History & Politics
- UCAS Code: VL12 BA/HP
- Campus Code: 4
- Duration: 3 years
- Places per year: 2-3
History and Politics at Cambridge is an exciting Honours degree which offers subjects from our highly-regarded History and Politics and International Relations courses, together with bespoke papers which will allow students to explore the space between the two disciplines. Students will 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. They 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.
History & Politics
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Course Overview
This course balances a strong grounding in history and politics. You’ll explore the ways that historical and political understanding illuminate the modern world.
Our course covers a range of subjects from our history, politics and international relations courses. These include:
- political science
- history of political thought
- a wide variety of modern British, European, American and world history
- conceptual issues in political science
- quantitative methods
How You Learn
Teaching is provided through lectures, classes and small-group supervisions. You’ll usually complete a supervision essay which you’ll discuss with a senior academic.
You will usually have 8 to 10 hours of lectures and classes each week.
Assessment is through 3-hour written exams at the end of each year.
Some papers are assessed by coursework. In the third year you can replace one paper with a dissertation.
Entry Requirements
Minimum Offer Level
A-Level: A*AA
IB Diploma: 41-42 points, with 776 at Higher Level
Other: See the University’s Entry Requirements page
Subject Requirements
You will need A level/IB Higher Level (or the equivalent) in:
- History
Admissions Process
Written Work
Two school essays, at least one of which should be from your History course. You do not have to send this work before applying, we will write to you after you have applied and let you know exactly what you need to send and when.
Admissions Assessment
We do not require a written assessment for this subject.
Interviews
Two interviews of around 25 minutes each.
Video Resource
Going beyond what you learn at school and engaging with super-curricular resources is a great way to develop your knowledge of your subject and demonstrate your passion at interview.
Watch this video of Dr Nicholas Guyatt discussing the Obama presidency in 2015 to learn more about History & Politics.
