Promoting ‘the close inter-relationship between teaching, scholarship, and research’ and ‘education which enhances the ability of students to learn throughout life’ are both phrases found in the core values of the University. Unfortunately, for those outside of STEM disciplines, they apparently don’t apply. If you are a humanities or social sciences student, you are effectively destined to be gatekept from academia.

For the natural scientists and mathematicians of this institution, progression towards a master’s and into academia is relatively seamless. Those performing well enough in their third year can go on to do a fourth, and so get their integrated master’s. Where is this level of support for undergraduates in the humanities? Absolutely nowhere, it seems.

This is not to say that breaking into academia as a STEM student is easy. Getting the 2:i required to get onto third year NatSci is not a trivial achievement, let alone getting on to a PhD programme after. These steps are all difficult and competitive, yet at least there are steps laid out for students to follow. In contrast, the lack of any integrated masters’ across the humanities (no, Management Tripos does not count) makes the transition far more difficult. Those looking to continue education must instead go through the costlier, less convenient process of doing an MPhil, with negligible institutional support for their academic development.

“Where is the support for undergraduates in the humanities?”

One could rightly point out that there are more opportunities and funds in academia for STEM disciplines, with 68% of doctoral admissions at Cambridge being in the sciences. From this perspective, it does make sense to offer more integrated masters’ to STEM students, as significantly more of them will end up going deep into academia. However, there is a big difference between more opportunities and infinitely more opportunities. In comparison to the grand total of zero integrated masters’ available for any of the many humanities undergraduate courses, the Natural Sciences Tripos alone has nine different fourth year pathways, in addition to those for Maths, Computer Science and Engineering. It does not take part III mathematical knowledge to figure that having double the number of PhD admissions and infinitely more fourth year options is in fact bullshit.

This imbalance in opportunities extends beyond simply the availability of integrated master’s. For instance, I have never come across a humanities student who has done a research internship over the vacations. On the other hand, it seems to me that every NatSci and their mother has done some kind of research trip, project or internship at some point during their degree. I am going to commit critical thinking crimes and assume that my anecdote speaks for everyone’s experience, but genuinely – where are all the research opportunities for us humanities students? Given their elusivity, it is no surprise that students gravitate away from academia and towards the corporate world. STEM students also do this, but at least they’re given a chance to experience academia before selling their souls.

“It is no surprise that humanities students gravitate towards the corporate world”

All is not completely dire, as non-STEM students may be required or have the opportunity to write a dissertation in their final year, providing ample experience of in-depth research in a chosen area. This in itself is probably a reasonable taster of postgraduate life, but it brings about its own set of issues. I vividly remember the warnings from my department towards those thinking of doing a dissertation, which went something along the lines of ‘people doing well in dissertations sometimes end up flunking their exams’. I am also vividly aware that final grades are important in determining offers and funding for postgraduate courses. This places humanities students who are open to continuing in education and into academia in a perilous position: take on a dissertation and gain research experience from doing so – but at your own risk.

Having the chance to do an integrated master’s and go on placements over the vacations affords many STEM undergraduates the opportunity to take a dip into academia without bankrupting themselves or harming their current degree prospects. It is time to give humanities students these opportunities as well.