M.A. Historical Sciences

The skills acquired in the Historical Sciences degree programme open up a wide range of high-profile career prospects for you:

• Certainly, you will be able to pursue an academic career as a historian.
• Aside from a university career, you can conduct historical research for specific private clients, such as municipalities or companies. However, you're not confined to universities; you will be able to carry out historical research for specific private clients, municipalities or companies, or indeed working for research organisations and museums. You could also or find employment at a political organisation, an NGO or as a policy adviser.
• Many trained historians traditionally work as archivists, journalists or editors for magazines and newspapers. Historians also often work in publishing hosues, educational institutions, at libraries and cultural organisations, or work in the areas of monument preservation and museum education. With this degree you can access different professional fields in the media, press and in public relations.

These are just a few examples of the wide range of occupational areas in which the skills acquired in the degree programme are applied.

The programme comprises three module areas:

A) Foundational Sciences, Theory and Methods
B) Focus areas
C) Research and Practice

A) In module area A, you will complete modules in auxiliary sciences of history or modules that are strongly source-oriented. You will also acquire knowledge of history theory, methodology and the history of science. Modules in Digital Humanities or Art History will provide you with an introduction to these disciplines.

B) Module area B gives you the opportunity to specialise in a specific area and to acquire specific skills in a sub-discipline of history. Alternatively, you may combine two to four subjects from courses/modules with a lower number of ECTS credits. You may choose from: Ancient History, Medieval History, Modern and Contemporary History, Eastern European History, Church History, Art History and Visual Culture, Digital History and Public History.

C) In module area C you will complete two or three modules: You will complete a compulsory colloquium on the subject of your research project(s). In addition, you may choose between a project course, an excursion and/or an internship of one or two months in length.

As part of the degree programme you will write a master's thesis on a topic selected from module group A.

Throughout the programme you will accumulate 120 ECTS credits. Depending on your individual choices, the programme can be completed with 120 ECTS points in only one discipline or as a combination of up to five sub-disciplines.

For further details, please consult the Academic Advice Service's infosheet [German content] and the module catalogue.

To register for the master's thesis in the sub-disciplines 'Ancient History', 'Medieval History', 'Modern and Contemporary History' or 'Church History', you must prove that you have a sound knowledge of Latin ('kleines Latinum'). When registering for your master's thesis in the field of 'Eastern European History', you must prove either Czech language skills at level B1 CEFR or Polish or Russian at level A2 CEFR. You can acquire those language skills by completing the relevant language courses during your degree programme.