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Master in International History

 

The Master in International History is a rigorous two-year degree exploring various dimensions of international history and historiography. It provides students with up-to-date critical, analytical and methodological tools and encourages historically-informed approaches to current policy, politics, economics and culture. Courses, seminars and research projects in the Department cluster around the intersecting themes of international relations, institutions and movements; global/world and transnational history; history and policy; the history of ideas; the Global South and postcoloniality; and the histories of individual regions – the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, East Asia and South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

 

 

overview

This degree combines coursework, workshops, research and a thesis. The department admits a selected number of students. It encourages direct contact, debates and exchange with faculty and fellow-students. Compulsory courses introduce the aims, substance and criticisms of the various approaches to international, transnational and global/world history. Research training is focused on individual and collective work based on primary and secondary sources. Our unique programme allows students to take elective courses in anthropology and sociology, economics, international law and international relations taught in the departments concerned.

WHY COME TO THE INTERNATIONAL HISTORY DEPARTMENT AT THE GRADUATE INSTITUTE?

The Master in International History is unique owing to an enthusiastic and committed international faculty working in over a dozen languages. Our students and faculty come from all over the world and have very different backgrounds. Compared to other programmes, we interpret international history broadly, combining the traditional meaning of the study of the international state system with newer approaches to the study of ‘history beyond nation’ (including global/world, transnational, ‘Global South’ and postcoloniality).

The department gives students the flexibility to devise their own programme and to study history in connection with several other disciplines – anthropology and sociology, economics, international law and international relations. In addition, our programme is relatively inexpensive when compared to similar programmes at other institutions. The Institute’s Career Services helps students secure exciting internships in Geneva during the programme and jobs after graduation.

Our department is situated a few metres away from a multitude of international institutions: international governmental organisations (UN agencies such as UNHCR, UNHR, the WHO, the WTO, the ILO), NGOs (the International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins sans frontières, CARE International) and multinational corporations. Our students have a rare opportunity to learn from these institutions by meeting and interviewing practitioners, civil servants, experts and diplomats as well as attending UN meetings and studying in the archives. Through these contacts, they can build a valuable network that will serve them throughout their career.

The department also encourages intellectual endeavours beyond coursework. We offer a number of options for publications through the department working papers and the Pierre du Bois Foundation papers. Every week, the Institute invites students to a wide range of lectures, given by Institute professors and an array of visiting political and academic speakers.

Last but not least, the Institute is about to inaugurate a beautiful students’ residence, and by 2013 the Institute itself will move to the brand-new Maison de la Paix.

WHO CAN APPLY?

Candidates for the Master in International History do not necessarily need to possess a degree in history, but they should have studied at least some history at undergraduate level. They should also have followed undergraduate classes in one or more of the following fields: anthropology, sociology, development studies, international law, economics, political science and/or international relations. Incoming students have a variety of backgrounds and degrees. We encourage such diversity.

I DO NOT SPEAK FRENCH / ENGLISH VERY WELL: WILL THIS HURT MY CHANCES OF ADMISSION?

The rule of the Graduate Institute: students must demonstrate proficiency in English (a score of 100 or above in the TOEFL exam) and have passive knowledge of French (that is, the capacity to understand in spoken and written forms, without necessarily expressing yourself). If you have no prior knowledge of French, you may seek an exemption. You will then be required to attend a French class at the Institute during the first semester. Regardless of the language in which the class is taught, you may participate and hand in work in either French or English.

WHAT DOES THE MASTER PREPARE YOU FOR?

By equipping you with the skills required to provide an informed and rigorous analysis of political, social and economic problems, the Master in International History prepares you to succeed in a broad range of sectors and industries: government; private foundations; international governmental and non-governmental organisations; publishing; journalism; archives and museums; public relations and communication. If you are interested in pursuing a career in academia, the Master is also an excellent preparation for a PhD within the Institute (perhaps through the fast-track option) or elsewhere.

HOW IS THE PROGRAMME STRUCTURED?

The two-year Master in International History combines coursework, workshops, research and a thesis. The programme is divided in three parts. You take a total of 15 courses (each counting for 6 credits) and write a thesis (30 credits), for a total of 120 ECTS.
 

1. Compulsory courses
a) Two courses on ‘histories between and beyond the nation’, introducing the aims, substance and criticisms of the various approaches to international, transnational and global/world history; and
b) A research training workshop preceding the thesis.
 

2.Elective courses
Twelve one-semester courses to be chosen from:
a) Electives in ‘Histories beyond the individual nation’;
b) Electives focussed on individual world regions or continent-sized countries;
c) Electives taught in other departments of the Institute.
 

