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GRADUATE STUDIES AT CAMBRIDGE

View of the Old Schools from Great St Mary’s Church

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For MPhil study at Cambridge 2010-2011 academic school year

Said Foundation Scholarship

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The University

Schools & Faculties Colleges

6 Schools – including: 31 Colleges – of which:

Over 120 Faculties and Departments 6 Graduate Only

Libraries & Museums 3 Women Only

University Administration Oldest founded 1284 AD

Cambridge Assessment (IELTS, etc.) Newest founded 2007 AD

Cambridge University Press

What you can do at Cambridge:

• ALL INFORMATION AT

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/gsprospectus

Some examples…

Management:MBA

• Entry Requirements:

• --post graduate work experience

• --GMAT test

Law:LLM

• advanced legal topics

• taught through lectures and, for some courses, seminars.

• Independent study is a major part of the LLM: there are no College supervisions or tutorials.

Land Economy:

• -- draws on the disciplines of law, economics and finance in the analysis of the use, management and development of land, property and the environment,

• -- requires strong background in Land Economy related subjects and who have good prospects of proceeding to the PhD prior to an academic career

• --must complete a 20,000 word dissertation, supervised by one of the academic staff within the department

Economics:

• requires a recent GRE test:

-- a score above the 90th percentile in the quantitative part of the test

-- a high score in the analytical part

• requires a good 2.1 undergraduate degree in economics if this degree is from a UK university

• Must have taken standard courses in intermediate micro- and macroeconomics, together with some advanced courses which use these prerequisites

• basic competence in certain areas of mathematics

• introductory econometrics

International Studies:

• --multidisciplinary approach and breadth

• -- covers theory, politics, history, economics, law and security, as well as individual thesis supervision

• REQUIRES:

• GPA of 3.75 or above; good 2i honours from UK university or equivalent

• evidence of proficiency in English

--IELTS score of 7.5 (with a minimum of 7.0 in each individual component);

-- or a TOEFL computer-based test score of 260 with at least 5.0 in the Essay Test;

-- or 109/120 in the internet-based TOEFL.

• background in international relations, law, economics, history or politics is an asset

• clear research proposal outlining the subject of the thesis and the means by which it is to be researched

Development Studies:

• Core papers – – Development Economics

– Institutions and Development

– The Sociology and Politics of Development

• Requires:– at least a high 2i in the UK system (CGPA 3.7 out of 4.0 in

the US system)

– a separate statement (one side of A4 paper) explaining why you wish to take the course and how it fits in with your career plans

• competence in English: IELTS minimum of 7.0 in all elements

And much, much more…

• Many other fields of study available

• Listed in the online Graduate Prospectus

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/gsprospectus

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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY - Student Numbers 2007-08

Total Student Numbers 17,824

Undergraduates

Home/EU 10,394

Overseas 1,214

Total 11,608

Postgraduates

Home/EU 3,874

Overseas 2,341

Total 6,215

Source: Facts and Figures: January 2009

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UNIVERSITY & COLLEGES:A COMPLEMENTARY PARTNERSHIP

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COLLEGES

31 Colleges: 6 are graduates only; 3 are women only

Oldest: Peterhouse, 1284

Newest: Hughes Hall, 2007

Largest: Homerton, 1041 students

Smallest: Clare Hall, 172 students

Clare College

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PROVISION OF SERVICES

The University

• Sets the courses

• Provides lectures and

classes

• Sets examinations

• Awards degrees

The Colleges

• Select undergraduates

• Accommodate students

• Look after students

• Provide small group supervisions

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PROVISION OF FACILITIES

The University

• Lecture Halls

• Research Libraries

• Laboratories

• Museums

• Specialist Sports Facilities

The Colleges

• Accommodation

• Dining Hall

• College Libraries

• Seminar Rooms

• Sports Facilities

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Why Are we Famous?

• Our age – 800 years old in 2009

• Famous Alumni and Teachers – Darwin, Newton, Whittle

• League Tables

• Nobel Prize Winners – 83

• Global Outreach

• The Cambridge Phenomenon – largest Technology Cluster in Europe

SAID FOUNDATIONSCHOLARSHIPS

MORE INFORMATION:www.saidfoundation.org

SCHOLARSHIP REQUIREMENTS

• --under 40 years old

• --at least 2 years of work experience

• --for Palestinians in Palestine (including inside ’48)

• --firm plan to return to work in Palestine;

• Successful applicants are required to sign a binding undertaking to apply the skills and knowledge they have gained in Palestine

• --study plans in areas that will help develop Palestine when you return

AWARD CRITERIA- SF bases its decisions on:

