Department of Engineering / Postgraduates / Postgraduate Courses / Taught courses (MPhil and MRes)

Department of Engineering

Taught courses (MPhil and MRes)

Taught courses (MPhil and MRes)

MPhil programmes

We offer five full-time one year taught programmes in various specialist areas of Engineering. These Masters' programmes are assessed by a combination of coursework, examinations and dissertations and lead to the award of an MPhil degree. Further details about each of the programmes can be found on the individual courses' websites, and on the University's online course directory.


MPhil in Energy Technologies

The world faces major challenges in meeting the current and future demand for sustainable and secure energy supplies. The MPhil in Energy Technologies course is designed for graduates who want to help tackle these problems by developing practical engineering solutions, and who want to learn more about the fundamental science and the technologies involved in energy utilisation, electricity generation, energy efficiency, and alternative energy.


MPhil in Sustainable Development

The Engineering for Sustainable Development MPhil course is designed for graduates who want to help tackle pressing global problems by developing practical engineering solutions. The course is about recognising that engineers have to operate within an increasingly complex set of constraints, and therefore must be capable of dealing with a range of challenges. The subject is based on some very straightforward principles: it is about living within Earth’s finite limits and resources, helping everyone on the planet to achieve an acceptable quality of life; acting as stewards of the environment for future generations; dealing with complexity; and handling the many trade-offs which have to be made.


MPhil in Industrial Systems, Manufacture and Management

The MPhil in Industrial Systems, Manufacture and Management offers unparalleled preparation for a career in industry by combining academic teaching material with a wide-ranging programme of industrial visits, seminars, skills development and projects in companies. A very intensive 11-month programme, ISMM aims to give recent STEM graduates the knowledge and experience to make an impact in a range of different industries and types of business; from automotive to AI, start-ups to state-of-the-art factories. The four industrial projects task students with real challenges in businesses and help to develop problem solving, team working and critical thinking skills. The taught modules and industrial activities are concluded with a 12-week individual research project supervised by a member of academic staff. Please note that this course runs outside of the standard University term dates and involves significant travel away from Cambridge. ISMM is designed for early-career graduates rather than those seeking a mid-career change.


MPhil in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence

This is an 11 month MPhil programme, taught from within our Information Engineering Division, with a unique, joint emphasis on the expanding areas of machine learning and machine intelligence, including speech and language technology, computer vision, robotics, and human-computer interaction. The course aims to teach the state of the art in machine learning and machine intelligence; to give students the skills and expertise necessary to take leading roles in industry; and to equip students with the research skills necessary for doctoral study.


MPhil in Nuclear Energy 

The MPhil programme in Nuclear Energy, offered by the Department of Engineering in collaboration with the Cambridge Nuclear Energy Centre and co-sponsored by a Nuclear Energy Industry Club, is a one-year full-time nuclear technology master's programme for engineers and scientists who wish to make a difference to the problems of climate change and energy security by developing nuclear power generation. The course gives a thorough education in technical aspects of nuclear energy, includes a grounding in the wider policy environment in which nuclear energy sits.

MRes programme

In addition to the MPhil programmes, we also offer three full-time one year taught MRes programmes, which are part of our Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs). Only one of these is available as a standalone Masters course, the others are only available as part of the CDTs.

MRes in Connected Electronic and Photonic Systems

This programme is designed to begin to equip students for engineering leadership positions, developing a high level of understanding and skills in photonic and electronic systems, in particular, the fundamentals of the field together with technology, systems and applications knowledge, and some research experience.