Master of History
Leuven, Belgium
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English, Dutch
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 4,591 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
About the Programme
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 programme aims to equip you with the skills and specialised knowledge needed to become a historian. Our programme 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 programme 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 programme 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 programme. You will shape your study programme 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.
Curriculum
As a (future) student, you can consult the official study programme in the KU Leuven programme guide. Find out about all course units, the weekly time table, the course content, the name of the lecturer and more.
A selection of the specialisations offered at our programme:
- 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.
Curious about all the course units of the programme? What your weekly timetable would look like? Who your lecturers will be?
Ideal Students
- You have a solid academic background in history, archival research or a closely related field (in the humanities).
- 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.
- You are eager to familiarise yourself with different approaches to history. You are determined to engage in scholarly literature and discussions with others within the programme.
Admissions
Program delivery
The courses are fully taught in English and also available in Dutch.
Program Outcome
- Credits: 60 ECTS
- Degree Type: Master
Program Tuition Fee
Why study at KU Leuven
What sets us apart as a university?
A highly ranked university
KU Leuven is among the best 100 universities in the world according to both Times Higher Education World Rankings and QS World University Rankings. All of KU Leuven’s disciplines proudly belong to the top 100 of their field. Furthermore, KU Leuven was ranked by Reuters as the most innovative university in Europe in 2016.
Research-based education
Education at KU Leuven is research-based, which means students will learn from the same professors who are performing the ground-breaking research you read about in the press. New insights are instantly integrated into classes and students are encouraged to perform their own research. In our FabLab, students can use a number of high-tech machines to create whatever they want – all free of charge.
Affordable tuition fees
Higher education is highly valued in Belgium and therefore subsidised by the government. This allows KU Leuven to keep tuition fees relatively low, which gives you a price/quality ratio very few top-100 universities can match. We take pride in keeping our programmes as accessible as possible to allow the brightest students from around the globe to join our courses.
International student life with respect for diversity
According to Times Higher Education, KU Leuven is in the top 50 of most international universities worldwide with staff and students from over 150 different nationalities. For all our international students, the Pangaea student centre is their home away from home. Our university also strives for diversity and inclusion and wants to work together on a pact for more respect.
Info Sessions
Rankings
KU Leuven is among the best 100 universities in the world according to both Times Higher Education World Rankings and QS World University Rankings. All of KU Leuven’s disciplines proudly belong to the top 100 of their field.
Accreditations
Gallery
Career Opportunities
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.