cambridge history phd funding

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You should find funding opportunities at least a year before your course begins.

How you apply for funding and by which deadline depends on the course and funding you’re applying for.

External funding will have its own arrangements and you should contact the funder directly for guidance.

Funding deadlines

There are 3 main University funding deadlines for the 2025/26 academic year:

• 16 October 2024 (for US citizens applying to the Gates Cambridge Scholarship )
• 3 December 2024
• 7 January 2025

Deadlines are course-specific so check the Course Directory to see which funding deadline applies to your course.

Your full application (including references) must be submitted by 23:59 GMT on the relevant funding deadline.

Department and College funding may have different deadlines. Check their funding information for details.

Applying via the Applicant Portal

To be automatically considered for funding .

You can apply to be considered for most University funding through your course application in the Applicant Portal.

In the funding section of the portal, tick the box: 'Yes - I wish to apply for funding'.

You will then be considered for:

• Most Cambridge Trust funds* 
• Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholars Programme (HDPSP) 
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (where eligible) 
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (where eligible) 
• Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) (where eligible) 
• Some department and College funds 

*Some Cambridge Trust funds have quite specific eligibility requirements. It may not be obvious if you are eligible for these funds from the information given in your application. You will be able to specify any funds you feel you are 'particularly eligible' for in your application. This is not compulsory but it will help us identify the most suitable funding for you.

To be considered for more funds by giving additional information 

You can apply for other funds through the Applicant Portal that require you to complete extra fields within the form or upload an extra application form. These funds include: 

• Gates Cambridge Trust -  complete extra questions in the Applicant Portal and nominate a third reference.
• Medical Research Council (MRC)  iCASE studentships -  you will need to select from a list of available projects.
• Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) - choose a specific project from the NERC list and note this in the funding section of your application
• Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) - complete and upload an extra form(available from the OOC DTP website).
• Some department and College funds - you may need to 'opt-in' for funding in the Applicant Portal and fill out a separate application form. 

To be considered for these funds, you will need to apply by the course funding deadline.  

Applying via a separate form

Some University funds may ask for a separate application form. This is because they are administered separately.

The Postgraduate Funding Search lists many of these funds. You should also check individual funding websites, including College and department websites.

Some of the Cambridge Trust’s partners need you to submit a separate application form. You will still need to tick 'Yes - I wish to apply for funding’ in the Application Portal. Check the Cambridge Trust website for details.

The deadline for these separate funding applications may be different to your course funding deadline.

College funding

Colleges at Cambridge offer some financial support to students but the majority of funding is not provided by them.

Most College funding opportunities are listed in the Postgraduate Funding Search . You can also find College funding information on College websites .

To be eligible for College funding, many Colleges will ask you to select their College as a preference in your application. Some Colleges may still consider you for funding even if you did not select them. If you receive funding from a College, you must transfer to that College to accept the funding.

After you apply

After applying for funding:

• The department will consider your complete application for admission.
• The department will assess your funding application.
• Your application will be considered by the funding bodies for all the eligible funding opportunities you applied to and are eligible for.

Applications that are missing one or both references are incomplete. The department will choose whether to consider incomplete applications for funding opportunities.

Funding decisions

Offers of funding and offers of admission are usually made separately.

Most funding bodies start making offers from March. If you do not get a funding offer by July, you should assume your University funding application has not been successful. It’s unlikely that you will be given confirmation that your funding application was unsuccessful.

Contact the individual funding bodies for information on the status of your funding application. You can also check the Funding Search to find out when offers are made for University funds.

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PhD in History

University of cambridge, different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, similar courses at different universities, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

Course type.

The PhD in History is an advanced research degree, awarded on the basis of a thesis and an oral viva voce examination. The primary purpose of the PhD is the preparation and presentation of a substantial piece of independent and original academic research, completed in three or four years if studying full-time and five years if studying part-time.

Every PhD student in the Faculty of History is supported by a supervisor (or in some cases, supervisors). Supervisors are experts in their field of study and support students throughout the PhD. Students will also benefit from the advice and support of other academic members of the Faculty who will be involved in progression through the various stages of the PhD, from the registration assessment exercise at the end of the first year through to the completion of the thesis.

