History

From republican Rome to contemporary India, from Plato and Aristotle to Bush and Blair: it’s your choice.

Across centuries and continents

Cambridge has one of the largest and best history faculties in the world and the course we offer reflects this quality and breadth of interest. We offer a huge range of options that span two millennia and circle the globe. Our course also reflects the rich diversity of modern historical writing, with cultural and social history figuring as prominently as politics and economic development. In fact, you have the opportunity to investigate practically any period or aspect of history that interests you.

"Studying History at Cambridge is a unique, challenging and ultimately rewarding experience. The opportunity to cover such a wide geographical and historical scope, combined with the distinctive weekly supervision system ensures that you receive the very best historical teaching in a one–toone setting with an expert in that particular field. You're encouraged and supported in your attempt to follow your own interests." – Andrew

At the same time, our course is highly focused in its objectives. It equips you with a broad range of historical knowledge and understanding, and teaches you to critically evaluate primary and secondary material, as well as to define your own questions and set your own goals. Studying history provides you with a multifaceted insight into human experience and helps you to make sense of a complex, globalising world.

What are we offering?

Cambridge prides itself on being a teaching university and none of its professors, readers or lecturers is considered as being 'too exalted to teach'. So the Faculty's major resource is our international body of experts, numbering over 100, which has achieved outstanding teaching ratings in surveys by the UK national press.

Our other great strength is the Seeley Library, one of the largest history libraries in the world. Nearby is the University Library, which is unique among copyright libraries in storing most of its volumes on open shelves, available to undergraduates. In short, finding the right book is rarely a problem.

There are other benefits to studying here. Undergraduate historians are encouraged to take up or improve foreign languages, and have access to both the University Language Centre and specialist language teaching. And many Colleges have travel grants for students who wish to study the history of another country or who are doing research for their dissertation.

Breadth and depth

Our course gives you opportunities to look at the past through many disciplinary lenses – including political, economic, social, cultural and intellectual – and you explore how history has learnt from other disciplines like anthropology, literature and archaeology. Paper options are shared with other courses, such as Anglo–Saxon, Norse, and Celtic; Classics; and Modern and Medieval Languages.

The basic difference between Parts I and II is that Part I concentrates on breadth of historical understanding and Part II on depth. Throughout the course there's ample scope for you to pursue your personal interests and experiment with different historical approaches. Specialist papers allow you to work with a variety of source materials such as music, art, cartoons, and coins.

Most History undergraduates sit a Preliminary Examination towards the end of their first year. This doesn't count towards your final degree but aims to give you an informal sense of your achievement to that point. At the end of Part I, you sit five three–hour written papers. One–year Part II students also take five papers (unless they write a dissertation). The Part I Themes and Sources long essay and a Part II long essay and dissertation ensure that you have the opportunity to be assessed on work done outside the examination room.

Specialist teaching and informal interaction

Teaching is spread between the Faculty and the Colleges. The Faculty devises the options, sets the examinations and provides lectures and classes to cover course content. On average, you attend eight to 10 lectures each week. The Colleges arrange your weekly onehour supervisions which give you the opportunity to debate with senior historians. Typically, you write an essay for an expert supervisor, who then discusses it with you either individually or in a small group. This world–famous system of teaching ensures that you get plenty of guidance, support and feedback.

When appropriate, there are Faculty lectures and College classes on general historical issues and you have opportunities for informal interaction with frontline historians at College history society meetings and in the Faculty.

What are we looking for?

There's no such thing as an ‘identikit historian’ and so there's no simple answer to this question.

While History may be required by some Colleges, you don't need any particular subjects at A Level/IB Higher Level. A foreign language is certainly useful but not necessary. You should enjoy making analytical judgements, be able to think laterally, discriminate critically, enjoy reading, and have a burning curiosity about the past.

Changing course

The flexibility of the History course, and the fact that some Part II options are shared with faculties such as Modern and Medieval Languages and Classics, means that few students wish to transfer out after Part I. Law and History of Art are favourites among those who do transfer. About 10 people each year take a two–year Part II in History, usually after a one–year Part I in a subject such as Economics.

Career and research opportunities

Any historian with a good degree from Cambridge has acquired a range of skills attractive to employers: the ability to work independently, to evaluate the significance of evidence, to discriminate, and to present arguments clearly and persuasively.

In the past, our graduates have had no difficulty in securing rewarding jobs in a wide variety of occupations – for example, one of our graduates is a television news reporter, and another is a child psychologist. Other graduates go on to careers in business and finance, in law and public administration, in journalism and broadcasting, in teaching at a number of levels, and in research of various kinds.

Further information

If you wish to read more about History at Cambridge, please visit our website, where you’ll find more detailed information, including student profiles and a mock interview, as well as a virtual classroom where you can develop your skills as a historian through a variety of exercises.

Course outline

Years 1 and 2 Part I A wide range of options Part I lasts two years (six terms), and comprises six papers. The first five are chosen from 23 papers on offer, and you study one each term for the first five terms. You take at least one paper on a period of British political history and at least one paper on a period of British economic and social history. For the other three papers it's possible to study any period of European history from the Greeks to the present, periods of world history, the history of the USA, and/or the history of Political Thought. If you wish, you can specialise, for example in ancient and medieval papers, or almost entirely in the twentieth century. For the compulsory sixth paper, Themes and Sources, you’ll submit a 5,000 word essay. There’s a very wide choice of topics, typically investigating a major theme in comparative history (such as gender, democracy, revolutions or music). The essay is written over a period of some months, and involves individual research and faculty classes.

Year 3 Part II An even wider range of options! Students who have taken History Part I then take a one–year Part II. (The two–year Part II is for those who have taken a one–year Part I in another subject.) You take five papers, three of which are compulsory: Historical Argument and Practice – a general paper that reflects on the broad issues of historical argument and practice arising out of work throughout the degree course a Special Subject – constituting two papers (assessed by a long essay and a written examination) and giving the opportunity for advanced in–depth study of an important historical process or problem For your remaining papers, you can choose two from the following: History of Political Thought to c1700 History of Political Thought from c1700 to c1890 Political Philosophy and the History of Political Thought Since c1890 a Specified Subject paper from a selection on topics or comparable themes in history If you wish, you can substitute one of the optional papers with a dissertation of 7,000–15,000 words.