This programme is designed to encourage students to pursue their interests in European history in depth and to obtain training specifically designed for undertaking research in European history. Geographically, the degree deals with West, Central, Eastern and Southern Europe and regions such as Scandinavia and the Balkans. It offers the opportunity to study European History in a cross-national perspective and at the same time to focus on specific European countries or regions. There are optional courses on the history of single countries such as France, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia and the Soviet Union among others. Students are introduced to different theoretical, methodological and historiographical approaches of writing European history. They are taught in several sub-disciplines of history and can choose options in areas including social and economic history, political history, cultural and intellectual history, gender history, diplomatic and military history. The chronology of the various components covers the medieval, early modern, modern and contemporary periods.

All students follow a specifically designed core course that examines meanings of Europe in the light of its contested history, the distinctiveness of the European experience, as well as different historiographies influential in the study of European history. The core course introduces students to different theoretical and methodological approaches, and aims to equip students with specific research skills. It includes introductions to special resources in and around London, such as the British Library, the Institute of Historical Research and the National Archives at Kew.

In addition to the core course half of the degree is based on optional courses, known as fields of study. These are offered either as full units, of which students would take up to two, or as half units, of which students would take up to four. Led by the 50 or more historians of Europe at UCL, the optional courses are offered through the History department or historians in other UCL departments and schools, such as the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, the Centre for European Studies, or the Department of Hebrew & Jewish Studies. The fields of study provide the range and depth of coverage within the programme and might include options on such diverse areas as medieval religion, the Dutch Golden Age, or history and theory. The chosen courses should cover separate spheres of European history, examining two distinct geographical areas of the continent (e.g. Italian and Scandinavian history) or in the case of cross-national courses, two distinct fields such as labour history and the history of European Integration.

All students produce a 10 - 12,000-word research dissertation on a topic in European history of a student's choice, written under the expert supervision of a UCL-based European historian.

Knowledge of foreign languages is not a pre-requisite for the degree programme, but in order to enhance their capabilities as European historians, all students are required to take a pass/fail course in a language of their choice at an appropriate level from beginners to advanced. Languages are taught either through the UCL language centre or through the language departments. Options include French, German, Spanish, or East-European languages or more specialised options such as Dutch, Modern Hebrew or Scandinavian languages. In addition, students who wish to gain in-depth knowledge of French, Dutch or German for research purposes can replace one full field of study with an "academic reading course" that culminates in an exam testing the linguistic skills acquired during the academic year.

The weighting of the various elements of the degree is:

Core Course (40 credits)

2 Fields of Study/Academic Reading Course (80 credits total)

Dissertation (60 credits)

Obligatory Language Course - not included in weighting of final assessment

The UCL History Department, part of the oldest institution at the University of London, is distinctive for the sheer breadth of its expertise, which spans the fourth millenium BC to the contemporary world. Among our specialities are the Ancient Near East and the modern Americas. We also cover the full range of European history from the classical Mediterranean societies, through the medieval and early modern periods to the present day. We have several distinguished historians of Britain and its empire, and offer a range of courses on London history. Among our current professors of British and European History are Julian Hoppit, David d'Avray, Catherine Hall, Stephen Conway, and Benjamin Kaplan. Past members of the Department included Arnaldo Momigliano, Alfred Cobban, and John Neale.

UCL History had an outstanding result in the 2008 RAE (the Research Assessment Exercise conducted by the UK Government), when 40% of our research was rated ‘world-leading’. This figure was equalled by only two other UK History Departments and bettered by none.