Study programme
The full History Bachelor's programme takes three years. Each year consists of four blocks of ten weeks and ends with an exam week. In your first year, you will attend an average of 12-18 hours of education per week, taught entirely in English from day one.
At History in Utrecht, you will follow courses in coherent packages. This ensures a good structure. Because you will always take the subjects within a package with the same fellow students, you will also get to know each other well. From the second year onwards, you will explore the field of history in more depth. You can choose from four subject packages within the History track or three subject packages within the International Relations track. We have listed them all for you below.
Teaching methods
During the programme, you will encounter various types of teaching. These include lectures, where a lecturer explains the material, seminars, where you engage with the material through discussions and short tasks with fellow students and the lecturer, and project groups, where you work on larger assignments with other students. In addition to attending lectures and participating in group work, you will also spend about 24 hours per week on self-study.
Teaching methods | Percentages |
Lectures | 10% |
Tutorials | 20% |
Excursions | 10% |
Independent study | 60% |
Internship (abroad)
Doing an internship is fun and an excellent opportunity to gain practical experience. You can do an internship both in the Netherlands and abroad. History students have previously worked at publishing houses, broadcasters, newspapers, Dutch embassies, ministries and education.
Group size
On average, around 100 students start the History Bachelor's programme each year. In the tutorials you will sit with approximately 20-25 fellow students. In the first year, the average group size at lectures is a lot higher, because you will follow a number of lectures with students from other study programmes.
Study guidance
You can count on good guidance and personal advice during your studies. We have various employees, such as mentors, tutors and study advisors, who will support you with study-related issues. But they also offer guidance and advice on issues that are not directly related to your study programme.
Binding recommendation regarding the continuation of studies (BSA)
At the end of the first academic year, every student receives binding recommendation regarding the continuation of studies (BSA). You must obtain at least 45 of the 60 credits of the Bachelor's programme in History in order to continue your studies.