Stockholm university

History

History is the study of the past, but also the context of the present. History helps you understand change and how society came to be, providing tools for understanding, questioning and explaining what is happening today. Historical knowledge and perspectives are increasingly necessary in today’s society.

Subject description

The Department of History at Stockholm University is the largest of its kind in Sweden. Here you will meet devoted researchers and experienced teachers. As a student you will read and discuss the latest Swedish and international research on the medieval, early modern and modern periods.

You will work with sources from different ages and learn how to discover the knowledge of the past. Thus, studying history teaches you how to critically analyse what you read, whether you study medieval documents, scholarly literature, or texts on the web. Critical source evaluation is a fundamental part of your studies in history. You will furthermore learn how to write scientific texts and present and discuss your writing. Later on, you will carry out a research project on your own under individual supervision, and present your results in the form of an essay.

The Department of History at Stockholm University offer courses that give you basic knowledge of the history of Sweden and the world, as well as in-depth theme courses in various areas, both Swedish and international. Our theme courses include, for example, African history, the history of the Sami, the history of Islam, the history of the crusades, and Stockholm from past to present.

Career opportunities

Studies in history qualifies you for work with high demands on independence and communicative skills, as well as analytical ability. Depending on how you combine your studies in history with other subjects, or within which educational programme you read history, different careers are available as well as postgraduate study and research. Teaching, work in the culture sector, in museums and archives, in communication as well as in private and public administration are common career choices among students of history.

Courses and programmes

Degree

For a bachelor’s degree in history you can choose to study individual courses or join one of the bachelor’s programmes listed under Educations within the subject.

The bachelor’s degree in History is only offered in Swedish.

Learn more about Swedish language qualification

A master’s degree in History can only be obtained through enrolment in one of the master’s programmes listed under Educations within the subject.

More information about degrees at Stockholm University

Research

Research at the Department of History is extensive and richly varied. It is run by individual researchers or research groups, in several cases in national or international collaboration.

As one of the largest history departments in Sweden, we strive for breadth and diversity in our work. The research extends from the Middle Ages to the present, and deals with areas such as politics, urban history, popular culture, gender, sport and maritime history. Our research is in some areas both nationally leading and internationally prominent.

The subject area “history” is defined as one of the leading research areas at Stockholm University.

Read more at www.historia.su.se/english/research