Year 2

Year 2 consists of:

In the fold-outs below you will find an overview of all the compulsory courses in year 2. Refer to the Course Planner for an overview of the compulsory courses that are part of the History programme. Are you planning to do an internship in your third year or would you like to study abroad for a while? In that case it is best to start planning in your second year. 

Register in time!

You must register for both the specialisation and the courses. Some courses in the specialisations have limited space and priority rules apply, which means that there is a shorter course registration period. So carefully check what the registration deadline is and register in time!  

Block 1, 2, 3 and 4: Specialisation

Specialisations are a selection of 4 courses in a particular research area. They are the core of your second-year programme and are all structured the same way: one introductory subject in block 1, an in-depth case-study module in block 2 and two research seminar courses in block 3 and block 4. The specialisation you choose relates to either the History track or the International Relations track. You develop the same types of skills, even though the subject matter differs between profiles. The subject of your final thesis (which you will write in year 3) will usually be related to your specialisation.

You can choose from 2 tracks, each containing a number of specialisations: 

  • Track History (specialisation package V1 to V4)
  • Track International Relations (specialisation package V5 to V7)

If you wish to add courses from another specialisation to your programme, you may do so as electives. 

    Did you enroll in the BA History in 2019-2020 or earlier and have you not yet completed all your specialisation courses? Then check the Education and Examination Regulations to see which courses you still need to take.

    Block 1 and 2: Writing course and Academic context course 

    In addition to your specialisation, in block 1 and 2 you will also follow a Writing course (Writing Skills in block 1) and an Academic context course (Theory of History in block 2) within either the History track (specialisation package V1-V4) or International Relations track (specialisation package V5-V7). 

    Did you enroll in the BA History in 2020-2021 or earlier and have you not yet finished the mandatory course Research Skills for Historians? Then check the Education and Examination Regulations to see which substitute course you still need to take.

    Track History
    Alongside the Specialisation courses from one of the V1-V4 packages, you will enroll in:

    • Writing Skills for Historians (HIS) - course code GE2V17008, block 1
    • Theory of History (HIS) - course code GE3V22002, block 2


    Track International Relations
    Alongside the Specialisation courses from one of the V5-V7 packages, you will enroll in:

    • Writing Skills for Historians (IR) - course code GE2V17009, block 1
    • Theory of History (IR) - course code GE3V22004, block 2

    Block 3 and 4: Elective courses

    In block 3 and 4 you take your first 15 EC in elective courses (of the 60 EC you will have to complete before the end of your programme). As electives (your optional course profile), you choose components with a total study load of 60 EC. You can start with a minor, do an internship, go abroad or choose from a broad range of available courses. Make sure to check each course's entry requirements.

    Compulsory courses year 2 History Track

    Compulsory courses year 2 International Relations track

    General information

    And more ...

    General Course registration • Minor registration • Specialisation registration • Humanities year calendar • Education and grading Special Circumstances Test deregistration • What to do when not passing a course • Studying with a disability