How to apply for a PhD (and MLitt/MSc)

Specific Guidance on Geography Department Applications

General admissions requirements are as follows

You must hold a good 2.1 or equivalent (minimum GPA 3.5) undergraduate honours degree. Normally, you must also have a high level of previous training in geography or a related discipline or have completed a Masters degree. You are advised to consult the MPhil degrees offered in Cambridge.
You must satisfy the English language requirements set by the Board of Graduate Studies
In addition to a completed GRADSAF application with two references, you should include a statement (approximately 2,000 words) of your research proposal, including aims and methods, sources and the location of the proposed research. Please suggest a supervisor. Physical Geography applicants, choosing from the list of topics, do not need to include a research proposal but should include information about why they have chosen a topic or topics and their suitability for the chosen topic or topics.
A listing of specific resource needs for your research (such as travel budget, fieldwork, laboratory equipment, chemical, IT needs, etc)
An outline of relevant experience (including employment and non-academic experience) relevant to your application

Admissions Procedure

Before making an application, you should satisfy yourself that advanced study in your chosen field can be undertaken at Cambridge. Acceptance of any applicant will be dependent on specialist supervision being available. Please consult our research webpages, to give you an idea of the types of research done by the department.

If it appears that the department will be able to support your research, please look through our online staff list to determine if there is someone in the department able to supervise your topic.

If we cannot supervise your topic, we will decline your application regardless of its academic merit. Therefore, please do make sure there is someone able to supervise you before you apply.

Identification of a potential supervisor, while an essential requirement, does not, however, imply any sort of guarantee of admission and the full admissions procedure must be followed in all cases. If your potential supervisor's details are available from the web, you may e-mail the person with a research proposal. If contact details are not available, kindly e-mail the Graduate Office Administrator with your research proposal and the name(s) of whom you are trying to contact. It is possible to apply without contacting a member of staff first, but your application MUST include an indication of whom you would like to supervise your thesis. When you make your formal application, this should be through the University's Board of Graduate Studies. Applicants should plan well in advance to ensure their papers can be processed in time.

Admissions Deadline

You may begin your PhD at the start October. Generally, it is best to apply no later than six months before your start. If you will be seeking funding, it may be useful to apply in the Autumn or Winter previous to the academic year when you intend to start, as most funding decisions are made in the Spring/ Summer.

Funding

There is no major funding available through the department to support your studies (although there are limited numbers of modest supports available for fieldwork, etc). To fund your studies you should apply separately to the relevant funding bodies for your country. UK and EU students should look at the ESRC and NERC studentship information on this website or email the Graduate Office. You must also have discussed your topic with your prospective supervisor and applied by the Department's deadline for applicants wishing to be considered for Research Council funding.

There are also some major scholarships available at Cambridge e.g. Gates Foundation, scholarships administered by the Cambridge Trust, and the Cambridge International Scholarship (CISS). You should apply for these through the Board of Graduate Studies. They are listed in the University Graduate Studies Prospectus on the Board of Graduate Studies web site.

The procedure for applying for a PhD assumes you have easy access to the Internet. If this is not the case, kindly request to be sent a paper copy of the Geography website pages, via the Graduate Office contact details.

Please note that it is rare for people to apply for a MLitt or MSc. They are more limited 2-year degrees by research appropriate for some students. However most students opt for a 3-year PhD programme. The requirements for an application for an MLitt or MSc are the same as those for the PhD.

See also: Resources and Costs