History

History is the study of the events and forces that have shaped the intricacies of the world around us. This comprehensive one-year Master's program will help you become the historical expert of your liking. Through our wide range of specialisations in different time periods, you will be trained to become part of the highly sought-after next generation of historians.

KU Leuven organizes regular online info sessions. You can find more information on the KU Leuven website.

About the program

Are you interested in analysing and understanding the complex developments of today in light of the past? Are you curious to learn more about the medieval urban socio-economic environment or the many surprising transfers and exchanges in the early modern globalised world? Or are you particularly eager to uncover many new voices of various historical actors?

Through the window of the past, our one-year research-intensive history program aims to equip you with the skills and specialised knowledge needed to become a historian. Our program will hone your ability to grasp, interpret and critically analyse complex issues and develop high-level research skills, while you get the freedom to specialize in your own topics of interest.

Our Master in History program gives you the opportunity to study history in the historical town of Leuven and in one of Europe's oldest and most well-established universities. Leuven is only a fifteen minute train ride away from Brussels, and houses centuries-old scholarly tradition, well embedded in international and interdisciplinary circles alike.

The Master of History program is structured around three pillars:

• Your master thesis and the research seminar: The pinnacle of your Master's degree is your Master's thesis which stands at the core of your individually designed study program. You will shape your study program around the topic of your master thesis, in close cooperation with your supervisor and the support of the research seminar.
• Specialization - electives: Together with your supervisor, you choose a series of elective modules catered to your own preferences and research plans. You can choose to specialise in a particular time period or a historical theme ranging from global, diplomatic history to urban history, or from the history of sciences to social and environmental history. Please consult a list of our specialisations below.
• Professionalization: Students can choose an internship as part of the elective modules. The internship is a unique opportunity to gain first-hand experience in the labour market, and apply your academic skills in a working environment: in research, archives, media organizations, or in one of the many small or big museums and heritage organisations that Belgium has to offer.

Talented, motivated students in the humanities from across the world that have a strong appetite for studying, but also researching history are welcome to apply.

Career perspectives

History is a well-rounded discipline. You will take all kinds of classes about historical periods, regions and domains. Through different exercises, you learn to think, analyse, offer criticism, interpret, debate, draw conclusions, and express them in writing. You also become familiar with many other disciplines, such as law, political science and economics.

You will develop skills that are invaluable to employers in a variety of sectors, including: government and politics, media and communications, heritage and cultural organisations, and a broad range of private companies.

Historians are therefore valued in a wide range of job sectors. The time when all historians became teachers or archivists has long past.

A selection of the specialisations offered at our program:

• Medieval History: church & society, urban history and gender, social and environmental history, etc.
• Early Modern History: book history, history of religion and nobility, early modern globalization and transregional history, history of emotions, history of infrastructure, applied history, etc.
• Cultural History since 1750: history of knowledge and science, historiography and historical culture, history of cultural infrastructure and cultural transfers, critical cultural heritage studies, etc.
• Modernity and Society, 1800-2000 (MoSa): diplomatic history and East-West relations, (post-)colonial and migration history, agricultural history, European global history, history of international organisations and subaltern history, urban history, European political history and the history of media, etc.

• You have a solid academic background in history, archival research or a closely related field.
• You are equipped with basic methodological skills for conducting historical research.
• You want to be able to independently plan, execute and communicate historical research.
• You have excellent reading and writing skills. Fluency in several languages is a plus.