All students in Cambridge are required to re-apply for admission to a PhD before the end of their Masters/MPhil degree. To be accepted they must satisfy a good pass level in all the assessed units of their Masters/MPhil, with particular attention given to the level of performance in their thesis component. However, re-admission is not automatic to high performing MPhil students. In addition a student must demonstrate suitability to undertake a PhD and make a full specification of their research proposal which allows the suitability of the topic to assessed. They must also have the agreement of a supervisor to supervise, based on the appropriateness of the PhD proposal to the expertise of the academic staff in the department.