Established | 1875 |
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Head of Department | Professor Colm Durkan |
Location | Trumpington Street, Cambridge , United Kingdom 52°11′54″N 0°07′18″E / 52.19827°N 0.121579°E |
Website | www |
The University of Cambridge Department of Engineering is the largest department at the University of Cambridge. The Department is known for collaborating with other disciplines, institutions, companies, and entrepreneurs and for adopting an integrated approach to research and teaching.[1]
The main site is situated at Trumpington Street, to the south of the city center of Cambridge. The Department is Cambridge's primary center for engineering teaching and research activities. The department is currently headed by Professor Colm Durkan.
In 1782, the Reverend Richard Jackson of Torrington, a former fellow of Trinity College, died, leaving a substantial portion of his estate to endow a Professorship of Natural Experimental Philosophy. This became the forerunner to the Professorship of Mechanism and Applied Mechanics, first held in 1875 by James Stuart.[2]
The first engineering workshop at Cambridge was constructed in 1878 in a wooden hut measuring fifty by twenty feet. The department now has several sites around Cambridge:
There are approximately 1,200 undergraduate students in the Department at any time, with around 320 undergraduate students admitted each year.
All students are enrolled in general coursework during their first two years, which consists of a broad overview covering mechanical and structural engineering, as well as materials, electrical, and information engineering. In their final two years of undergraduate work, students can choose to specialize in one of two concentrations (Engineering Tripos or Manufacturing Engineering Tripos), or choose to receive a degree in General Engineering.[7]
In the Engineering Tripos, students may further specialise in one or more of nine engineering disciplines:
The Manufacturing Engineering Tripos provides an integrated course in industrial engineering, including both operations and management.[8]
The Department of Engineering currently has about 190 faculty and PI-status researchers, 300 postdoctoral researchers, and 850 graduate students. Post-graduate education consists of both taught courses and research degrees (PhD, MPhil, and MRes). The majority of research students are enrolled in PhD programs while around 10 percent follow the one-year MPhil (research) program.
The Department has a number of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs), which follow a 1-plus-3 year model where a one-year MRes course is followed by a three-year PhD. Full funding for four years is provided through these centres. In addition to the CDTs, the Department has a limited number of EPSRC PhD studentships available for both British and EU students.[9]
The Department was ranked 2nd in 2021 among UK engineering departments by the Research Excellence Framework (REF). The Department of Engineering was also ranked 2nd in 2014 by REF.
Assessment Year | GPA | National Ranking |
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2021[10] | 3.69 | 2 |
2014[10] | 3.49 | 2 |
See also: Category:Members of the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering |