Postgraduate courses in the Department of Engineering

The Department offers taught and research programmes which between them encompass all the principal sub-disciplines of engineering and novel interdisciplinary approaches to the subject. Our programmes can prepare you for a career at the cutting edge of research and for leading roles in the engineering profession.

Taught courses

We offer six full-time one-year taught programmes, leading to the award of a master’s degree (Master of Philosophy or Master of Research).

These programmes offer you the opportunity to deepen your subject knowledge, to broaden it by undertaking the interdisciplinary training needed to solve today’s most pressing engineering challenges, and/or to reflect on and develop your professional practice.

They can serve as suitable preparation for a PhD, at Cambridge or elsewhere, or equip you for careers as professional engineers, or in consultancy, policy-making and related fields. Some of these programmes offer professional accreditation.

Research study

The Department’s PhD programme aims to produce engineers who will be equipped to lead the development of their discipline through their theoretical, computational, experimental, and interdisciplinary research.

Students work with an expert supervisor to produce a thesis which, as an original contribution to knowledge, is the foundation for a research career, whether in academia, government, or the private sector.

Our PhD programme can be studied both full-time and part-time.

The MPhil in Engineering is a research degree which enables students to complete a thesis which will make a substantial contribution to their discipline. It can serve as preparation for the PhD for students without extensive experience of research, or offer those working in or seeking positions in industrial or commercial R&D an opportunity to further develop their research skills.

Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs)

Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) offer a combined taught and research-based programme, leading to both a master’s and a PhD degree. In addition to three CDTs based in the Department of Engineering, we are also partners to eight CDTs based either in other departments at the University of Cambridge, or in other institutions.

Part-time study

Both of our research programmes are available for students to study part-time. The MPhil in Engineering is available at 50% of full-time study (two years instead of one) and the PhD in Engineering is available at 60% of full-time study (five to seven years, instead of three to four years). The majority of our taught programmes are currently only available for full-time study, but we offer a Master of Studies (MSt) in Construction Engineering for experienced professionals looking to make a tangible contribution to the positive transformation of the construction sector.