Part-Time PhD in History

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 as you must be able to attend Cambridge regularly. The part-time PhD is a not a distance-learning degree.

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.

In addition to your application, you must complete the Part-Time Admissions Questionnaire. This must be sent directly to the Faculty, at phd-admissions@hist.cam.ac.uk, when you submit your online admission application. 

You can continue to be in employment with the part-time PhD, although full-time employment is not considered compatible with the degree. You must 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.

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.

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)

• Qualification: Part-time PhD
• Term (1 being your first term): 5

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

• Qualification: Part-time PhD
• Term (1 being your first term): 16

Absolute final submission deadline

• Qualification: Part-time PhD
• 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

• Qualification: Part-time PhD
• Term (1 being your first term): 5

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 PhD minimum research period have been paid.

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.

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.