The Churchill Scholarship is for one year of study at the University of Cambridge for one of two Master’s degrees: the MPhil (Master of Philosophy) or MASt (Master of Advanced Study). The standard MPhil is a research degree that entails full-time research in a lab and culminates in a thesis and a viva (an oral examination). The MASt is a taught degree course comprised of lectures and written examinations. A list of eligible and ineligible courses can be found below.
Some MPhil courses involve a mixture of taught courses and a research paper, and most MASt courses provide the opportunity to write a research paper. Applicants should consider which balance of lectures and research works best for them.
The research-only MPhil is a rare opportunity to be able to spend a full year, undistracted, on a single research project. In the hybrid part-lecture and part-research MPhils, students can pursue a shorter research project, while the lectures expose them to a greater breadth of topics. Former Churchill Scholars have said that lectures in Cambridge move quite quickly and tend to be less engaging and interactive in comparison to lectures in US universities.
For students in the research-only MPhil courses, you may need to search far and wide in order to find the right lab for you. The Cambridge structure is different from many American universities, and labs in closely related fields can be found in a wide variety of different departments. Just as the list of courses here may be incomplete, the University of Cambridge website can be confusing and, in some cases, may omit courses or entire research institutes. We welcome suggestions of courses that may not be listed below. Feel free to contact the Foundation with any questions.
MPhil in Archaeological Science
MPhil in Astronomy
MASt in Astrophysics (*see Physics Note below)
MPhil in Biological Anthropological Science
The following Departments offer the MPhil in Biological Science:
Biochemistry
Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit
Genetics
Mitochondrial Biology Unit
Molecular Biology
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physiology, Development and Neuroscience
Plant Sciences
Psychology
Wellcome Trust / Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Zoology
MPhil in Computational Biology †
MPhil in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
MPhil in Advanced Chemical Engineering
MPhil in Biotechnology (Mainly for non-bio majors)
MPhil in Chemistry
Clinical Academic Training Office
MPhil in Translational Biomedical Research †
MPhil in Advanced Computer Science
MPhil in Earth Sciences
MPhil in Engineering
MPhil in Energy Technologies
MPhil in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence †
MPhil in Nuclear Energy †
MPhil in Geography
MPhil in Polar Studies
MPhil in Material Science
MASt in Materials Science
MPhil in Micro- & Nanotechnology Enterprise (Only eligible if the research project undertaken is scientific, rather than business-related)
(The three MASt courses are also called Part III of the Mathematical Tripos. Before you apply to Part III, please read the Foundation’s guide, Part III Mathematics for Churchill Scholars.)
MASt in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (*see Physics Note below)
MASt in Pure Mathematics
MASt in Mathematical Statistics †
MPhil in Biostatistics
The following Departments offer the MPhil in Medical Science:
Cambridge Institute for Medical Research
Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute
Clinical Biochemistry
Clinical Neurosciences
Haematology
Medical Genetics
Medicine
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Oncology
Paediatrics
Psychiatry
Radiology
Surgery
MPhil in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (Language Technology Laboratory)
MPhil in Music Studies (Only the Music and Science option is eligible)
MPhil in Physics (*see Physics Note below)
MPhil in Scientific Computing †
MPhil in Public Health (Only eligible if the dissertation is on a medical, as opposed to a policy topic)
MPhil in Epidemiology †
MPhil in Primary Care Research (Note that this course mainly caters to NHS doctors and shares much of its curriculum with the MPhil in Public Health and MPhil in Epidemiology)
MPhil in Veterinary Science
Please be aware that the Foundation does not accept applications for the following:
MASt in Earth Sciences (Earth Sciences)
MASt in Physics (Physics)
MPhil in Basic and Translational Neuroscience (Physiology, Development and Neuroscience)
MPhil in Bioscience Enterprise (Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology)
MPhil in Computational Methods
for Materials Science (multiple departments). Students should instead apply for the MPhil in Scientific Computing, which is essentially the same.
MPhil in Conservation Leadership (Geography)
MPhil in Developmental Biology (Physiology, Development and Neuroscience)
MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development (Engineering)
MPhil in Environment, Society and Development (Geography)
MPhil in Genomic Medicine (Medical Genetics)
MPhil in Genomic Science (Sanger Institute)
MPhil in Industrial Systems, Manufacturing and Management (Engineering)
MPhil in Social and Developmental Psychology (Psychology)
MPhil in Technology Policy (Judge Business School)
Part III in Systems Biology (Systems Biology Centre)