Most of our PhD students study here full-time but each year we admit a number of students who wish to study on a part-time basis. Part-time study can be ideal for those who are looking to gain a postgraduate qualification without leaving employment and wish to develop their careers while they continue earning, or for those who are home-based for whatever reason and wish to develop their skills. However, it’s important to note that the part-time PhD at Cambridge is not a distance-learning course. Part-time students are expected to fully engage with the Faculty, to integrate into the research culture of the University and to attend the University on a regular basis for supervision, study, skills training, research seminars and workshops.

Throughout their time at the Faculty, PhD students are encouraged to attend one or more of the Faculty’s graduate workshops in their subject group or area of research. These workshops are spaces for PhD students to share their work and collaborate with visiting speakers, academic and peers.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK Masters (Merit). Applicants should hold at the very least a high upper second-class degree from a UK University (usually 67 per cent) or international equivalent as set by the University Graduate Admissions. Candidates for the PhD are also normally expected to hold a master’s degree in a subject relevant to the intended topic of study. Each application is considered on a case-by-case basis.

European History MA

Birkbeck, university of london, history (graduate certificate), history mres, classical civilisation ma, historical research ma.

Postgraduate Funding Search

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Cambridge Trust Scholarship (postgraduate)

This scholarship is available to international Masters and PhD applicants in any subject. It is tenable at any College.

Award details

Contribution towards University tuition fee.

Trust scholarships do not automatically fund the optional writing-up period (if applicable). Scholars will be able to apply for a brief period of extension funding, should it be required at the end of their scholarship (PhD only).

Eligibility

Application process.

The Trust’s awards period runs from March to the end of July and is an ongoing process throughout that period. The majority of our full awards are made in March. Some of our partner funded awards can take time, and sometimes when offers are declined we may be able to offer them elsewhere. Applicants will remain under consideration until the end of the awards period (31 July). We are not able to contact unsuccessful applicants. If you have not been contacted by the Trust by the end of the awards period, you should assume that your application has not been successful.

80 Related courses found

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eligible.jpg

Who can apply for a Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholarship?

Scrolls.jpg.

Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholarships are available to candidates applying to pursue a full-time or part-time PhD course of study at the University of Cambridge. Candidates applying for a PhD via a fully integrated MRes+PhD (1+3) route are also eligible.

Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholarships are fully-funded and open to PhD students of any nationality.

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Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholarships are open to PhD students in any discipline.

Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholarships can be held at  23 eligible Colleges .

Already studying at the University of Cambridge?

If you are currently studying at Cambridge and you wish to apply for a new PhD course here then you will be eligible for consideration for a Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholarship, provided you fulfil the eligibility criteria above. For example, you would be eligible if you are currently studying for an MPhil at Cambridge and you are applying to pursue a PhD here.

However, if you have already started your PhD course at the University of Cambridge, you cannot ask to be considered for a Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholarship to fund the remainder of it.

To find out more about any aspect of the Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholars Programme, please email [email protected]

Further information

• How the HDPSP uses your personal information
• Find out more about the Student Support initiative  
• Find out more about the Harding Challenge  

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Each year Gates Cambridge offers c.80 full-cost scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. Approximately two-thirds of these awards will be offered to PhD students, with approximately 25 awards available in the US round and 55 available in the International round.

The selection criteria are:

outstanding intellectual ability

reasons for choice of course

a commitment to improving the lives of others

leadership potential

There are approximately 250 Scholars from c. 50 countries studying in Cambridge at any one time who pursue the full range of subjects available at the University and are spread across its departments and Colleges, as well as forming their own distinctive community.

There is also a community of more than 1,700 Gates Cambridge Scholar Alumni spread across the world.

The Gates Cambridge mission is to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others. It aims to achieve this mission by selecting outstanding scholars, providing them with financial and non-financial support at one of the world’s leading universities and facilitating community building at and beyond Cambridge.

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme was established in October 2000 by an historic  donation of US$210m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge. The first class of scholars came into residence in October 2001. Since then, the Trust has awarded over 2,000 scholarships to scholars from more than 100 countries.

A Gates Cambridge Scholarship covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge. It also provides additional, discretionary funding.

Core components

the University Composition Fee at the appropriate rate*

a maintenance allowance for a single student (£21,000 for 12 months at the 2024-25 rate; pro rata for courses shorter than 12 months) – for PhD scholars the award is for up to 4 years

one economy single airfare at both the beginning and end of the course

inbound visa costs & the cost of the Immigration Health Surcharge

* The University Composition Fee varies for different types of students; applicants should see the Graduate Studies prospectus for full details about precise amounts. Where a student has been successful in gaining a fee award from public authorities (such as the UKRI ) they should accept this award and the Trust will not pay their fee or may share their fee and maintenance costs.

