Could climate change have impacted the fall of the Roman Empire? How do societies historically cope with crises, such as flooding or warfare? How can we understand wealth disparities from a historical perspective?
Contemporary societies face many crises that put the
sustainability of our communities under strain. Because these
sustainability crises often trace their roots back to the past,
historians possess unique knowledge and skills to help develop
solutions to these challenges in the fields of policy, applied
research, and education at national and international levels.
The Master's track History, Sustainability and Society (HSS) trains
students who are passionate about seeking answers to contemporary
societal crises of sustainability from a historical global
perspective. Located at the heart of the Hanseatic city of
Groningen, the second oldest university in the Netherlands, you
will be taught by international colleagues from across the History
Department. You will also have the opportunity to attend guest
lectures and classes from related disciplines at the Faculty of
Arts, for example, International Relations, Politics, and Arctic
Studies.
As an HSS student, you will follow the core course of the track
'Crises of Sustainability: Historical and Global Perspectives'. We
will discuss the conditions that have created crises and undermined
sustainability, ranging from the most recent global wars and
conflicts to the Industrial Revolution and the Crusades, and the
collapse of the Roman Empire. You will learn methods and sources
for studying crises historically, but also strategies to address
them in our time.
For the remaining courses, the HSS programme allows you to build
your own trajectory by deepening into the themes of environment
(including fossil fuels, agriculture and water), health and
wellbeing, economic development, and conflicts and wars. You can do
so by choosing from research seminars and methods courses, and the
hands-on course ‘Masterclass' (see Programme). In the HSS
track, you also have a unique opportunity to undertake an
internship (MA work placement) at the institution of your choice
and under the mentorship of our academic staff members. Thanks to
our collaboration with the Arctic
Centre, you will also be able to collaborate with a vast
network of Dutch and International partners who work on cooperation
projects about sustainable development and the relationship between
humans and the environment. All these options offer a distinctive
way to explore labour market pathways in a guided and structured
manner.
You can follow the HSS programme both full-time and part-time. If
you wish to start this programme on 1 February, please contact the
study advisors.
Check our MA
History Instagram page for the student-led and other research
activities.
The track History, Sustainability and Society:
Semester I (a & b): You will follow the core course 'Crises of Sustainability: Historical and Global Perspectives', the Masterclass, where you will receive hands-on training in working and writing for the real world, a Research Seminar* and a Research Methods* course of your choice.
Semester II (a & b): You will focus on your Master's dissertation**. Students may opt for a Work Placement** or an additional Research Seminar*, and have the opportunity to follow a Research Methods* course.
| Semesters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoursesCourse Catalog > | 1a | 1b | 2a | 2b |
| Masterclass (5 EC, optional) | ||||
| Research Seminar History (10 EC) | ||||
| The History of (Un)Sustainability (10 EC) | ||||
| Historical Methods: Archives (5 EC, optional) | ||||
| Historical Methods: Oral History (5 EC, optional) | ||||
| Historical Methods: Quantitative Analysis (5 EC, optional) | ||||
| Historische Methoden: Working with Visual and Material Sources (5 EC, optional) | ||||
| Historical Methods: Digital Story (5 EC, optional) | ||||
| MA thesis History (20 EC) | ||||
| MA workplacement History (10 EC, optional) | ||||
| Research Seminar History (10 EC, optional) | ||||
| Historische Methoden: Methods for Historical Sustainability Research (5 EC, optional) | ||||
| Programme options |
|---|
| Master's placement (specialization) During this Master's track, you can do a placement–as an extra course–for 10 ECTS credit points. This placement offers you the opportunity to gain work experience and provides insight into the labour market. You can do a placement at an institution, organization or company in or outside the Netherlands. It is your responsibility to find a placement yourself, but the placement coordinators can help with this where possible. |
A study period abroad can be combined with the placement and/or the Master's final assignment. You could also follow a seminar at a university abroad.
