This English-language Master’s programme takes a global view of the past, treating today’s interconnected world as the result of long-standing exchanges and interactions. It examines how migration, trade, empires and nation-states, religion and the environment, ideas, communication and war have linked different regions—often in uneven ways—and traces the historical trajectories of these cross-border entanglements. Rather than reducing global history to imperial or economic frameworks, the programme foregrounds the relationships between specific regions and broader global structures through comparative and connective perspectives.
The curriculum emphasizes processes of global integration and transregional comparison, helping students develop tools to analyse how historical forces have reshaped the world. As a dynamic and methodologically innovative field, global history encourages plural viewpoints and aims for non‑Eurocentric readings of the past. Students can expect an interdisciplinary approach that challenges conventional historical methods and fosters critical, comparative thinking about global processes.
Note: Exact admission criteria and document requirements may vary by year—check the programme’s official admissions information for current details.
This MA trains students to reconstruct and interpret the histories of global interconnections and entanglements. The curriculum combines core historical methods with the region- and language-specific expertise of area studies, so you learn both how to handle historical sources and how to place them within broader transnational and cross-cultural contexts. Teaching emphasizes the theory and practice of writing Global History, ensuring close attention to historiographical debates as well as to practical skills in crafting scholarly narratives.
Key taught elements center on core Global History courses that deal explicitly with theoretical frameworks and writing practices in the field, together with area-studies modules that provide regional depth and specific competencies. The programme is designed to be interdisciplinary and research-oriented, giving you tools to analyze cross-border flows, compare connected histories, and situate local developments in global perspective.
Learning outcomes
Program requirements and practical information
We expect applicants to have completed an undergraduate degree with a substantial focus on history or related regional/area studies. Degrees in history, area studies, or closely related disciplines are acceptable so long as the coursework includes equivalent historical or area-studies topics.
Within that degree, you must have completed a minimum of 60 credits devoted to historical or area-studies subjects. This credit total is used to show that you have sufficient disciplinary grounding to succeed in the Master’s programme.
Provide official documentation that verifies your coursework and credit totals. If your institution records credits in a different system, include explanatory documentation from your university so the admissions office can assess equivalence.
Admission requirements (summary)
Winter Semester (International)
https://www.global-history.de/admissions/index.html
Graduates acquire advanced research, comparative analysis and area-studies competencies applicable to careers in academia and research (PhD progression, research institutes). The programme’s language and regional focus also prepares students for roles in cultural institutions, archives, museums, libraries, publishing, journalism, and education.
Beyond the humanities, alumni can pursue positions in policy advice, international NGOs, cultural management, and public history where skills in cross-border analysis, multilingual communication, and contextualising global processes are valued.