Cambridge has its own names for things, which this page attempts to clarify. A much more extensive dictionary can be found here.
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| CST | Department of Computer Science and Technology |
| CL | Computer Lab, the former name for the Department of Computer Science and Technology. Many (most?) people continue to refer to the Department as the Lab. |
| WGB | The William Gates Building, where CST is located. This refers to Bill Gates’s father, William Gates, whose charitable donation contributed to the building. |
| Tripos | A program of study. In medieval times, the final oral exam was conducted by an examiner sitting on a three-legged stool, hence the name. |
| UTO | A ‘University Teaching Officer’, essentially someone who is employed by the university to teach. |
| Part 1A | First year of the undergraduate program |
| Part 1B | Second year of the undergraduate program |
| Part II | Third (and final, for computer science students) year of the undergraduate program |
| Part III | The one-year Master’s program |
| Overseer | A UTO who looks over (but does not assess) Part II projects. |
| Tick | A (typically short) programming project that is graded pass/fail for some UG courses |
| MPhil | Also the one-year Master’s program, but for students who didn’t do a Cambridge UG degree |
| Viva | Oral exam |
| Michaelmas | The term that runs from early October to early December |
| Lent | The term that runs from mid-January to mid-March |
| Easter | The term that runs from mid-April to mid-June. Exams are held in Easter term. |
| UofA | Unit of assessment |
| ‘Wednesday’ | The staff meeting held in the CST department every Wednesday |
| CDT | A centre for doctoral training, typically a collaboration between multiple departments |
| Supervision | Small-group instruction provided to undergraduates |
| B.A. | Bachelor of Arts, the degree granted to most undergraduates, including those in computer Science |
| M.A | Master of Arts, the degree granted to all B.A. holders automatically three years after graduation. Some university staff are also eligible for this degree after three years of full-time employment. |
| M. Phil | Master of Philosophy. A degree awarded on completion of a one-year (actually, 9 month) program, for example, in computer science |
| M. Res | Master of Research. A postgraduate degree granted in some programs, especially by Centres for Doctoral Training. |
| D. Sc | Doctor of Science. A ‘higher doctorate’ that is granted to some people under some circumstances, as detailed in the link. |