m phil dissertation submission form

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Before submitting

The word limit is 15,000 words, exclusive of footnotes, bibliography and appendices. The Degree Committee cannot give permission to exceed the word limit.

Format and presentation

Please see the information on the  Cambridge Students  website.

Submission deadlines

Students starting in October – 31 August (2pm) Students starting in January – 30 November (2pm)

If these dates fall on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, we will accept the thesis by 12 noon on the next working day.

Extensions can only be granted in limited circumstances; see  Extending your submission date . If you do not submit by your deadline, you will be removed from the register of graduate students, which will result in you losing access to resources. However, if this happens, you will still be able to submit your thesis  at a later date .

If you are planning to leave the country at the end of your course, or if you are intending to commence a PhD shortly after completing your MPhil, you may need to be examined early and should aim to submit your thesis well in advance of the last possible date.

Preparing to submit

Four weeks before you intend to submit your thesis, please complete the online  Intention to Submit Form . After consulting with your supervisor, the GSO will arrange for your examiners to be appointed and your title approved. The GSO will also add you to the Moodle site so that you will be able to submit your thesis when it is completed.

Where and what to submit

Details of what you must include can be found on the Cambridge Students website. 

You should submit an electronic pdf copy of your thesis via the Engineering Degree Committee thesis submission   Moodle site. Please name the file "MPhil_Your CRSid.pdf" so that it is identifiable.

The MPhil in Engineering is examined by dissertation only. You will be required to take two modules and take part in a Researcher Development Course but the results do not count towards your final degree.

After submitting

The oral examination (viva).

We will email you when your thesis has been forwarded to your examiners. You should expect to wait at least 6 weeks for your oral examination. In most cases the viva will be between you and two examiners, usually one internal and one external. The examiners of your thesis will want to satisfy themselves that  it is clearly written, that it takes account of previously published work on the subject and that it represents a contribution to learning .  The regulations for the MPhil in Engineering also require that the thesis  provides evidence that you can design and carry out investigations, assess and interpret the results obtained and place the work in the wider perspective of the subject.

If you wish to notify examiners of any disability or request adjustments on account of such disability for your viva voce examination (either for your first year assessment or final examination), you can do this via your Degree Committee by completing and submitting the  voluntary disclosure form .

After your oral examination, you may be asked to make some corrections to your thesis. If your examiners do not provide you with a list of corrections, please contact the  GSO  and we will arrange for a list to be sent to you.  When the corrections are complete, you should show them to your internal examiner (and/or your external examiner in some cases).

After the examination

Your examiners' reports will be considered at a meeting of the  Engineering Degree Committee . Following this meeting, you will receive an email from the Graduate Studies Office informing you of the outcome, along with copies of your examiners' reports.

No corrections needed, or corrections completed and approved before paperwork considered by Degree Committee

If you were not required to make any corrections, or you have already completed your corrections and they have been approved by your examiners before your paperwork is considered by the Degree Committee, then you will receive an email from the GSO informing you that you have passed.

Corrections required

Examiners can recommend that you need to complete some corrections to your thesis. These can be either minor, which you will be given three weeks to complete, or major, which you will be given six weeks to complete. These timings start from the date that your examination paperwork is approved by the Degree Committee, and you will receive an email from the GSO informing you of the relevant timeframes following that meeting.

You remain on the register of graduate students during this period (unless your corrections are approved sooner), however the working restrictions for graduate students do not apply during this time. You should still apply for  leave to work away  if you are completing your corrections away from Cambridge. After completing your corrections, you should send them to your internal examiner to approve, who will then confirm to the Degree Committee, via the GSO, when they have done so. Approval of corrections does not need to go through any further committee meetings. The GSO will then notify you when your degree is approved.

Other outcomes

Although the most common outcome is that corrections are required before you can be awarded an MPhil (or occasionally an outright pass), it is also possible that you may be asked to  Revise and Resubmit  your thesis for a new examination. In rare cases, outright failure is a possible outcome. You can find the full list of potential outcomes in the  Code of Practice .

After degree approval

After your MPhil, including any corrections required, has been approved by the Degree Committee, you will be notified by the Graduate Studies Office, by email, within a few days of the Degree Committee meeting. You can then  make arrangements  to attend a congregation, or have your degree awarded  in absentia .

