The master specialisation Applied History is tailored for talented and motivated students. Your background may be in history, culture, or a related discipline. No rights can be derived from the following overview. Diploma requirement You are eligible for admission if: You hold a bachelor's degree in history from a recognised Dutch research university or an equivalent qualification from an international higher education institution. You hold a bachelor's degree in social sciences or in humanities from a recognised Dutch research university or an equivalent qualification from an international higher education institution or a bachelor's degree from a university college. It is imperative that you can demonstrate that you have undertaken coursework in history (e.g. through electives or a minor). English language requirement You meet the English language requirement when: You hold a Dutch VWO diploma and have obtained a grade of 7 or higher for English on your final grade list; You are a native speaker of English (i.e. a national of one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America) and you have received secondary education in English for at least two and a half years in one of the above countries; You hold a bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification from a programme taught entirely in English in one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. We usually deem bachelor's degrees or equivalent qualifications from programmes taught entirely in English from Western European or Scandinavian universities sufficient to meet the English language requirement as well. If you do not meet one of the above requirements, then you need to demonstrate English proficiency through one of the following tests (you need to take the test in a test centre; we don't accept the IELTS Online, the TOEFL Home Edition, and similar online tests): IELTS Academic with a minimum overall band score of 7.0 and minimum subscores of 6.5 (we don't accept the IELTS One Skill Retake; your scores on one single IELTS need to meet the requirement) TOEFL iBT with a minimum total score of 5.0 (old scoring scale: 100) and minimum subscores of 4.5 (old scoring scale: 23) (we don't accept TOEFL MyBest Scores; your scores on one single TOEFL need to meet the requirement) Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) or Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE) with a minimum overall score of 185 LanguageCert with a minimum total score of 75 and minimum subscores of 70 Pearson PTE Academic with a minimum overall score of 75 and minimum subscores of 66 Please note : test scores cannot be older than two years at the time that you submit your application. When scheduling your test close to the deadline, keep in mind that it can take several working days for the results to be available. If you have not yet taken a test, then we recommend that you take the IELTS Academic or the TOEFL iBT (you need to take the test in a test centre; we don't accept the IELTS Online, the TOEFL Home Edition, and similar online tests). Deadlines for submitting proof of English proficiency: Non-EEA students : 1 May EEA students : 1 August Additional criteria The following criteria will also be taken into account during the admission process: motivation for the programme; curriculum vitae; average grade; international background.
From 1 October, you can start your application for the academic year 2027-2028 in Studielink . The application deadline is 15 April for non-EEA students and 15 May for EEA students. Only applications started in Studielink and submitted in the Application Portal of Erasmus University Rotterdam will be considered. After you have submitted your application in the Application Portal, the admissions committee will assess your application. You will be informed about the outcome of your application by email. Below you will find the application procedure. If you have any questions about your application, then please reach out to the ESHCC admissions office . Application Required information and documents (in PDF) Bachelor's diploma - if already available If you have not yet obtained your bachelor's diploma, then you may already apply. However, in that case any offer of admission made to you will be conditional upon obtaining your diploma. The deadline to submit your diploma is 1 August. Translation of your bachelor's diploma in English If the original is not in Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, or Spanish. We only accept official translations. Most recent transcript of records The transcript of records must list all grades received during your studies. Translation of your transcript of records in English If the original is not in Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, or Spanish. We only accept official translations. Average grade The average of all grades received during your studies. Proof of English proficiency Preferably an IELTS Academic or a TOEFL iBT (you need to take the test in a test centre; we don't accept the IELTS Online, the TOEFL Home Edition, and similar online tests). If you have not yet obtained proof of English proficiency, then you may already apply. However, in that case any offer of admission made to you will be conditional upon submitting proof of English proficiency. We recommend that you schedule your test as soon as possible. Curriculum vitae in English Application deadlines and response time Application Deadline Non-EEA students 15 April EEA students 15 May Considering the time needed to arrange a visa and/or a residence permit, students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) need to submit their application by 15 April . You will be informed about the outcome of your application by 1 July at the latest. We have a rolling admissions process, which means that we assess applications as they come in. This also means that