The programme’s courses are taught in small groups by first-rate instructors. You will learn advanced research skills whilst developing historical expertise in your specific areas of interest. We will also challenge you to connect your work to ongoing scholarly debates and to reflect on current affairs. The broad range of expertise of our History Department pertains to the following areas of (early) modern history: political history, cultural history, history of international relations and conflict studies, economic and social history.
In Utrecht, you will become part of a dynamic and diverse student community. Class discussions and extracurricular activities will allow you to develop and test your ideas about history as an academic discipline. You will have the chance to assist in organising the programme’s annual student conference and participate in one of our Department’s regular academic seminars.
Our instructors use the historical landscape to contribute to scholarly debates with high social impact, including global inequality, cultural diversity, democratisation processes, and terrorist threats, to name a few. They also often engage directly in public debates about these issues. Likewise, most of our students aspire to become professional researchers, tackling important academic debates and societal issues. Many go on to pursue PhDs and work in academia, while others work as researchers in the numerous non-academic public and private organisations that demand advanced research skills, such as governmental agencies and NGOs.
Throughout the programme, we introduce our students to a vast range of research-oriented career opportunities, and we help them craft individualized plans to achieve their goals. After successful completion of the programme, our students are fully qualified to work as professional researchers. Our rigorous training programme prepares students to take advantage of the high demand for research expertise within and outside of academia, and our research internship programme provides a first leap into the world of professional research.