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Preparing to submit an MPhil thesis

• Degree Committee for the Faculty of Physics & Chemistry
• Change in student status
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If you are holding an offer to continue to further postgraduate study you are strongly advised to plan your submission timetable carefully. Allow sufficient time for your examination to take place and your degree to be approved before the start date of your next course.

1. Notice of intention to submit

At least two months before you intend to submit your thesis you need to inform the Degree Committee of your proposed title, expected submission date and provide a short summary. Your submission date should be on or before your submission deadline . You will also have the opportunity to state your preference for an in-person viva (default) or viva by video conference at this stage.The intention to submit form initiates the Examiner appointment process and will open the submission portal to you, so it is very important that you remember to do this.

Your intention to submit notice will be normally be acknowledged within 4 working days. The acknowledgement includes a link to the Moodle course to which you will submit your thesis. The Degree Committee Office will then approach your supervisor for nominations of potential examiners.

If you do not give any/sufficient notice before submitting your thesis your examination will be delayed.

Online form: Intention to submit a research thesis

2. Examination access arrangements (optional)

Should you wish to make a voluntary disclosure of any disability/chronic illness that might affect the conduct of your viva please complete and email the disclosure form to the Degree Committee Office before you submit. We invite you to do this up to two months in advance to allow us time to consult with the DRC and make appropriate access arrangements . Please download the form, complete and sign it, then email back to us in the Degree Committee office.

Form for download:  https://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/files/voluntary_disclosure_form.pdf         

3. Confidential Research (optional)

If your research is confidential (e.g. you are sponsored by industry and they claim rights over your findings), you may apply for a confidentiality agreement to be put in place for the examination. Contact the Degree Committee Office at least one month before you intend to submit your thesis.

4. Complete your thesis

Word limit : Be aware of the word limit and what is/is not included . Candidates are often confused as to how to include equations and formulas in the word count. We recommend you count them as as having the same number of words that text occupying the same area would have, using an average of 13 words per line or 350 words per page (at the 1.5 line spacing).

Format: The MPhil thesis is submitted electronically in A4 portrait format.  There is no requirement for a hardbound copy at any stage in the examination for the MPhil . You are strongly advised to check your thesis carefully prior to submission for typing errors, spelling mistakes and poor English. Number the pages consecutively and ensure work is fully referenced. Remember, the Examiners must be left in no doubt as to which parts of your submitted work are your own original work and which are not.

Including additional material : You may seek permission to submit additional material with your thesis by submitting an application on CamSIS. This process should be initiated and approved prior to you submitting your thesis.

Electronic copy: Please remember the electronic copy of the MPhil thesis you submit is the only document that can be examined. You should not attempt to send any additional documents to your Examiners as they cannot be taken into consideration. If your Examiner specifically requires a paper copy of your thesis they should make the request via the Degree Committee Office. If the Examiner makes the request to you directly please contact the Degree Committee Office.

Compulsory inclusions : the Cambridge Students website details what must be included in the thesis, and in what order.

Certificate of submission : Must be downloaded , completed and signed to confirm that you are the original author of the work and have kept to the word limits. 

Ukraine: If your progress was impacted by the situation in Ukraine, please see Research Impact Statement and extension information on our Coronavirus pages . The guidance only refers to COVID-19 but now also applies to the situation in Ukraine.

If you can't find the page you are looking for or find a broken link do let us know (please use the email link in the 'Contact us' section below).

Ukraine - University resources

Coronavirus advice from the University

Office closures

The Degree Committee for the Faculty of Physics & Chemistry will be closed from 5pm on Thursday 28 March 2024 and will reopen again on Tuesday 2 April 2024. Research degree theses should still be submitted by your submission deadline even if that falls over the holiday period.

Meetings schedule

Meetings of the Degree Committee and Degree Ceremonies

Essential Links

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Code of Practice for Postgraduate Students

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Degree Committee for Physics & Chemistry, School of Physical Sciences, 17 Mill Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1RX. Tel: 01223 746764 / 746766

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© 2024 University of Cambridge

• Contact the University
• Accessibility
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• University A-Z
• Undergraduate
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