The Cambridge PhD is a three to four-year programme of individual research on a topic agreed by the student and the Department, under the guidance of a supervisor. This, of course, is much shorter than the time spent in most North American programs. However, PhD students are typically admitted only after a Master’s degree. They need take no courses and must finish their research in three years, with a fourth year for writing up.

Doctoral students are typically fully funded by the department from a range of scholarships from University-wide bodies called ‘trusts.’ The department also has some of its own funds, typically from industrial donations, to support students in specific research areas. The net outcome is that supervisors do not typically need to find funding for their doctoral students. Of course, if they do have this funding, they can be more aggressive in admitting doctoral students.

Unlike departments in North America, doctoral students are admitted to the PhD degree program on a probationary basis and are initially registered, during their first year, for a Certificate of Postgraduate Study (CPGS). During this year students write a research report that is likely to form the foundation of the eventual PhD thesis. An oral exam (viva) held at the end of the first year must be passed for students to continue in the program. The viva is conducted by two teaching staff in the CS department who are not the student’s supervisors. It is very rare for a student to not progress.

Admissions to the doctoral program are overseen by the department’s graduate office. The process is somewhat complex but the essential details are that students apply to the department, are interviewed by at least two faculty members (including the potential supervisor(s)), and are admitted only by the Admissions Committee.