*Rewritten version before reversion: How to apply

Management Studies
Management Studies

Welcome to Management Studies Tripos admissions 

If you are an undergraduate student at the University of Cambridge, you have completed at least 3 (more generally 3) years of another Tripos and you are interested in pursuing a career in management, then this programme is for you.

Please note that it is not possible to take the Management Studies Tripos immediately on entry to Cambridge (ie in your first year), nor is it possible to transfer to the programme from any other institution in the UK or abroad. 

Female student in a lecture.

Who we are looking for?

We’re after University of Cambridge undergraduates, with a strong academic record and an interest in acquiring the knowledge and skills a good manager needs. 

The Management Studies Tripos is for you if: 

  • you are in your second year of a 3-year Cambridge bachelor’s degree
  • you see yourself in a management role in the future
  • you are passionate about people and organisations
  • you are an aspirational entrepreneur
  • you are looking for a career in the corporate business world. 

Application process

You have made an excellent choice to pursue a management-focused course outcome through the Management Studies Tripos.  Here’s the key steps to our application process. 

College Tutorial Office

Inform your College Tutorial Office

The first step is to inform your College’s Tutorial Office that you are interested in the Management Studies Tripos. Your College may ask you to attend informal meetings (with Directors of Studies, Tutors, etc) before endorsing your application. 

Application

Apply through your College’s Tutorial Office

Colleges are asked to provide Cambridge Judge with the names of MST applicants by Friday 28 April 2023. Please note that your College may have an earlier deadline than this for their own administrative purposes.   

Entry is competitive, and you should have a strong academic record over your 2 or 3 years at Cambridge.  

Application review

The MST Admissions Committee meets to review applications and decide on conditional offers. 

Conditional offer

Successful candidates receive a Conditional Offer

We aim to make an initial round of conditional offers for current third year students before examination results are published. Offers made in the first round are conditional upon meeting a required overall average (set by the MST Admissions Committee) after the current year’s examinations. 

A second round of decisions will be made after the publication of examination results and breakdowns. This round considers all second-year applicants, as well as other third-year applicants who did not receive a conditional offer in the first round. 

In addition to your academic record, comments from College Tutors and Directors of Studies may also be taken into account, so you should not assume you will be made an offer on your academic record alone, even if it meets (or exceeds) our requirement. 

Unconditional offer

Progress to Unconditional Offer

We will inform you that you have been accepted unconditionally and you can now prepare to attend the Management Tripos programme in September 2023. 

Appeals process (if relevant)

Entry to the Management Studies Tripos is highly competitive, so we can’t provide individual feedback on the review process and decisions. However, you can make an appeal within 28 days of receiving your formal written admission decision. 

Go to admissions appeals

Our minimum requirements

Take the first step with our handy checklist to see if you meet the course requirements.  

For 2023/24, we anticipate the minimum entry requirement will be at least 67.5% over your previous 2 years of Cambridge study. Please note that the minimum requirement for applicants in their second year may be slightly higher than that for third-year applicants. Places are limited and third-year students will not be eligible to apply again. The admissions criteria are:

  • Third-year students: If you are currently in your third year of study, offers will be based on a weighted average of results from your second-year (30%) and third-year (70%) university examinations. Applicants currently on their Year Abroad (eg Modern Languages students) will be considered on the basis of their second-year results.
  • Second-year students: If you are in your second year to study, offers will be on the basis of your current year’s university examinations. First year results will not be considered in the admission decision, except where no other results are available.

References from your College tutors and directors of studies may be requested by the Tutorial Office to make their final decisions. 

It is not critical that you have a high level of mathematical knowledge. However, if you don’t have a mathematical background (or mathematics to A-level), you might want to prepare for the programme by studying some mathematics and statistics in advance. 

Overall degree classification from Easter Term 2023

After the MST, your degree will be a BA Hons. Your Official Transcript will give the class and marks for each Part of each Tripos you have taken as part of the BA.

The overall degree classification scheme will take effect for all students graduating from Easter Term 2023.

For students currently in their second year of study

Candidates taking the Management Tripos in their third year will be classed using the 0:30:70 weighting, with 30% of marks coming from the second-year Tripos. The MST will account for 70% of a student’s final degree outcome.

For students currently in their third year of study

Candidates taking the Tripos in their fourth year will be classed by their Part II Tripos scheme only. The Management Studies Tripos result will not be factored into the overall degree classification.
All module marks and class for the MST will continue to appear on the official university grade transcript.

For MML students returning from year abroad

MML students will be classed using a 0:30:0:70 weighting, with 30% of marks from second-year Tripos and the MST accounting for 70% of a student’s final degree outcome.

Next step

How to apply

Apply FAQs 

The Management Studies Tripos is a one-year course that can be taken only by students who have already completed two, or in some cases three, years of another Tripos at the University of Cambridge.

It is not possible to take the Management Studies Tripos immediately on entry to Cambridge (i.e. in your first year), nor is it possible to transfer to the programme from any other institution, either in the UK or abroad.

No. We strongly advise applicants not to graduate. MST should be the final year of your undergraduate degree. It is not, and cannot be regarded as, a masters programme.

If you graduate, the MST can only be taken as ‘Not for Honours’ and would not appear on either your degree certificate or final transcript.

No. If you have already taken a fourth year, you are not eligible for MST, which can only be taken as a third or fourth year of a BA. 

No. You would no longer be eligible for MST a year after graduation. 

MML and AMES students normally take the third year as a Year Abroad. You can opt to apply as a second-year student to MST and we would make our admissions decision based on your second-year results, with you not proceeding to the Year Abroad if admitted and instead joining MST as a third-year student.

It is appreciated that the arrangement and undertaking of the Year Abroad need to be considered well in advance and represent a considerable commitment for all concerned. We recommend that you discuss any course of action with the appropriate people at your Faculty.

Having said that, over the years several former MML and AMES students have joined MST directly after returning from the Year Abroad. Admissions decisions are normally based on your second-year result only in this case.

Another option is returning from the Year Abroad and then completing Part II of your MML or AMES Tripos, but not graduating. If you choose to take this course of action, you would normally not be ‘In Standing’ for MST (because of the number of terms that will have passed since your Matriculation), and your College will need to put your case forward to the University’s Applications Committee for you to be put ‘In Standing’. Several former MML and AMES students have come to MST after completing their first Tripos in this way.

Yes, it is important that you seek advice from the International Student Office if you are considering applying to join the MST, even if you currently have a visa that covers the period of the programme.

The student visa rules on course changes and time limits on study may have implications for students seeking to undertake this programme and it is advisable that you seek guidance on your personal circumstances from the International Student Office in advance of your decision, in case you need to allow time for a visa application and travel.

Please email the International Student Office at international.students@admin.cam.ac.uk.

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