• academic record

• financial need

• likelihood to succeed in the UK

• usefulness of subject to the applicant’s country

• motivation

• future career intentions

• practical ability to make use of the knowledge to be gained in the UK on return to the Middle East

• personality

SF SCHOLARSHIPS PROVIDE

• provides full or partial scholarships for masters degrees at universities around the UK

• depending on the level of financial need or whether other grants are available to applicants

scholarship-university

• Apply to chosen department of study

• Enrollment criteria specific to each program of study

• British Council advises and submits application

• Application is reviewed by Cambridge and Said Foundation

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APPLYING TO STUDY AT CAMBRIDGE

APPLY ONLINE

• quicker and easier to apply online (go to www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/gsprospectus/applying/apply.html and follow the links.)

• £25 application fee

• www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/gsprospectus/applying/howtoapply1.html

DEADLINES

• post or submit your application at least one month before the closing date of the course that you are applying for:

• competition can be fierce and some places may be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Closing dates for online applications are two weeks earlier than for applications made on paper.

• If no closing date is shown, the deadline for applications is two months before the start of the first term of the course (31 July, 31 October and 31 January for starts in October, January and April respectively).

• EU or overseas applicants wishing to apply for funding: you should apply by the much earlier closing dates given in the ‘Costs and funding’ section of the Prospectus.

SAID FOUNDATION INTERVIEWS

• First Interviews: April

• Second Interviews: May-June

• Final selection for SF fellowship: mid-July

FURTHER APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

(Cambridge)• References

• Transcripts (required for all degree level courses you have taken at universities other than Cambridge University)

• Degree Certificates/ Diploma

• English Language Proficiency Certification

• Research Proposal

• Other Written Work (required for some courses for admission only)

• Curriculum Vitae/ resume (required for some courses for admission or re-admission only)

References

• two academic references or recommendations

• --must be written in English.

• plus one additional character reference when applying for an award from the Said Foundation

References from whom?

1. A member of academic staff from the most recent higher education course you took

2. Your employer or another person who can testify to your academic ability in a formal context

3. An appropriate academic at the applicant’s current or previous University who has some knowledge of the applicant’s personal achievements and capacities, as well as their academic qualities.

Transcripts

• required for all degree level courses you have taken at universities other than Cambridge University

• Cambridge will accept copies of degree transcripts and certificates when you first apply to us,

• require originals if Cambridge makes you an academic offer of admission and supplying these may be a condition of your offer.

Degree Certificate/ Diploma

• required for completed degrees you tell us about other than those awarded by the University of Cambridge

English Language Proficiency Certification

• we will expect you to take an IELTS test

• 7.0 and above

• Only if IELTS is not available may you take a TOEFL test

Research Proposal(for some courses)

• --what is your research question you want to pursue while at Cambridge?

• --why is the question interesting, useful, and novel?

• --how will you go about researching to answer it?

• --what other scholars have addressed this problem? How will you build upon their work?

• --what specific faculty members at this department will likely be helpful in pursuing this research?

• --what in your personal professional or academic experience will help you pursue this research?

Research Proposal Advice

• --BE CLEAR! Write in an organized, logical way

• --write in correct English

• --PROOF-READ! PROOF-READ!

• PROOF-READ!

General Advice:

• --read all instructions carefully

• --follow all instructions PRECISELY

• --do not request assistance until you have done all you can to figure it out yourself

• --submit materials in a neat, orderly, correct way

• --Proof-read CAREFULLY

• --give evidence that you have considered carefully your proposed program of study

• --is it appropriate to your experience and future plans?

• --apply to the appropriate department

• --ask your academic referees to read your research proposal and offer advice

• --make sure your academic referees are familiar with your scholarly and professional potential and comment in detail on this in their references

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ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

• At least A-/ A average from a good university = 3.6-3.75/ 4.0

• (probably within the top 10 per cent of your reference group)

• Competence in English – minimum of IELTS 7.0 with a minimum of 7.0 in speaking, listening and writing

• 250 in computer-based TOEFL, with 5.0 in essay writing component

• English Language requirements for Social Sciences and Humanities may be higher – e.g. Development Studies requires minimum of 7.0 in each IELTS component; International Studies 7.5 overall with minimum of 7.0 in each component

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APPLICATION PROCESS

For more information contact :

British Council

information@ps.britishcouncil.org

Merna.Kassis@ps.britishcouncil.org

http://www.britishcouncil.org/ps.htm

At Cambridge

• Allen Swales • International Officer Middle East,

South & Central Asia –

• aes60@admin.cam.ac.uk

Graduate Prospectus: Specific Information on courses of

study

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/

univ/gsprospectus/