Postgraduate Training

How to apply

The PhD degree is a three or four year course of research, at the end of which the student submits a dissertation and defends this in an oral (viva) examination. The MPhil degree is a one year course of research, again culminating in the submission of a dissertation and a viva. Both include formal coursework, and although this is not examined, progress is closely monitored by means of written reports to the Department's Graduate Education Committee.

The University expects applicants to possess a good first degree, which might be enhanced by a master's degree, although this is not a prerequisite for a PhD. For details on academic criteria please refer to the Graduate Admissions website.

The academic year for the University begins on 1 October and most students take up their studentships then, although other starting dates, such as January or April, are possible. We expect students studying for the PhD degree to complete their experimental work within three years, and their dissertation within four years.

General enquiries should be addressed to:-

Alice Jago,
Graduate Secretary,
Department of Zoology,
University of Cambridge,
Downing Street,
Cambridge, CB2 3EJ UK.

Tel: +44-(0)1223-336647. Fax: +44-(0)1223-336676.

pgadmin@zoo.cam.ac.uk

Step-by-step guide for applications

1. Finding a supervisor

The first step if you are interested in applying for either the PhD or the MPhil course, is to identify a potential supervisor and make contact with them to find out if they can accommodate you in their research group. Send them a CV and describe your areas of interest. You can browse our directory of graduate projects or our research pages, to discover the fields of expertise in the Department and who best to make contact with, depending on your research interests.

If you are interested in more than one supervisor within THIS department, you can name them as first and second choice in your application, but if you want to apply to supervisors in different departments, you will have to make separate applications (one to each department).

All prospective students should contact a potential supervisor before applying to discuss ideas for research projects and, if at all possible, to arrange a visit.

2. How to apply

Admission to the University requires completion of the University's online GRADSAF (Graduate Admission and Scholarship Application Form).

If you wish to apply for a Departmental studentship, or any specific studentship advertised by an individual PI, you will need to enter a preliminary competition before completing the GRADSAF and should follow the instructions in Section A below.

If you intend to apply for other Cambridge scholarships (e.g. Gates, Cambridge Overseas & Commonwealth Trusts, Cambridge Home and EU Scholarships), or have your own external funding, you should proceed directly to Section B.

Section A: Applying for a specific studentship advertised by this department

• Refer to our studentships page for details of the studentship, eligibility criteria, deadlines and how to apply. Refer to our Research pages and the websites of individual PIs for any studentships they may have available.
• If you are successful, you will then be required to apply for admission to the University (Section B below).
• You will not be able to take up the award unless you are also successful in securing admission to the University and you will not be able to apply for a visa (if needed) until you hold an unconditional offer from the University.

Section B: Admission to the University

You should apply for admission to the University using the University’s online GRADSAF (Graduate Admission and Scholarship Application Form) if you:

1. wish to apply for University-wide funding competitions (eg Gates, Cambridge Overseas & Commonwealth Trusts, Cambridge Home and EU Scholarships etc – NB these funding competitions all have very early deadlines)
2. have been awarded a specific studentship / programme position in competition (see Section A)
3. wish to apply for a College studentship
4. have an external scholarship
5. have your own funding.

You are also required to upload a CV and a one page research proposal to complete your application. There is no strict format or word limit for the proposal, but you will usually have developed this in conjunction with your prospective supervisor.