The
University of Cambridge (abbreviated as Can tab in post-nominal
letters; also known as Cambridge University) is a collegiate public
research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, Cambridge is
the second oldest university in the English-speaking world and the
world's fourth-oldest surviving university. It grew out of an
association of scholars who left the University of Oxford after a
dispute with the townspeople. The two ancient universities share many
common features and are often jointly referred to as "Ox bridge". Cambridge
is formed from a variety of institutions which include 31 constituent
colleges and over 100 academic departments organised into six schools.
The university occupies buildings throughout the city, many of which are
of historical importance. The colleges are self-governing institutions
founded as integral parts of the university. In the year ended 31 July
2014, the university had a total income of £1.51 billion, of which £371
million was from research grants and contracts. The central university
and colleges have a combined endowment of around £5.89 billion, the
largest of any university outside the United States. Cambridge is a
member of many associations and forms part of the "golden triangle" of
leading English universities and Cambridge University Health Partners,
an academic health science center. The university is closely linked with
the development of the high-tech business cluster known as "Silicon
Fen".
Students'
learning involves lectures and laboratory sessions organised by
departments, and supervisions provided by the colleges. The university
operates eight arts, cultural, and scientific museums, including the
Fitzwilliam Museum and a botanic garden. Cambridge's libraries hold a
total of around 15 million books, 8 million of which are in Cambridge
University Library which is a legal deposit library. Cambridge
University Press, a department of the university, is the world's oldest
publishing house and the second-largest university press in the world.
Cambridge is regularly included among the world's best and most
reputable universities by most university rankings. Beside academic
studies, student life is centered on the colleges and numerous
pan-university artistic activities, sports clubs and societies.
Cambridge
has many notable alumni, including several eminent mathematicians,
scientists, economists, writers, philosophers, actors, politicians.
Ninety-two Nobel laureates have been affiliated with it as students,
faculty, staff or alumni.Throughout its history, the university has
featured in literature and artistic works by numerous authors including
Geoffrey Chaucer, E. M. Forster and C. P. Snow.
History:
By
the late 12th century, the Cambridge region already had a scholarly and
ecclesiastical reputation, due to monks from the nearby bishopric
church of Ely. However, it was an incident at Oxford which is most
likely to have formed the establishment of the university: two Oxford
scholars were hanged by the town authorities for the death of a woman,
without consulting the ecclesiastical authorities, who would normally
take precedence (and pardon the scholars) in such a case, but were at
that time in conflict with the King John. The University of Oxford went
into suspension in protest, and most scholars moved to cities such as
Paris, Reading, and Cambridge. After the University of Oxford reformed
several years later, enough scholars remained in Cambridge to form the
nucleus of the new university. In order to claim precedence, it is
common for Cambridge to trace its founding to the 1231 charter from King
Henry III granting it the right to discipline its own members (ius
non-trait extra) and an exemption from some taxes. (Oxford would not
receive a similar enhancement until 1248.)
A
bull in 1233 from Pope Gregory IX gave graduates from Cambridge the
right to teach "everywhere in Christendom". After Cambridge was
described as a stadium generale in a letter by Pope Nicholas IV in 1290,
and confirmed as such in a bull by Pope John XXII in 1318, it became
common for researchers from other European medieval universities to
visit Cambridge to study or to give lecture courses.
Foundation of the colleges
Emmanuel College Chapel
Emmanuel College Chapel
The
colleges at the University of Cambridge were originally an incidental
feature of the system. No college is as old as the university itself.
The colleges were endowed fellowships of scholars. There were also
institutions without endowments, called hostels. The hostels were
gradually absorbed by the colleges over the centuries, but they have
left some indicators of their time, such as the name of Garret Hostel
Lane
Hugh
Balsham, Bishop of Ely, founded Peterhouse, Cambridge's first college,
in 1284. Many colleges were founded during the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries, but colleges continued to be established throughout the
centuries to modern times, although there was a gap of 204 years between
the founding of Sidney Sussex in 1596 and Downing in 1800. The most
recently established college is Robinson, built in the late 1970s.
However, Homerton College only achieved full university college status
in March 2010, making it the newest full college (it was previously an
"Approved Society" affiliated with the university).
