leiden university phd history

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Institute for History

PhD Programme

The PhD programme at the Leiden University Institute for History is characterised by a strong international orientation, a broad variety of disciplinary perspectives and methodological approaches, and a focus on the use of primary sources. The institute welcomes employed, contract and external PhD candidates.

The PhD programme

The PhD programme of the Leiden University Institute for History is embedded in the Graduate School of Humanities  which provides the opportunity to study not only the languages, societies and cultures of Europe, but also those of Africa, Asia, America and the Caribbean. Under the overall motto ‘Global Questions, Local Sources’ the research of the Institute for History is subdivided into six  research programmes . PhD candidates primarily focus on writing their dissertation under the guidance of two supervisors of whom one is a full professor. At least the full professor is connected to one of the research programmes. 

The Institute for History offers three different types of PhD affiliation. There are employed PhD candidates, contract PhD candidates, and external PhD candidates.

Employed PhD candidates

Employed PhD candidates are selected by the PhD committee of the Institute or by an ad hoc committee in case their PhD research is sponsored by an external funding agency (for example NWO or ERC) and accountability for the funding is a responsibility of the Institute for History. In all instances the supervisor of the candidate and the director of research  will be part of this committee. PhD candidates employed by the Institute are generally appointed for a period of four years. If there are vacancies for PhD candidates available they are published on the university’s website in Dutch and/or English .

Employed PhD candidates take a number of courses relevant to their field of research. Some of these courses are offered by the Institute, such as the PhD conferences and the practical didactical course. The latter are compulsory components of the PhD training programme of the Institute for History. As a rule PhD candidates take supplementary courses at Leiden University and at one of the Dutch research schools in the field of history . In total, PhD candidates are required to take part in 140 hours of academic education and 140 hours of transferable skills. Finally, the PhD programme offers candidates the opportunity to gain experience in administration and teaching, and provides a timely orientation towards a career after the completion of the PhD dissertation.

Most members of the institute, including employed PhD candidates, are housed in the Johan Huizinga building, creating a stimulating intellectual environment and a genuine academic community. Members of the Institute frequently organize conferences, workshops, lectures and book presentations which are open to anyone interested in the topic under discussion. The workplaces available for PhD candidates in the Johan Huizinga building and adjacent locations include all the necessary facilities (desk, computer and library access).

Contract PhD candidates

Contract PhD candidates are directly funded by external funding agencies through a scholarship or grant for a period of at least three years (full-time). Those who are not residing in the Netherlands can conduct their PhD research in their country of origin or can move to the Netherlands and join the Institute for History in Leiden. Basically contract PhD candidates are required to take part in 140 hours of academic education and 140 hours of transferable skills.

Contract PhD candidates pay a fee of €2850 per year. The fee entitles the PhD candidate to facilities like a shared workspace, a copy card, participation in 140 hours of academic education and 140 hours of transferable skills, and a small budget (max. 500 euro per PhD trajectory) for conference visits and/or research (abroad). If a contract PhD candidate works on his/her PhD research from abroad and does not require such facilities, (s)he can, with the approval of their supervisor, request the director of research to pay the flat fee for external PhD candidates (€400 per year).

Following the termination of their scholarship contract PhD candidates, as long as they have not defended their PhD thesis, will pay a flat fee of €400 per year.

External PhD candidates

External PhD candidates receive their funding from other sources than Leiden University or PhD grants. They are self-funded and usually conduct their PhD project next to a (full-time or part-time) job in the Netherlands or outside the Netherlands. They are not required to take part in an educational programme. However, external PhD candidates who enrolled on or after 1 January 2019 are required to attend or watch the plenary lecture on Academic Integrity  organized by the Graduate School.

External PhD candidates pay a flat fee of €400 per year for a minimum period of two years .  They will be receiving an account, access to the library and supervision. Fees are to be paid annually and the first payment will be done in the year the external PhD candidate registers at the Graduate School of Humanities.

