LSE-Columbia University Double MA Degree in International and World History

Our world is more interconnected than ever. We call it globalisation, but without good histories to explain how we got here, we cannot begin to know where we are heading.

This master's programme at Columbia University and LSE asks you to explore our world by studying the forces that have been remaking it; migration, trade, technological revolutions, epidemic disease, environmental change, wars and diplomacy. Working with preeminent historians in the field, you will analyse large-scale historical processes, pursue empirical research and produce your own comparative and cross-cultural histories.

The further development of the study of international history in this broad sense depends on the internationalisation of the training and skills of the next generation of experts. This double degree draws on the faculties of two of the world's leading centres of international affairs, which have the expertise and commitment to provide the training and skills needed. It offers close contact in seminars and colloquia with mentors in different intellectual and cultural settings in two global cities. You'll spend the first year at Columbia University, New York, and the second year at LSE in London.

General reading

• Antony Best, Jussi Hanhimaki, Joe Maiolo, and Kirsten Schulze, International History of the Twentieth Century and Beyond (Routledge, 2014 3rd edition)

Subject specific recommendations

• Mark Mazower, Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century (1999)
• Jeremy Friedman, Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World (2015)
• Elizabeth Economy, The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State (2019)
• Hazel V Carby, Imperial Intimacies: A Tale of Two Islands (Verso 2019)
• Kristina Spohr, Post Wall, Post Square, How Bush, Gorbachev, Kohl, and Deng Shaped the World after 1989 (YUP, 2020)
• O. A. Westad, The Global Cold War: Third World Interventions and the Making of Our Times (2011)
• Desmond Dinan, ed, Origins and Evolution of the European Union (OUP, 2014) (for HY411)
• David van Reybrouck, Congo: The Epic History of a People (2014 edn)
• Nelson Mandela, Conversations with Myself (2010)

First year, at Columbia University, New York

At Columbia University, students are required to complete 30 graduate credits, including the core components of the programme: Approaches to International and Global History (HIST GR8930) and Research Skills and Methods in International and Global History (HIST GR5000). The first course introduces the conceptual possibilities and problems of international and world history. The workshop includes training in the use of archives and other primary sources, the organisation and documentation of research, and the presentation and publication of findings.

At least 22 credits must be obtained through courses in the History Department. Students may also take courses outside of the History Department toward the history requirement if a course is historical in nature, provided that the MA/MSc academic advisor (Dr Line Lillevik) approves. Please note that the programme doesn't accept R credits toward degree completion.

Students have the option to take up to eight graduate elective points (typically two courses) from outside of the History Department. Students can take classes from other departments within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) as well as in other schools at Columbia, including the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), the Journalism School, Teachers College and the School of the Arts (SOA). Please note that classes outside of the department or in other schools may require additional permissions or cross-registration procedures.

Students take courses up to the value of 30 credits from a range of options

Second year, at LSE

At LSE, you'll complete three full units in addition to the dissertation.

At least two of these three units must be chosen from the wide range of international history and economic history course offerings. You may complete a third unit in another department at LSE, provided that both the academic director at LSE and the teacher responsible for the course approve.

• Dissertation

The dissertation is the single most important component of the MA/MSc programme. It's an original scholarly work based on detailed empirical research and analysis.

You'll take the year-long Dissertation Workshop, which is designed to help you research and write your dissertation and to think about where you would like to take your career after your time at LSE has finished. It provides a specialised forum for discussion and debate on what it means to write history and to be an historian.

Although not mandatory, you're also welcome to attend the larger graduate-level Research Training Workshop for all international history master’s students at the LSE, which focuses on practical research and study skills.

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.

Browse past dissertations from our programme's alumni

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

Tim Hochstrasser

Programme Director and Associate Professor

Anna Cant

Graduate Admissions Advisor

We welcome applicants from all academic and professional backgrounds. Students are selected for admission based on their academic and professional pursuits, in addition to their unique interests and life experiences.

Students in our programme have backgrounds in history as well as a wide range of other academic fields including comparative literature, philosophy, anthropology, area studies, political science, journalism and business. Students with backgrounds outside of the humanities and social sciences are also welcome to apply, so long as their Statement of Academic Purpose explains why they wish to study history.

We accept students who are currently finishing their undergraduate studies, although work experience is considered a plus in the application process. Although most incoming students don't have a degree beyond the bachelor’s degree, students with a previous master’s degree are welcome to apply.

Applications are reviewed by both institutions.

Data sharing

Double degrees and certain other degrees and scholarships require that LSE shares personal data with another university or partner. In our agreements we will use the School’s standard data sharing template for universities and partners in the EU and EEA and in an adequate country. Standard contract clauses will be used for any other country. If you have any questions about this or how your personal data will be treated by LSE, please contact the Data Protection Officer, Rachael Maguire, via glpd.info.rights@lse.ac.uk or check our Student Privacy Notice.

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 LSE-Columbia University Double Degree in International and World History programme asks students to analyse large-scale historical processes, pursue empirical research, and produce their own comparative and cross-cultural histories. Students in our programme have backgrounds in history as well as a wide range of other academic fields including comparative literature, philosophy, anthropology, area studies, political science, journalism and business.

Deadlines for application are 16 January 2025 (early deadline), and 13 March 2025 (final deadline).

Applicants who wish to be considered for funding in Year 1 at Colombia are strongly encouraged to apply by the early deadline date.

Year 1 (at Columbia, 2025/26):

Home students: See Columbia fee

Year 2 (at LSE, 2026/27):

Home students: £30,400 (provisional)

Year 1 (at Columbia, 2025/26):

Overseas students: See Columbia fee

Year 2 (at LSE, 2026/27):

Overseas students: £30,400 (provisional)

The MA/MSc program provides graduates with the opportunity to develop lifelong contacts on both sides of the Atlantic, using Columbia and the LSE as launching pads for their professional careers. While approximately 25% of our alumni choose to pursue a PhD and a career in academia, some choose to apply the insights gained to a career outside of academia, including government, intergovernmental organizations, foundations, NGO's, education, consulting, journalism, business and academia.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

Find out what our LSE-Columbia Double Degree students have been doing since graduating

As students and graduates at Columbia and LSE, MA/MSc students have access to career centres at both universities. We strongly encourage students to take full advantage of these resources while they're enrolled in the programme. Alumni maintain access to LSE Careers services for five years after graduation, and Columbia Careers services forever. After completing the programme, our graduates become members of two extensive global alumni networks.

At LSE, the department is committed to supporting students' options after graduation in the world of work or futher studies by organising a careers programme tailored specifically to International History students with the help of LSE Careers. Also, many leading organisations give careers presentations at the School during the year, and LSE Careers has a wide range of resources available to assist students in their job search.

Read more about the Careers support provided by Columbia to MA/MSc graduates

Find out more about the support available to students through LSE Careers