History B.A.

 

History was made in the city of Charlemagne – and this not only applies to the politics of the Carolingian dynasty, but also to the flint trade in the early period and the complex negotiations in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars. Whether Celtic finds, medieval relics, or the Charlemagne Prize – all the different ages come to life in the European city of Aachen. It is particularly exciting to study history at such a momentous place.

This degree thoroughly trains and educates prospective historians who have academic ambitions. The courses offered cover a whole range of historical eras: Antiquity, the Middle Ages, early modern, modern, and contemporary history are all delved into equally. In this respect, the degree at RWTH differs from courses of study elsewhere that focus more on certain ages rather than others.

Methodically, the course of study’s concept focuses on the development and interpretation of historical records in various materials, media, formal and linguistic manifestations. In addition to classical historical methods, the degree also offers students interdisciplinary perspectives that are characteristic of all RWTH programs: it integrates subject-specific approaches to the past that also use the diversity of methods used in related disciplines, such as the humanities and social sciences. For this reason, the course of study includes special historical disciplines such as medical and architectural history, economic and social history.

The course of study’s concept particularly focuses on references to original documents, consequently students will consistently study sources throughout their degree. Every contemporary record – whether in the form of texts, images, or artifacts – is decoded with the appropriate scientific methodology. Beginning with linguistically decoding the records, the variety of methods ranges all the way to highly specialized research methods.

Once we have established a broad historical understanding of all ages, students can specialize in specific ages or conduct comparative studies of individual periods:

• Antiquity, with the topics of the Mediterranean world, antique slavery, and free citizens in the polis world
• The Middle Ages, where State and Church, the development of large cities and a culture of knowledge were crucial
• Early modern and modern as a time of differentiation, integration phenomena, and a sound culture of technology and knowledge

 

Degree Content

In this degree, the past comes alive through new digital forms of access. The media-supported teaching that is typical of the university makes historical facts and connections visible and understandable. This reflects the requirements that historians will later encounter in their professional career. From the third semester, the course will include at least a five-week internship in a museum or archive, for example.

Semester	Curriculum
1	Introduction to Antiquity	Introduction to the Middle Ages	Introduction to Early Modern/Modern	Specialization: Old and or Modern Languages Societal Perspectives Texts and Arguments/ Historical Perspectives
2
3	Basics of Sources and Historical Records	Basics of Antiquity or Basics of Middle Ages	Basics Early Modern/Modern
4
5	Particular specialization in an age of your choice	Standard specialization in an age of your choice	Bachelor’s Thesis
6

Minor subjects and a multifaceted core elective selection help create your own profile of historical interests. The interdisciplinary specialization area, which should run from the fourth to the sixth semester, not only includes historical perspectives, but also insights into other subjects and their connection to history. Students can also attend lectures in medical history, architectural and art history, economic and social history, history of technology, and church history.

 

Prerequisites

Personal Prerequisite

Latin is a key language of history, opening up sources from Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
RWTH does not set knowledge of the language as a prerequisite, but it is part of the curriculum. An internal university Latin examination replaces the Latinum, which is usually required for courses of studies in history.

Enrollment Prerequisite

Proof of participation in the RWTH "Social Sciences" Self Assessment must be submitted at the time of enrollment, but is not necessary when applying.

 

Career Prospects

This course of study qualifies students for a variety of activities that require the ability to research, analyze, evaluate, and comprehensibly present historical contexts.

Historians are judicious critical thinkers who can trace phenomena from contemporary history back to their roots and open up new horizons of understanding. Last but not least, they develop approaches to solving social, political, or economic problems by determining their causes.

Historians often work for political foundations, political parties and associations, museums, memorials, archives, and research companies. Further fields of activity open up in the field of education, for example in cultural and scientific organizations as well as in adult education. However, it is also possible to pursue a career in a completely different field: for example in management consultancy, public relations, marketing, advertising, and journalism.

RWTH graduates benefit from their diverse methodological knowledge and interdisciplinary experience because they can look at interrelationships from many different perspectives. With their experience in analyzing, evaluating, and representing complicated circumstances they are valued not only as specialists in their discipline, but also as generalists.

 

Master's Degree Prospects

The Master's course of study History - History as Knowledge Culture focuses on one of the most important perspectives of history: the phenomenon of knowledge in history is right at the heart of teaching and research here.

The key theme of the degree is the genesis of knowledge cultures. It not only asks about the content of knowledge and the people involved, but also about institutions, mediation processes, and forms of application.

Five different professors from the RWTH Department of History will teach the course. They are all involved in the same key research areas: the relationship between knowledge, society, and technology in historical change.

 

Module Handbook and Examination Regulations

The module handbook provides a description of all modules of a degree program and offers a comprehensive insight into the program contents.

The examination regulations are comprised of legally binding provisions on learning objectives, prerequisites for study, the course structure and processes, and examination procedures.

Regulations that generally apply to all Bachelor's and Master's degree programs, including information on language proficiency requirements, can be found in RWTH's General Examination Regulations. These general regulations are further specified and complemented by the subject-specific examination regulations.

If two examination regulations are valid for a degree program during a transition phase, the most current version shall apply to students enrolling in the program for the first time.

Please note that only the German examination regulations are legally binding.

Module Handbook
Subject-Specific Examination Regulations
RWTH's General Examination Regulations

 

Faculty

This course of study is offered by the Department of History in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.