At Christ’s we welcome Engineering students from all across the world. Our six Fellows work together with research students and external academics to cover all aspects of Engineering at a high level, so you can be confident of an outstanding start in the subject. Almost half of our first-years achieved Firsts in 2018.
Our graduates go on to work in a range of sectors, including in traditional engineering companies, consultancies, management consultancies, investment banks, hedge funds, start-ups, research and for online giants such as Google and Facebook.
Course content and structure
Please visit the University website for full details of the Engineering course content and structure.
Cambridge offers two courses (or ‘triposes’) in Engineering:
Engineering (with specialisation in one of the main engineering disciplines in 3rd and optional 4th year)
Manufacturing Engineering (specialist training in marketing, design, manufacturing engineering and factory operation in the third and fourth years).
Dr Ho-On To, Research Fellow working on aero-propulsion
The University’s Engineering Department arranges all your classes, lectures and practicals. Christ’s Director of Studies in Engineering Dr Elena Punskaya helps organise your work and ‘supervisions’. These weekly small-group tutorial sessions with College Fellows, university lecturers or research workers give you the advantage of personally-tailored tuition and guidance. And we’re willing to provide extra sessions if needed.
Christ’s is handily located right in the heart of Cambridge, only 15 minutes’ walk from the Engineering Department.
What do our students think?
Read about the experiences of Andrew, Ollie, and Hiral studying Engineering here at Christ’s. There's also Statos, who did first year Engineering before changing to Natural Sciences (Physical).
"I'd advise any applicants to go into the course with an open mind about specialisms – often people change their minds after studying all of Engineering for the first two years!"
Hiral
How to Apply
Visit How to Apply for full details and a timeline of the application process. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and school types, all over the world. If you're applying from outside the UK, please read our international students section.
News
There is no STEP or other additional exam requirement for Engineering at Christ's. You do, however, take a pre-interview assessment as part of the application process (see below).
Subject requirements
To apply for Engineering, you should take
Mathematics (For International Baccalaureate students, this should be 'Analysis and Approaches')
Physics
A third mathematical / science subject at A-level, IB Higher or equivalent. If you are an A-level candidate and your third maths/science subject is not Further Mathematics, you will be more competitive if you can offer Further Mathematics as an AS-level.
There is no additional STEP requirement for Engineering at Christ's.
If your school does not offer Further Mathematics, you may be able to get support through the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme. It can support you by offering advice about choosing Further Mathematics, revision events, university applications, enrichment materials and activities, and tuition, when it is not available through your school or college.
A number of our international candidates from countries where you study a wide range of subjects at school in the final two years find it helpful to take part in mathematics competitions as a way to focus on extending their mathematical knowledge and ability.
Pre-interview Admissions Assessment
Applicants to the University of Cambridge for Engineering (or Chemical Engineering via Engineering) must sit a pre-interview admissions assessment called the Engineering Admissions Assessment (ENGAA). This will take place in your school, college or local testing centre in early November. The same assessment is used regardless of which College you have applied to. The Engineering Admissions Assessment examines your academic abilities, knowledge-base and potential, and forms part of our holistic admissions process: there is no set score that we are looking for. When applying, it is important to be aware of the registration and assessment dates:
Engineering applicants must be registered to take the Engineering Admissions Assessment (ENGAA) by 15 October (ideally, be registered by 1 October). See how to be registered.
Please note that open centres may set an earlier deadline for accepting entries, and it is your responsibility to check if this applies at your centre.
Engineering applicants sit the assessment in early November.
Information about the assessment including example papers and subject content is available on the University Admissions website from March each year.
Interviews
If we invite you for interviews, these usually take place in very late November or early December. Those invited for Cambridge interviews are normally interviewed for 35-50 minutes in total. At Christ’s, we usually split the time into two interviews with academics in Engineering. During these interviews, you will have an opportunity to show us your academic potential, your approach to solving problems and your ability to generate ideas.
Do not forget that the interviews are not just there for us to ask you questions. They provide you an excellent opportunity to ask us about the course, the College and the University. Further, more general information about interviews (including two useful films) is available in the Cambridge interviews section.
We also hold interviews in a number of locations overseas. If this may be relevant for you, please see the international students section.
Offers
We typically admit between eight and twelve engineering students per year. Offers for Engineering are likely to be minimum A*A*A at A-level including A* in A-level Further Maths (or minimum grade A at AS level Further Maths), 42 points overall in the IB with 7,7,6 in relevant Higher Level subjects, or equivalent in other qualifications.
For those who are considering a gap year, deferred entry applications and post-qualification applications for Engineering are encouraged by the College. A gap year can offer a valuable opportunity to travel and/or gain work experience in an industrial setting (via, for example, the Year in Industry Scheme), which can be a major advantage during the undergraduate course. See the industrial placements information on the Engineering Department website.
Cambridge Engineering Department resource to help you to develop and practice problem-solving skills for Engineering courses at competitive universities.
This website offers advice about choosing Further Mathematics, revision events, enrichment materials and activities, and tuition, when it is not available through your school or college. See in particular A level Mathematics resources and A level Further Mathematics resources. If you are studying independently, Integral offers an online Further Mathematics course.
Website to help you develop problem-solving skills in Physics from GCSE to A-level through to the transition to university. See A-level resources and student support. There is also a mentoring scheme.
Use IT to learn about physics, aerodynamics, design, manufacture, branding, graphics, sponsorship, marketing, leadership/teamwork, media skills and financial strategy, and apply them in a practical, imaginative, competitive and exciting way.
Introducing the academic and information skills that you will need during your studies, as well as how and where you would be working.
Open Days and Online Events
Online events: Our open days and events page advertises online opportunities as well as events you can attend in Cambridge (in normal times). These include our regular webinars from February until August, and our College Open Days in October, February and September.
The Engineering Department puts on lots of events for the annual Cambridge Open Days, in July. Booking opens in April each year and you can visit Christ's College on the same day.
