The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge are the most famous universities in the UK; they are both extremely prestigious and notoriously difficult to gain admittance to, resulting in driven, competitive, and aspirational students and graduates.

To support students applying to these universities, we are publishing a series of articles on the admissions and applications process required, the courses available, and the universities themselves. In this article, we discuss courses for the social sciences and how they are studied at the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge.

The Social Sciences at Oxford and Cambridge

Applying for an undergraduate degree to study one of the social sciences at Oxford or Cambridge will require that you have achieved (or are predicted to achieve) excellent school grades in specific subjects related to your course. These will be detailed in the admission requirements on the relevant course page.

There is a range of courses in the social sciences available to study at Oxbridge. Understanding the variety of courses on offer and what each course entails is vital to making an informed decision. The subjects studied at Oxbridge will be different from the subjects studied at A level regarding content and skills that you will be expected to apply independently. You should read the webpage and prospectus for courses that interest you to gain a better sense of what you would study in each year of your degree. Different courses will also offer options for the second and third years of study so it is a good idea to understand how you could specialise later on in your degree.

Both Oxford and Cambridge offer an opportunity to study the social sciences listed below:

• Archaeology

• Economics

• History

• History of Art

• Human Sciences

• Law

• Psychology

• Religion

Oxford and Cambridge also offer different courses in the social sciences which are available for study at one university but not the other. Understanding which courses are on offer for your field of interest at each university is essential when considering which university to apply to. Below you can find a summary of courses in the social sciences which are exclusive to either Oxford or Cambridge.

Social Sciences at Oxford

• Classical Archaeology and Ancient History

• Oriental Studies

• Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics

Social Sciences at Cambridge

• Architecture

• Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

• Education

• Land Economy

• Linguistics

• Management Studies

To prepare your application for a course at Oxford or Cambridge, it is highly recommended to develop academic projects and achievements in your chosen field; these will hone your research and scientific skills as well as document your pursuit of knowledge. A selection of projects we have supported students to complete in the social sciences is listed below:

• Public Spending for Socially Efficient Levels of Crime

• Evaluating Measures to Reduce Unemployment

• Public Perception of New Technologies to Combat Climate Change

For more advice or for a free personalised application plan, contact our team at info@libraeducation.co.uk.

We hope that this article will provide you with greater preparation for your application to study at the University of Cambridge or the University of Oxford. We wish you success in the next stage of your academic career.