Human, Social and Political Sciences
Churchill would be an outstanding place for you to study Human, Social and Political Sciences. We have Fellows whose academic interests cover virtually all the constituent subjects of the course. In addition to our Teaching Fellows in HSPS, we also have College Teaching Fellows in allied disciplines, e.g., Classics and Geography, and good supervisors for other aspects of the course. Consequently, the ratio of students to teaching staff is favourable, and our students’ exam results are frequently exceptional. The HSPS community at Churchill is diverse and friendly — its members (both lecturers and students) comprise a cosmopolitan group with varied backgrounds. They regularly interact both in- and outside supervisions.
The College has excellent facilities, including a well-stocked library. The Churchill Archives Centre is a wonderful resource for those interested in politics and international affairs, housing the papers of senior politicians (including Winston Churchill), civil servants, diplomats, military leaders, and scientists of the twentieth century. The Centre also regularly stages events and lectures of relevance to HSPS students.
Entry Requirements
Course-specific information, including the University’s minimum offer level, can be found by selecting your course from the University’s Course List then looking at the “Entry Requirements” tab. The University’s Entrance Requirements and International Entry Requirements webpages may contain guidance relevant to you too.
At Churchill, we want to admit undergraduates who will thrive during their time here, so – in their interests – we tend to set conditional offers in line with the typical attainment of Cambridge entrants, by course. On average, this allows us to make a relatively generous number of offers per place, but it also means that our requirements are usually a little more rigorous than the University’s minimum offer level.
You can learn more about the academic profiles of Churchill entrants and our approach to setting conditional offers on our undergraduate applications page.
Admissions assessment
Churchill does not use a written assessment in HSPS.
Submitted work
If you apply to Churchill, we’ll ask you to submit two examples of teacher-marked written work. These should be taken from your present or most recent studies, and should not be re-written or corrected for your Cambridge application. Ideally, each piece should be 1500 to 2000 words in length.
Interview
The role of academic interviews in Churchill’s admissions process is explained on our interviews page. You will be given time beforehand to read an article or related writing which will be discussed during the interview. You’re likely to be asked questions about your school or college work, your academic background and interests, and your wider exploration of intellectual matters. More specific questions may focus on your interest in, and awareness of, topics covered by the HSPS course. No special preparation is required but we’d advise you to be fully familiar with your sixth form (or equivalent) learning and any other relevant material you provide as part of your application, e.g., your personal statement and submitted work.
Director of Studies
Dr Pieter van Houten
Studying Human, Social and Political Science at Churchill College
Human, Social, and Political Sciences (HSPS) caters both to students with a broad interest in its named subjects, and to those primarily interested in one of its constituents, e.g., Politics and International Relations, Social Anthropology, and Sociology. The course is exceptionally diverse. Many undergraduates choose to study a broad range of topics in their first year before specialising as their interests develop. However, the course is sufficiently flexible to allow you to pursue a subject in depth from the outset.
Full course details are provided on the Department’s Prospective Undergraduates webpage and the University’s Undergraduate Study webpage.
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