Global History and International Relations

Analyse international relations from a historical and global perspective
Student GHIR on campus

Is this the programme you're looking for?

In the master specialisation Global History and International Relations, you focus on cutting-edge questions related to historical processes of globalisation, international relations and cultural encounters.

Key Facts & Figures

Type
Master
Degree
MA
Mode of study
Full-time | Part-time
Instruction language
English
Duration
1 year
Study points (EC)
60
Start date
September
Application Deadline (EEA)
15 May
View all

The study programme in a nutshell

This master specialisation approaches modern history from multiple angles, examining social, economic, political and cultural themes in the past – and connecting them with contemporary developments. Learn while being in the field, go to archives and museums to find journals or protest pamphlets that will help you to build your cases. 

Why this study

''This program has a very different approach to history than traditional history programmes often have.''

Global History and International Relations by Pieter

Global History and International Relations by Pieter

Want to know more? Meet us here

Students meeting each other

Find out everything you need to know at one of these (online) events.

All our education events

Career opportunities after graduation

Studying Global History and International Relations at Erasmus University Rotterdam will jumpstart your career as a historian or researcher. But you can also work as a manager or researcher at cultural institutions, government authorities, consultancies, archives or in the media.

This could be your future

What do our students think?

Tara Lewis

Tara Lewis - Student Global History and International Relations

That is one of the beauties of studying History, things rarely turn out the way you thought they would.
That is one of the beauties of studying History, things rarely turn out the way you thought they would.

"I did not exactly choose to study history after extensive contemplation. I obtained a bachelor’s degree in communications and I was looking for a programme that would further enrich my education. History proved the ideal choice.

 I loved studying History. Of course the programme was sometimes intensive, but the courses were also interesting and diverse. I wrote my thesis on the 1641 rebellion in Ireland; I love the country yet never expected to write my thesis on this particular subject. That is one of the beauties of studying History, things rarely turn out the way you thought they would.

 I started working as an editor for the local newspaper during my bachelor. A friend of mine learned that the newspaper was looking to recruit reporters and I happily applied for the position; the position would enable me to look into different subjects, and approach these from different angles." 

Julie Küpperfahrenberg

Julie Küpperfahrenberg - Student Global History and International Relations

Here I had the feeling that my knowledge about history could be transformed into actual contributions to solve political problems and crises.
Here I had the feeling that my knowledge about history could be transformed into actual contributions to solve political problems and crises.

"I knew that I wanted to do a master at a university abroad. In my opinion, it contributes a lot to your personal and professional development when you place yourself outside your familiar context. As I had only vague ideas in which direction I wanted to go with my professional background (every history student is more than familiar with utterances such as ‘History? Oh! That’s interesting! But what are you going to do with this later?’), I gathered information about master degrees at manifold European universities. I had come to the conclusion that I did not want to commit myself to the mere study of events, processes and developments of the past, so no art for art’s sake, but that I wanted to draw lessons from the past in order to improve the future. In this respect I was really exited when I came across the master program ‘History of Society: Global History and International Relations’ offered by Erasmus University of Rotterdam. Here, for the first time, I had the feeling that my knowledge about history could in some way be transformed into actual contributions to solve political problems and crises. Thus I applied at Erasmus University Rotterdam and I got admitted.

Although I was also approved at other universities, when I received my admission for Rotterdam, I did not shed a thought about going somewhere else. Firstly, Erasmus University is highly regarded in Europe. Secondly, the program itself exactly met my interests and my professional background. Thirdly, although I had only been in Rotterdam once before, I remembered it to be an open-minded, multi-cultural city with a very special charm that makes it so different from other cities in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. I like the fact that Rotterdam is not one of the well-known touristic cities such as Amsterdam or Brussels, where everybody had already been - Rotterdam is in this way my city. The program fully meets my expectations. Although it is a lot of work, a lot to read and to write, I can clearly see the developments that I have made in the last six month, not only professionally or scientifically, but also and in particular personally.

When I will hold my Master degree in September, I seek to invest some time to concerns of my heart. I plan to do an internship at Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch. As I now approached political problems from an academic point of view, I feel that I need to add a humanitarian and practical perspective. Only then I will be equipped to find a work place, which is dedicated to solve international problems and thus to make the world a better place."

Choosing a study is quite a challenge! Still in doubt about this study and want to have a good overview? Receive a clear digital brochure for this study.

Request brochure
Not sure yet about your choice? Request a brochure!

Compare @count study programme

  • @title

    • Duration: @duration
Compare study programmes