when you apply early you may receive the outcome of your application early. Applications will be assessed from January at the earliest. Application procedure Step 1: Studielink From 1 October, you can start your application in Studielink , the Dutch national registration system for higher education. Please complete all the required steps. Step 2: Application Portal Once you have completed all the required steps in Studielink, you will be asked by email to complete your application in the Application Portal and you will receive your login details for the Application Portal. Please note : automatically generated emails may end up in your spam or junk folder, so please check this folder. If you do not receive your login details for the Application Portal, then please reach out to the IT Service Desk of Erasmus University Rotterdam: it.servicedesk@eur.nl . In the Application Portal, you need to answer a number of questions and upload your documents. You need to submit your application in the Application Portal no later than 15 April (non-EEA students) or 15 May (EEA students) . Please note : we cannot and will not consider applications that have been submitted in the Application Portal after the deadline. Application status The admissions committee will assess your application. You can check the status of your application in the Application Portal at any time. You will be informed about the outcome of your application by email. The outcome can be one of the following: Approved You are unconditionally admitted to the programme. Please indicate within three weeks in the Application Portal whether or not you accept the offer of admission. Conditionally approved You are conditionally admitted to the programme; the offer of admission mentions the condition(s) of your admission. Please indicate within three weeks in the Application Portal whether or not you accept the offer of admission. If you have been conditionally admitted, then you need to submit the required additional documents. These could be: Certified copies of your diploma and your transcript of records: by 1 August Proof of English proficiency: Non-EEA students: by 1 May (considering the time needed to arrange a visa and/or a residence permit) EEA students: by 1 August Once we have approved the documents, the status of your application will change to 'Approved'. Declined You are not admitted to the programme. You will be informed about the reason(s) for rejection. Finalising your enrollment Your enrollment as a student at Erasmus University Rotterdam will only be finalised after you have arranged the payment of your tuition fees . From early April, you can arrange the payment of your tuition fees in Studielink. If you have any questions about payment of tuition fees, then please have a look at our website or reach out to the Erasmus Student Service Centre . Non-EEA students need to meet all immigration requirements . If you are admitted to the programme, then our immigration officers will reach out to you. You can already have a look at our immigration website as well. The final date for finalising your enrollment is 31 August, but please do not wait until the last minute. Proof of enrollment and practical information Once your enrollment has been finalised, you can download a proof of enrollment in Osiris: Log into Osiris with your ERNA account details. Click your profile picture in the top right and click My details. Click Enrolment study programme. Click Declaration of enrolment. We recommend that you arrive in Rotterdam well in time for your first classes. The Eurekaweek and the ESHCC introduction week are planned for mid-August and are a nice way to settle in before your classes start. Frequently Asked Questions about Application for our master programmes I have registered in Studielink. What do I do next? After a successful registration in Studielink you will receive an e-mail with a link to the Application Portal where you need to continue your application. Please make sure to complete your application in the application portal. Only then your registration can be reviewed. Can I start the programme mid-year? No, this is not possible. All (pre-) master programmes at Erasmus School of History Culture and Communication start in August/ September. I have applied in Studielink but did not receive my ERNA account details Please first check the inbox and spam folder of your email account. If you still are not able to find your account details, we kindly request you to contact our IT department by e-mail it.servicedesk@eur.nl to request your ERNA details. I have forgotten my username and/or password to log in on the EUR Admission Portal. What should I do? Go to the login page of the Application Portal and click on ‘forgot username’ and/or ‘forgot password’ (upper right corner of the screen). Subsequently, follow the instructions. If that does not work, please contact Erasmus Student Service Centre. Can my eligibility be assessed before I submit an application? Your eligibility can only be determined after you have submitted an application together with the required documents. We will not assess prior requests by email. For this reason, we encourage you to apply officially for admission. Your application will then be assessed by the programme’s admissions committee. I have a Bachelor’s degree from a vocational (non-research) university (the equivalent of an hbo-degree in The Netherlands). Can I apply for a Master’s degree programme? Unfortunately, you cannot apply directly for a Master’s degree programme. You will have to apply for a pre-master’s programme first (if available). After finishing the one-year pre-master’s programme, you will be automatically admitted to the related Master’s degree specialisation. I have a research university Bachelor’s degree, which is not directly related to the Master’s degree specialisation I want to apply for. If