History

Our History course offers a huge range of options that span three millennia and circle the globe. It allows you to combine breadth - exploring many different aspects and periods of history - with depth - focusing in on the topics that particularly interest you.

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Overview

Across centuries and continents

History at Cambridge reflects the quality and breadth of interests of our expert historians and our course has been ranked among the top three of the world’s best for several years. The History degree gives you the opportunity to explore the past from many different angles, as well as the interaction between history and other disciplines, including politics, anthropology, sociology, economics and archaeology.

There is ample scope to pursue personal interests and experiment with different historical approaches. Specialist papers allow you to work with source materials as varied as Hollywood movies, Middle Eastern newspapers or medieval plague records. Our academics are active researchers, who publish books and scholarly articles as well as writing and speaking regularly for the wider public and media.

Studying History in Cambridge

Cambridge is an ideal place to study History. There are many libraries, offering a wealth of rare books and manuscripts to students as they embark on their own research projects. The city’s museums offer access to an even wider range of sources, unlocking the study of art, material culture, and the history of science.

All undergraduate historians are encouraged to study foreign languages, and specialist support is available in the University Language Centre.

Course costs

Tuition fees

Information on tuition fee rates for History is available on the tuition fees page.

Additional course costs

There are no compulsory additional course costs for History. Students are not required to buy books in support of their course. Students may choose to write an optional dissertation in the third year of their degree. These students may incur additional costs in researching their dissertations (for example, for travel to archives). Some departmental and College funding may be available to cover such costs. Full course details are available on the Faculty of History website and if you have any queries about resources/materials, please contact the Faculty.

Changing course

Students may transfer into History after one or two years studying another subject. Some students also change to another subject after completion of either their first or second year of History.

To be able to change course, you need the agreement of your College that any change is in your educational interests, and you must have the necessary background in the subject to which you wish to change – in some cases you may be required to undertake some catch-up work or take up the new course from the start/an earlier year. If you think you may wish to change course, we encourage you to contact a College admissions office for advice. You should also consider if/how changing course may affect any financial support arrangements

Careers and research

Cambridge historians acquire a range of skills that are attractive to employers: the ability to work independently, to evaluate evidence, and to present arguments clearly and persuasively.

In the past, our graduates have secured rewarding jobs across sectors, ranging from journalism and broadcasting to teaching and research, finance, consultancy, law and public administration.

Course outline

Teaching includes Faculty lectures and seminar classes and College supervisions. On average, you attend eight to 10 lectures and classes each week. You will have regular supervisions, for which you typically write an essay, giving you the opportunity to debate and develop your ideas with an expert in the field. A wide range of papers is available each year. In your first year, one Outline paper must cover the period before c.1750, and the other after c.1750. The only other constraint will be class sizes, which are limited for some papers.

Papers are typically assessed by examination and coursework including essays and book reviews. There is also an optional dissertation in Year 3.

Year 1 (Part IA)

You take five papers:

Two Outline papers – these typically survey a long period and broad geographical area. You choose from around ten papers, ranging over Britain and Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia.
A Sources paper – this examines in detail a body of primary material on a particular historical theme, issue, or event. You choose from a range of options which vary each year. Typical examples may include Travel and Trade in the Medieval World; Letters in Antiquity; Arab Intellectual History.
An Historical Thinking paper – this introduces methods and debates by examining a single work of history that has influenced the discipline
An Historical Skills paper – this covers the research skills essential in History, such as the use of archives, digital sources, and oral history, as well as quantitative approaches.

Year 2 (Part IB)

You take four papers:

Two Topic papers – these explore focused areas of historical knowledge in depth. The topics available each year may vary, but there will be a wide choice, reflecting the diverse research interests of the Faculty’s staff. Typical examples may include British Worlds 1750-1914; State Formation in Medieval Britain and Europe; and Inequalities and Social Change in the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds.
A Research Project – this paper equips you to undertake your own historical research. Each project covers analytical and conceptual features of a particular area of history, and offers guidance on the methodologies and skills needed to research it
Historical Thinking IB – this introduces you to broad methodological fields of history, which may include environmental history, material culture, and intellectual history.

