History and Politics at Cambridge offers subjects from our highly-regarded History and Politics and International Relations courses, together with bespoke papers which will allow you to explore the space between the two disciplines. You’ll develop skills in analysing the operation of power across institutions and societies around the world, and explore how different forms of evidence can be used to understand the past and the present. You will be able to choose from a wide range of topics in British, European, US and world history, the history of political thought, international relations, and comparative politics.
Cambridge is uniquely placed to teach History and Politics and International Relations together. Both faculties are widely regarded as world-leading and are consistently top-ranked in research and teaching assessments. The History Faculty is one of the largest in the United Kingdom and has internationally recognised experts in all relevant fields of study. The Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) is a rapidly growing department with particular research strengths in political thought, comparative politics, and international relations, and close links with the other social sciences.
Staff in the Faculty of History and the Department of Politics and International Studies have a wide range of shared interests in political and international history, the origins of contemporary politics and international relations, and the history of political ideas. This degree balances a strong grounding in the two component subjects with the opportunity to explore the ways in which historical and political understanding together illuminate the modern world.
Full course details are provided on the Faculty’s Prospective Undergraduates webpage and the University’s Undergraduate Study webpage.
History and Politics at Churchill
Churchill is an ideal place to study History and Politics in combination. We have a number of Fellows whose academic interests span the two disciplines – including specialists in British and European politics, imperial and world history, and the history of political thought – and students in both subjects persistently achieve impressive exam results.
The College has many excellent facilities, including a well-stocked library. Its most unique asset, however, is the Churchill Archives Centre, which holds the papers of Sir Winston Churchill, Baroness Thatcher, and Sir John Major, together with a host of other politicians, civil servants, diplomats, military leaders and scientists of the twentieth century. The Archives Centre also regularly stages lectures and symposiums by distinguished speakers, and other relevant events and exhibitions.
Admissions
To find out about admissions, go to undergraduate applications.
Entry Requirements
Course-specific information, including the University’s minimum offer level, can be found by selecting your course from the University’s Course List then looking at the “Entry Requirements” tab. The University’s Entrance Requirements and International Entry Requirements webpages may contain guidance relevant to you too.
At Churchill, we want to admit undergraduates who will thrive during their time here, so – in their interests – we tend to set conditional offers in line with the typical attainment of Cambridge entrants, by course. On average, this allows us to make a relatively generous number of offers per place, but it also means that our requirements are usually a little more rigorous than the University’s minimum offer level.
You can learn more about the academic profiles of Churchill entrants and our approach to setting conditional offers on our undergraduate applications page.
Submitted Work
If you apply to Churchill, we’ll ask you to submit two examples of teacher-marked written work. These should be taken from your present or most recent studies, and should not be re-written or corrected for your Cambridge application. Ideally, each piece should be 1500 to 2000 words in length, and at least one should be taken from History or Politics.
Admissions Assessment
Churchill does not use a written assessment in History and Politics.
Interview
The role of academic interviews in Churchill’s admissions process is explained on our interviews page. You should be prepared to discuss the written work you have submitted and to talk about your wider interest in the subjects. You’ll also be allowed time beforehand to study a short passage of historical or related writing for discussion.
Suggested Reading
- John Arnold, History: a Very Short Introduction (2000)
- Peter Burke (ed.), New Perspectives on Historical Writing (1991)
- David Cannadine (ed.), What is History Now? (2002)
- Richard J. Evans, In Defence of History (1997)
- John Tosh, The Pursuit of History (1991) — 2002 revised edition
- Bernard Crick, Democracy: A Very Short Introduction (2002)
- David Runciman, The Politics of Good Intentions (2006)
- Alan Ryan, On Politics (2012)
- Jussi Hanhimaki et al., An International History of the Twentieth Century and Beyond (2008)
- James Mayall, World Politics: Progress and its Limits (1992)
Careers
From this degree, you’ll acquire a range of skills that are attractive to employers. You’ll learn to evaluate and discriminate between types of evidence, to cope with large amounts of information, to work independently and with others, and to present arguments clearly and persuasively.
Recent cognate graduates have gone on to careers in the media, law, international organisations, diplomacy, public administration, finance, teaching, and the charity sector.
