For modern history, is Oxford or Cambridge better?

I particularly find 20thcentruy inwards most interesting. I enjoy other areas too of course, but mainly if they are more thematic in approach and can link to the present. So for modern history, delis Oxford or Cambridge better?
Thanks!

I particularly find 20thcentruy inwards most interesting. I enjoy other areas too of course, but mainly if they are more thematic in approach and can link to the present. So for modern history, delis Oxford or Cambridge better?
Thanks!

Compare the modules on offer:
https://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/course/history-ba-tripos
and
https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/ba-history

Imagine choosing a degree path through each course. Which one whets your appetite most?

Oxford

I particularly find 20thcentruy inwards most interesting. I enjoy other areas too of course, but mainly if they are more thematic in approach and can link to the present. So for modern history, delis Oxford or Cambridge better?
Thanks!

i'm not sure about the quality of modules since i don't attend either (i'm applying to oxford for ancient and modern history this year) but i would say oxford is better for focus on modern history. cambridge's history course ranges from antiquity onwards, whilst this isn't the case for oxford - its history course begins in the medieval period. to do ancient history alongside modern history at oxford you need to do the joint honours amh course. because of this, i'd assume there are more modern-focused options at oxford compared to cambridge as the course isn't as broad in terms of time period and there won't be any mandatory modules on ancient history.
hope this helps!

Thank you lots that is indeed very helpful. I'm applying too this year lol 🫠. Thats an interesting point that oxford separates ancient and modern a bit more, but looking at the modules it seems they have maybe a bit less 20th century stuff but the websites can be confusing. good luck with ur application!

if you have time, could you elaborate please on why you think thats the case?

good luck on submitting your application!! im honestly quite stressed haha my school is having me submit mine on monday and then got to somehow find an essay thats good enough to send for written work and prepare for the HAT.
honestly from what i'd seen on the oxf and camb history faculty websites, oxf seems to have a lot more options for 20th century onwards in 2nd and 3rd year but maybe im just looking at the wrong place in the cambridge history page

I think the Oxford course is more broad with more students.

Thank you! Sorry to hear that take good care of yourself and have a nice rest too! Its good to know about the more varied options for 20th C at oxford. I just need to take a really thorough look at the websites but their layout can be a bit bonkers

I particularly find 20thcentruy inwards most interesting. I enjoy other areas too of course, but mainly if they are more thematic in approach and can link to the present. So for modern history, delis Oxford or Cambridge better?
Thanks!

Okay thats good to know thank you

Thank you! Sorry to hear that take good care of yourself and have a nice rest too! Its good to know about the more varied options for 20th C at oxford. I just need to take a really thorough look at the websites but their layout can be a bit bonkers

There's a lot of choices at Oxford, and there are more thematic papers available. It's definitely not a modern history degree, though, and there are strict period requirements. It's true that most of the ancient history is in a separate degree, but there's a lot of time between antiquity and the 20th century. If you really wanted to avoid doing anything other than modern history, your best bet would be one of the history joint honours courses, as they're less strict on the period requirements, and you'd only have to do a paper or two.

Looking through the links I provided above in a bit more detail, it seems to me that one of the main differences between the two is that at Oxford you study more actual history. At Cambridge I think there is a greater emphasis on historical thinking and methodology.