Board.

Revised dissertation.

13. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners, the Degree Committee consider that a student’s dissertation is not of the requisite standard for the Bus.D. Degree, the Board may, at a meeting at which no less than five members are present, permit the student to submit a revised dissertation, but they shall not do so unless the Degree Committee has expressly recommended that such permission be given. The communication conveying such a recommendation by a Degree Committee shall contain the names of those present and voting on either side, and shall be accompanied by the reports of the Examiners. A student shall not be allowed to submit a revised dissertation on more than one occasion.

Approval for M.Sc Degree in lieu.

14. If, after considering the reports of the Examiners, the Degree Committee consider that a student’s work is not of the standard requisite for the Bus.D. Degree, but that it is of the standard requisite for the M.Sc. Degree, its recommendation to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board, together with the reports of the Examiners. If after receiving such communication the Board decide, at a meeting at which not less than five members are present, that the candidate could properly be approved for the award of the lower degree, the Secretary of the Board shall ask the candidate whether he or she is willing to be approved for the award of the M.Sc. Degree. Subject to the candidate’s agreement being received by the Secretary not later than the last day of the term following the term or vacation in which the decision on her or his candidature was made or in exceptional circumstances, which it shall itself determine, accept a candidate’s agreement at a later date, the Board shall approve the candidate for the award of that degree and the Secretary shall publish a notice of such approval unless the candidate has requested the removal of her or his name from the published list in accordance with a procedure approved from time to time by the General Board.

Deciding authority.

15. The Board shall be the deciding authority on all recommendations communicated to it by Degree Committees that candidates be approved for the award of the Bus.D. or M.Sc. Degree or that they be allowed to submit revised dissertations. The Board shall not approve a candidate for the award of a degree unless the Degree Committee has recommended the award of that degree; before refusing an award so recommended they shall give a representative appointed by the Degree Committee an opportunity of explaining the Committee’s reasons for its recommendation.

Unsuccessful candidate to be informed.

16. If after considering the reports of the Examiners the Degree Committee resolve that a candidate’s work is not of the requisite standard for any degree, and if it does not recommend that the candidate be allowed to submit a revised dissertation, its resolution to that effect, with the names of those present and voting on either side, shall be communicated to the Board, together with the reports of the Examiners. The Secretary of the Board shall communicate this decision to the candidate.

Copy of dissertation for Library.

17. Before being admitted to a degree, a student shall deposit with the Secretary of the Board one copy of her or his dissertation and two copies of the summary, in a form approved by the Board. The Secretary shall deposit the copy of the dissertation together with one copy of the summary in the University Library, where they shall be available for consultation and for the making of copies for inter-library loan purposes, unless the Board determine that they shall, for a period specified by the Board, be available only to the author or to those who have the author’s written permission to consult the material. The summary shall be available for copying and publication at the discretion of the Board.

Footnotes

  1. 1. See the regulations for Residence and Precincts of the University (p. 175).a