Year 3 (Part II)

You take five papers, three of which are compulsory:

Historical Thinking II – a general methods paper building on IA and IB, encouraging you to reflect critically on major historical concepts encountered throughout your degree. These range from empire to gender, and from revolutions to race.
A Special Subject – which counts as two papers and provides sophisticated in-depth study of an historical period, process or problem, using primary sources. Topics on offer vary year to year, but currently include the heresy in medieval southern France, early modern memory, the 1848 revolutions, women’s experience of war in the 18th century, and Zimbabwe from 1948 onwards.

Additionally, you choose two taught options from amongst the following categories of paper:

Advanced Topic papers – exploring a complex theme at the forefront of historical scholarship. Topics change from year to year, but currently include the supernatural, medicine, women’s work, material culture, and frontiers.
Political Thought papers – examining changing ideas about how societies and individuals should govern themselves and each other

Alternatively, you take one taught option and write a dissertation of 10,000 words, on a topic you devise. Many students find this one of the most rewarding aspects of their time at Cambridge. Recent examples of dissertation topics include Elizabeth I’s Scottish correspondence; British India from the standpoint of a 19th-century Bengali intellectual; community life on a 20th-century council estate; and the Iranian revolution in 20th-century France.

For further information about studying History at the University of Cambridge see the Faculty of History website.

Entry requirements

Entry Requirements

This page details the standard entry requirements for this course. Check the document below for any variations between Colleges (some may ask for an A* in a particular subject for example):

PDF icon History entry requirements by College for 2024 entry (these are subject to change and will be finalised by July 2023)

Typical offers require

A Level: A*AA
IB: 40-42 points, with 776 at Higher Level
Other qualifications: See Entrance requirements.

Subject requirements

Required: No specific subjects required by all Colleges
Some Colleges require: A Level/IB Higher Level History
Useful preparation: History (this may be required by some Colleges), English (language or literature), languages, Mathematics

Admission assessment

Some Colleges may require applicants for this course to take a written assessment if shortlisted for interview - please check the document above for details. You will not need to register in advance for this assessment and the Colleges will provide details directly to you.

See Admission assessment for further information.

Assessment format

History Admissions Assessment candidates are given one hour to analyse and compare two short extracts on a linked historical theme. Please see below for specimen papers (the format of the assessment is equivalent to Section 2 of the History Admissions Assessment used in previous years). No prior knowledge is required and candidates will not be credited for displaying this in their answer, as the purpose of the task is source criticism.

HAA Specimen Paper 1
HAA Specimen Paper 2
HAA Specimen Paper 3

Submitted work

Applicants to all Colleges are required to submit two pieces of written work prior to interview.

All undergraduate admissions decisions are the responsibility of the Cambridge Colleges. Please contact the relevant College admissions office if you have any queries.

Typical History entrants (A Level and IB)

For 2017, 2018 and 2019 entry, the majority of entrants from an A Level background achieved at least grades A*A*A (68% of entrants). Of these successful applicants, 99% took History. Other common subjects were English (Language, Language & Literature, or Literature, 58%), a language (29%) and Mathematics (28%). For the same period, the majority of IB entrants achieved at least 43 points overall and/or grades 777 at Higher Level.

This information is intended to give you a sense of the academic standard of our typical A Level entrants. We welcome applicants from a range of qualification backgrounds.

Resources

Find out more about History at Cambridge

Faculty of History - Explore History in more detail on the faculty website.

Studying History at Cambridge - A detailed guide to the History degree.

Library Facilities - Information about the facilities available to History students.

The Teaching System - Information about the styles of teaching used in the History degree course.

Profiles of Lecturers - Find out more about the people who'll be teaching you during your History degree.

General Information - Frequently Asked Questions about the History course.

Virtual Classroom - Get a taste of what it's like to study History at Cambridge and improve your skills too in the Virtual Classroom.

Suggested Reading - Guidance on preparatory reading for applicants interested in History.

Preparing for the TSA Cambridge - Resources to help prepare for the TSA (required for History at some Colleges). Includes practice tests, suggested textbooks and further reading.

Careers - Information about the careers opportunities available to you after studying History at Cambridge.

Transferable Skills - A guide to the transferable skills you can develop during the course of a History degree.

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