This 2-year, part-time Master’s programme is designed for those who wish to study at postgraduate level and are keen to develop high-level skills in historical research.
The Master of Studies (MSt) in History is a University of Cambridge qualification, offering education and research training at Master’s level, and provides you with the opportunity to carry out advanced research in history. It is designed for those who have relevant or humanities-related experience at first-degree level and helps to develop critical awareness and theoretical understanding of the associated skills and techniques that can be deployed.
Course Dates
Course details
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Key course information
Watch the information session for the MSt in History from our Master's Open Week 2024.
Who is the course designed for?
The 2-year, part-time MSt in History is designed for adult learners who wish to study at postgraduate level and are keen to develop high-level skills in historical research. We are open to applicants of all backgrounds and prior experience of the subject.
The course has been designed to be accessible to those in full- or part-time employment, and to international students.
The taught elements of the syllabus, Part 1, are offered during the first year in 3 intensive study blocks/modules, usually scheduled inside full term. Sessions are offered in research training, and essay and dissertation writing. In the second year, Part 2, you will undertake a dissertation under the supervision of a supervisor and there are 3 ‘Day Schools’ with training in dissertation research and writing.
The MSt is taught over 2 academic years in short, intensive study blocks, and begins in October 2026 (Michaelmas Term). It has been designed to be accessible to those in full- or part-time employment, and to international students.
Successful applicants will become members of a Cambridge College and will join the wider graduate community, with full access to the facilities of the University.
Aims of the programme
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course you should have:
- developed an understanding of, and ability to apply critically, the main academic theories and concepts underpinning the study of history
- extended and developed your analytical, evaluative and critical capacities
- developed the ability to form independent judgements based on your reading, research and writing
- gained demonstrable specific subject knowledge and analysis relevant to your dissertation
- developed research skills required for further postgraduate research
Skills and other attributes
The course helps to develop critical awareness and theoretical understanding of the associated skills and techniques that can be deployed.
By the end of the course, the students should have acquired or consolidated:
- the academic, technical and ancillary skills necessary to participate in critical debates within the field of history
- the ability to formulate a research topic, create a research design, and communicate their ideas and research conclusions in a substantial piece of postgraduate level research
- transferable skills, including the ability to take responsibility for their own learning, learning how to learn, making oral and written presentations, planning and producing written assignments, working independently, and, where they have chosen to do so, using information technology
We welcome applications from students with a variety of backgrounds and professional experiences. As part of our admissions process, you’ll need to meet certain requirements and make sure you’re able to attend teaching sessions in the UK.
Standard entry requirements
Typically, we expect a good UK undergraduate degree, such as a 2.1, or international equivalent, in history or a humanities-related subject.
If your degree is not from the UK, check international qualifications on the University’s postgraduate site to find the equivalent in your country.
English language requirements
Our courses are taught in English and require a good level of fluency. If English is not your first language, you'll need to prove you have sufficient fluency before admission. If we offer you a place, it will be subject to you meeting this requirement. For more information, visit Postgraduate and Master's admissions and the University’s English language requirements.
Visa information
We welcome applications from international students. If you’re coming from overseas, you would attend the in-person teaching sessions for this course with visitor immigration permission.
It's important to be aware that entering the UK as a visitor for study purposes comes with certain expectations and restrictions. To make sure you understand the requirements, we advise you to read the in-depth information on the University’s International Students website.
The MSt in History is structured around 3 residential modules that you must attend. In the first year, each of the 3 residential blocks will be preceded by guided preparatory reading and other activities.
You will need to dedicate approximately 75 hours in Year 1 to attend lectures, seminars and classes, which includes some reading and preparatory time. In Year 2, this will be around 18 hours. You will also have 5 hours of supervision sessions in Year 2 to discuss and shape your dissertation.
Teaching methods combine informal lectures and class discussion, the study of primary sources, and student-led peer-to-peer learning.
A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) offers you learning support while you are on the course, including learning resources, to build a virtual community of practice. You are expected to have sufficient IT skills to engage with the VLE, where all assessed assignments are uploaded.
Below are the expected teaching dates for this course. If they change, we'll update offer-holders in line with the University's terms of admission.
Teaching
Year 1
Please note that the content of all modules is indicative and may be subject to change.
Module 1: Approaches to History
Teaching dates: Tuesday 13 to Friday 16 October 2026
You will be introduced to a range of approaches to history, possibly including social and economic, political, local history, political thought, American history, and world history.
Module 2: Sources, Methods and Research Skills
Teaching dates: Wednesday 10 to Friday 12 February 2027
This module provides research training in using, for example:
- quantitative and qualitative approaches
- literature, visual sources, and material culture
- oral history
Topics might include using library resources and archives, the census, microhistory, sources for early modern history.
Module 3: Theory, Concepts and Historiography
Teaching dates: Wednesday 5 - Friday 7 May 2027
Theoretical, conceptual and historiographical approaches are developed through a number of thematic topics drawn from, for example:
- class and social status
- race and gender
- the Annales School
- religion
Year 2
In the second year, you focus on your dissertation. You will work independently on your chosen topic under the supervision of an expert in the chosen field whom you will have regular contact with. You have 5 supervisions between May 2026 and May 2027 (you can agree with your supervisor whether these are face-to-face or online).
There will also be 3 ‘Day Schools’ where all students provide a short presentation on their research to date, alongside some training in dissertation research and writing:
- Day School 1: Friday 20 October 2027
- Day School 2: Friday 19 January 2028
- Day School 3: Friday 20 April 2028
Contact time
Lectures, seminars and classes: c.75 hours in Year 1 (including some reading/prep time), c.18 hours in Year 2. Supervision: 5 x 1-hour sessions in Year 2.
