Study programme

The Master's programme International Relations in Historical Perspective comprises one year (60 EC). A study year is divided into two semesters, running from September until January and from February until June. A semester is divided into two study periods. 

Curriculum

The programme consists of compulsory courses, research seminars, electives, and is concluded with one of the three tracks. Check the study schedule (PDF). 

Semester 1 | Study periods 1 & 2

During the first semester, you will take a combination of team-taught compulsory courses, research seminars and elective courses: 

• The Many Faces of International Politics: History & Theory: This core (compulsory) course provides a historical and theoretical analysis of key concepts and approaches in international relations.
• IR in Practice: This core course provides students with the opportunity to learn how to find, identify, analyse and draft key documents such as policy briefs and UN resolutions. It concludes with a daylong simulation assignment.
• Research Seminars: Aiming to foster the students’ critical and analytical skills through researching and writing a proposal for further research, research seminars cover three broad themes: Conflict and Security, Europe and the World, Globalization and Global Governance.
• Electives offer you the opportunity to specialise in two additional research areas. You can choose from among three themes, which focus on ’Security and Conflict’, ‘Europe and the World’, or ‘Globalization and Global Governance’. Each theme is respectively subdivided into two case-studies courses (which can vary in content on a yearly basis) such as terrorism, Spain in an international context, the Cold War in the Balkans and the Middle Eastern Conflict.

Semester 2 | Study periods 3 & 4

In the second half of the year you can choose one of three programme tracks, according to your interests:

1. Practice track: You will undertake an internship (15 EC) and write a thesis (15 EC), in the order of your choice. 
2. Research track: You will take a research tutorial (10 EC), and will write a longer research thesis (20 EC).
3. Applied Research track: You will be enrolled in one of our applied research labs (15 EC), for example, the Cold War Research Network and the student led think tank GA!-History at Present, and you will write a thesis (15 EC).

We will ask you to communicate your choice to us (Practice Track, Research Track or Applied Research Track) by January, during our yearly mid-term evaluation talks.

Educational methods

• seminar: 50%
• internship: 25%
• independent study: 15% (thesis)
• group work: 10%

Writing a thesis at the end of your studies is an individual exercise, but you will write it in the context of a coaching group that regularly meets under the guidance of a supervisor. Your supervisor will also be available for individual coaching.

Internship

An internship offers you the opportunity to test your knowledge and skills in practice. Internships at organisations like the EU, the UN, or the Foreign Ministry seem the most obvious options, but there are many more interesting opportunities, ranging from the policy-making sector to journalism, think tanks, NGOs and international companies. You may also look for an internship within a larger project based at Utrecht University. Keep in mind that many organisations in the Netherlands use Dutch as their working language. You can also do an internship within an international organisation in the Netherlands or abroad.

Examinations

• Research proposal
• Simulations
• Essay exams
• Presentations