FAQs about the MPhil in SMOOB

The MPhil in Strategy, Marketing, Operations and Organisational Behaviour is a full-time, 9-month masters programme.

The programme starts at the beginning of October.

As the MPhil is a full-time programme the University does not permit you to undertake any employment whilst studying for the degree. Visit the Cambridge Students website to find out more.

We do not offer the option of distance learning. All students are expected to reside in Cambridge while undertaking University of Cambridge full-time degree programmes.

Applications for 2025 entry will open in September 2024. You are required to apply via the Applicant Portal. Guidance on the application process and admissions requirements is available on the MPhil apply page and the Postgraduate Admissions website.

The closing date for applications is 25 February 2025. However, candidates are strongly advised to send in their applications well before this date and ideally before the University’s December funding deadline.

Please note that all supporting documents, including reference letters, should have arrived by the advertised deadline.

View our minimum requirements for entry to the MPhil in Strategy, Marketing, Operations and Organisational Behaviour. The MPhil is a full-time programme and requires the completion of any current training or education programme.

While checking the entry requirements please note that for any of the MPhil/MRes programmes at Cambridge Judge Business School we only accept and require 2 academic references.

For Cambridge Judge MPhil students, following their application for PhD, applicants will be interviewed by a panel of faculty members. The PhD admissions committee will then make a decision on the basis of the interview report, the strength of the overall application (with particular weight on academic reference letters) and the performance in the Michaelmas term courses. Admissions offers are conditional on the overall performance on the MPhil. The minimum condition is 70% or higher overall mark and 70% or higher in any dissertation or project.

Visit the PhD application webpages for the relevant admissions deadlines.

There is an application charge of £50. Visit the Postgraduate Admissions’ Application Fee webpage to learn more and to find out which nationals are entitled to a fee waiver.

Work experience is not required but relevant work experience is appreciated.

A GRE/GMAT score is not a requirement, and it will not add any weight to your application.

There is no need to nominate a supervisor on the application form.

No. Applicants should make a formal application via the Applicant Portal available on the Postgraduate Admissions webpages.

Visit our Apply webpage for full details on how to apply.

We conduct video interviews with shortlisted applicants before a final decision is taken. Interviews can also be held in person in some cases, but this is not required. Please note that the interview does not assess your English language competency.

When completing your application form you can specify 2 Colleges by whom you would like to be considered for membership if you are offered a place on the MPhil in Strategy, Marketing, Operations and Organisational Behaviour programme. It is possible that the Colleges you choose will not be able to offer you admission. In that case, your application will be circulated to other Colleges.

This process is carried out by the Postgraduate Admissions Office and they will ensure that you receive an offer of a place from one of the Colleges once you have a conditional offer to study on the MPhil in Strategy, Marketing, Operations and Organisational Behaviour. Please visit the Postgraduate Admissions’ College Membership webpage for more details.

Fluency in English is a prerequisite for our programmes. Depending on your nationality and your most recent country of study, you may be required to take a language proficiency test to show you have the necessary command of the language to get the most out of the programme. You do not need to take the test before you apply but, if you are made an offer and have not already met our English language requirements, one of the conditions of admission will be that you pass a test at the correct level. If you have already taken a test in the past, you must have achieved the minimum requirements no more than 2 years before the start of your programme. Visit the Postgraduate Admissions’ International Student webpages for more details.

Applicants who nearly miss the language requirement are not normally referred to the Language Centre. To fulfil the language conditions you must take again an approved English test.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an academic interview to assess their fit with the programme. The interview is not meant to evaluate your English language skills. Therefore, if your first language is not English, the University of Cambridge requires a separate assessment for your English level.

Please consult the Postgraduate Admissions’ Immigration webpage for the most up-to-date information on visa requirements. The following websites provide information on whether you will require a visa to study in the UK. These sites include information on how to obtain a visa, and the paperwork you are required to submit. Also included is the location of your nearest British Embassy or Consulate:

• UK Visas & Immigration is the website of the Home Office department that administers visas.
• UKCISA is a website for overseas students who wish to study in the UK.

Students who do not hold a UK or Irish passport will need immigration permission in order to come to the UK and study at Cambridge. Please visit the International Students website for further information.

The programme does not allow the candidates to defer the start of their studies. Should your circumstances change and you are no longer able to join the programme from the start of September, you will be asked to withdraw from the programme. You are welcome to reapply next year at which point the Admissions Committee will consider your application again.

Tuition fees for the 2025/26 MPhil in Strategy, Marketing, Operations and Organisational Behaviour class are: £15,582 (home status) or £39,504 (overseas/international status).

Please visit the Postgraduate Admissions’ Finance webpages to learn more about our programme fees.

No.

All MPhil applicants can enter the University of Cambridge Postgraduate Funding Competition. Deadlines will be published in the Postgraduate Funding Search database.

Any other funding opportunities made available to MPhil students at the Business School are published at our MPhil scholarships webpage.