Discretionary components

The Trust also considers applications for several types of additional funding on a discretionary basis:

Academic development funding – from up to £500 to up to £2,000, dependent on the length of your course, to attend conferences and courses.

Dependent Children Allowance – up to £11,604 for one child and up to £16,548 for two or more children (2023-24 rate). No funding is provided for a partner.

Fieldwork – you may apply to keep up to your normal maintenance allowance while on fieldwork as part of your PhD (the Trust does not fund other fieldwork costs as these should be funded by the University Composition Fee).

Maternity/Paternity funding – should you require it, you may apply to intermit your studies for up to 6 months and continue to receive your maintenance allowance during this time

Hardship funding – for unforeseen difficulties facing the scholar

Receiving a salary or substantial other scholarship?

If you are receiving a salary from an employer or have another substantial scholarship, the Trust reserves the right to reduce or not pay the standard maintenance allowance. You should let the Trust know ASAP if you are awarded any funding towards your degree at Cambridge.

What is not covered?

Most costs are covered by the Scholarship but Gates Cambridge does not cover bench fees or the costs of scientific equipment or similar academic resources. The Trust expects such core course costs to be covered by the academic department at Cambridge.

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Part-Time PhD in History

A PhD in History remains fundamentally the same, whether studied full-time or part-time. The distinction lies in the amount of time that students are expected to be able to devote to their studies and, consequently, the timetable of the major milestones of the course.

In the first instance, we would strongly encourage you to read the full-time PhD pages for further information on the course in general.

Please also see the Postgraduate Admissions' general information on part-time study .

At a glance

Students will research and write a doctoral thesis of up to 80,000 words, representing an original contribution to knowledge.

They will be supported throughout the course by a Supervisor, an experienced Cambridge academic who will provide one-to-one advice and feedback. At the same time, the student will take part in Cambridge's vibrant research community, attending seminars, postgraduate workshops and a broad spectrum of skills training.

As well as regular meetings with your supervisor, students will have an annual progress meeting at which they submit an annual progress paper.

At the end of the fifth term, students submit a Progress Essay (up to 10,000) words and meet formally with their Supervisor and Advisor (another academic who provides additional guidance). This meeting determines whether the student has made sufficient progress to complete their thesis on schedule.

At the end of their research project, students submit their completed thesis and take part in an oral ('viva voce') examination on its contents. The two examiners will be leading academics in the field. 

Students can expect to receive:  

• Regular oral feedback from their supervisor, as well as termly online feedback reports;
• Oral feedback from peers during postgraduate workshops and seminars;
• Access to regular training sessions and relevant undergraduate lectures to develop key skills;
• Support for fieldwork research;
• Opportunities to teach and supervise undergraduate students in their field of research.

Part-Time Admissions Questionnaire

In addition to your application, you must complete the Part-Time Admissions Questionnaire.

Download here:  Part-Time Admissions Study Questionnaire

This must be sent directly to the Faculty, at [email protected], when you submit your online admission application. 

Generally speaking, a Part-Time PhD takes between five and seven years to complete. Every PhD student, whether full-time or part-time, moves through roughly three phases. For part-time students that timetable is elongated to include 5 terms of probationary study, 10 terms of registered study and up to six terms of 'writing up'. 

Each year, you will also have an annual progress meeting with your supervisor  at the end of the calendar year. You will write a brief, but formal, annual progress paper and discuss your work so far.

The minimum research requirement for the part-time course is 15 terms (i.e. five years). You need to complete this in order to complete the PhD. The maximum of the part-time programme is 21 terms (i.e. seven years).

Need advice?

Dr Julia Guarneri is currently the Faculty’s Part-Time PhD Coordinator. She is available to offer administrative advice to applicants.

Further Questions

Will i still get the ‘cambridge experience’.

Absolutely! As a part-time student, you will still be a member of a Cambridge college and be able to experience the collegiate system. You will have a named Cambridge Supervisor and your degree will operate in almost exactly the same way any other History PhD student

You still have access to all the research training and teaching within the Faculty, with the right to attend seminars and lectures. Your involvement in the Cambridge academic community can be as engaged as your external commitments allow.

However, please note that, in order for you to gain the benefits of a Cambridge degree, it is expected that you will live within a reasonable distance of the University. You must be able to attend Cambridge regularly. The part-time PhD is a not a distance-learning degree.

