Churchill College: Admissions Information: Undergraduates: Engineering

You are in: Churchill College » Admissions » Undergraduate Admissions » Courses » Engineering

Churchill College is the ideal place to study Engineering.

The College was founded in 1958 to pursue excellence in teaching and research with a special emphasis on science and technology. It is the role of engineers to put science and technology to use in solving the technical problems facing the world, and to exploit the opportunities technology presents in an environmentally, socially and politically responsible manner. In this way, engineers provide a crucial interface between the sciences and society.

Engineers are therefore at the heart of Sir Winston Churchill's vision of Churchill College into the 21st century and beyond. Engineers of the 20th century have been concerned with the design of machines, structures and electronics, but this is only the start. In the future, engineers will also be at the forefront of developments to tackle challenges such as climate change, and ensuring the safe, effective and efficient use of scarce resources such as oil and fresh water on a global scale.

In Churchill, we are uniquely positioned to engage with the challenges ahead, both quite literally in our geographical location and also by building on our short, but rich heritage. Churchill's location to the West of the city centre used to be on the fringes of Cambridge University. However, over recent decades significant portions of the University have moved to West Cambridge, including approximately half of the Engineering Department. West Cambridge currently houses centres for geotechnical engineering, turbomachinery, electronics and photonics, and communications, which are all within a few minutes' walk of the College.

Undergraduate Engineering at Churchill

Churchill has a dedicated suite of rooms for Engineering teaching, and boasts one of the highest numbers of Engineering Fellows of any of the Cambridge Colleges. The majority of these Fellows are active in teaching and research either in the College or in the Engineering Department.

Like all other undergraduate courses at Cambridge, teaching in Engineering is conducted both in Department and in College. Lectures, laboratory experiments and group projects are conducted in the Department, while supervisions are arranged by, and generally given in, the College. In a typical week students might spend twelve hours at lectures, six hours in the laboratories or doing other practical work, and three hours in supervisions. Additionally, students are expected to study independently for approximately twenty hours per week.

Much more detail about the structure and content of the Engineering course itself is available from the Engineering Department Website.

The College provides each student with a Director of Studies (DoS) for academic guidance, and a Tutor, to oversee your welfare and education in its fullest sense, both of whom will be Fellows of the College. At Churchill, each student keeps the same DoS and Tutor throughout their time in the College. These people are able to form a view of the student's developing abilities, and advise on matters such as course and career choices.

Should I take a GAP year?

It is a requirement of the Cambridge Engineering course that students have at least 8 weeks practical engineering experience prior to graduation. This can be arranged through short attachments during summer vacations, or by deferring entry for a year and spending a substantial amount of that year in industry. Either route is entirely acceptable, though the GAP year will naturally enable you to achieve more during your industrial placement than would be possible in a relatively short vacation placement.

What kind of person are we looking for?

Engineering is, by its nature, a broad discipline, and professional engineers are routinely expected apply their understanding, experience and knowledge to a vast range of problems. The Cambridge Engineering course emphasises this generality by making the first two years common to all students, regardless of the specialism an individual might intend to pursue in years three, four and beyond.

This demands great flexibility of our students, who are required to be independent thinkers with the agility to turn their minds quickly to unfamiliar problems. The common language that binds the different facets of Engineering together is mathematics, so a high level of mathematical aptitude is a prerequisite; however, please note that Further Mathematics at A-Level, while clearly advantageous, is not required.

Practical skills and creativity form a large part of Engineering; making models and prototypes, and designing and performing experiments are daily work for many professional engineers. An innate curiosity for how things work is also admirable.

If you want to understand the technology that drove the 20th century, and have a passion to help shape the technology of the 21st, then Engineering may be for you. Why not visit us on one of our Open Days, such as the date in July, which coincides with the Departmental Open Day?

Admissions requirements and procedures

For UK home students taking A-level courses at school/college, A-levels in Maths and Physics (or their equivalents in other educational systems) are essential. A third A-level in a relevant maths/science/technology subject is also highly desirable. Appropriate A-level subjects are (in alphabetical order): Chemistry, Computing, Design & Technology, Economics, Electronics or Further Maths. Of these Chemistry and Further Maths are preferred. It is hoped that under the AS/A2 examination system applicants will have the opportunity to study a contrasting subject at AS level in Year 12. A modern language, Geography or Economics are good choices of contrasting subjects for aspiring engineers. A balance of vocational and academic subjects is also acceptable. Maths A-level (or its equivalent) is still essential, but other science/technology A-levels can be replaced by a suitable vocational qualification, such as a BTEC National Certificate or Diploma in an engineering discipline.

Admissions Test

Applicants for Engineering will be required to take a written test while attending for interview. This will be of 1 hour duration, and will draw on GCSE and AS level maths and physics. There will be a sufficient choice of questions for there to be no specific syllabus requirements, and no preparation specific to this test is required.

The purpose is to give applicants an alternative opportunity to show their ability, separate from the interview itself. The questions are designed to test qualities such as insight and flexibility of thought, and the ability to use standard techniques in unusual ways and situations. Our own admissions team marks the scripts, thus enabling us to assess particular strengths or weaknesses which may not be conveyed in an applicant's overall mark. Good performance in the test does not guarantee an offer, nor does poor performance in it guarantee that an offer will not be made.

Offers

Conditional offers on A-levels are normally made on the basis of three A-grades in relevant subjects. Churchill College may sometimes require applicants for Engineering to take STEP or Advanced Extension Awards (AEA).