Historical, Literary & Cultural Studies (Research Master)
This Research Master's programme combines joint interdisciplinary training with disciplinary courses in one of the specialisations: Historical Studies, Literary Studies, or Art and Visual Culture. It has a distinct focus on research-related knowledge and skills, and places emphasis on the theoretical and methodological aspects of the humanities in order to contribute to academic depth, interdisciplinarity and future flexibility. Students are trained to gain a deep understanding of the complexities of Europe in a changing and globalising world, and of the changing world of which Europe forms a part.
This Master's programme prepares for professional positions that require advanced academic competence. It will equip you with skills requisite for such positions in the Netherlands and abroad, in and outside of academia.
Specialisations
Art and Visual Culture (research). Whether you wish to specialise in canonical artworks or forms of visual production like advertisement or YouTube videos, the Art and Visual Culture specialisation will develop your ability to research and analyse visual culture thoroughly.
Historical Studies (research). The Historical Studies specialisation is dedicated to rigorous historical research in order to obtain a deep understanding of developments of the past and to help us evaluate the merits of modern reinterpretations.
Literary Studies (research). In the Master's specialisation Literary Studies you will learn how to make new discoveries that will contribute to a better understanding of literary texts and how they function within society.
Į magistro studijų programas gali stoti visi, baigę universitetą arba besimokantys paskutiniame kurse. Studijos kurias baigei ar tebesimokai turi būti panašios krypties kaip ir tos, į kurias nori stoti, kadangi priėmimas yra paremtas ECTS kreditų suderinamumu.
- ECTS kreditų išrašas - jei dar nesi baigęs aukštosios mokyklos, būtina prisegti ECTS kreditų išrašą, kuriame būtų matyti, kokius dalykus Tu mokeisi bei kokius pažymius ir kiek kreditų už juos gavai. Kai siunti anketą paskutiniame kurse, diplomą reikia prisegti vėliau, kai tik jį gausi.
- Bakalauro diplomas – jei jau esi baigęs aukštąją mokyklą, išrašo nereikia, užtenka prie anketos prisegti savo Bakalauro diplomą.
Anglų kalbos žinias gali patvirtinti vienu iš šių būdų:
- IELTS – 7.0
- TOEFL – 100
The equivalent of a Bachelor degree in a relevant field:
- Historical Studies: In order to get admission to this Master’s you’ll need a completed Bachelor's degree obtained at a research university in History or a related area.
- Literary Studies: In order to get admission to this Master’s you’ll need a completed Bachelor's degree obtained at a research university in one of the following: Literary Studies, American Studies, Liberal Arts, Classical Languages and Cultures, Modern Languages and Cultures (Dutch, Spanish, French, English, German, Arabic, or any other language), other degree that demonstrates substantive knowledge of Literary Studies.
- Art and Visual Culture: In order to get admission to this Master’s you’ll need a completed Bachelor's degree obtained at a research university in one of the following: Art History, Cultural Studies, Classical Languages and Culture, a related area.
In addition you must fulfill the following requirements:
- Good grades
Your average grade during the final two years of your BA studies has to have been at least a 7.5 and your Bachelor’s thesis had to have received a grade of at least 8.0 (Grades in the Netherlands are out of 10. For more informatio see Conversion of international grades). - Affinity with research
Your Bachelor's thesis or a dedicated research proposal will need to demonstrate that you are sufficiently talented for scientific research. - Strong motivation
You have to be able to demonstrate your motivation for and affinity with international and interdisciplinary academic research. A selection committee will evaluate the motivation of each applicant separately.
During the Master’s programme you will gain a broad perspective on the humanities in general because of the collaboration between the specialisations of Historical Studies, Literary Studies, and Art and Visual Culture. Through your personal Master’s research, you will also have concentrated on a very specific phenomenon in your own field. This combination of broad and specific focus will open a lot of doors for you. Our research programme has produced graduates that are appreciated by employees for their research skills as well as their insightfulness and analytical skills, and who have not only learned how to delve into large quantity of data and master it but also how to place their results in a larger context.
In short, at the end of the programme you’ll:
- Have acquired heuristic research skills at an advanced level.
- Have gained general knowledge of leading perspectives, theories, concepts, and paradigm shifts in the humanities and advanced knowledge specifically for own field.
- Be able to engage in the public debates regarding issues in the humanities.
- Have acquired English academic writing skills and have practiced writing a publishable scholarly article and a proposal for a PhD project.
- Have started to build up a professional international network.
Academia and beyond
This programme is initially intended to prepare its students for an academic career, in particular as PhD researchers. About half of our graduates find such a position in the Netherlands or abroad. The other half also do well and often find academic positions with research orientated duties. Examples include:
- Researcher at a cultural or scientific organisation or research centre
- Assistant of a senior researcher
- Teacher at an institution for higher education
- Policy-making official in the fields of culture and science
- Editor in the field of historical or cultural scholarship
- Staff member of a publishing company or and text agency, usually with regard to scientific, historical or cultural journals
- Curator of a cultural heritage institution or in the museological sector
- Consultant for a political party
