Preparation

M.Phil in ACS Course Advisers

If you are starting at Cambridge as an M.Phil in Advanced Computer Science, and your place has been confirmed by Graduate Admissions, your details will have been sent to your assigned Course Adviser. Your Course Adviser is appointed for Michaelmas Term in the first instance. Your Course Adviser will contact you over September to discuss the module choices made in July and your project ideas. They will liaise with the Postgraduate Education Team and the Postgraduate Education Committee if there needs to be a change to your module selection before the start of term.

In early Lent Term it is likely you will be transferred to a Project Supervisor. The Course Adviser will assist you in finding a project supervisor and in some cases will continue as your Project Supervisor. Your Course Advisor and Project Supervisor will report on your progress to the Student Registry, Degree Committee and Graduate Education Committee via CamSIS. Reports are written termly. Once a report is approved you will be able to read it.

CST (Part III) Directors of Studies

Students taking Part III of the Computer Science Tripos do not normally have Course Advisers. The College Director of Studies will provide advice and direction, monitor progress, and will assist their Part III students in selecting a Project Supervisor.

Preparatory work

Before arriving or returning to Cambridge, you should endeavour to do the preparatory reading provided by module lecturers on the syllabus web pages. Occasionally lecturers will email you directly with exercises or additional reading you will need to complete before arriving.

We also recommend looking at the material provided on CamGuides which is a free online resource for all masters students with a taught element, designed as an introduction to some of the academic, digital and research practices that you will engage in at the University of Cambridge. There is no need for a Raven password to access this material.

You should also take the Academic English and Writing online course  course provided by the University's Language Centre in preparation for the Research Skills Programme's Introduction to Academic Writing in Higher Education. You will need a Raven login for this course and this will be made available once you have met all the conditions of the offer. You may also need Raven to access the Achieving Clarity in Writing online course.

You should also read through the Computer Facilities webpages which describe the computing facilities available to research students at the University of Cambridge Department of Computer Science and Technology. It is intended to tell you what exists, how it is used, and who to see for more information.

The guides to working safely with Display Screen Equipment for both desktop and laptop computers should be read.

University of Cambridge Freshers' Events

In August and September, University Alumni Groups will be hosting online and in-person freshers’ events for new undergraduate and postgraduate students starting a course at Cambridge this autumn. These optional events are a great opportunity to hear from current and former students about their experiences of Cambridge and meet other new starters before the beginning of term.

View the schedule of events.