How is the application process different to that for full-time students?

On the application form, there is a box which needs to be ticked by applicants wishing to pursue a part-time degree. You will then need to provide a statement saying why you need to study part-time instead of full-time.

You can continue to be in employment with the part-time PhD, although full-time employment is not considered compatible with the degree. You provide a letter from your employer stating that you will be allowed the time off work to attend the University as required for the duration of your course.

Is funding available?

Both the AHRC and ESRC fund part-time students, but these awards provide only 50% of the full-time University Composition Fee. Applicants should be aware that the University charges part-time students 60% of the full-time rate. The 10% difference will therefore need to be made up by either the student or another funding body.

How is the part-time PhD examined?

It is examined in exactly the same way as the full-time PhD is examined. Here are the different termly requirements:

Minimum number of terms of research needed before submitting

• Qualification: Part-time PhD
• Term (1 being your first term): 15

Minimum number of terms of research which need to be in Cambridge (in order to qualify for the PhD)

• Term (1 being your first term): 5

End of term by which your draft dissertation must be submitted to your supervisor

• Term (1 being your first term): 16

Absolute final submission deadline

• Term (1 being your first term): 21

Maximum number of terms for which an exemption or allowance will be made following a one-year course

Can I submit my dissertation in fewer than five years?

If you have previously completed a portion of the research for your PhD (e.g. as part of a research project or whilst working on a different qualification) is is possible to seek an exemption and include those years of research as part of the 15-term minimum required for submission. The maximum number of terms which can be exempted in this manner is five, part-time.

You apply for an exemption when you are near completion and know how many terms of research are required to complete the work.

Early submission from part-time students who have no grounds for an exemption (e.g. previous qualification), but have been able to devote more time than expected is usually not permitted unless full fees for a five-year part-time hD minimum research period have been paid.

Can I transfer to full-time status?

If your circumstances change, this is certainly possible, but changing your mode of study should not be undertaken lightly. The University will only allow such a change to be made once in either direction e.g. move once from full-time to part-time, or move once from part-time to full-time.

Such applications are submitted to the Degree Committee and are considered on a case-by-case basis.

What is the Intellectual Property status of my research?

If you are employed then arrangements for intellectual property rights must be agreed in advance. Please make sure your employer reads this section.

If the employer is not asserting any rights in the intellectual property created in the course of the research, a statement to this effect must be provided in writing within the application. Generally, this is expected to be the case where the employer is neither paying for the time of study nor contributing to fees. In the absence of any claim on the intellectual property by the employer, the position on intellectual property is identical to that of a full-time PhD student. More information on this is available on the Student Registry website.

If the employer is claiming rights in the intellectual property, the applicant and the employer must sign a short agreement which, among other things, confirms the level of any sponsorship by the employer and also sets out the position on intellectual property. This is administered through the University’s Research Services Division.

While the employer may wish to retain ownership in any intellectual property created by the student, the University will also want to ensure that regard is given to the intellectual property rights in any contributions from the Supervisor or other members of the University, as well as its obligations to external sponsors.

The University will also wish to make sure that the employer cannot restrict the use or exploitation of the student’s share in any collaborative project in which the student takes part.

• Probationary Study
• Registered Study
• "Writing Up"

Your degree will start with a period of orientation, training and wide reading, culminating in the Research Assessment Exercise ("RAE"), where you submit sample work and a research plan outlining the rest of your project. This period spans 5 terms.

This period of 10 terms covers your main phase of active research at Cambridge as a fee-paying student. You will need to be in Cambridge regularly and meet with your supervisor, and you may also spend substantial amounts of time consulting archives.

This is the period of time during which you must finish and submit your final dissertation. It is assumed that the bulk of your active research is now complete and you are working predominantly on your manuscript. (For this reason, you will no longer be required to pay University fees.) You are given up to 6 terms to complete your project.

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• Quaid Childers: Rococo Metalwork and Light
• Blanche Darbord: Model King or Tyrant?: Alexander the Great in Manuscript Illumination and the Representation of Kingship in Plantagenet England (1154-1485)
• Ciaran Hervás: Sexology and the Avant-Garde: Photographing Queer Embodiment and Desire in Interwar Paris and Berlin
• Ane Cornelia Pade: The Parisian Pleasure Gardens 1795-1815: Architectural appropriation and social negotiation in early postrevolutionary Paris
• Kyoko Takemura: Re-evaluation of punch marks on early Italian paintings
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Course requirements:

Candidates accepted for this course will have a 1st class or a high 2i honours degree and, a Masters degree with 70% overall (or equivalent) in History of Art or a related discipline. Please note the information given in the International Qualifications Search is a guideline of the University's minimum academic requirements. The requirements for this course are higher than the University minimum academic requirements.

