Engineering

Entry requirements

Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK Good II.i Honours Degree.

If your degree is not from the UK, please check International Qualifications to find the equivalent in your country.

Students currently undertaking a taught Master's degree at Cambridge must achieve a mark of 70% to be allowed to continue to the PhD degree.

Most successful applicants have a background in engineering, the natural sciences, or a related subject such as computer science or mathematics; however, the Department is very diverse and some research groups may wish to take students with other backgrounds, such as management studies or medicine. If in doubt about the suitability of your background for your proposed research in the Department, please ask your prospective supervisor before submitting an application.

Months of entry

January, October

Course content

The University of Cambridge Department of Engineering is one of the leading centres of engineering in the world, renowned for both its teaching and its research. Since its foundation in 1875, it has grown to become the largest department in the University, and the largest integrated engineering department in the UK, with approximately 150 faculty, 260 contract research staff and research fellows, 900 postgraduate students, and 1,200 undergraduates.

By the end of the PhD, students are expected to have produced original work making a significant contribution to knowledge in the field of engineering. At the same time, the Department expects that students will leave with the wider skills necessary to be successful in either an academic or a non-academic career.

The Department of Engineering offers PhD studies in a wide variety of subjects. The Department is broadly divided into six Research Divisions, the strategic aims of which are broadly described below:

Energy, Fluid Mechanics and Turbomachinery

Building on research in fluid mechanics and thermodynamics to develop a systems view of energy generation and utilisation, particularly in the ground and air transport, to mitigate environmental impact. This Division's research focus includes acoustics, aerodynamics, combustion, energy use and generation, fluid mechanics and turbomachinery.

Electrical Engineering

Pursuing fundamental electrical, electronic and photonic research at the material, device and system levels with a focus on creating integrated solutions in the fields of nanotechnology, sensing, energy generation, energy conversion, displays and communications. The research in this division covers all aspects of electrical engineering from the nano-scale to heavy-duty power applications.

Mechanics, Materials and Design

Extending fundamental and applied research in mechanics, materials, bio-mechanics and design, exploiting cross-disciplinary partnerships across the University; and building on existing strengths to develop excellence in bioengineering and healthcare systems research.

Civil Engineering

Advancing the mechanics of civil and structural engineering systems within the broader context of the design, construction and operation of sustainable infrastructure and the stewardship of Earth's resources and environment.

Manufacturing and Management

Developing a new understanding of manufacturing technology, operations, strategy and policy, in close partnership with industry, in order to improve industrial performance.

Information Engineering

Developing fundamental theory and applications relating to the generation, distribution, analysis and use of information in engineering and biological systems.

Information for international students

Language Requirement

IELTS (Academic)

Element Score

Listening 7.0

Writing 7.0

Reading 6.5

Speaking 7.0

Total 7.0

TOEFL Internet Score

Element Score

Listening 25

Writing 25

Reading 25

Speaking 25

Total 100

CAE

Score: Grade A & B (overall score of 193, with no element lower than 185 plus a Language Centre assessment)

CPE

Score: Grade A, B, or C (with at least 200 with no element lower than 185).