Summary

The Tripos regulations state that: ‘to obtain honours in Part IIA of the Engineering Tripos or the Manufacturing Engineering Tripos, a candidate must satisfy the Examiners that he or she has such industrial or equivalent experience as shall be determined by the Faculty Board’.

Faculty Board Requirements

The Faculty Board of Engineering have agreed that, apart from the exception detailed below, students should be required to complete a minimum of six weeks of relevant industrial or equivalent experience by the end of Part IIA of the Engineering or Manufacturing Engineering Triposes (by June in their third year).  

Note for students who wish to transfer to Part IIA from other Triposes

Students who transfer to Part IIA of the Engineering or Manufacturing Engineering Triposes from another Tripos must complete a minimum of four weeks of relevant experience by the end of Part IIA. You must seek advice from the Industrial Placements Coordinator before applying to transfer. The Coordinator will advise whether any vocational experience which they have undertaken to date can be counted towards the industrial or equivalent experience requirement.

See the note on the definition of industrial or equivalent experience for information about what would constitute ‘relevant’ experience.

Definition of relevant industrial or equivalent experience

Relevant industrial or equivalent experience is defined as work of a technical nature that is related to the subjects studied in the Engineering Tripos and the Manufacturing Engineering Tripos. It may involve research, design, development, testing, manufacturing, fabrication or construction-related work and should include interaction with the work of others who are likely to be professionally qualified.

Students who have undertaken any relevant experience prior to their arrival may be able to count it towards the requirement and should seek confirmation from the Industrial Placements Coordinator. A counter-signed report will be necessary to show as evidence.

Any dispute concerning the interpretation of these requirements will be determined by appeal to the Head of the Department of Engineering, whose decision will be final.

Advice

The Department of Engineering has an Industrial Placements Coordinator, who supports and advises students in finding suitable placements to meet the course requirements.  The Industrial Placements Coordinator maintains a comprehensive database of suitable companies which is accessible to current students.

Further information is available on the Industrial Placement website.  Companies and institutions who wish to advertise their placement vacancies and to engage with the current engineering undergraduates are warmly encouraged to get in touch.

The Industrial Placements Office is located in BC2-01 on the 2nd floor, off the canteen in the main building on Trumpington Street site. Telephone: 01223 332791

Documentation

Confirmation is required from an authorised officer of the company or institution where the industrial or equivalent experience has been obtained.  A report template is available on request from the Industrial Placements website for current undergraduates, although a letter of confirmation including the relevant information complete with a counter-signature from the employer would suffice.