Admission to the Graduate School of Humanities

All PhD candidates at the Leiden University Institute for History are subject to admission through  a specific procedure  at the  Graduate School of Humanities . Before you can apply for admission through the graduate school, it is important to  find a supervisor  within one of the six research programmes of the Institute for History. Candidates can approach a potential supervisor themselves.

Admission mainly depends on candidates having: - formulated an excellent dissertation proposal; - found a supervisor at the Institute for History; - successfully completed a (research) MA degree in history (or equivalent discipline). Excellence being a major selection criterion, supervisors focus on applicants who have obtained a (research) MA or MPhil diploma with high marks, including a substantial thesis that was evaluated with at least an 8.0 (on a 10-point scale) or equivalent. 

History (Research MA)

The History Research Master consists of the following specialisations:

Ancient History

Cities, Migration and Global Interdependence

Colonial and Global History

Europe 1000-1800

Politics, Culture and National Identities, 1789 to the Present

Note: starting the Research Master in the spring semester (February) will mean that the programme is followed in a different order. We strongly advise students to set up their studyplan in consultation with the Coordinator of Studies before the start of the programme.

Literature Seminar (10 EC) Students commence their programme with a Literature Seminar, whether starting in September or February.

Research Seminar (20 EC) Students follow two Research Seminars within their specialisation.

Historical Theory (10 EC) Historical Theory is one of the common courses for the Research MA students. The course is only offered in the fall (September) semester.

Developing Research Proposals (10 EC) Developing Research Proposals is the second of the common courses for the Research MA students, focusing on writing a research proposal. The course is compulsory and is only offered in the spring (February) semester.

Tutorial (10 EC) The tutorial is part of the second (and third, if you follow a course abroad) semester. Students have to ask a member of staff active in the field of his/her specialisation to act as their tutor. See the Overview of Staff for a possible supervisor.

The tutorial is meant to carefully plan and prepare the student to write his/her thesis. During the tutorial you will explore the field and determine the subject and research question of your thesis. The tutorial is the mainstay of the research master’s as it offers intensive, eye-to-eye discussions with one of Leiden’s many specialists.

Research School Courses (10 EC) Research Schools courses offer training in both methodology and area specific knowledge. Research MA students choose courses at the Research Schools that relates most with their possible area of research. See the Overview of Research Schools for the possiblities.

Optional Courses (20 EC) Students follow two optional courses. All Research Seminars of the (Research) MA studies offered at level 500 or higher can be followed as optional course. These may comprise Research Seminars offered by Leiden University and those offered by other (foreign) universities. Alternatively, students can also opt for an internship. For more information about the different possibilities, see the specific Research MA Optional Courses page.

Thesis and exam (30 EC) The Research Master’s Programme will be concluded by a 30 EC ResMA-thesis.

Do note: Research Master History students may only take courses offered at level 500 or higher as an Optional Course.

Additional information

The programme has the following objectives:

• To broaden and deepen the students’ knowledge, understanding and skills, and train them in the use of scientific methods in the field of history;
• To enable students to develop the following academic and professional skills: i. The ability to solve academic problems independently, critically and creatively; ii. The ability to analyze complex problems; iii. The ability to clearly report academic results, both in writing and orally;
• To prepare students for an academic career at a university for postgraduate programmes
• To prepare students for a non-academic career in the public or private sector for which advanced research skills and practical research experience are a prerequisite.

The Research Master programme in History (120 EC) offers you the chance to determine a study based on your own particular interests and ambitions. With several specializations on offer – each containing a number of specific subjects.

The two-year programme will provide ample opportunities to acquire general disciplinary knowledge and skills at master’s degree level as well as specific research skills. Much attention will be paid to the development of theories on historical processes, argumentation, historiography and methodology of historical research. The research master’s thesis should provide the basic components for a future PhD-thesis.

Literature Seminar within specialization, 10 EC

Research Seminar within specialization, 20 EC

Historical Theory , 10 EC

Developing Research Proposals , 10 EC

Research School Courses , 10 EC

Optional Courses , 20 EC

Tutorial , 10 EC

Thesis and Exam , 30 EC

Specialisations

Coordinator of studies.

