Undergraduate

Overview

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. Our course gives you opportunities to look at the past through many disciplinary lenses - including political, economic, social and cultural - and to explore how history has been influenced by other disciplines like anthropology, literature and archaeology.

There's ample scope throughout to pursue personal interests and experiment with different historical approaches. Some paper options are shared with other courses, such as Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic, and Classics, and specialist papers allow you to work with a variety of source materials such as music, art, cartoons and coins.

Facilities and resources

The Faculty’s major resource is our international body of over 100 experts, which has achieved outstanding teaching ratings in surveys by the UK national press.

The Seeley Library, one of the largest history libraries in the world, as well as the nearby University Library, mean that finding the right book is rarely a problem. Undergraduate historians are also encouraged to take up or improve foreign languages; they have access to both the University Language Centre and specialist language teaching. Many Colleges have travel grants for students who wish to study the history of another country.

Careers and research

Cambridge historians acquire a range of skills that are attractive to employers: the ability to work independently, to evaluate 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 graduate is a television news reporter, and another is a child psychologist. Other graduates pursue careers in business and finance, in law and public administration, in journalism and broadcasting, in teaching, and in research.

Course outline

Teaching is provided through Faculty lectures and classes to cover course content, and College supervisions. On average, you attend eight to ten lectures each week.

Your weekly supervisions give you the opportunity to debate with senior historians. Typically, you write an essay, and an expert supervisor then discusses it with you.

Entry requirements

Typical offers require
A Level: A*AA
IB: 40-42 points, with 776 or 777 at Higher Level
For other qualifications, see our main Entrance requirements pages.

Further Resources

Find out more about History at Cambridge

• Course website - Explore History in more detail on the course website.
• Course guide - A detailed guide to the History degree.
• Facilities - Information about the facilities available to History students.
• Teaching style - Information about the styles of teaching used in the History degree course.
• Staff profiles - Find out more about the people who'll be teaching you during your History degree.
• Course FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about the History course.

Improve your knowledge of History

• Virtual classroom - Get a taste of what it's like to study History at Cambridge and improve your skills in the Virtual Classroom.
• Preparatory reading - Guidance on preparatory reading for applicants interested in History.

Tools to help you with your History application

• Mock interview - A mock interview for admission to study History – get a flavour of the application process.
• Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) Preparation - Resources to help prepare for the TSA (required for History at some Colleges). Includes practice tests, suggested textbooks and further reading.

History and your future

• Career opportunities - Information about the career 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.

The student experience

• Student profiles - Some current students describe their experience of studying History.