History—research proposal only.

So my background is literature and whilst I can swing how interdisciplinary that can be, it's not going to make a ruby a sapphire. I'll be applying to history PG taught master's for 2016 intake at a few institutions that have really relevant courses. I'll have a masters in modern literature already. I'm going to apply very soon. I've come across Cambridge's MPhil in History and this looks amazing.

Every other institution is happy with a 1-2 page personal statement which obviously touches all bases. I've got a moderate-lengthy paragraph on what independent research I plan to pursue for all of them. Cambridge do not want a personal statement it seems, they want a lengthy research proposal only. I have checked with the department itself and this is definitely a taught programme. Whilst I'm kind of perplexed about why I need to write 500+ words for a thesis I am around 18 months away from starting (I'm not applying early, funding deadlines are Octoberish so might as well be optimistic), I actually have no idea how to flesh out this to that level of detail.

I've never done this before, at all stages of study I only needed to give a sort or rough 100 words on what I'll be doing and then when it comes to it and I start chiseling away I have more of an idea the exact nature of it. I feel like I'm going to totally mess this up and Cambridge is obviously not the one you want to have a hack job of because it'll be extremely tough getting in any way.

Ugh. I don't know, I guess I'm looking for advice.

Reply 1

sj27

Ok so, this is not from a history background but another department at Cambridge but I thought it might give some perspective.
Not all taught courses at Cam require a research proposal but a number of them do, including the department I've just finished up at. Some people had done undergrad in the subject, others not. This led to a huge variety of research proposals (we saw most of the successful ones after we started the course), in approach, method, detail etc. I imagine history is similar and they are used to seeing all sorts. I was one of those without a direct background in the subject and I spent quite a lot of time doing some preliminary reading around the subject to be able to write a semi-literate/logical proposal. If your background is not history, it makes sense you will have to work harder at your proposal than someone whose undergrad is history. But look at this from another perspective: do a decent job of this, and you're much more likely to convince a historian that you can do his/her subject justice than the (let's face it) fairly yada-yada-I'm-brilliant-with-a-vague-research-idea-choose me personal statements that they see from everyone. (And you will have space for some of that on your application form too.) Good luck!

Reply 2

Josb

Original post by JoeWilliams

You must mention some inspiring, important, or outdated history books/articles, which will be mentioned in your thesis, and the primary sources that you will use. You should also imply that the thesis is doable in one year.
In addition, it's a good idea to tailor the subject for the university: if Cambridge uni/college/city have archival documents or anything else related to you thesis, do list them; then, you can also speak about the supervisory fit of the department, telling about your supervisor and other academics whose research interests are close to yours.

Reply 3

gutenberg

I did a history MPhil at Cambridge and I would advise you to think about the following when structuring your proposal:

* the central question(s) you want to address in your thesis. These don't have to be massively specific, but if you can give a good idea of what you would like the thesis to be about then articulate that as clearly as possible.

* what has already been written about this topic, or tangential topics? If there isn't anything or very much, reflect briefly on why that might be in the proposal.

* think about methodology and how different approaches could be taken - you have a background in lit, so talk about bringing a critical or close-reading focus, or contextual information, etc. Often historians are bad at talking about methodology, so don't panic too much about this section!

* mention some sources you might be interested in looking at - you have a background in lit, so would some literary sources feature? Do you have an idea of collection of papers at the British Library or similar that could feature? Again, the level of detail expected is not massively high, but if you've done some digging around potential sources, then discuss them!

* discuss briefly how this topic could contribute to our knowledge of a particular field of history - though don't over-egg this, it is only a Master's thesis! :smile:

* I also don't think its a terrible idea to mention in the prop why Cambridge would be good for your research. I briefly mentioned in my proposal that I hoped to take two particular optional courses on my MPhil, which I hoped in turn would feed into the thesis.

I hope that helps a bit. Remember that the main purpose of the research proposal is to try and match you up with an appropriate supervisor for your interests. So the proposal should be clear about the General area and themes you're interested in exploring, and then provide some details where possible. Good luck!

History—research proposal only.

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