Overview
Our Modern World History course offers you the chance to study the history of global, political, economic, and cultural interactions, the history of empires and the transnational histories of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Our course uses a distinctive approach to world history, by emphasising the need to study imperial political structures in relation both to other forces of global interaction, and to the lives and cultures of the regions which came under their influence, offering ample opportunity to study European nation building and modern British politics.
King’s College London, with Oxford and Cambridge, has been central to the subject of British Imperial History since the 1920s. In more recent decades, it has become a key international centre in the fields of Global and Transnational History. As well as providing training in historical research methods, and global and transnational history, our course offers you the opportunity to personalise your degree by choosing optional modules offered by any department at King’s or from available MA courses at our London partner institutions (which include UCL, Queen Mary and Royal Holloway).
Leads to careers in education, journalism, finance, politics and cultural sectors.
Key benefits
- One of the best history departments in the world, ranked 3rd in the UK for Research Power (REF 2021) and eighth among history departments in Europe (QS World University Rankings 2025).
- King’s graduates enjoy one of the best employment rates and starting salaries in the UK. Ranked 6th in the UK for graduate employability (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022).
- The most comprehensive coverage of the history of the European seaborne empires of any university in the UK and has key figures in the study of South Asia, Australia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Innovative comparative approach to British and Continental European history since the 18th century.
- Offers an integrative approach to skills-teaching in historical methods and historiography.
- Our central London location offers students unrivalled access to world-class museums, collections, archives and libraries as well as easy access to resources in Europe.
Key Information
Course type:
Master's
Delivery mode:
In person
Study mode:
Full time
Duration:
1 year Full time: 2 years part time
Application status:
Open
Start date:
September 2026