History

Entry requirements

Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK Masters (Merit).

If your degree is not from the UK, please check International Qualifications to find the equivalent in your country.

Applicants should hold at the very least a high upper second-class degree from a UK University (usually 67 per cent) or international equivalent as set by the University Postgraduate Admissions Office (see the International Qualifications page on the Postgraduate Admissions website).

Candidates for the PhD are also normally expected to hold a master’s degree in a subject relevant to the intended topic of study.

Occasionally the Faculty may require a student to successfully complete one of the Faculty's MPhil Courses before embarking on the PhD Programme.

Candidates will normally be expected to have taken a substantial number of history courses at the university level and to have a sound background in the period covered by the course.

Each application is considered on a case-by-case basis.

Months of entry

October

Course content

The PhD in History is an advanced research degree, awarded on the basis of a thesis and an oral viva voce examination. The primary purpose of the PhD is the preparation and presentation of a substantial piece of independent and original academic research, completed in three or four years if studying full-time and five years if studying part-time.

Every PhD student in the Faculty of History is supported by a supervisor (or in some cases, supervisors). Supervisors are experts in their field of study and support students throughout the PhD. Students will also benefit from the advice and support of other academic members of the Faculty who will be involved in progression through the various stages of the PhD, from the registration assessment exercise at the end of the first year through to the completion of the thesis.

Most of our PhD students study here full-time but each year we admit a number of students who wish to study on a part-time basis. Part-time study can be ideal for those who are looking to gain a postgraduate qualification without leaving employment and wish to develop their careers while they continue earning, or for those who are home-based for whatever reason and wish to develop their skills. However, it’s important to note that the part-time PhD at Cambridge is not a distance-learning course. Part-time students are expected to fully engage with the Faculty, to integrate into the research culture of the University and to attend the University on a regular basis for supervision, study, skills training, research seminars and workshops.

Throughout their time at the Faculty, PhD students are encouraged to attend one or more of the Faculty’s postgraduate workshops in their subject group or area of research. These workshops are spaces for PhD students to share their work and collaborate with visiting speakers, academic and peers.

Information for international students

Language Requirement

IELTS (Academic)

Element Score

Listening 7.0

Writing 7.0

Reading 7.0

Speaking 7.0

Total 7.5

TOEFL Internet Score

Element Score

Listening 25

Writing 25

Reading 25

Speaking 25

Total 110

CAE

Score: Grade A & B (overall score of 193, with no element lower than 185 plus a Language Centre assessment)

CPE

Score: Grade A, B, or C (with at least 200 with no element lower than 185).