History (MA)

About the programme

Choose from five History specialisations

You can choose one of the six specialisations that the master in History offers. Within these specialisations, a flexible format allows you to further tailor your qualification to reflect your interests.

• Ancient History: provides you with a comprehensive overview of the history of the Greek and Roman period.
• Beyond Borders: Global and European History: in which you will explore the political and cultural evolution of the world from a long-term, and broad comparative perspective. 
• Geschiedenis van Nederland in de Wereld: this new Dutch-taught master's specialisation offers an in-depth analysis of the position of the Netherlands in a global context, from the Middle Ages and the early modern Republic to the kingdom of today.
• Governance of Migration and Diversity: this interdisciplinary programme offers you the expertise of three universities on the topics of migration and diversity.
• History of Inequality and Power: in this master's specialisation you will investigate how social, political and economic inequalities have been created, maintained and challenged throughout history.

Latest knowledge

All courses are taught by academics who are active researchers. The curriculum is regularly updated to reflect contemporary academic debates and the very latest insights. Regular seminars are held presenting students with our researchers' latest findings. Your research thesis is often linked to one of the research projects of our faculty members, who play an active role in every individual's education, acting as mentors and community builders.

Detailed programme

For a detailed programme, please check the Prospectus. Please note that this guide applies to the current academic year, which means that the curriculum for next year may slightly differ.

Kitty O'Connor Morse

History MA student

"Throughout my studies I have had the opportunity to critically engage with both primary and secondary material, something that has significantly sharpened my analytical and research skills. I wrote a research paper exploring the transition of armed groups into electoral politics, utilising my primary research to explore how political legitimacy is constructed in periods of armed conflict. One of the most academically intense, but also rewarding, modules involved reading a book a week on American history, which was massively helpful in improving my critical reading skills, time management, and my ability to synthesise complex narratives."

Prof.dr. Gert Oostindie

Professor of Colonial and Postcolonial History

“The least any professor of History can do beyond simply teaching students the methods, contents and ethics of the discipline is to help them reflect on why all of this might be helpful for understanding not simply the past, but also the present. As a frequent contributor to the mass media I feel historians have something substantial to add to public debates and in my teaching I do attempt to stimulate my students to think about this, and to develop the requisite skills.”