In addition to their special subject, all students do at least one specified paper, most students take two. The specified papers are similar to outline papers in organization but cover more specialized fields of research, often from a comparative or thematic perspective. All students also take a paper called Historical Argument and Practice, which deals with the methodological and theoretical issues that are inextricably involved in the pursuit of history. Finally, an increasingly large number of students opt to substitute a dissertation for one of their specified papers. Dissertations are substantial pieces of original research, done under the supervision of an expert, using original source material.
Many students choose to undertake research abroad, particularly in the United States.
You are limited only by your language skills and your imagination in locating interesting sources. The History Faculty of the University of Cambridge is the biggest and the best in the country, as measured by every system of assessment the government has devised. We pride ourselves on being able to offer teaching of all kinds in virtually every area of history from the ancient history of Europe, to the recent history of Africa, from diplomatic and political history to cultural and intellectual, social history, economic history, demography and the history of the body itself. We do insist that all students should do some British and European history. We also require that students take some early history papers and some from the more modern period.