The University requires all applicants to demonstrate competence in the English language at a very high level before they begin their proposed course of study. You must be able to demonstrate that you are able to communicate in English at a level and in an idiom suitable to the subject. You will, therefore, need to provide evidence that you meet the University’s minimum requirements for competence in English. For further information s ee Postgraduate Admissions Office .

The Department of History of Art places particular emphasis upon competence in foreign languages required for work in the chosen area of specialization. Language tuition in Latin and modern foreign languages is available, but students who already possess the necessary language skills will be better prepared to undertake the course.

How to Make an Application for the PhD in History of Art:

If you do meet the course requirements, you are recommended to consult the list of our established University Teaching Officers (UTOs) and their research interests (see below for links to information about each of our UTOs). If one of our UTOs has relevant research interests to your own, please email them directly with a short research proposal of about 300 words, an example of your writing and a CV to determine whether they are potentially available to work with you as a supervisor before you make a formal application.   Professor Rosalind (Polly) Blakesley  - European, British and Russian art, 18th-early 20th century   Professor Donal Cooper  - Italian late Medieval and Renaissance art 

Professor Caroline Van Eck - European art and architecture and their theories, in particular French, the reception of Graeco-Roman art, the anthropology of art, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, and Aby Warburg.

Dr Kareem Estefan -  Film, video, and digital media, particularly Arab moving-image practices, documentary and Global South cinema, and activist engagements with colonialism and its legacies in contemporary art and film

Professor Alyce Mahon   - 20th-century art, especially Surrealism, performance and feminist art practice 

Professor Alexander Marr  - European and British art and architecture, 16th and 17th centuries

Dr Frank Salmon  - British and European Architecture, 17th-19th century

Dr Laura Slater - Medieval art and architecture 

Dr Amy Tobin - 20th- and 21st-century art, and moving image, especially in relation to feminism, gender politics, queer and post-colonial theory

Dr Xin Peng - Film history, classical Hollywood cinema, critical race and postcolonial theories, Asian American studies and transnational cinemas  

You will need to arrange for the following documents to be submitted with your application:

• Academic Reference(s) 
• A Personal Reference will only be required if you are applying for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship
• Evidence of Competence in English if English is not your first language
• Sample of Work - this could be a journal publication or a chapter from your undergraduate dissertation
• Research Proposal of 1000 - 1500 words should consist of a topic and a hypothesis, a literature review, a statement on method, and key references

Application Deadlines

You are recommended to only make a formal application via the University’s Postgraduate Admissions Office , once an established UTO has confirmed that they would be interested to consider a formal application. Please note that an offer of admission to the University is subject to final approval by the University's Postg raduate Admissions Office. Do not assume that you will be made an offer on the grounds that your prospective supervisor has suggested you make a formal application – this just represents the first stage of admission administration.

All applications must be made via  the  Postgraduate Admissions Office  website. It is important that you read through the information available before submitting your application. If you are already a current post graduate student at Cambridge you will be referred to as a ‘ Continuer ’ on the Postgr aduate Admissions Office website. 

The PhD in History of Art commences in October each year and applications for the course can be made from the preceding September. All applications must be made via the Graduate Student Application Form (GRADSAF) available on the  Postgraduate Admissions Office  website . It is important that you read through the information available on the Graduate Admissions Office website before submitting your application.

The final deadline for applicants seeking funding is early January, for the exact date, please see the Postgraduate Admissions website. Even if you are not seeking funding, we strongly recommend that you submit your application by this date.

If places are still available on programmes beyond this deadline; self-funded applicants will continue to be considered until the final deadline in May, for the exact date please see the Postgraduate Admissions website No applications will be considered after this deadline.

Course Fees

Information relating to the fee for this course is available from the  Postgraduate Admissions Office .   

If you are seeking funding for your course via one of the University’s main funding competitions, there are specific deadlines and eligibility criteria for each competition. Please check the Funding Section of the Postgraduate Admissions Office website for information and application deadlines .

