Faculty information

The Degree Committee

Graduate studies in the Faculty of History are administered by the Degree Committee, a committee of 15 to 20 senior members of the Faculty. It meets seven times during an academic year, twice in each Term and once at the beginning of the Long Vacation in late June.

The committee deals with your registration for your chosen degree course and appoints your Supervisor, Adviser and examiners. It has to approve changes in the subject of your research, changes in the title of your thesis, and any change in your Supervisory arrangements. It authorises leave to work away from Cambridge (in archives and libraries), any intermission in your studies, the remission of fees and any deferment in the submission of your thesis.

In most of these cases you will have to approach the Degree Committee in a formal way, through the Secretary of the University's Board of Graduate Studies, who oversees the administration of the affairs of all the University's graduate students. However, there may be occasions during your career as a graduate student when an informal conversation with the executive officers of the committee might lead to the quick solution of the problems affecting your work.

The committee has two executive officers, the Director of Graduate Studies and the Director of Graduate Training. They are members of the teaching staff of the Faculty who usually serve for two years.

Three offices in the Faculty Building serve the committee and the Faculty's graduate students. These are the MPhil Office and the Graduate Studies Office, for which the Director of Graduate Training is the responsible officer, and the Degree Committee Office, for which the Director of Graduate Studies is the responsible officer.

Also resident in the MPhil Office is the Graduate Training Secretary, Tessa Blackman, to whom all questions should be directed about graduate training courses offered by the Faculty and the third-year assessment exercise. The Graduate Training Secretary's email address is gradtraining@hist.cam.ac.uk.

The MPhil Office administers all of the Faculty's MPhil courses apart from the MPhil in Historical Studies, Modern South Asian Studies and African Studies. The MPhil Office is run by Bruce Bruschi and Tessa Blackman.

The MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies is administered by the Centre of South Asian Studies office to which all queries should be directed in the first instance (Email: bar22@cam.ac.uk, Tel: 01223 338094). The MPhil in African Studies is administered by the Centre of African Studies office to which all queries should be directed in the first instance (Email: afrenq@cam.ac.uk, Tel: 01223 334396).

The Graduate Studies Office deals with the MPhil in Historical Studies and with all matters relating to PhD admissions, the probationary year (first year) of the PhD course (including initial supervisory arrangements and the PhD Registration Assessment Exercise), and all administrative permission requests from all PhD students (with the exception of PhD examinations). The Graduate Studies Office is run by Miss Susan Pocock.

The Degree Committee Office deals with all matters relating to postgraduate funding (both MPhil and PhD) and PhD examinations as well as all graduate policy issues, Higher Degrees, and issues relating to the Graduate Teaching and Learning Committee. The Degree Committee Office is run by Miss Sheila Willson.

Queries for the Director of Graduate Studies or Director of Graduate Training or their offices should be addressed by letter or e-mail wherever possible. They should be sent to the following addresses:

MPhil Office, History Faculty Building, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9EF
Open: Mon-Thur 8.30 - 5.00, Fri 8.30 - 4.30, closed for lunch 1.00-2.00

MPhil in Economic and Social History: mphil-ecsoc@hist.cam.ac.uk
MPhil in Modern European History: mphil-modeuropean@hist.cam.ac.uk
MPhil in Early Modern History: mphil-earlymodern@hist.cam.ac.uk
MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History: mphil-polthought@hist.cam.ac.uk
MPhil in Medieval History: mphil-medieval@hist.cam.ac.uk
MPhil in Historical Studies: see Graduate Studies Office below

Graduate Studies Office, History Faculty Building, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9EF
Open: Mon-Thur 8.45 - 5.15, Fri 9.00 - 4.30, closed for lunch 1.00-2.00

Email: graduate-studies@hist.cam.ac.uk
MPhil in Historical Studies: mphil-histstudies@hist.cam.ac.uk

Degree Committee Office, History Faculty Building, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9EF
Open: Mon-Thur 9.00 - 5.30, Fri 9.00 - 4.30, closed for lunch 1.00-2.00

Graduate Student Representative

Each autumn graduate students in the History Faculty elect one of their number as the Graduate Student Representative. Elections are held in November and the year of office begins in December. The current Graduate Student Representative, through 30 November 2011, is Adrian Leonard (gradrep@hist.cam.ac.uk). He can be contacted about a range of queries and issues.

The Graduate Student Representative is responsible for bringing matters of general graduate concern to the attention of the senior Faculty officers. This is done either by informal contact with the Director of Graduate Studies or the Director of Graduate Training, or at the termly meetings of the Graduate Teaching and Learning Committee (GTLC). The GTLC is composed of the Faculty's Graduate Officers, two other senior academic members, the Faculty Computer Officer, the Seeley Librarian and a number of graduate students (the Graduate Workshop Organisers, Faculty MPhil Representative and the Faculty's Graduate Student Representative).

The Faculty's Graduate Workshop Organisers represent the main subject areas on the Graduate Teaching and Learning Committee. The Graduate Student Representative and the Graduate Workshop Organisers meet once a term to discuss and forward to the Graduate Teaching and Learning Committee any concerns and comments raised by PhD students.

