Funding opportunities
Parasol Foundation Scholarships
An exciting collaboration between the Parasol Foundation and Murray Edwards College gives us the opportunity to enable a greater number of talented Home-fee status women students to benefit from a Master’s degree in Astronomy or Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge. The courses eligible for this award are the MPhil in Astronomy, MASt in Astrophysics and the MPhil in Planetary Science and Life in the Universe, the award covers all tuition fees and provides a generous maintenance allowance. Offer holders meeting the eligibility criteria will automatically be considered for this award, no additional application is required.
Course Overview
The Astronomy MPhil degree is exclusively by research and a project and supervisor will normally have been identified prior to a formal application being made by the student. There is no taught element.
The aims of the programme are:
- to give students with relevant experience at first-degree level the opportunity to carry out focused research in the discipline under close supervision; and
- to give students the opportunity to acquire or develop skills and expertise relevant to their research interests.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the programme, students will have:
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a comprehensive understanding of techniques and a thorough knowledge of the literature applicable to their own research
- demonstrated originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in their field
- shown abilities in the critical evaluation of current research and research techniques and methodologies
- demonstrated some self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and acted autonomously in the planning and implementation of research
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
The examination requirement for the MPhil is a thesis of not more than 15,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, footnotes, bibliography, and appendices, on a subject approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry.
The examination shall include a viva (oral examination) with two examiners on the thesis and the general field of knowledge within which it falls. The thesis shall provide evidence to satisfy the examiners that the candidate can design and carry out investigations, assess and interpret the results obtained, and place the work in the wider perspective of the subject.
How to Apply
Formal application for the MPhil in Astronomy must be made via the University Postgraduate Admissions Office’s Applicant Portal before the deadline of 16th May 2025.
It is not necessary to contact a supervisor before applying. Instead, applicants should review the list of potential supervisors on the Institute of Astronomy website to gain an overview of the supervisors and research topics available. Applicants should then specify up to three preferred supervisors and research topics in their application (Statement of Interest).
Failure to identify at least one potential supervisor may disadvantage your application