Cambridge University

Courses at Cambridge

One of the most distinctive characteristics of our courses (also called Triposes at Cambridge) is that they cover the subject area very broadly in the initial years and then offer a wide range of options in which to specialise in the later years.

Students with a clear sense of the subject they wish to pursue at university can specialise, while those who are less certain are able to explore the wider subject area before deciding what to focus on.

The Cambridge Advantage: Flexibility and choice

If you already know what you want to focus on, you can start to specialise early on at Cambridge. However, if you don’t have a clear idea of the options you want to take just yet, our courses allow you to delay specialising until you've had the chance to fully explore the breadth of your subject and confirm which areas you're most interested in. Either way, by graduation you'll have developed the same depth of understanding and specialist knowledge as graduates of more narrowly focused courses elsewhere.

Course structure

Our courses are divided into 'Parts', with each Part lasting one or two years. In each Part, you take a number of 'papers' (subjects, topics) – some of these are compulsory papers that all students must take; and some are optional, meaning you choose a certain number from a range of optional papers available that year. See course outlines and refer to the faculty/department websites for details.

You must pass exams in two Parts to graduate with an Honours degree, and all of our degrees lead to the award of a BA (Hons). Engineering and some science subjects also have a further optional Part that leads to an MEng or MSci degree. Each course fact file indicates the degree(s) awarded.

All of our undergraduate degrees are full-time courses. All students must ordinarily be available to study in Cambridge for the full duration of their course (with the exception of a year abroad, where part of the course).

Shared papers

Many of our courses encompass several subjects – more than 65 subjects are offered within our 30 undergraduate courses – and, generally speaking, the number of options to choose from increases each year.

In addition, some options/topics (usually called papers at Cambridge) are available in several degree courses where the subjects overlap – these are known as 'shared' papers, but may also be referred to as 'borrowed' papers – for example (see the course outlines for details):

some Classics and language papers are available in the English course
some Human, Social, and Political Sciences papers are available to Education students
Psychological and Behavioural Sciences ‘shares’ the Evolution and Behaviour paper from the Natural Sciences course
This means that, beyond any compulsory papers, you can usually tailor your course to your own specifications and your choices may not be limited to those within your immediate subject field.

Assessment

Our courses offer a good compromise between the continuous assessment favoured by some universities and the emphasis placed on final exams by others.

There are summative assessments for all the papers you've taken at the end of each Part, which together determine your result for that Part. Each Part of the course is self-contained and you get a separate result for each Part – we don't operate a credit system so there's no averaging out of your Part results for your final degree result (class).

Therefore, your degree certificate won't state an overall class (first, 2.1 etc). However, you'll be issued an academic transcript to accompany your certificate that contains the titles of and marks you achieved for each paper taken, as well as the class obtained for each Part.

In order to achieve an Honours degree you must pass examinations at both Part I and Part II.

Written exams are the main form of summative assessment used – typically, you sit between four and eight written exams for each Part.
In many science subjects, a specified amount of practical work is assessed.
Most courses include a research project or dissertation – these may be in addition to or as a substitute for a written exam.
Results of assessments are typically released between four and eight weeks after exams/submission.
With the exception of professional qualifying examinations in Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, there usually aren't oportunities to resit any exams at Cambridge.
See the course outlines and individual department/faculty websites for details about assessment methods.

Changing course

Due to scope and flexibility of our courses, most students stay on the same degree course. However, it's possible to change course after one or two years.

Most changes are within the sciences or within the arts, but students can switch between broad areas as well. Not everything is possible but there’s a surprising degree of flexibility and, as such, a wide range of subject combinations are available. The more popular/common course changes are listed under the relevant course information.

To be able to change course, you need the agreement of your College that any change is in your educational interests, and you must have the necessary background in the subject to which you wish to change – in some cases you may be required to undertake some catch-up work or take up the new course from the start/an earlier year. If you think you may wish to change course, we encourage you to contact a College admissions office for advice. You should also consider if/how changing course may affect any financial support arrangements

More than just studying, we have a great social scene here too. There’s loads going on within the University and Colleges, and with students accounting for about a fifth of the city’s overall population, this makes Cambridge a great place to be a student.

The Cambridge Advantage: Work hard, play hard

100s of student clubs and societies to choose from.
No. 1 for good extra-curricular activities/societies (Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2016).
80+ sports with opportunities to get involved at any level.
There are hundreds of clubs and societies to get involved in, and throughout term-time there's a whole range of student-organised entertainment events (or 'ents') on offer as well. Among the highlights are the legendary College May Balls, held during May week (which actually runs for about two weeks in June, after exams). In addition, there's plenty going on in and around the city throughout the year.

Tailored teaching, specialised facilities and learning from the world’s leading academics are what make Cambridge a spectacular institution at  which to be an undergraduate.
Not only is the teaching excellent, but with hundreds of student societies, world class sports, debating, performances, art  and more, this vibrant city is bursting with opportunities.

As your central students’ union, CUSU is here to ensure that the student experience is as fulfilling

as possible and that you have access to the resources and information needed to make the most of your time here. As officers elected by you, we represent your interests on committees, offer essential professional services, and provide welfare support  and training.

Students are always welcome to pop into the CUSU offices for a chat with the Sabbatical Officer Team – tell us how you want to shape the University and we’ll help you to do it.The CUSU Team wishes you all the best in your application.

Fees

Fees for weekend courses cover tuition, meals (except breakfast) and refreshments, including morning coffee and afternoon tea during teaching hours, and travel on excursions (but not entrance fees to properties visited). Accommodation can be booked for an additional fee and includes breakfast.

VAT does not apply to course fees and there is no service charge (gratuities to domestic staff are left to your discretion). It is sometimes possible to stay for extra nights or extra meals, or to invite guests to meals, at an additional cost and by prior arrangement with the Admissions team.

If you do not wish to pay in full at the time of booking, you may pay a 15% registration fee as a deposit by credit/debit card. The balance will automatically be taken two weeks before the start of the course. If you wish to pay by cheque, you will need to pay in full when the booking is made.

You may cancel a course booking at any time. After the 14 day cancellation period has expired, the standard ICE course cancellation policy will apply. Please view our refund and cancellation policy for further details.

Cambridge University Press Bursaries for teachers

The Cambridge University Press (CUP) Bursary Fund offers a bursary of 50% of the course fee to applicants who teach in a UK state school or state-funded further education institution, applying to study a day school, weekend course or online course.