History is the study of the events and forces that have shaped our world, our society and ourselves. This comprehensive Master of History gives you the freedom to explore a variety of different historical approaches and time periods.

About the programme:

The comprehensive History programme gives you the freedom to explore a variety of different historical approaches and time periods. Our internationally renowned staff will help you develop the skills and specialized knowledge needed to become a historian.

The Master of History consists of two parts:

• A number of in-depth optional courses. Together with your supervisor you choose a series of elective modules,  a full list of modules can be found here. You can choose to specialise in a particular time period or historical theme such as cultural history, religious history or global history.

• The master thesis; you shape your study program around the topic of your master thesis. As historical research at KU Leuven is organised into four different research groups and you will become part of the same research group as your thesis supervisor, the different available courses are presented according to each research group's focus.

Research Groups:

The historians at Leuven pursue their research collaboratively within four research groups, and as a student you will automatically become part of the same research group as your supervisor. Each research group comes with a set of possible courses for you to take.

Master thesis:

Throughout the degree, you are expected to work towards a master thesis where you have the opportunity to write an extensive and original historical study using the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired throughout the courses.

Excursions:

Over the year, you will take several excursions to fascinating historical sites. 

Student profile:

• You have a solid academic background in history or a closely related field.

• You want to be able to independently plan and execute an communicate historical research.

• You are eager to familiarise yourself with different approaches to history and the past.

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.