In
medieval times, many colleges were founded so that their members would
pray for the souls of the founders, and were often associated with
chapels or abbeys. A change in the colleges' focus occurred in 1536 with
the Dissolution of the Monasteries. King Henry VIII ordered the
university to disband its Faculty of Canon Law[23] and to stop teaching
"scholastic philosophy". In response, colleges changed their curricula
away from canon law, and towards the classics, the Bible, and
mathematics.
Nearly
a century later, the university was at the centre of a Protestant
schism. Many nobles, intellectuals and even commoners saw the ways of
the Church of England as being too similar to the Catholic Church and
that it was used by the crown to usurp the rightful powers of the
counties. East Anglia was the centre of what became the Puritan movement
and at Cambridge, it was particularly strong at Emmanuel, St
Catharine's Hall, Sidney Sussex and Christ's College.[24] They produced
many "non-conformist" graduates who greatly influenced, by social
position or pulpit, the approximately 20,000 Puritans who left for New
England and especially the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Great
Migration decade of the 1630s. Oliver Cromwell, Parliamentary commander
during the English Civil War and head of the English Commonwealth
(1649–1660), attended Sidney Sussex.
Mathematics and mathematical physics Sir Isaac Newton was a student of the University of Cambridge. Examination
in mathematics was once compulsory for all undergraduates studying for
the Bachelor of Arts degree, the main first degree at Cambridge in both
arts and sciences. From the time of Isaac Newton in the later 17th
century until the mid-19th century, the university maintained an
especially strong emphasis on applied mathematics, particularly
mathematical physics. The exam is known as a Tripos.Students awarded
first-class honours after completing the mathematics Tripos are termed
wranglers, and the top student among them is the Senior Wrangler. The
Cambridge Mathematical Tripos is competitive and has helped produce some
of the most famous names in British science, including James Clerk
Maxwell, Lord Kelvin and Lord Rayleigh. However, some famous students,
such as G. H. Hardy, disliked the system, feeling that people were too
interested in accumulating marks in exams and not interested in the
subject itself.
Pure
mathematics at Cambridge in the 19th century had great achievements but
also missed out on substantial developments in French and German
mathematics. Pure mathematical research at Cambridge finally reached the
highest international standard in the early 20th century, thanks above
all to G. H. Hardy and his collaborator, J. E. Littlewood. In geometry,
W. V. D. Hodge brought Cambridge into the international mainstream in
the 1930s.
Although
diversified in its research and teaching interests, Cambridge today
maintains its strength in mathematics. Cambridge alumni have won six
Fields Medals and one Abel Prize for mathematics, while individuals
representing Cambridge have won four Fields Medals.
Organisation and administration
View
over Trinity College, Gonville and Caius, Trinity Hall and Clare
College towards King's College Chapel, seen from St John's College
chapel. On the left, just in front of King's College chapel, is the
University Senate House
Cambridge
is a collegiate university, meaning that it is made up of
self-governing and independent colleges, each with its own property and
income. Most colleges bring together academics and students from a broad
range of disciplines, and within each faculty, school or department
within the university, academics from many different colleges will be
found.
The
faculties are responsible for ensuring that lectures are given,
arranging seminars, performing research and determining the syllabi for
teaching, overseen by the General Board. Together with the central
administration headed by the Vice-Chancellor, they make up the entire
Cambridge University. Facilities such as libraries are provided on all
these levels: by the University (the Cambridge University Library), by
the Faculties (Faculty libraries such as the Squire Law Library), and by
the individual colleges (all of which maintain a multi-discipline
library, generally aimed mainly at their undergraduates).
Schools, faculties and departments
Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University
In
addition to the 31 colleges, the university is made up of over 150
departments, faculties, schools, syndicates and other institutions.
Members of these are usually also members of one of the colleges and
responsibility for running the entire academic programme of the
university is divided amongst them. The university also houses the
Institute of Continuing Education, a centre for part-time study.
The Old Schools
The entrance to the administrative centre of the university, the Old Schools
A
"School" in the University of Cambridge is a broad administrative
grouping of related faculties and other units. Each has an elected
supervisory body—the "Council" of the school—comprising representatives
of the constituent bodies. There are six schools:
Arts and Humanities
Biological Sciences
Clinical Medicine
Humanities and Social Sciences
Physical Sciences
Technology
Teaching
and research in Cambridge is organised by faculties. The faculties have
different organisational sub-structures which partly reflect their
history and partly their operational needs, which may include a number
of departments and other institutions. In addition, a small number of
bodies entitled 'Syndicates' have responsibilities for teaching and
research, e.g. Cambridge Assessment, the University Press, and the
University Library.