Assessment
Year 1
Assessment will be through a range of formats which may include coursework, written and oral examinations, posters, presentations and projects. For each of Modules 1-3, this will be the equivalent of 3,000 words maximum per module.
Some assignments, and the dissertation, require literature reviews.
To complete Year 1 successfully, you must pass at least 2 of the 3 assessed assignments and reach an average pass mark of 60% across the 3. Year 1 assignments constitute 30% of the overall award mark.
Year 2
Dissertation
A dissertation of 16,000 to 20,000 words (including appendices but excluding bibliography and footnotes). The dissertation constitutes 70% of the overall award mark.
Feedback
You will be given formal feedback on your assignments and informal feedback throughout the course, including during supervisions. Supervisions also result in an annual progress report at the end of Year 1 and termly reports during Year 2.
Fees
The total fees for this course are shown above in 'Course details'.
To understand which fee status applies to you, whether as a home or overseas student, visit the University’s fee status page.
To help you manage your finances more comfortably, you can pay the fee in instalments. See how to pay for more.
There are also some additional costs you’ll need to cover as part of this course. These are usually:
- an application fee of £85, unless you're eligible for a fee waiver, payable online
- any travel, accommodation and subsistence costs for the residential teaching sessions held in Cambridge
Funding
Please see our bursaries page for information about the MSt in History research bursary.
We're dedicated to reducing and removing financial barriers to learning. Visit financial support ahead of the application deadline to find out what other options may be available to help you in your studies. You can explore external funding and stay up to date on our concessions and bursaries.
Considering applying? We look forward to receiving your application. We consider applications on a 'gathered field' basis, reviewing them all together after the application deadline.
Key timings for your application
• The application deadline is Thursday 26 February 2026.
• We’ll hold interviews for shortlisted candidates in March / April 2026.
• If you're shortlisted, we'll contact you in the weeks before interviews to arrange a time and format for yours.
How to apply and what you'll need
The ‘Apply now’ button will take you to the Applicant Portal. There, you can:
- create, save, and submit your application
- upload your supporting documents
- submit and manage your references
- pay your application fee
- track your application
Supporting documents
When you submit your application, you’ll need to provide supporting information.
CV
Upload an up-to-date resume.
Research proposal
This is one of the most important parts of the application. Applicants are admitted for the topic of their research proposal and an expert supervisor has to be secured before an applicant can be admitted. Please entitle this as 'Statement of intended research'.
The 'statement of intended research' should state clearly the intended area (place, theme) of research, the chronological period, how the research contributes to the existing historiography on that topic, and the primary sources that might be consulted, within the scope of the MSt, and should be between 600 to 1,000 words (2 to 5 pages) in length. The chronological period should be appropriate to the research question and body of original sources and it is advised that a long chronological period is avoided. The proposal should display an awareness of the relevant secondary literature on the place of study and wider research area, as well as the national and/or global context.
A strong proposal would indicate the possible primary sources to be consulted. The research proposal will be strengthened with a bibliography of suitable primary and up-to-date sources. A strong statement of intended research is not overly ambitious: remember that this research will be undertaken over one year, part-time. A weak proposal will think that far more research can be undertaken than can reasonably be achieved in this time scale.
You should have your research proposal and writing sample ready before you begin, as they will be submitted as part of the application form and cannot be submitted later.
Writing sample
Applicants should submit a writing sample in English. This should be a complete final-year undergraduate paper (or a number of shorter papers) in history or a related field (humanities or social science) or approximately 10 to 20 pages of historical research.
If you do not have recent examples of these, please answer one of the following questions:
- ‘A multi-use right.’ Is this a useful description of the criminal justice system in the eighteenth century?
- ‘Poor law provision was always a small component of poor relief.’ Discuss with reference to any period of around one hundred years between 1550 and 1834.
- ‘Globalising intellectual history:’ is this necessary, and if so, why?
- ‘Histories of migration have often focussed on the free movement of people, but in human history, unfree or coerced migration is the more common experience.’ (Please discuss this in relation to a specific case study:
- General introductions to migration histories
- The Atlantic Slave Trade
- Indentured Labour, Diaspora and Empire
Reading lists to assist with these questions can be provided. Please contact us from this course page for more information.
Qualifications and transcripts
Upload details of degree-level courses you have completed or are studying.
References
Submit contact details for 2 referees, preferably academic, who we will contact on your behalf.
For more information on applying and admissions, see Postgraduate and Master's admissions.
As an MSt student, you'll become a member of a Cambridge College. For the MSt in History, we work with the following Colleges:
On your application, you can specify preference(s) for any of these Colleges, and we’ll do our best to allocate you to your preferred choice(s), subject to capacity and ensuring an equal balance between the Colleges we work with. As there are only a limited number of places available at some Colleges, please give a second choice of College on your application form if you're selecting preferences.
To find out more about College membership, watch the ‘Meet the Colleges’ recording from our Master's Open Week 2024.
If you have a pre-existing membership at a Cambridge College which is not listed above, you can ask them to consider you as a member for this course. However, we cannot arrange this for you. If you do not have a pre-existing College membership, you can only become a member of one of the above Colleges.
We're committed to supporting you in your learning journey, and we offer a variety of support opportunities to meet individual needs. Visit student support to find out more about how we can help.