Send an e-mail to [email protected] .

Career Preparation

Career preparation in research ma history, the programme.

The curriculum of the Research MA History is characterised by the guiding principle ‘Global Questions, Local Sources’, referring to our aim to follow the international developments in historiography and to teach students to critically analyse source materials. In our Research MA History students develop their academic skills by a thorough orientation on international debates, by analysing historical sources, and by discussing these insights with professors and co-students. In the range of subjects that is on offer, the Leiden MA History is the broadest and most international Research MA History in the Netherlands.

The Research MA History offers six specialisations. In each specialisation, students in the Leiden Research MA History acquire a broad, comparative dimension in their knowledge and connect this to global events. This approach to learning brings a broad understanding and an aptitude for critical thinking both of which are highly valued by employers today.

How can you use this knowledge and the skills that you acquire? Which specialisation should you choose within your study programme and why? What skills do you already have, and what further skills do you still want to learn? How do you translate the courses that you choose into something that you’d like to do after graduation?

These questions and more will be discussed at various times during your study programme. You may already have spoken about them with your study coordinator, the Humanities Career Service or other students, or made use of the Leiden University Career Zone . Many different activities are organised to help you reflect on your own wishes and options, and give you the chance to explore the job market. All these activities are focused on the questions: ‘What can I do?’, ‘What do I want?’ and ‘How do I achieve my goals?’.

You will be notified via the Faculty website, your study programme website and email about further activities in the area of job market preparation. The following activities will help you to thoroughly explore your options, so we advise you to take careful note of them:

Introductory interview with Coordinator of Studies

Introduction to the Humanities Career Service

Internship information session

Do internship

Humanities Career Event

Activities of study association HSVL

Guest lectures of alumni

Workshop ‘Insight into your skills’

Workshop ‘How do I find a job?’

Workshop ‘CV and letter’

Various other Humanities Career Service workshops

Transferable skills

Future employers are interested not only in the subject-related knowledge that you acquired during your study programme, but also in ‘transferable skills’. These include cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, reasoning and argumentation and innovation; intrapersonal skills, such as flexibility, initiative, appreciating diversity and metacognition; and interpersonal skills, such as communication, accountability and conflict resolution. In short, they are skills that all professionals need in order to perform well.

It is therefore important that during your study programme you not only acquire as much knowledge as possible about your subject, but also are aware of the skills you have gained and the further skills you still want to learn. The course descriptions in the Prospectus of Research MA History include, in addition to the courses’ learning objectives, a list of the skills that they aim to develop.

The skills you may encounter in the various courses are:

Collaboration

Self-directed learning

Creative thinking

Courses of Research MA History

Courses of the study programme obviously help to prepare you for the job market. As a study programme, we aim to cover this topic either directly or less directly in each semester. Within MA History, this takes place within the following courses:

Literature Seminar

Research Seminar

Developing Research Proposals

If you have any questions about career choices, whether in your studies or on the job market, you are welcome to make an appointment with the career adviser of the Humanities Career Service 071-5272235, or with your Coordinator of Studies .

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When writing a thesis or paper you must make good use of the insights you have gained during your lectures and studies so far. You should also refer to relevant literature and carry out your own research on the topic.

One of the most important things you will learn during an academic study programme is how to write an interesting piece of work that meets the criteria of scientific quality, whilst also being accesible to the broader public.

Refer to our Study skills pages for more information on academic writing skills.  

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Research Programmes Institute for History

Staff lists.

• ​The Unification of the Mediterranean World (400 BC - 400 AD)
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New language proficiency requirements for PhD candidates from 1 September 2024 onwards

3 April 2024

From 1 September 2024 onwards, contract and external PhD candidates who are starting a PhD trajectory at the Graduate School of Humanities, need to submit proof of their language proficiency. The required minimum language proficiency need to be fulfilled at the start of the PhD trajectory.

An overview of the new minimum language proficiency requirements and exemptions can be found on the  external website of the Graduate School .

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