Finances
Cambridge
is by far the wealthiest university in the UK and in the whole of
Europe, with an endowment of £5.89 billion in 2014. This is made up of
around £2.3 billion tied directly to the university and £3.6 billion to
the colleges. As of 2014, the next wealthiest, the University of Oxford,
had an endowment valued at around £4.4 billion. Each college is an
independent charitable institution with its own endowment, separate from
that of the central university endowment. If ranked on a US university
endowment table on most recent figures, Cambridge would rank fifth
compared with the eight Ivy League institutions (subject to market
fluctuations) and in the top 10 with all US universities (excluding
aggregated system-wide endowments in Texas).
Comparisons
between Cambridge's endowment and those of other top US universities
are, however, inaccurate because being a partially state-funded public
university (although the status of Cambridge as a public university
cannot be compared with US or European public universities as, for
example, the state does not "own" the university and its colleges are
private institutions), Cambridge receives a major portion of its income
through education and research grants from the British Government. In
2006–7, it was reported that approximately one third of Cambridge's
income comes from UK government funding for teaching and research, with
another third coming from other research grants. Endowment income
contributes around £130 million. The University also receives a
significant income in annual transfers from the Cambridge University
Press.
Admissions Procedure
Undergraduate
applications to Cambridge must be made through UCAS in time for the
early deadline, currently mid-October in the year before starting. Until
the 1980s candidates for all subjects were required to sit special
entrance examinations, since replaced by additional tests for some
subjects, such as the Thinking Skills Assessment and the Cambridge Law
Test. The University is considering reintroducing an admissions exam for
all subjects with effect from 2016.
Most
applicants who are called for interview will have been predicted at
least three A-grade A-level qualifications relevant to their chosen
undergraduate course, or the equivalent in other qualifications, such as
getting at least 7,7,6 for higher-level subjects at IB. The A* A-level
grade (introduced in 2010) now plays a part in the acceptance of
applications, with the university's standard offer for most courses
being set at A*AA, with A*A*A for sciences courses. Due to a very high
proportion of applicants receiving the highest school grades, the
interview process is crucial for distinguishing between the most able
candidates. The interview is performed by College Fellows, who evaluate
candidates on unexamined factors such as potential for original thinking
and creativity. For exceptional candidates, a Matriculation Offer is
sometimes offered, requiring only two A-levels at grade E or above. In
2006, 5,228 students who were rejected went on to get 3 A levels or more
at grade A, representing about 63% of all applicants rejected. The
acceptance rate for students in the 2012–2013 cycle was 21.9%.
Strong
applicants who are not successful at their chosen college may be placed
in the Winter Pool, where they can be offered places by other colleges.
This is in order to maintain consistency throughout the colleges, some
of which receive more applicants than others.
Graduate
admission is first decided by the faculty or department relating to the
applicant's subject. This effectively guarantees admission to a
college—though not necessarily the applicant's preferred choice.
Access
Public
debate in the United Kingdom continues over whether admissions
processes at Oxford and Cambridge are entirely merit based and fair;
whether enough students from state schools are encouraged to apply to
Cambridge; and whether these students succeed in gaining entry. In
2007–08, 57% of all successful applicants were from state schools
(roughly 93 percent of all students in the UK attend state schools).
Critics have argued that the lack of state school applicants with the
required grades applying to Cambridge and Oxford has had a negative
impact on Oxbridge's reputation for many years, and the University has
encouraged pupils from state schools to apply for Cambridge to help
redress the imbalance. Others counter that government pressure to
increase state school admissions constitutes inappropriate social
engineering.The proportion of undergraduates drawn from independent
schools has dropped over the years, and such applicants now form a (very
large) minority (43%) of the intake. In 2005, 32% of the 3599
applicants from independent schools were admitted to Cambridge, as
opposed to 24% of the 6674 applications from state schools. In 2008 the
University of Cambridge received a gift of £4m to improve its
accessibility to candidates from maintained schools.Cambridge, together
with Oxford and Durham, is among those universities that have adopted
formula that gives a rating to the GCSE performance of every school in
the country to "weight" the scores of university applicants.