| Specific requirements | More information |
|---|---|
| previous education |
Students with the following academic background are admissible to this Master's track:
|
| language test |
Additional requirements English: A VWO diploma or a subject certificate for VWO English (mark 6 or higher), minimum requirement of TOEFL iBT 90 (with a minimum of 21 on all items), or IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6 on all items). Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency. Students who gained a Bachelor's degree certificate from an English-taught degree programme, will automatically meet the language requirements. |
| Study programme | Organization | Transition |
|---|
| Study programme | Organization | Transition |
|---|
| Study programme | Organization | Transition |
|---|
| Study programme | Organization | Transition |
|---|---|---|
| History (part-time) | All Research universities | No additional requirements |
| Study programme | Organization | Transition |
|---|---|---|
| English Language and Culture | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| American Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| International Relations and International Organization | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| Arts, Culture and Media | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| Media Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| Classical Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| Frisian Language and Culture | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| Middle Eastern Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| European Languages, Cultures and Politics | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| Archaeology | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| Linguistics | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| Dutch Language and Culture | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| Art History | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| Communication and Information Studies | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
| Information Science | University of Groningen |
Additional requirements More information:Aangevuld met een facultaire minor Geschiedenis van 30 ECTS (aan de RUG) |
Please use this step-by-step guide for more information regarding your eligibility and your specific application procedure.
| Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch students | 15 January 2027 | 01 February 2027 |
| 15 August 2027 | 01 September 2027 | |
| EU/EEA students | 01 May 2027 | 01 September 2027 |
| 15 October 2027 | 01 February 2028 | |
| non-EU/EEA students | 01 May 2027 | 01 September 2027 |
| 15 October 2027 | 01 February 2028 |
| Specific requirements | More information |
|---|---|
| previous education |
Students with the following academic background are admissible to this Master's track:
|
| language test |
Language requirement for English: You must have completed this at VWO level (mark 6 or higher) or obtained one of the following English certificates:
TOEFL iBT tests taken after 21 January 2026 will use TOEFL's new 1 - 6 scoring system. |
Please use this step-by-step guide for more information regarding your eligibility and your specific application procedure.
| Type of student | Deadline | Start course |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch students | 15 January 2027 | 01 February 2027 |
| 15 August 2027 | 01 September 2027 | |
| EU/EEA students | 01 May 2027 | 01 September 2027 |
| 15 October 2027 | 01 February 2028 | |
| non-EU/EEA students | 01 May 2027 | 01 September 2027 |
| 15 October 2027 | 01 February 2028 |
This Master's track builds on your history training by giving you a clear advantage in the job market. It will help you to develop expertise and tools in dealing with the often complex issues of sustainability and society, and find generalist and specialist positions within governmental, municipal and (non-) profit organizations.
Upon completion, you will hold a (60 ECTS) MA degree in History with a track History, Sustainability and Society from the University of Groningen. You will be equipped with historical academic training that enables you to navigate governmental, municipal and non-profit organizations. Depending on how you choose to specialize your studies thematically, you can work in the areas of sustainability related to environment (including fossil fuels, water, and agriculture), health and wellbeing; economic development; conflicts and wars. As a historian, you are able to analyse complex problems based on multiple (quantitative and qualitative) sources and translate these into accessible formats tailored to the context. You possess analytical and professional skills developed through structuring portfolios and projects, drafting policy documents and other genres of writing, as well as through negotiating and taking an evidence-informed and diplomatic position. Through a Work placement, you will build a strong professional network and receive structured guidance in navigating a work environment.
Examples of previous work placements include: Provincie Utrecht,
Diepduik Media, WRR Wetenschappelijke Raad voor Regeringsadvies,
Dagblad van het Noorden, Leeuwarder Courant.
At the History Department, we are with over 40 colleagues across six chair groups, all passionate about our research. This passion we bring into the classrooms in the form of research-led teaching. Vier the overview of the History department chair groups and colleagues' expertise. You will also have opportunities to join the research activities at the Center for Historical Studies (CHS).
Some of the examples of our current EU and NWO-funded research
projects relevant for the track HSS are:
- “Environmental Histories of Resource Extraction in Africa:
Understanding Cultural and Political Responses to Environmental
Transformation” (AFREXTRACT),
PI: Iva Pesa
- “Coping with decline: Comparative social-historical
analysis of depopulation and community welfare in Europe,
1950-2022” (DEPOP),
PI: Yuliya Hilevych
- “Lives Behind the Patient Record, 1885 to 1955: A Social
History of Institutionalised People”, PI: Hilde Bras
- “Building Peace: Transitional Justice in Early Modern
France” (HISTJ), PI: David
van der Linden
- “Towns and Ties: Economic Integration and Geographical
Inequalities in the Roman Empire”, PI: Bart Danon
Are you interested in a research oriented career? Please also check
our Research Master's Programme of History.
