Overview This two-year (MA) programme examines the historical foundations of businesses, markets and consumption from a global perspective. Instead of training students as conventional economists or managers, it uses historical methods to trace how capital, labour, knowledge and consumption have come to be organised across borders and through international market networks. The curriculum emphasises the historical development of the global economy, business history and the history of consumption.
What you will learn You will develop the analytical tools of economic and social history while also building a specialisation in economics, business studies or the social sciences and history. Teaching draws on economics, historical research, and political and social sciences; methodologically it goes beyond formal economic models to include qualitative and empirical approaches. This interdisciplinary training helps you understand how markets and societies have shaped each other over time and equips you with research, analytical and communicative skills useful in many professional contexts.
Options and career paths The programme can be started in either the winter or summer semester. For students seeking a more contemporary and interdisciplinary track, there is a GLOCAL (Global Markets, Local Creativities) option within an Erasmus Mundus master’s, jointly organised with Glasgow, Barcelona, Uppsala, Rotterdam, Kyoto and Los Andes — applications and EU scholarship information are available at http://globallocal-erasmusmundus.eu/how-to-apply/. Graduates move into careers in research and academia, education, journalism, cultural management, consulting, public policy and related fields.
Admission requirements (concise)
This MA is organized into a three‑semester taught phase (semesters 1–3) followed by a fourth semester dedicated to the Master's thesis, and totals 120 credit points (CP). The curriculum combines core historical training on global markets with interdisciplinary convergence modules and a choice of thematic profiles, enabling you to build both breadth (history, economics, business, society) and depth (specialist modules and a research thesis). Key taught modules include two foundational 12‑CP courses (students choose between pairs that cover economic/business/social history or a focused history of global markets), plus a 6‑CP research methods module that prepares you for independent work.
You also complete an 18‑CP convergence area that draws from History and Economics (and allows selection of English‑taught modules coded B.WIWI.xxxx), and an optional required area (12 CP) made up of at least two 6‑CP modules exploring different perspectives, periods, or places in the history of global markets. The 30‑CP profile area lets you specialise across four thematic tracks — Economy & Institutions, Business & Management, Society & Culture, or Globalisation — by taking 24 CP of discipline‑specific modules (with a further 6 CP of additional modules). The programme culminates in a 30‑CP Master’s thesis in the final semester.
Learning outcomes: you will gain advanced knowledge of the historical development and functioning of global markets, develop comparative and periodised perspectives, and acquire practical research skills (methods, source analysis, historiography) needed to design and execute original scholarship. The structure supports interdisciplinary thinking — connecting economic theory, business practices, institutional frameworks and cultural contexts — and prepares graduates for research roles, doctoral study, policy analysis or careers where historical insight into markets and globalization is valued.
Program requirements (concise)
This programme requires a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) with a clear academic fit to the field. You should normally have completed a degree that totals at least 180 ECTS credits over a minimum of six semesters. At the time you submit your application you must already have finished at least 150 of those 180 ECTS — applications that do not meet this 150‑ECTS threshold cannot be considered.
In addition to the overall credit requirement, your prior studies must include a substantial component in history, economics, business, sociology or political science. Specifically, you must have completed targeted coursework totaling at least 60 ECTS in relevant subjects, of which 30 ECTS must come from more specialised modules (listed below). At least 18 ECTS of these specialised-module credits must be at intermediate or advanced level (i.e., beyond introductory coursework).
Admission requirements (summary)
Winter Semester (International)
15 May 2026
Summer Semester (International)
15 November 2026
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
15 May 2026
Summer Semester (EU/EEA)
15 November 2026
Graduates are equipped for academic research and PhD pathways as well as a broad set of non-academic roles that value historical and economic analysis. Typical career destinations include research and teaching, cultural management and museums, journalism and media, consulting, public policy and governmental work, and roles in international organisations where historical context informs strategy and decision-making.
The programme's methodological training — empirical and qualitative research, economic reasoning, and profile-based specialised knowledge — gives graduates transferable skills for positions in think tanks, archives, cultural institutions, NGOs and private-sector firms that require long-term market and social analysis. Participation in the GLOCAL pathway further enhances international mobility and employer recognition.