MPhil in Modern European History

Overview
The MPhil in Modern European History is a taught postgraduate course with a substantial research component, which runs for nine months covering the three terms (Michaelmas, Lent and Easter) of the Cambridge Academic Year. It is designed both for students who want to enhance their understanding of the social, cultural, political and economic history of modern Europe, and for those who want to go on further primary research. It provides intensive research training for those who wish to go on to prepare a doctoral dissertation, but it is also a freestanding postgraduate degree course in its own right.
The course covers Europe from roughly the middle of the eighteenth century to the present. The principal countries studied are France, Germany, Russia, Italy and Spain. It offers an introduction to key themes and selected topics in Modern European History, as well as intensive methodological and historiographical training. Particular attention is paid to the production of an independently conceived, lengthy piece of original research.
At a glance
All students will submit a thesis of 15,000–20,000 words, worth 70 per cent toward the final degree.
Students also produce three 3,000-4,000-word essays, two in Michaelmas term and another in Lent term; each essay is worth 10% of the final degree grade.
All students admitted to the MPhil in Modern European History will be assigned a supervisor to work with them throughout the course, but crucially on the dissertation. Students will meet regularly with their supervisor throughout the course.
Students can expect to receive:
- regular oral feedback from their supervisor, as well as termly online feedback reports;
- written feedback on essays and assessments and an opportunity to present their work;
- oral feedback from peers during graduate workshops and seminars;
- written and oral feedback on dissertation proposal essay to be discussed with their supervisor; and
- formal written feedback from two examiners after examination of a dissertation.
If you have any questions, drop us a line on modeuropean@hist.cam.ac.uk
Aims of the Course
The course is designed for those who have completed degrees in which historical analysis formed a substantial (or indeed the main) component and who want to consolidate their knowledge of Modern European history. It is particularly appropriate for those who may wish to continue on to a PhD, at Cambridge or elsewhere, in this field. It is also well-suited for those who seek simply to deepen their grasp of Modern European history. It is expected that this will be the normal means by which those without an appropriate Master’s degree from elsewhere will prepare for the PhD degree in Modern European history at Cambridge.
By the end of the course, students will have acquired:
- A deeper understanding of their chosen area of modern European history and the critical debates within it
- A conceptual and technical understanding that enables the evaluation of current research and methodologies
- The technical skills necessary to pursue primary research in their chosen area
- The ability to situate their own research within current and past methodological and interpretative developments in the field.
The Course
Core Course: Controversies in Modern European History
This course is intended to provide students with an overview of some of the classic debates in modern European history, focusing on particular subjects and sources of controversy. Each session in this course, taken by all students, will be chaired by a course coordinator. In addition, the particular controversy to be discussed in each session will be introduced by a specialist in the field.
These discussion leaders will vary according to availability as will the choice of material to be discussed under each general heading, and the order in which the topics are taught. Topics may include the French bourgeoisie, secularisation, gender in history, the Spanish Civil War, The Great Terror under Stalin, and others.
There are four components to the MPhil in Modern European History:
- Core Course
- First option
- Second option
- Dissertation
In the first term, students on the course will be offered an intensive training programme consisting of classes, seminars, workshops, individual and group assignments. Each student will take a compulsory core course on major historiographical controversies, drawing on specialist lecturers and key readings.
Spanning the first two terms, the course provides a foundational understanding of central themes in Modern European History. Students will also choose two Options from a range of courses provided each year, evolving with the research interests of Faculty members currently teaching on the MPhil. Two of these will be taught in the Michaelmas term, and two will take place in Lent.
Assessment will be based on three essays (from the Core Course, and the two Option Courses) worth 30% of the final result, and the dissertation which will account for 70%.
Students will also begin their research for the dissertation in Michaelmas Term and, under the guidance of their supervisor, start by identifying sources and archives and providing a literature review.
Assessment & Dissertation
The Cambridge MPhil consists of two parts: Part I and Part II. Both parts must be passed in order to pass the MPhil.
Part I
Each Option requires an essay of no more than 4,000 words (or equivalent in case of an external Option, in accordance with its arrangements) which will count for 10% of the final mark. Together the Core course and Options form Part I and will count for 30% of the final degree mark. Satisfactory performance across all three essay-based components will be a necessary condition for proceeding to the dissertation element of the degree.
Part II
The dissertation will count for 70% of the final mark. The Easter Term will be devoted to the production of a dissertation, which must be between 15,000 and 20,000 words long. In consultation with the supervisor, both dissertation topic and title must be submitted for approval by the MPhil Sub-Committee towards the end of January. The dissertation is expected to rest largely on original source material and to show evidence of the mastery of the appropriate research techniques. It does not necessarily have to be publishable.
All work (course-work and dissertation) will be assessed by two examiners, one of whom may be an external examiner, who will report independently. The supervisor cannot act as an examiner for the dissertation. If the examiners consider it necessary, they may conduct an oral examination on the MPhil dissertation. All parts of the MPhil assessment must be passed in order for the degree to be obtained.
The Dissertation, or thesis, is the largest element of the course, worth 70% of the final mark.
Students are admitted to the University on the basis of the research proposal, and each student will be assigned a supervisor who will support the preparation of a piece of original academic research. Candidates must demonstrate that they can present a coherent historical argument based upon a secure knowledge and understanding of primary sources, and they will be expected to place their research findings within the existing historiography of the field within which their subject lies.
All students should be warned that thesis supervisors are concerned to advise students in their studies, not to direct them. Students must accept responsibility for their own research activity and candidacy for a degree. Postgraduate work demands a high degree of self-discipline and organisation. Students are expected to take full responsibility for producing the required course work and thesis to the deadlines specified under the timetable for submission.