Entry requirements

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university. The main field of study must be within the humanities or social sciences.

Also required is 60 credits in historical studies.

Language requirements

Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6. This requirement can be met either by achieving the required score on an internationally recognised test, or by previous upper secondary or university studies in some countries. Detailed instructions on how to provide evidence of your English proficiency are available at universityadmissions.se.

Aims

The aim of the Master’s programme in Modern History is to give students a systematic understanding of modern history from a global perspective and to give them the ability to independently formulate and solve scholarly relevant problems within the field of modern history, and to be able to critically assess the work of others.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the programme, students will be able to

• independently and critically identify and analyse problems that are of central importance to the field of modern history
• demonstrate in-depth knowledge of modern history
• use theories and methods currently accepted within the discipline that are relevant to the research question at hand
• independently plan, manage and carry out advanced and complex research within a given scope and timeframe
• systematically examine and interrogate historical source material in terms of plausibility and evidentiary value and also analyse this material in light of relevant historical context
• independently describe and discuss research findings, in keeping with current academic standards, including clear justification of topical and methodological choices and concluding argumentation
• make judgments on relevant scholarly, societal, and ethical aspects and show awareness of ethical aspects in historical research
• use a critical approach in working with historical sources and historical accounts.

Layout of the programme

During the first semester, students take two compulsory courses in modern history, one course in historical theory and one course in historical methods. During the second semester, students take three compulsory courses in modern history and start working on their thesis. Students that will end the programme after one year spend the entire second semester working on their thesis. During the third semester, students take three elective courses and continue working on their thesis. The fourth semester consists entirely of thesis writing. As part of the programme, students can elect to do an internship or participate in a student exchange programme.

Instruction

The specific forms of teaching and assessment vary between courses within the programme. Generally, teaching takes the form of lectures, seminars, and thesis supervision. Assessment is usually based on individual oral and written work. Requirements for class participation vary between courses. Students are expected to take greater responsibility for their learning as the programme progresses and the thesis should reflect the students’ ability to critically, independently, and independently formulate and solve problems based on knowledge and skills acquired from the programme’s courses. The language of instruction is English.

Degree

The programme leads to a Master of Arts degree in History, 120 credits. The two-year Master's degree requires 120 credits with at least 60 credits being in History, including the Master’s thesis of 45 credits. After one year of study, it is also possible to get a Master of Arts degree in History, 60 credits, with at least 30 credits being in History, including a Master’s thesis of 30 credits.