your educational background is not the most appropriate preparation for the Master of your choice, you may consider applying for a pre-master’s programme first (if available). After finishing the one-year pre-master’s programme, you will be automatically admitted to the related Master’s degree specialisation. Can I transfer grades from another university? No, it is not possible to transfer grades or credits obtained at another university I have yet to obtain my Bachelor’s degree. Can I apply? Yes, you can apply and we will consider your application. However, any offer made to you will be conditional until you meet all of the entry requirements. If admitted, you will get permission to submit your diploma (or graduation statement) after the application deadline, but ultimately 10 August. If I apply for two programmes, does that affect my chances of being admitted? No, it does not affect your chances in any way. I have received an admission offer but I cannot start in September. Is the offer still valid next year? Every (conditional) admission offer is only valid for the coming academic year. If you are unable to join the programme, you will have to apply again next year. We do not accept any deferrals. I have yet to take my English language test. Can I apply? Yes, you can apply and we will consider your application. However, any offer made to you will be conditional until you meet all of the entry requirements. Please plan your test as soon as possible. Bear in mind that it will take several weeks before you receive an official copy of your test results. If you are admitted, please send us your language test results no later than the deadline mentioned in your admissions offer. Without official proof of your English language proficiency at the required level, we cannot register you as a student for the programme! Which English language tests are accepted? IELTS Academic with a minimum overall band score of 7.0 and minimum subscores of 6.5 (we don't accept the IELTS One Skill Retake; your scores on one single IELTS need to meet the requirement) TOEFL iBT with a minimum total score of 100 and minimum subscores of 23 (we don't accept TOEFL MyBest Scores; your scores on one single TOEFL need to meet the requirement) Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) or Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE) with a minimum overall score of 185 LanguageCert with a minimum total score of 75 and minimum subscores of 70 Pearson PTE Academic with a minimum overall score of 75 and minimum subscores of 66 Please note: Test results of the First Certificate in English (FCE) and the TOEIC-test are not accepted! Please plan your test as soon as possible. Bear in mind that it will take several weeks before you receive an official copy of your test results. What is the expiry date of an English language test? English tests must be less than two years old at the time of application. Do you verify my TOEFL or IELTS results online? Yes, after you have sent your results to us, we will verify the results online. How can I get an official translation of my documents? An official translation is normally done by a registered sworn translator normally associated with a notary. Alternatively, an institution issuing the respective document may be rightful to issue official translations. Please note that you must send a copy of the documents in the original language along with the translation. How do I get certified copies of documents? A certified copy is a copy of a filed document, legal or other, which contains a seal and a signature that establishes that the document is genuine, a true copy. A document may be certified by an official authorised person (a university, a notary, a sworn translator etc.). Applicants with Dutch prior education do not have to send us certified copies, we are able to verify your previous education online. I have been conditionally admitted and now I need to submit additional documents but I can no longer upload documents through the Admission Portal. Where do I send the additional documents? Please email your document to masteradmission@eshcc.eur.nl Our Admission's Officer will add them to your file. I have graduated, but I will not receive my diploma before 1 August. What should I do now? Some universities do not issue diplomas until late summer or even early autumn - even if technically you have already graduated. If this applies to your university, please ask them to issue an official graduation statement , confirming you have indeed met all requirements (with a date before 1 September) needed for graduation. Please email this document to masteradmission@eshcc.eur.nl at the latest by 31 August. It should be a certified document, i.e. it should carry the university’s stamp, signature and a date. Do I have to submit a reference letter? Only if you apply for our Research Master, you are required to submit two reference letters. For all other programmes these documents are not mandatory. However, you may include additional documents if you believe this will contribute to your profile.
During the master specialisation Applied History, you will learn to analyse and address contemporary societal challenges from a long-term historical perspective. You will do so in a practical, hands-on manner, to directly prepare you for the job market. You will analyse events from a cultural, economic, political, and social perspective and learn essential skills to gather and present your research results in a professional manner. As part of your programme, you will have the opportunity to take a longer internship in comparison to other programmes, to build up your work experience. In addition, next to conducting academic research for your thesis, you will be able to translate your research into an applied final project, such as a plan for an exhibition, a podcast, a documentary, or a policy paper.