After your Application is Submitted   When the application reaches the Department, it will be considered by the Department’s Graduate Admissions Team. Applicants will be invited for an interview online. The Faculty’s Degree Committee will then consider the application and make a recommendation to the Postgraduate Admissions Office as to whether an offer of a place on the course should be made, and if so, with what academic conditions.

Please be aware that this process may take several months. You can check the status of your application at any time via your self-service pages.

Full information about making your application, Colleges, fees and funding opportunities is provided on the  Postgraduate Admissions Office  website pages.

For further information on graduate admission to the Department of History of Art contact:  [email protected]

At a Glance

Course length and dates:

3 years full-time/5 years part-time, October start.

Examination:

A dissertation, of not more than 80,000 words. 

Academic requirement:

A 1st class or a high 2i honours degree and, a Masters degree with 70% overall (or equivalent) in History of Art or a related discipline.

English language requirement:

See Postgraduate Admissions Office . 

Applicants should consider the language skills required to complete their proposed research project and if necessary, consult with their prospective supervisor about their current level of linguistic ability .

Applications accepted from:

The preceding September.

Application Deadlines:

Course Fees:

Information relating to the fee for this course is available from the Postgraduate Admissions Office .  

If you are seeking funding for your course via one of the University’s main funding competitions, there are specific deadlines and eligibility criteria for each competition.  Please check  Funding Section of the Postgraduate Admissions Office website for information and application deadlines . 

The Secretary The Department of History of Art 1-5 Scroope Terrace Cambridge CB2 1PX Tel: 01223 332975 Fax: 01223 332960

Contact: [email protected] [email protected]

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Research projects

Philosophy of Science

The Department of History and Philosophy of Science is a major centre for research, teaching and public engagement in history of medicine.

The distinctive feature of our programme is that medical historians work in the largest and most distinguished department of history and philosophy of science in the UK. So students and researchers can both focus on history of medicine and take advantage of intellectual exchange with historians of physical sciences, sociologists and philosophers of science, staff in the Whipple Museum and bioethicists.

Expertise in medical history covers an exceptionally wide range, from antiquity to the present day. We have special strength in the area of Generation to Reproduction and participate in the University-wide Strategic Research Initiative on Reproduction.

The Department provides training in history of medicine at every level. We also welcome inquiries about postdoctoral research, including short-term visits and affiliate status .

History of Medicine news

'Hanna Rion and The Weekly Dispatch 's twilight sleep crusade' Congratulations to Eleanor Taylor on her article in the latest issue of Medical Humanities . It is based on the dissertation Eleanor wrote as a Part II HPS student in 2022.

Congratulations to Yijie Huang PhD student Yijie Huang's article 'Anatomizing the pulse: Edmund King's analogy, observation and conception of the tubular body' has been published in Annals of Science as winner of the journal's best paper prize.

'Health for All?: Histories of International and Global Health' Mary Brazelton has published a new article in History Compass .

Reproduction: Antiquity to the Present Day Cambridge University Press has published Reproduction: Antiquity to the Present Day , the major output of the Wellcome-funded Generation to Reproduction project.

Ucam-histmed is an email list for people in the Cambridge area interested in history of medicine.

Subscribe to Ucam-histmed

Main image: Plaster model of a human head, 19th century. This model, which can be taken apart, would have been a less gruesome, and cheaper, alternative to human dissection for medical students and teachers. (T50) Image credit: Whipple Museum of the History of Science, University of Cambridge

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Cambridge historians of medicine and biology are taking a long-term, cross-disciplinary approach to the history of reproduction.

Making Visible Embryos

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Explore our online exhibition on the history of embryo images.

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Browse and search Simon Forman's and Richard Napier's records of thousands of consultations.

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Work with us

Prospective phd in politics and international studies.

The application and funding portal for October 2025 entry is now Open. The application deadline for this course and consideration for funding is 3rd December 2024.

Our PhD in Politics and International Studies is structured as a three-year programme. With the expectation that PhD students will submit a full draft of their thesis at the end of the third year or soon after.

This is a research degree and is completed through the submission of a thesis of up to 80,000 words. As a full-time programme, it is completed in a period of between three and four years – that is between nine and twelve university terms. 

The First Year

The first year of the PhD is spent in Cambridge, with two major activities: firstly, developing a research topic with the guidance of a supervisor and secondly, training in research methods.

