The PhD is the primary research degree that can be taken in the Department of Computer Science and Technology. The Cambridge PhD is a three-year programme of individual research on a topic agreed by the student and the Department, under the guidance of a staff member as the student's supervisor.

All research students are admitted to read for the PhD degree on a probationary basis and will be registered for the Certificate of Postgraduate Study (CPGS) in the first instance. During this year students may do some additional coursework and will write a research report that is likely to form the foundation of the eventual PhD thesis. The CPGS will involve four components:

• Research skills training
• Practical work
• Research report of no more than 10,000 words
• Attendance at a research workshops and research seminars

At the end of the third term and on completion of the CPGS, students whose performance indicates that they would be able to complete a PhD in reasonable time will be upgraded to PhD status. A student who is not upgraded to PhD status will normally be awarded the CPGS (as will a student who is upgraded to PhD status) but will leave before submitting a PhD thesis.

Students are expected to complete the substance of their research by the end of their third year, submitting their thesis then or within a few months.

Assessment

Thesis

The PhD is assessed through the examination of a thesis, including an oral ("viva voce") examination. The thesis must not exceed 60,000 words including footnotes, tables and equations, but excluding appendices, bibliography, photographs and diagrams.

Essays

All candidates for the PhD Degree are admitted on a probationary basis. In the Department of Computer Science and Technology, probationary students are registered, in the first instance, for the Certificate of Postgraduate Studies. At the end of the first academic year, a formal assessment of progress is made. This takes the form of a single document of no more than 10,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, bibliography and appendices.