Master of Arts in History of Politics and Society
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English, Dutch
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 - 2 year
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
EUR 2,209 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* EU/EEA, Surinam or Swiss students; €17,500: International students
Scholarships
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Introduction
Use Historical Insights to Solve Present-Day Issues
Do referenda endanger democracy? Why is it so difficult to combat global economic inequality? What will the future of the welfare state look like? The Master’s program History of Politics and Society provides you with a thorough understanding of the historical roots of the most important political and societal issues that politicians, journalists, and policymakers are concerned with today.
You will study the historical development of democracy, civil society, citizenship, and economic inequality from an international comparative perspective. The program focuses largely on the 19th and 20th centuries and has an interdisciplinary approach: you will combine historical research with concepts and explanations derived from the social sciences.
As a student you will develop new academic skills and perspectives: you will learn how to use comparative research methods and how to analyze long-term developments. Through internships, training, and engaged supervision, the Master’s program also offers good preparation for the labor market. In this way, we train you as a historian able to use knowledge of the past to help explain and solve current-day issues.
Language of Instruction
The core courses of the program are offered only in English. For the other courses, students may choose between Dutch- and English-taught courses.
Part-time
The part-time option allows you to complete the full-time program over two years instead of one.
Program Outcome
After Graduation
After completing their studies, many graduates pursue careers engaged with current-day political and societal issues, for instance as researchers or policymakers in public or semi-public organizations, at NGOs, in the business world, or in media. There are several job market segments where there is a need for people who can tie together the past, present, and future.
Institutions
In our Master’s program History of Politics and Society, you will develop an understanding of why societies have developed in such divergent ways by examining institutions in the fields of democracy, citizenship, and the organization of the market. These institutions form ‘the rules of the game’ – they give our present society its form, but they are also the result of a historical process. The program will provide you with insight into the way in which these institutions - which are so influential in modern society - have developed, and into their functions and consequences.
The program places emphasis on the modern age: the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. However, we also look back to the more distant past if that helps to gain insight into the historical roots of current-day issues.
Theory-Driven and Comparative
In this program, you will learn to use theories and concepts from the social sciences plus a comparative approach to examine the mechanisms that can explain the remarkable similarities and differences between cities, regions, states, continents, and historical periods.
Profession-Oriented
The program offers you the opportunity to apply these insights to current affairs and issues relevant to official policies. The internship or the Politics and Society Lab provide excellent opportunities to do so. Other program components also pay explicit attention to the application of insights, such as course assignments and guest speakers from the field.
Career Opportunities
There are a number of job market segments where there is a need for people who can tie together the past, present, and future: employees who help shape the future by providing insight into the origins of contemporary society. For example:
- Policymakers in the public sector (national government and lower levels) or at semi-public organizations: employees who can advise on issues such as political structures, social relationships, and economic developments.
- Researchers and consultants at important consultation bureaus in these fields, such as the Netherlands Institute for Social Research or the Scientific Council for Government Policy, or parliamentary assistants for political parties.
- Research journalists and consultants in media- or business communities, with an eye to social issues and socially responsible entrepreneurship.
Professional Careers
Alumni of the program have found employment in a variety of organizations that require them to use their expertise. For example:
- Dutch Ministery of the Interior and Kingdom Relations
- Dutch Ministery of General Affairs
- Transitiepartners, an organisation that supports municipalities with changes in the social domain
- External Affairs Directorate of the Scottish government
- Wallaart & Kusse Public Affairs, a company that helps organisations to set up a lobby
- Municipality of Amstelveen (Arts and Culture)
- Municipality of Amsterdam
- CBI, UK’s largest business membership organization
Academic Careers
In principle, graduates of the Master’s program History of Politics and Society are eligible to apply for a Ph.D. position at a Dutch or foreign university, but the program does not train candidates specifically for this purpose. Students who aim for such a career may be better off choosing the Research Master in History.