MPhil in American History

Apply using the Applicant Portal

The Apply Now button on the right will take you to the Applicant Portal. There, you can create and submit your application and supporting documents, and you can also request your references.

An application is only complete when:

1. you have submitted your application and supporting documents via the Applicant Portal
2. you have paid the application fee if applicable. For further information on application fees, and which courses require an application fee, see here.
3. your referees have provided their references.

If you miss the deadlines specified in this section, you will not be able to submit your application.

You are strongly advised to apply as early as possible. We consider and process applications on a rolling basis and supervisors can only take limited numbers of students. For this reason, the course can close to applications as early as March.

Selection Process

All applications are reviewed by supervisors with expertise in the proposed area of research. As individual supervisors can only accept a limited number of students, your application may be sent to multiple supervisors before appropriate matches can be found. It may be the case that excellent candidates cannot be admitted because appropriate supervisors for the project are not available.

Occasionally, the Faculty may recommend that your application is transferred to a more appropriate course, within or outside the Faculty of History. We will seek your permission before this is done.

Interviews are not generally required for MPhil applicants in the Faculty of History, but may be held at the discretion of the Faculty.

Although we aim to process applications in a timely manner, if you have not received an outcome by mid-February, or twelve weeks after your application was submitted (whichever is later), please contact the Faculty.

Further information on How To Apply

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Things You'll Need

You should start preparing the things that you'll need when you apply. These will be mandatory, unless specifically flagged as optional.

• Two referees willing to give you a reference
  Either academic or professional – please see our References guidance for more information about which type you need. Your referees will need to have submitted their reference by the course deadline.
• Transcript  
• CV/resume
• Evidence of competence in English
  If required - please see our Competence in English guidance for more information.
• Personal development questionnaire
  Applicants will be asked to complete a personal development questionnaire
• Sample of Work (2) (document upload) (mandatory)
  Please provide a sample of your written work, in English. This can be a thesis, or one or two long essays, which best represents your writing style. It is sensible (but not obligatory) to choose a piece of work which is in the broad subject area in which you plan to do research. There is no minimum or maximum word count for this writing sample.
• Research Proposal (document upload) (mandatory)
  Please upload a research proposal of 600’1,000 words which includes the following: a simple and descriptive title for the proposed research, a rationale for the research, a brief historiographic context, and an indication of the sources likely to be used. The bibliography and any footnotes are excluded from the word count, but footnotes should not be discursive in nature. Please title this document 'Statement of Intended Research'. Sample research proposals from recent successful applicants can be found here: https://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/course/mphil-american-history

Gates Cambridge Scholarships

If you wish to be considered for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship you will also need to provide the following:

• Gates Cambridge Reference  
• Research Proposal (PhD applicants only)

See Gates Cambridge for more information.

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How to Find a Supervisor

Before applying, you are advised to identify potential supervisor(s) whose research interests align with your own. We recommend that you start by looking at the Faculty's Academic Staff Directory, which lists staff by theme, key words and geographical focus.

You may contact potential supervisors directly. If they are unavailable or unsuitable for your proposed project, they are generally well-placed to recommend an alternative supervisor.

Academic staff are used to being contacted by prospective applicants, but they are busy individuals so please allow time for them to respond to your query. They may be able to give general guidance and advice on a proposed project, but they are unable to give you detailed feedback.

Nominating a supervisor does not guarantee your acceptance onto the course, nor that you will be allocated to that supervisor if you are made an offer of admission.