Academics / Undergraduate program

Cambridge-MIT Exchange

The purpose of the Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences’ involvement in the Cambridge-MIT Exchange (CME) program is to permit MIT juniors majoring in BCS to take their junior year of study at Cambridge University (CU).  All students planning on participating must receive permission from the department in advance of their year at Cambridge – no exceptions.  When planning their year abroad, participating students should be in direct consultation with Professor Pawan Sinha, the BCS Undergraduate Officer.

Departmental approval to spend a year at Cambridge will depend on your having already completed the necessary prerequisite courses (see next paragraph) and having a very strong academic record. Your application, including statement of objectives and the 2010-2011 exchange reference form, is due in the BCS Education Office, 46-2005, by Tuesday, December 8, 2009 The forms for 2010-2011 are now posted: the application form and the exchange reference form are in PDF format.

Prerequisite courses: MIT Science Core, at least 1 HASS-D, 2 HASS classes, 2 PE points, 9.00, 9.01, 9.07 + at least three additional BCS requirements.

The credit given for participating students will be determined in advanced, but will most likely consist of credit given for four BCS core subjects.  BCS students have a number of options available to them at CU (see links for detailed information below).  Most students will find it appropriate to take two year-long subjects in Part IB (second year) of the Natural Sciences Tripos, plus a third year-long subject (History and Philosophy of Science) that will count for 24 or more HASS units. The two science subjects will normally be Experimental Psychology and Neurobiology, although other choices are available, including:

  • Animal Biology
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • Cell and Developmental Biology
  • Ecology
  • Pathology
  • Pharmacology
  • Physiology

Most but not all combinations of these subjects are possible, all of which are offered in the Natural Sciences Tripos, IB.  Depending on your progress in the major requirements, students may also find Part II of the Natural Sciences Tripos appropriate for their studies.  Cambridge students normally take part II in their third, and usually final, year of study.  Consequently it is more advanced than part IB.

Premed students who plan to apply to Medical School in their junior year have been advised by some departments not to apply for the exchange program because of the difficulty of managing applications while they are abroad.

Useful Links:

Cambridge Calendar

There is one term of eight weeks in the fall (early October – early December, Michaelmas Term), a second term of eight weeks in the winter (mid January – mid March, Lent Term), and a short term of about two weeks (late April – early May, Easter Term) plus a period for examinations. Thus, there are about 18 weeks of lectures and practical classes, as compared with our 26. Students need to plan to study during part of the long breaks between terms, if they are to do well.

Pedagogy at Cambridge

The CU system is very different from MIT's, which is both a strength (because it will give students a very different educational experience) and a hazard (because students must structure much of their time independently). Students will be admitted to a College where they will live and where academic advisors will follow their progress. 

During the term, in each of their three subjects students attend three one-hour lectures per week, plus about 4 hours of "practical classes." They also meet each week for an hour with their supervisor for a given subject, a teacher appointed by their college.  These meetings, with at most three students plus the teacher, are considered critical for learning. The supervisor will assign short papers on specified topics, will question the student to ensure the material is being learned, etc. Papers handed in one week will be returned with criticisms the next week, and discussed. Readings will be suggested. If a student does not seem to be doing well, the supervisor will inform the College.

Lecturers themselves have little direct contact with students, and they do not set the examinations at the end of the year. There are no quizzes or midterms; nothing until the end of the year, in May. At that time, the student sits for (typically) two 3-hour papers on the material they are supposed to have covered in a subject, plus a practical examination of 1.5 hours. There is ample advance information about the previous year's exam, so students can get a good idea of the level and breadth of knowledge that is expected.

There is no one text for the subject; several advanced texts and source books are suggested, and presumably the student seeks out original literature in the library. Information about recommended readings is available on the Cambridge website. The student is expected to take advantage of all these resources to gain substantial knowledge of the subject that goes beyond the lectures, practicals, and specific reading assignments. There is much more writing than most science subjects at MIT require, and supervisors help students to learn to write succinctly and well.

  • Tripos
  • Natural Sciences IB
  • Natural Sciences II

MIT BCS majors who have additional questions or wish to apply for the exchange, should contact Susan Lanza, the BCS Undergraduate Administrator or Professor Pawan Sinha, the BCS Undergraduate Officer.

Students may also wish to contact Dean Malgorzata Hedderick, Associate Dean for the Global Education Office.