The development of the topic often involves extensive reading into relevant literature, the discovery of relevant information sources (such as archives or databases), and formulating plans for primary research, such as through making plans for fieldwork. This is done in combination with your primary supervisor, who discusses your progress and reviews your written work, usually fortnightly. You are also appointed a second supervisor who can be drawn upon for additional advice.

The first year culminates in the production of a report, which serves as the basis for the registration exercise at the end of the year. This registration exercise is required to move on to official registration for the PhD degree and is conducted through a meeting with your second supervisor and an independent assessor. Its purpose is to ensure that your research project is viable, that an appropriate methodology is applied and that relevant literature is drawn upon.

The second major focus of the first year is research training. There is a weekly seminar on the methodological and philosophical questions that underpin research in the contemporary social sciences, which all first-year PhD students attend. Alongside this, PhD students choose two further courses to attend from a range of options, such as statistics, qualitative methods and languages.

As the induction process and training courses start at the beginning of October, entry to the PhD programme must also begin then. We cannot therefore accept applications to begin at other points during the academic year.

The Second and Third Years

The content of the second and third years varies considerably depending on the type of research being conducted. Many students spend a considerable portion of the second year of their PhD out of Cambridge on fieldwork, while others are resident throughout. To assist you in the development of your research, we schedule an annual meeting with your primary and secondary supervisor, for which you produce a report for discussion.

In the second year and onwards, many of our PhD students contribute to the Department's teaching programme, principally in small-group teaching of undergraduates (supervisions).

There is also the opportunity to deliver a lecture if your research interests align with the taught courses. There is no obligation to be involved in this, but many of our PhD students consider this valuable experience, particularly for those considering academic careers.

Dissertations are assessed through an oral examination with two senior academics, of whom at least one must be external.

Supervision

Full-time candidates on the course are expected to devote themselves fully to their studies . Full-time students must spend at least three terms resident in Cambridge.  Part-time students are required to attend Cambridge and undergo formal supervision with their supervisor at a frequency agreed upon between the supervisor and student and determined by the nature of the research project. Generally, we would expect part-time students to be resident in Cambridge for around 45 days per year, spread throughout the year, for supervision and training.

• How to apply  
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Testimonials from current students

"POLIS’ unparalleled array and quality of resources have remained crucial to my growth as a researcher. Diligent research experts like my supervisor and advisor have guided me through fine tuning my academic voice, acquainting myself with my ontological outlook, and even confronting some of my political inclinations. The depth and rigor of the PhD modules around methodology and professional development have rooted my thesis design and helped me envision longer term applications for my work. Above all, navigating this PhD with my POLIS peers, alumni, faculty, and staff has fashioned an intellectual home for me, contributed to my confidence, and steadied my sense of belonging at Cambridge. Whether it’s forging through top tier research conferences, teasing out field studies in foreign countries, or navigating everyday challenges like illness or impostor syndrome, I can always count on a member of the POLIS community to see me, hear me, and stand with me. And that has almost always been the determining factor in my success."

Abii-Tah Bih -  PhD Student POLIS  (April 2022)

"A PhD at POLIS has been a fantastic choice. Graduate students have the opportunity to be connected to faculty researching across a wide range of issues and approaches. There are many opportunities to broaden intellectual horizons by attending workshops or talks, and I encourage anyone considering applying to do so!"

Say Jye Quah -  PhD Student POLIS- 2022

“A wonderful place to carry out independent research, POLIS paves the way for serendipitous and life-changing opportunities, within and beyond the world of academia. The PhD community is truly phenomenal, filled with passionate and driven students who bring a diverse range of perspectives and approaches to their study. I have found POLIS to be a rewarding research environment and have been privileged to find much support and inspiration from my peers and academic staff. “ 

Elizabeth Paradis - 2022

"Coming to the programme with a different intellectual background, I was immediately made to feel at home at POLIS by the sheer diversity of research carried out and the varied kinds of approaches people bring to the PhD programme. The openness and friendly support, the in-depth and challenging discussions, as well as the encouraging process of developing your own project in constructive exchange and collaboration with other PhD students make the programme an intellectually stimulating and deeply enriching experience."

Carl Pierer PhD Student POLIS  2021

"The structure of the PhD course, amazing staff, the events and workshops organised by the different centres at POLIS all provide a fertile ground for one to thrive. The diversity of research topics means you are always learning something different from your colleagues. I am grateful to be part of the POLIS family."

Edward Murambwa, PhD Student POLIS  - 2019

More Information

The Department of Politics and International Studies, The Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DP

Contact: [email protected]

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