A Cambridge student has been granted permission base his dissertation on a rather unusual subject - pop princess Lady Gaga.

Staff at the prestigious university managed to keep a poker face after third-year Amrou Al-Kadhi picked up the telephone and submitted his request. The Gaga-mad pupil will be focusing his dissertation on singer and her influence on the history of Pop Art.

Al-Kadhi believes the singer offers a “Warholian” critique of consumer culture, the Evening Standard reported.

He recently appeared in Cambridge City New for hosting a cross-dressing party. The bash, held at Queen's College last November, was held to allow students to let their hair down and just dance.

Al-Kadhi told the paper he was reacting to the conservative societies he lived in across the Middle East before moving to Britain.

“Cambridge is awesome and I love being a student here but it’s quite sedate," he said.