Independent Supervision

The deadline for submitting your supervision proposal is 5pm UK time on Thursday 11th April 2024.

Why choose an independent supervision?

Quite simply, this option represents an extraordinary opportunity. You get to work on your own choice of independent research project, under the guidance of a Cambridge supervisor who’s an expert in that field. For many, it’s the most rewarding part of their summer experience.

What does this option involve?

Over the course of the programme, you will have six one-hour supervision sessions where you work one-to-one with your supervisor.

Before your supervision sessions, you'll be asked to submit some written work to discuss with your supervisor. This work equals at least one third of your workload on the programme, and usually takes the form of four 1500-word essays.

Depending on your interests and chosen research subject, you and your supervisor may decide to replace these essays with a longer dissertation (5000 words minimum) or an alternate format.

What support do I get?

We offer plenty of guidance to students working on this option. Before you start, we’ll send you information about the practicalities of completing a supervision project. In your first session you will:

• agree on a provisional title and plan of work
• decide the assessment method
• set dates for the remaining sessions

Throughout the summer, the Academic Director will keep in regular contact with you to check your progress, and you can ask any questions you have during academic advisory hours.

Who should take the supervision option?

This option is aimed at academically driven, self-motivated students who are keen to advance their work. It’s the perfect opportunity to show how far you’ve progressed in a particular field of study. By the end, you’ll have produced an impressive body of high-quality research work.

Do I need to prepare?

We expect you to fully commit to your chosen project, which will demand a lot of hard work. For that reason, our advice would be to make sure your time-management skills are up to scratch.

Get a head start

Doing a supervision is a fantastic way to build your transferable skills. The work you do here can serve as the basis for a senior thesis or area of study you plan to focus on once you’re back at your home university.

How to apply

If you’re interested in this option, you will need to complete and upload the supervision proposal form via the online application system.

To access the form:

• You must have submitted an application and been accepted onto the programme.
• Once you have been accepted you will need to submit your accommodation and pay the accommodation fee if applicable.
• After the system has processed the accommodation selection the course selection will become available.
• You will need to select two courses and the Supervision option and submit the selection, paying the tuition fee if applicable.
• After the system has processed the course selection, the Supervision payment will become available on the homepage when you log in if you are applying independently, or via Northeastern University.After the Supervision fee has been paid and processed, (or if you are not applying independently or via Northeastern University), the Supervision proposal upload will become available on the homepage.
• Please bear in mind that the system can take a few minutes to process selections and payments and allow access to the next steps.

You will need to upload your supervision proposal by 5pm UK time on Thursday 11th April 2024.

However, we strongly recommend you submit your supervision proposal as early as possible to give us the best chance to find a suitable supervisor and to allow scope for you to refine your project with the supervisor once they've been confirmed.

On the form please tell us about:

• The working title and subject area of your project
• The project’s purpose, main ideas, questions and anticipated results
• Any relevant reading or research you’ve done or classes you’ve taken
• Any books or other resources which may be relevant to the topic

Choosing a topic

When deciding on your supervision topic, we suggest you aim for something in your major area of study where you already have some background knowledge.

However, if you’d rather research a newer area of interest, make sure you read some relevant publications before completing the proposal form. That way you can demonstrate a sound understanding of the subject area you want to explore.

Be aware that once you start, the topic may develop and lead you in quite a different direction to the one you first envisaged. So aim to be flexible and follow your supervisor’s guidance.

Supervision option supplement

If you choose the supervision option, you will need to pay a non-refundable supplemental fee in addition to the tuition fee. To apply, simply select this option when you choose your courses via our online application system.

If you are applying via a certain institution or study abroad provider where your fees are paid directly to them and not on our system, this fee will be payable in the same way.

You cannot drop this option once you have chosen and paid for it, unless we are unable to find a suitable supervisor for your chosen subject. In such cases we will offer a refund and you can register for a third course. Alternatively you can change your proposed research area.

How am I assessed?

You will be assessed on the strength of your final piece of work. Some subjects may require an alternative assessment which will be decided after submission of the proposal. Your supervision grade will be recorded on your Pembroke Cambridge Summer Programme academic transcript.

A word about subjects

Most students choose supervision topics from the Humanities and Social Sciences, in subjects such as English, History, Politics, Linguistics, Religion and Philosophy.

Others have explored topics in the Sciences, Engineering, Law, Economics, Finance and Business. Unfortunately, it is not possible to do lab-based supervisions or any project that requires primary research. 

Recent projects have covered topics as diverse as:

• The Best of Both Worlds: British and American Approaches to Public Interest Law
• Role of Sustainable Farming Practices 
• Drone vs Conventional Warfare: Lessons
• Death Penalty: the International Law Perspective
• Criminal Responsibility: A Comparative Analysis 
• Mergers and Acquisitions: An Empirical Study
• Computation Moral Cognition and AI
• Introduction To Quantum Mechanics
• Quantum Cryptography and Its Future Applications
• Factors for Successful Second Language Acquisition
• Maternal Wellness and Postpartum Bonding
• Space Mission Design: Are We Exploring The Full Potential?
• A Great Divide: Environmental Issues
• Neurobiological Implications of Isolation
• Identifying Bias in the Classroom
• Exploring Gender in British Poetry 
• The Mechanisms, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Bipolar Disorder
• The Theatricality of Politics
• The Influences of Nutrition on the Human Microbiome
• Immune System Development and Cancer Prevention
• The Philosophical Implication of Developments in Artificial Intelligence
• Designing a Mathematical Model for the Medical Industry
• Nationalism and Modern State Identity

You can also take a look at some of the showcased projects from our Online Summer Research Programme for other examples of independent supervision topics.

We do everything we can to help you pursue your chosen supervision topic, but this isn’t always possible. Supervisions work best when there’s a close match between your academic interests and those of your supervisor. So we can only arrange ones where we feel confident that this is the case. 

Need more information?

If you have any questions or need some general advice, please contact the Academic Director at ip@pem.cam.ac.uk.