3. A Masters thesis
Independent work with professorial supervision, researched and written during the second year.

CAN I TAKE CLASSES OUTSIDE THE INSTITUTE AND RECEIVE CREDIT TOWARDS MY DEGREE?

Yes. You can take one elective course in other institutions in Geneva and neighbouring cities, subject to approval by the Chair of the International History Department. It is also possible to undertake a one-semester exchange abroad. Such exchanges take place in the third semester with applications submitted during your second semester.

IS FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE?

Yes. Although we cannot finance all Master in International History students, the Institute offers a significant number of scholarships and tuition wavers. You can apply for aid for your first year when applying to the Institute. Applications for aid for the second year are submitted during the second semester of your first year. Beyond scholarships, on-campus jobs are available, and for students planning to enrol in the PhD programme, teaching and research assistantships are available.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE WORK ATMOSPHERE?

Very friendly and stimulating. Our small size (about fifteen to twenty outstanding students are admitted each year) allows for close interactions between students and faculty members and fosters a cooperative atmosphere among students. Students and professors freely exchange opinions, ideas and experiences. Our department also highly values the input of students in the running of the programme. In addition, as an international Swiss city, Geneva offers a very pleasant work environment.

CAN I PROCEED ONTO THE PHD PROGRAMME?

Yes, subject to acceptance, at the end of the Master programme. This is the regular track. The Institute has recently introduced a further option called “fast track”. Master in International History students interested in the fast track to the PhD can now apply in their third semester. If accepted, they then take doctoral classes in the fourth semester, which becomes the first semester of the PhD programme. They submit an extended PhD dissertation proposal by the end of their fifth semester at the Institute, which – if satisfactory – also qualifies them to receive their Master degree. The fast track option allows students to earn MA and PhD degrees in five years. More details on the PhD programme are found on the PhD page. If the PhD application is unsuccessful, students will simply finish the Master programme in the standard timeframe.

WHAT FIELDS DO ALUMNI ENTER?

In recent years, MA graduates of the International History Department have gone into journalism, UN agencies, foreign service, public service, consulting, PhDs at the Institute, and PhDs at other institutes. Learn more here.

What do our students think of the programme?

  • "The International History program has challenged me intellectually – faculty and peers, in the classroom and out – pushing me further and in different directions than I have been challenged before. Although in some ways the courses have narrowed my interests, they have in many respects expanded them. The program trains its students in transnational thinking, which, in both academic and professional capacities, yields a critical analytical worldview." - Codi Trigger (USA), MA in International History, Class of 2012
  • "I am a Canadian student at the Graduate Institute in my last semester of the Master in International History and Politics. I selected this Masters program because of its multifaceted approach to history. The curriculum focuses on international, global and transnational history. This coincided with my interest in transnational actors in armed conflict. The city of Geneva has numerous archives such as the League of Nations Archives, the UNHCR, the WHO, among others, and is therefore an ideal place to study these fields of history. I find the Institute unique because of its small classes, which facilitates lively discussions and intellectual exchange between students and professors. In this way, the seminars as well as workshops offered by the Institute sharpened my analytical and communication skills. My experience at the Institute has been extremely rewarding." - Davina Gauthier (Canada), MA in International History, Class of 2012
  • « J’ai choisi le programme de Master en histoire et politique internationale à l’Institut en raison de ses enseignements aux thématiques variées et spécifiques. L’expertise de l’Institut dans le domaine des études internationales et son environnement multiculturel sont également des éléments qui m’ont séduit. En revanche, je ne m’attendais pas à pouvoir y bénéficier d’une telle liberté et stimulation intellectuelles. Le fait de pouvoir partager des savoirs et des expériences avec des étudiants aux horizons académiques et culturels très différents n’a selon moi pas d’égal. La matière est elle-même enseignée sur un mode et selon des approches novatrices qui rendent les échanges entre professeurs et étudiants particulièrement constructifs. Se retrouver d’ailleurs en petit comité chaque jour – j’allais dire « entre nous » – pour débattre ouvre des perspectives insoupçonnées sur la politique et l’histoire internationale ainsi que la manière d’appréhender ces thèmes. Chaque rencontre permet d’affiner ses connaissances dans des interactions bilingues au demeurant ineffable. Ces moments participent donc à mes yeux non seulement à l’épanouissement intellectuel et au raisonnement informé, mais aussi à l’expérience de la différence. Dans ce sens, je pense que venir étudier à l’Institut, et en particulier dans ce programme de Master, c’est sortir à la fois des immenses amphithéâtres universitaires et des sentiers battus de la formation académique.» – Valentino Arico (Suisse), MA en Histoire Internationale, gradué en 2013

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If you have further questions or wish to ask current students about their experience: prospective@graduateinstitute.ch