MA Modern History

The one-year MA in Modern History, given by the Department of International History, provides broad coverage of the origins, formation and reinvention of the modern world.

This is enabled by a research-oriented approach rooted in the humanities.

The degree provides broad coverage of the origins, formation and reinvention of the modern world, and has three main elements: a research-oriented approach rooted in the humanities (which will give students the opportunity to engage with scholarship across disciplines within the School); a timeframe which embraces early modern, modern and contemporary history (which complements social scientific research on our world today); and a 10,000-word dissertation in which students elaborate their own understanding of the nature and genealogy of the modern world (via a topic decided in consultation with a supervisor).

The MA in History will give students a firm grasp of the nature and genealogy of the modern world, and furnish secure foundations for more advanced research.

Watch the Virtual Graduate Open talk given by Master's Admissions Advisor Dr Paul Stock in November 2025.

• Maxine Berg, ed., Writing the History of the Global: Challenges for the Twenty-First Century (2013)
• Adom Getachew, Worldmaking After Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination (2019)
• Susan Pederson, The Guardians: The League of Nations and the Crisis of Empire (2015)

You'll take taught courses to the value of three units, with at least one predating the twentieth century and another on contemporary history. The courses will be selected from those offered by the Departments of Anthropology, Economic History, Gender, Geography, Government, International History, Law, Media and Communications, Philosophy and Sociology, the European Institute and the Language Centre. In these courses, you'll encounter a mix of lectures and seminars, have opportunities to deliver presentations, work with peers, and engage in off-campus learning (by, inter alia, visiting museums and exhibitions). You'll also be required to write a 10,000-word dissertation based on their own research. This can be on any topic decided in consultation with a supervisor in the Department of International History, and include topics which are international, domestic, theoretical and historiographical.

Watch our HY course videos

Dissertation

This component of the degree reflects our belief that master's level history students should be willing to engage in detailed historical research. In preparing this piece of work, students are provided with guidance about how to choose an appropriate topic, how to identify and locate the necessary sources, and how to write up their research findings. This is done through a combination of departmental workshops and discussions between individual students and their dissertation supervisor. But ultimately the dissertation is a test of the research abilities and writing skills of each individual student.

While in London, preparing your dissertation, you can take advantage of numerous world-class research libraries and archives. These include the National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office), the British Library, the libraries of specialised schools of the University of London such as the Institute for Historical Research, the School of Oriental and African Studies, and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, and the LSE's own library, the British Library of Political and Economic Sciences. The LSE's archive also contains much valuable research material, as do the collections of the Imperial War Museum, the Warburg Institute and many others.

History is a wide ranging and challenging subject to study. It seeks to understand the past and to make sense of the present, adding an important dimension to the understanding of many aspects of human society. The department is world renowned in its field, offering a unique perspective on the history of relations between states, peoples and cultures. We pride ourselves on giving students the benefit of ground-breaking research throughout our teaching programmes.

Our degrees will give you a broad international perspective on the past. We give attention both to domestic and international issues and many of the courses we offer deal with major events in the history of international relations.

Since the behaviour of countries in the international arena cannot be understood without a knowledge of their distinct social, political, economic and cultural characteristics, we provide courses covering major aspects of the history of ideas and mentalities.

LSE was founded in 1895 originally as an institute of higher education for graduate students. The department reflects this tradition and takes its responsibility for undergraduate teaching and supervision very seriously. We admit nearly as many undergraduate students as master's students. We have one of the most cosmopolitan undergraduate communities in London and one of the most vibrant and dynamic.

Learn more about our programmes, research, public events and people.

Department of International History

Who's who

Dr Tanya Harmer

Programme Director

Department of International History

• Latin America
• Modern history
• Cold War

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students. At LSE, we want to recruit students with the best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of background.

We carefully consider each application and take into account all the information included on your application form, such as your:

• academic achievement (including predicted and achieved grades)
• statement of academic purpose
• two academic references
• CV.

See further information on supporting documents.

You may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. See our English language requirements.

Programme and admissions enquiries

For questions related to your application or the admissions process, please check our admissions frequently asked questions page.

If you have any queries which aren't answered on the website, please contact the department's Graduate Admissions Advisor.

The MA in Modern History gives students a firm grasp of the nature and genealogy of the modern world. This will benefit professionals in a range of fields, including the civil service in the UK or abroad, think tanks, international organisations and NGOs, public relations and lobbying, and journalism. The programme also furnishes secure foundations for more advanced research. This will be of particular value for those who wish to do a future PhD and enter academia, as well as for those in the education, museum and heritage sectors.

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis. This means that applications will close once the programme is full.

There is no fixed deadline. However, if you’d like to be considered for any funding opportunities, you must submit your application (and all supporting documents) by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section below for more details.

For this programme, the tuition fee is different for home and overseas students depending on their fee status.

For this programme, the tuition fee is different for home and overseas students depending on their fee status.

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. It's designed to help prepare you for summative assessment which counts towards the course mark and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative assessment, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, mock exams and many others. Summative assessment may be conducted during the course or by final examination at the end of the course. An indication of the formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide.

Students develop highly transferable skills valued by employers and go on to work in the foreign service, the EU, political think tanks, risk assessment, journalism or the NGO sector, or stay on to take a research degree.

LSE history graduates find employment in almost any job sector due to the wide range of transferable skills developed during their studies.

Very few people with a degree in history go on to work as historians, but students with a degree in international history have many skills that are in high demand today.

History students learn to read and process large amounts of information, to sift out unreliable data, to analyse and organise the material available, and to form a coherent argument orally or in writing. Students at LSE learn to set and achieve personal goals, manage their time to meet deadlines, and have confidence speaking in public. In our knowledge-based economy, employers value these skills. Learning history is learning skills.

LSE history students continue to have one of the best rate of employability and earnings after graduation in the UK. The Complete University Guide 2020 places history at LSE 6th overall for job prospects. The Guardian's University 2021 League Tables placed history at LSE in 2nd place for percentage of graduates who find graduate-level jobs, or are in further study at professional or higher education level, within fifteen months of graduation. The 2019 report on Graduate Outcomes Subject by Provider from the Department for Education places history at LSE top of the table with earnings superior to any other university in the UK with 2010-11 LSE graduates' median salary at £43,200 5 years after graduating.

A report on relative labour market returns, also from the Department for Education, which calculated the difference in earnings by subject and university choice throughout Britain five years after graduation, ranked history at LSE number 1 in June 2018. The report illustrates the average impact the different universities and subjects would have on the future income of an individual. History at LSE averaged a lifetime earnings boost of £14,000 for men and £15,000 for women when compared with studying history at any other university in the UK, including Oxford, St Andrews, Cambridge, KCL and UCL.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.