Human, Social and Political Sciences

Typical offer: A*AA in A Levels (or equivalent)

Required subjects: none

Typical number of HSPS undergraduates admitted per year: 4-7

Submitted written work requirements: see our Written Work webpage

Admissions assessment: none

Human, Social and Political Sciences (HSPS) offers students a fantastic opportunity to pursue their interests within a broad field. The degree can be tailored from the start, with students in the first year choosing papers from a very wide range of options across three core disciplines (Politics and International Relations; Social Anthropology; Sociology). From the second year onwards, students normally focus on one or two specific areas. Overall, this degree is well suited either to students with specific interests within these fields or to those who enjoy a multidisciplinary approach. 

For more information about the options available for HSPS students, visit the University's HSPS course page.

Corpus has a strong tradition in many of the subjects that make up the HSPS course, and it has become one of our most popular subjects. We have Fellows and supervisors across the broad range of papers that are offered, which makes for an exceptional learning environment. 

Corpus has a thriving community of students who are interested in human, social, political and psychological themes. The College's Gerard Duveen Social Sciences Society meets thrice termly to discuss a range of topics and listen to a variety of speakers in an informal setting. Previous talks have been given by Lord Ramsbotham, former Chief Inspector of Prisons, who spoke on prison reform, Dr Chris Brooke, who discussed Tony Blair's autobiography, and Helen Lockett from the Centre for Mental Health, who discussed employment and mental health problems. All of the College's undergraduates and graduates are welcome to attend, and the talks are a great opportunity for inter-disciplinary discussion.

We are looking for applicants who show a genuine interest in aspects of Human, Social and Political Sciences, and who have pursued this interest by independently engaging with material outside the school curriculum. We are frequently asked if there is anything in particular that students should read before coming to an interview. The answer is no. We don't expect applicants to have read certain things and we aren't looking to test knowledge acquired from specific books. Reading, however, is a core part of the HSPS degree, and competitive applicants will be in the habit of regularly reading things that interest them. Take a look at the super-curricular resources section below for ideas of where to start.

There are no particular subjects at A Level (or equivalent) that are required. HSPS is a broad course, so a range of subjects will provide a good background - from Mathematics to social sciences (e.g. Psychology, Politics and Geography) and arts (e.g. English, History and modern languages).

Prospective applicants are advised to follow their own interests rather than seek out a prescriptive list of resources that they must work through. However, we have put together a few suggestions that you might like to look at as starting points:

• Suggested reading list from the HSPS Faculty
• The Economist
• Online resources such as Chatham House, The Royal Anthropological Institute, Political Studies Association 
• Cambridge's HE+ page on Politics