With
the release of admissions figures, a 2013 article in The Guardian
reported that ethnic minority candidates had lower success rates in
individual subjects even when they had the same grades as white
applicants. The University was hence criticized for what was seen as
institutional discrimination against ethnic minority applicants in favor
of white applicants. The University denied the claims of institutional
discrimination by stating the figures did not take into account "other
variables". A following article stated that in the years 2010–2012
ethnic minority applicants to medicine with 3 A* grades or higher were
20% less likely to gain admission than white applicants with similar
grades. The University refused to provide figures for a wider range of
subjects claiming it would be too costly.
Teaching
Results for the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos are read out inside Senate House and then tossed from the balcony
The
academic year is divided into three academic terms, determined by the
Statutes of the University. Michaelmas term lasts from October to
December; Lent term from January to March; and Easter term from April to
June.
Within
these terms undergraduate teaching takes place within eight-week
periods called Full Terms. According to the University statutes, it is a
requirement that during this period all students should live within 3
miles of the Church of St Mary the Great; this is defined as Keeping
term. Students can graduate only if they fulfill this condition for nine
terms (three years) when obtaining a Bachelor of Arts or twelve terms
(four years) when studying for a Master of Science, Engineering or
Mathematics.
These
terms are shorter than those of many other British universities.
Undergraduates are also expected to prepare heavily in the three
holidays (known as the Christmas, Easter and Long Vacations).
Triposes
involve a mixture of lectures (organised by the university
departments), and supervisions (organised by the colleges). Science
subjects also involve laboratory sessions, organised by the departments.
The relative importance of these methods of teaching varies according
to the needs of the subject. Supervisions are typically weekly hour-long
sessions in which small groups of students (usually between one and
three) meet with a member of the teaching staff or with a doctoral
student. Students are normally required to complete an assignment in
advance of the supervision, which they will discuss with the supervisor
during the session, along with any concerns or difficulties they have
had with the material presented in that week's lectures. The assignment
is often an essay on a subject set by the supervisor, or a problem sheet
set by the lecturer. Depending on the subject and college, students
might receive between one and four supervisions per week.This
pedagogical system is often cited as being unique to Oxford (where
"supervisions" are known as "tutorials") and Cambridge.
A
tutor named William Farish developed the concept of grading students'
work quantitatively at the University of Cambridge in 1792.
Libraries and museums
Trinity College's Wren Library
St John's Old Library
The Fitzwilliam Museum, the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge
The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
The
university has 114 libraries. The Cambridge University Library is the
central research library, which holds over 8 million volumes. It is a
legal deposit library, therefore it is entitled to request a free copy
of every book published in the UK and Ireland. In addition to the
University Library and its dependents, almost every faculty or
department has a specialized library; for example, the History Faculty's
Elysee Historical Library possesses more than 100,000 books.
Furthermore, every college has a library as well, partially for the
purposes of undergraduate teaching, and the older colleges often possess
many early books and manuscripts in a separate library. For example,
Trinity College's Wren Library has more than 200,000 books printed
before 1800, while Corpus Christi College's Parker Library possesses one
of the greatest collections of medieval manuscripts in the world, with
over 600 manuscripts.
Cambridge
University operates eight arts, cultural, and scientific museums, and a
botanic garden. The Fitzwilliam Museum, is the art and antiquities
museum, the Kettle's Yard is a contemporary art gallery, the Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology houses the University's collections of
local antiquities, together with archaeological and ethnographic
artefacts from around the world, the Cambridge University Museum of
Zoology houses a wide range of zoological specimens from around the
world and is known for its iconic fin back whale skeleton that hangs
outside. This Museum also has specimens collected by Charles Darwin.
Other museums include, the Museum of Classical Archaeology, the Whipple
Museum of the History of Science, the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
which is the geology museum of the University, the Polar Museum, part of
the Scott Polar Research Institute which is dedicated to Captain Scott
and his men, and focuses on the exploration of the Polar Regions.
The Cambridge University Botanic Garden is the botanic garden of the University, created in 1831.