Have you got a question? We’ve got answers.
Below you’ll find answers to the most common questions we get about the MPhil.
Overview FAQs
The MPhil in Innovation, Strategy and Organisation is classified as a taught programme for HESA purposes; however, within the structure of Cambridge Judge it is part of the research-oriented programmes.
Due to the large number of applications we receive, it is not possible for staff to arrange meetings with individual candidates. There are, however, opportunities to meet some members of the admissions team during open days. The team is also able to answer any queries you have via the online query form.
The University of Cambridge Postgraduate Open Day is usually in November. Visit the Postgraduate Admissions Events page for more details.
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Curriculum FAQs
The MPhil in Innovation, Strategy and Organisation is a full-time, 9-month masters programme.
The programme starts at the beginning of October.
Watch our video where professors at Cambridge Judge Business School discuss about areas of research and topics that are most important for incoming students to think about. You may also want to delve further in understanding why qualitative research is an important source of understanding the nature of organisations.
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.
Still got questions?
Applying FAQs
Applications for 2025 entry will open in September 2024. You are required to apply via the Applicant Portal. Guidance is available from 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.
The MPhil is a full-time programme and requires the completion of any current training or education programme or release from your current institution for the duration of your study.
While checking the entry requirements please note that for any of the MPhil programmes at Cambridge Judge Business School we only accept and require two academic references.
View our minimum requirements for entry to the MPhil in Innovation, Strategy & Organisation.
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 decide based on 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.
Although no work experience is required, some of your fellow MPhil ISO students may have one or more years of work experience.
A GRE/GMAT score is not a requirement, and it will not add any weight to your application.
No, you do not require a supervisor during the submission of the application.
No. Applicants should make a formal application via the Applicant Portal available on the Postgraduate Admissions webpages.
Applications are considered as part of a gathered field from December through to the end of April.
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.
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 Innovation, Strategy and Organisation 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 Innovation, Strategy and Organisation.
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 referred to the Language Centre. To fulfil the language conditions, you must take again an approved English test.
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 MPhil in ISO 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 October 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.
Still got questions?
Fees and funding FAQs
Tuition fees for the 2025/26 MPhil in Innovation, Strategy and Organisation 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.
Yes. Please visit the Postgraduate Admissions’ Finance webpages for details.
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.