Each MPhil course elects a student representative. One MPhil student representative is elected to serve on the Graduate Teaching and Learning Committee. Collectively, the MPhil student representatives meet once a term to discuss and forward to the Graduate Teaching and Learning Committee any concerns and comments raised by MPhil students.

The Graduate Student Representative also sits on the Faculty Board of History, the Faculty's governing body.

Website: student profile pages

This website contains a list of graduate students in the Faculty of History. Each name in the list links to a personal profile page maintained by the student. To edit your page, use the “Log in” link at top right of the page, providing your Raven credentials. Once logged in, you should see an editing bar appear on your page.

Students’ details are erased after completion of the course or in case of withdrawal. The list may not be used for bulk emails or any marketing purpose. By providing their details, students are agreeing to the information being published globally on the web.

Website: staff profile pages

This website contains a directory of academic staff in the Faculty of History. Each name in the list links to a personal profile page maintained by the Faculty member. From time to time, you may wish to talk to one or more of them about your work, and you should feel free to do so. Contact with senior members of the University outside the Faculty, whose academic interests relate to yours, is also strongly encouraged.

What to do when problems arise

Studying for an MPhil or PhD degree is challenging. If you are experiencing difficulties that interfere with your study (such as writer's block, illness or a family crisis), it is extremely important that you keep others informed; your supervisor, the Faculty, the Board of Graduate Studies.

If you are funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) or the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), it is highly desirable that you inform the Research Council via the Degree Committee Office that you are experiencing difficulties: we have been informed by the AHRC that they will consider cases for extensions more favourably if they are informed of problems at the time the problem arises.

Admitting there is a problem can often be difficult, but it is in your best interests that you inform us as soon as possible so that support can be provided.

If a problem arises, these people are here to help or advise:

• your supervisor
• your College (College Tutor or College Mentor)
• the History Faculty (MPhil Office, Graduate Studies Office, Degree Committee Office)
• the Director of Graduate Training
• the Director of Graduate Studies
• the Board of Graduate Studies

If the problem is of a nature that you feel you cannot approach your supervisor, you can approach any of those named above or the following:

• the Faculty ombudspersons
• the Graduate Union
• the Counselling Service

Students with disabilities or impairments

New students or those who are continuing their studies who have disabilities or impairments have been asked to make contact with the Director of Graduate Training in the Faculty's Graduate Studies Office, with their College Graduate Tutor, and with the Board of Graduate Studies, before arriving in Cambridge.

If the Faculty, College and Board of Graduate Studies are fully informed in advance of the nature of the disability or impairment, the student and officers at the University can work together to ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for the student to make the Cambridge experience as enjoyable as it should be.

Colleges can provide assessments of dyslexia, dysgraphia or dyspraxia to ensure that the correct level of support is provided by the University. The University's Disability Resource Centre can provide further information, advice, equipment and assistance to students and supervisors. The Disability Resource Centre is at Keynes House, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1QA; telephone: 01223 332301, fax: 01223 766863, email :ucam-disability@lists.cam.ac.uk.

Student social contact

The Faculty of History has a large graduate community that spans a wide and diverse subject area. However, because of the nature of the discipline, students can find that a significant part of their day is spent studying in isolation. Students are therefore encouraged to take the initiative and make contact, meet and socialize with fellow students from the start of their course in a variety of ways, including displaying contact details on the Faculty's list of current graduate students, ensuring that contact details are included in seminar and workshop mailing lists, attending those seminars and workshops, and participating in the email discussion group. The Faculty's student-organised workshops and its research seminars provide particularly good opportunities for social contact with other students.

The Faculty and your College arrange, periodically, social events for specific groups of students to be able to meet and socialize: please take the opportunity when you are invited.

Mphil sub-committees

MPhil in Early Modern History Sub-Committee
Chairman: Dr M Calaresu
Secretary: Dr W O'Reilly
Administrative Secretary: Bruce Bruschi
Office: 4th Floor, History Faculty
Phone 01223 (3) 35311
earlymodern@hist.cam.ac.uk

MPhil in Economic and Social History Sub-Committee
Chairman: Professor M Daunton
Secretary: Dr N Mora-Sitja
Administrative Secretary: Tessa Blackman
Office: 4th Floor, History Faculty
Phone 01223 (7) 48152
ecsoc@hist.cam.ac.uk

MPhil in Historical Studies Sub-Committee
Chairman/Secretary: Dr T Harper
Administrative Secretary: Ms Susan Pocock
Office: 4th Floor, History Faculty
Phone 01223 (3) 35304
histstudies@hist.cam.ac.uk

MPhil in Medieval History Sub-Committee
Chairman: Professor M C Carpenter
Secretary: Dr T Webber
Administrative Secretary: Miss Tessa Blackman
Office: 4th Floor, History Faculty
Phone 01223 (7) 48152
medieval@hist.cam.ac.uk

MPhil in Modern European History Sub-Committee
Chairman: Professor R J Evans
Secretary: Dr B Koenczoel
Administrative Secretary: Bruce Bruschi
Office: 4th Floor, History Faculty
Phone 01223 (3) 35313
modeuropean@hist.cam.ac.uk