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Department of Zoology

 

These are common questions we are regularly asked. However, do contact us directly if you have more questions.

Do you offer a PhD course?

PhD (course code BLZO22)

The PhD degree is a minimum of three years of full-time research with an individual supervisor followed by examination of a research thesis in an oral examination. This is the principal research degree offered in the Department of Zoology and the great majority of our students are registered for it.

At the end of their first year of study students are required to complete a satisfactory First Year Report and viva. A brief report (without viva) is required at the end of the second year and third year.

Find out more about our PhD in Zoology

Do you offer an MPhil course?

MPhil in Biological Science (course code BLZOM1)

The MPhil is a one year course consisting of 11 months full-time research with an individual supervisor followed by examination of a research thesis in an oral examination.

The MPhil is most commonly taken as a stand-alone research degree by candidates with only one year of funding. If this course is taken as part of a route to the PhD a further three years of study and funding are required as well as satisfactory performance in the MPhil. The PhD project may draw on the topic of the MPhil, but the same work cannot be presented for both degrees.

Most candidates for both degrees start in October, in order to take advantage of Departmental and University funding competitions and induction programmes, but admission in January or April is also possible. All of our students are expected to take part in the Department’s Postgraduate Training Programme and the Postgraduate School of Life Science’s Researcher Development Programme

Please note that we do not currently offer:

  • Distance learning degrees/programmes/courses/training.
  • Exclusively taught postgraduate degrees.
How do I find a supervisor?

If you are interested in applying for either the PhD or the MPhil course, the next step is to identify a potential supervisor and find out if they can accommodate you in their research group. Make contact with them to discuss ideas for research projects and, if at all possible, to arrange a visit.

If you are interested in more than one supervisor within the Zoology 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). Only one application is required if one project involves a co-supervisor from another department.

Find out more about our current research on our research pages

Do you have any projects available?

A number of our academics are currently advertising projects for incoming postgraduate students - please refer to our project list for more information: https://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/2024-25-projects

How do I apply?

Applications for admission to the University should be made via the University's Applicant Portal: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/application-process.   We recommend that you apply only when you have found someone who wishes to supervise you.

Competition for admission to the University of Cambridge postgraduate programme is intense. Like all departments in the Postgraduate School, we require all our postgraduate entrants to have:

  1. a good 2.1 in an Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject
  2. two excellent academic references
  3. fluency in the English language – recent IELTS test with an overall band score of at least 7.0 with not less than 7.0 in speaking, listening and writing, and 6.5 in reading.

For more details of the University’s entrance requirements and our entries in the Course Directory please visit the relevant web page: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses-overview​

Is there an application deadline?

We advise all applicants to apply as early as possible. You should not wait until the day of the deadline to submit your application or supporting documents, as your application will be withdrawn if it is not complete by the deadline - this includes providing all supporting documents and references.

If you are applying for funding, there are two deadlines to consider:

Application for both is via the same online form but you must apply by whichever deadline comes first. 

In order to be considered for the majority of funding competitions (e.g., non-US Gates, Cambridge Trust, any Departmental funding), the submission deadline for applicants wishing to apply for either the MPhil or PhD in Zoology is 12 noon on 4 January 2024. 

Please refer to the central Postgraduate Admissions Application Deadlines webpage for more information. 

Do you have any funding available?

Securing funding to support postgraduate study is a separate (though related) procedure to the academic application. There are a number of funding opportunities available, but all are very competitive. It is not unusual for applicants who are made a conditional offer of a place to find themselves without the necessary funds to actually commence their study.

Various sources of funding are available for those wishing to study for a PhD or MPhil in Zoology.

Please visit our funding page for more information: https://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/funding

I have another question, who do I contact?

Still have questions? Contact Lizzie Burgess, Postgraduate Administrator, at graduate@zoo.cam.ac.uk