History, BA (Hons)

History at Cambridge

This course is very broad. You can study a range of different subjects and experiment with different historical approaches.

You will explore the past from many different angles, as well as the interaction between history and other disciplines, including:

• politics
• anthropology
• sociology
• economics
• archaeology

You’ll also get to study specialist papers and work with varied source materials, such as:

• Hollywood movies
• Middle Eastern newspapers
• medieval plague records

We’ll also encourage you to study a foreign language through our Language Centre.

Teaching and facilities

Teaching

Our department is one of the largest and most renowned history departments in the world.

You will be taught by academics who are active researchers. They publish books and scholarly articles, and write and speak regularly for the wider public and media.

Facilities

Our excellent facilities include:

• Seeley Collection, with 95,000 books, periodicals, theses and an audio-visual collection
• museums around the university, providing access to an even wider range of sources, unlocking the study of art, material culture, and the history of science

You'll also have access to our impressive Cambridge University Library, one of the world’s oldest university libraries.

Watch the video to find out what a day in the life of a Cambridge History student is like:

Course costs

When you go to university, you’ll need to consider two main costs – your tuition fees and your living costs (sometimes referred to as maintenance costs).

Your living costs will include costs related to your studies that are not covered by your tuition fees. There are some general study costs that will apply for all students – you can find details of these costs here.

Other additional course costs for History are detailed below. If you have any queries about these costs, please contact the Department.

Optional dissertation costs

• Some dissertation projects require travel to archives outside Cambridge which may incur travel costs. The Faculty provides limited support based on academic and financial need. Colleges often also have funds available to support research projects. The dissertation is an optional component of the course and it's possible (and quite common) to devise projects for which the research can be conducted entirely online and/or within Cambridge.

Your future career

As a Cambridge history graduate you’ll have a range of skills that are attractive to employers.

You’ll have 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 different sectors, including:

• journalism
• broadcasting
• teaching
• research
• finance
• consultancy
• law
• public administration