Academics

Please refer to the Cambridge Fact Sheet in the "Oxbridge" Advising folder for more information on academics at Cambridge which is structured very differently from Cornell.

Course Selection & Enrollment

To find information on specific courses, go to Cambridge's undergraduate course listing and follow the links to the official website of the department ("course") you are interested in (that Pembroke offers to visiting students).  Course details are generally available under the prospective and current student links on the relevant department's website.  Full course syllabi are not publicly available online, but you should at least be able to find a list of class options ("papers") associated with each degree ("Tripos") with a brief description. Common subjects are listed below.

PAPER INFORMATION BY SUBJECT

  • The information linked below is not exhaustive and can change or move at short notice. Please work with the Education Abroad Advisor for Cambridge if you have questions about courses at Cambridge. Please work with your faculty or college advisor for questions regarding course approval and academic credit.

Economics Faculty website

  • NB: Some papers available as part of the Economics Tripos (such as ‘Global Capitalism’) are shared with other subjects, eg. Sociology. When selecting your papers please read the paper outlines carefully.
  • Prerequisites: most course outlines will not explicitly state any prerequisites. Since degree-seeking students must have completed the previous year of the course to access second or third year papers, prerequisites are often implicit. 

English Faculty website

  • NB: Only a general overview is available on the English website, with very limited details about specific papers. You will need to propose particular topics and, if admitted, the Semester team will work with you.

History Faculty website

  • NB: The Part IA ‘Outline’ papers and Part IB ‘Topic’ papers will generally be the most suitable for Semester students. Space for History Part II papers is limited with the exception of the history of political thought papers, which are notcapped. History IA Sources, IB Research Project and Part II Special Subjects papers are not available.

Faculty of Human, Social and Political Science (HSPS)

Philosophy Faculty Guide to Courses

  • NB: The Formal Methods paper is not normally available to be arranged for Semester students.

Classics Faculty Guide to Courses

Linguistics Department website  

Course Load & Credits

  • Take the equivalent of 15 Cornell credits (= 2 Papers at Pembroke) for a full semester
  • Decisions on the final allocation of credit are made upon successful completion of the course (must earn grade equivalent of a “C” or higher—all courses must award a letter grade).
  • For more information on courses and credits from abroad, including policies regarding start/end dates, refer to the Academic Policies page on the Education Abroad website. 

Transcript & Grades

  • Grades will appear on the Cornell transcript in the same format as they are recorded on the original transcript generated by the host institution. Grades are not factored into the Cornell GPA.
  • For information on how grades appear on the transcript and frequently asked questions, including transcript dates for graduating seniors, please refer to the Transcripts and Credits page on the Education Abroad website.
  • Your program will send your transcript to the Education Abroad Office.