European History
Entry requirements
A second-class honours degree (2:2 or above).
We offer a one-year Graduate Certificate in History, which can be used as a conversion course if you want to study history at postgraduate level but have a degree in a significantly different discipline.
Applications are reviewed on their individual merits and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.
Months of entry
January, October
Course content
The course brings together these different fields and develops new approaches to the history of Europe from the Early Modern period to the present day. It provides you with an appreciation of key debates that have shaped our understanding of Europe and the most important historical and methodological approaches to critically interpreting the European past. Rather than presuppose one all-encompassing definition of 'Europe', whether geographical, ideological or otherwise, the course highlights the different contexts within which the European past and present can be analysed.
Alongside a wide range of option modules covering many aspects of European history and politics from the Early Modern period to the Cold War, you will also receive training in research methods and undertake your own dissertation, which makes this course an excellent entry point for more advanced study at either MPhil/PhD level or professionally.
- Birkbeck was ranked in the top eight universities in the UK for its History research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
- Our research is unique in its range across geographical and chronological boundaries. We are the only university in London to include historians, classicists and archaeologists in the same team of academics investigating every period from prehistory to the early twenty-first century. We see the study of the past as crucial for our understanding of present-day society, culture and politics.
- All Master’s students are eligible to apply for our prestigious Eric Hobsbawm Scholarships, subject to availability. One of the most influential historians of the twentieth century, Eric Hobsbawm taught at Birkbeck for over five decades and embodied what is central to our teaching and research: a continued commitment to critical enquiry and public engagement.
- We are at the heart of academic London with access to unparalleled research resources. Situated very close by are: the Institute of Classical Studies, with its library, training facilities and seminars; the British Museum, with its extensive collection of classical antiquities; and the British Library, the largest national library in the world.
Graduates can pursue career paths in education, the Civil Service, research and journalism, archiving and libraries. Possible professions include:
- teacher
- Civil Service fast-streamer
- researcher
- journalist
- archivist
- museum education officer
- museum curator
- editorial assistant
- politician’s assistant.
We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.
Information for international students
If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this course is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.
If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses and foundation programmes to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.
Qualification, course duration and attendance options
- MA
- part time24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- full time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
Course contact details
- Name
- Student Advice Service
- studentadvice@bbk.ac.uk
- Phone
- +44 (0)20 3907 0700