Master of Arts in International Relations in Historical Perspective
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 year
Pace
Full 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
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Introduction
Explore Complex Issues in Modern International Relations
Are we heading for a new Cold War with Russia? Will the international community solve the new challenges arising as a result of climate change? Have the Asian powers surpassed their former colonial rulers? How does cyber power influence international politics? Does the current climate of increasing international competition and growing nationalism still allow enough space for ethical norms and values such as human rights?
The international political stage is much like a game of chess between multiple players. During the course of this Master's program, you will gain a greater understanding of the parties involved and of their political agendas and also prepare yourself for a future as a participant in the game of global politics.
Bridging History and Political Science
Political theory is an important tool in the analysis of international questions. In order to fully understand those issues, however, we strongly believe in the importance of adopting a broader historical perspective - and while history never repeats itself (or at least not exactly), one can learn a great deal from it. By bridging the fields of history and international relations, the MA in International Relations in Historical Perspective offers an in-depth insight into both worlds.
This emphasis on blending international history and international relations theory makes this Master’s program unique in the Netherlands and beyond. Through this approach, you will learn to place recent international developments in a broader historical perspective. For it is only through in-depth knowledge of the past that the complexities of our times can be unraveled.
Program Outcome
After graduating from the Master of International Relations in Historical Perspective program, you will have:
- Gained insight into the history of international relations, especially of the 20th and 21st;
- Become an expert in at least one of the thematic areas central to the MA program;
- Learned to discuss relevant issues in modern politics and to research them independently;
- Gained ability to carry out practical tasks, such as drafting policy drafts and memos;
- Gained research skills, including the ability to work with historical primary sources and using theories drawn from the fields of political theory and international relations;
- Learned to report research clearly and understandably, in written and oral form;
Throughout the program, you will have the opportunity to actively work on your career development.
Curriculum
Build a Strong Foundation for Understanding Modern Politics
The program revolves around three core research themes that shed light on contemporary international politics, providing the students with analytical tools to engage with a wide range of topics:
- The history of security and conflict, including wars, terrorism, humanitarian interventions, and the role of the intelligence services in international politics.
- The history of European international relations, including the European integration process.
- The history of global processes including colonialism, decolonization, North-South relations, and global health concerns and environmental issues.
These thematic pillars reflect the three research clusters on which lecturers and researchers focus on the history of international relations section within the department of history at the University of Utrecht. Within these clusters, researchers and teachers share the key findings of their ongoing research projects and translate these to the classroom. This notion of ‘research-led teaching’ connects the research done within our department directly to the students of our MA program, not only guaranteeing a constant flow of new ideas and innovations into the classroom but also giving students the possibility to actively contribute to these academic clusters with their own ideas.
Internship
As part of the MA program, you can choose to participate in an internship of at least three months. With an internship, you will put your knowledge and skills into practice, and this experience will form an important part of your resume. Recent studies show that 80% of students who took part in an internship found employment within a year of graduating.
Career Opportunities
Professionals with an International Relations in Historical Perspective degree can easily find their way in the world of international politics, and their career options extend beyond Foreign Affairs, the EU, and the UN. Graduates will have the skills to create effective policy, and such expertise can be employed in other areas as well such as NGOs and lobbying agencies.
Possible Prospects
Being able to select the right information and use it as a foundation to write a clear commentary that offers creative solutions to complex problems is an art in and of itself. The International Relations in Historical Perspective program will help you to master that art.
After graduating from the Master’s program, you will possess the right knowledge and skills to start out as a policymaker. This program primarily prepares you for a job in national governments, NGOs, and international organizations within the area of international politics. However, businesses and local governments are asking more and more often for people with analytical skills and the ability to translate those skills into useful advice.
If you are not looking for a position as a policymaker in either the profit or non-profit sectors, your skills and knowledge could easily be applied to careers such as teaching history, doing research, or doing journalism.
Professional Careers
Alumni of this program have found jobs in a range of fields in the labor market. Rosemarie Jorritsma for instance is Administrative Policy Advisor at Public Order and Security, Municipality of The Hague. Here are some examples of jobs in which expertise in international relations is required.
NGOs
- Senior Human Rights Officer, Dutch division Amnesty International
- Program Leader Security & Disarmament Programme, PAX
Policy agencies at the national and international level
- Administrative Policy Advisor at Public Order and Security, Municipality of The Hague
- Officer Authority Financial Markets (AFM)
- Junior and Senior Officer Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Operations Officer World Bank
Lobby, consultancy
- Public Affairs Adviser, PBLCO Government & Public Affairs and Strategic Communications
- Junior Adviser Public Affairs, Dröge & Van Drimmelen, Corporate Communication and Public Affairs
- Training and \Research Fellow Clingendael Institute for International Relations, The Hague
Academic Careers
With your Master’s degree in Internal Relations in Historical Perspective, you can start out as a junior researcher at a university, think tank, or diplomatic academy. One of our alumni, for example, is a Training & Research Fellow at Clingendael, Netherlands Institute of International Relations. Our 20-week research seminar and intensive supervision during the writing of your Master’s thesis will help you to reach the level necessary to successfully apply for a Ph.D. position.
Additional guidance can be provided through the research track. Your thesis will not only be complex and insightful but will also contain in-depth source research and attention to historiography and political theory. With this combination, you will lay the foundations for a Ph.D. proposal and for an excellent CV.
Admissions
Rankings
Judged Best in the Field
The highly regarded Keuzegids Master’s Selection Guide 2018 ranked Utrecht University’s International Relations in Historical Perspective programme as the best in the field in the Netherlands.
In the last edition of the Elsevier Best Studies Survey, students have also rated International Relations as the best programme.