Beyond Borders: Global and European History (MA)
The new specialisation Beyond Borders: Global and European History takes the world's interconnectedness as its starting point in exploring transboundary exchanges and transnational connections.
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Questions about this new History specialisation? Join our presentation with live Q&A during the Master's Online Open Days on 9 and 10 October!
A top-ranked programme
According to the QS World University Rankings 2025, History at Leiden University is rated 1st in the Netherlands and 18th in the world.
Why study Beyond Borders: Global and European History?
In this master's programme, you will study European and global history through comparison and by focusing on the long-term development of transboundary exchanges of people, ideas, and institutions. Beyond Borders provides insights into how phenomena like imperialism, warfare, nationalism, democracy, diasporas, decolonisation, and environmentalism have traveled across the globe and influenced societies in Europe and beyond.
This will give you a deeper understanding of the entangled nature of modern societies. At the same time, it also shows you how past interconnections continue to affect current global challenges. As a student in this specialisation, you are therefore encouraged to think both critically and historically about today’s world.
Learn more about the study programme
Why Leiden University?
- Academic exellence: Leiden University offers a strong international profile and an outstanding reputation for historical research in European and global history from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era.
- Interdisciplinary approach: The programme takes an interdisciplinary approach to study the political and cultural evolution of the world.
- Unique resources: As a student you will have access to premier research institutes and archives, providing you with unique opportunities for in-depth study.
- Benefit from partnerships: Leiden’s proximity to institutions like KITLV, NIOD and the National Archives, as well as partnerships with heritage and governmental organisations, make it a prime location to develop global historical perspectives with academic rigor.
Dr. Fenneke Sysling
Assistant Professor
"We live in an increasingly interconnected world, though borders remain more permeable for some than for others. Beyond Borders highlights the connections between the world and Europe, for example those shaped by cultural contacts or conquest. It equips students to uncover the historical roots of these dynamics and to explore how the local was shaped by the global—and vice versa. In my courses, this means tracing the movement of people, knowledge, and objects between Southeast Asia and Europe, and reading sources from more than one perspective."
What are your career prospects?
Graduates of this programme develop key analytical, research, and communication skills. As a graduate you are equipped to pursue a career in:
- Academia
- Journalism
- International relations
- Cultural heritage
- Policymaking
- NGOs
Find out more about your career prospects
Is this the programme for you?
Are you passionate about history on a broad scale, and interested in how societies have interacted and shaped each other over time? Are you intellectually curious, globally minded, and interested in topics like collective identities, entangled histories, and transboundary exchanges? Then this programme suits you. It's ideal for students who want to go beyond national narratives and explore how mutual crossings have shaped societies.