Contemporary History

Bachelor's degree in full-time form. The language of instruction is Czech.

The programme can be studied only in combination with another programme.

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Submission deadline until midnight 28 February 2025.

What will you learn?

Contemporary history is an extremely dynamically developing field of social science. Its aim is to open the way for students to find answers to questions concerning the recent past, to reveal and understand the various types and levels of context that have an impact on the present, and to understand current developments in the Czech Republic, in Europe and in the world. On the one hand, students will become familiar with current trends in historiography; on the other, they will acquire competence in working with sources, in the use of research techniques and in data analysis, but also in their interpretation. The discipline develops analytical skills that are in demand today in various fields of human activity: in teaching at all types of school, research, the sphere of established and new social media, the non-profit sector and national and local government. On this course, graduates acquire qualifications that will enable them to continue in various social science master’s study programmes and in the future to engage in independent research or expert analytical work. The programme is suitable for all high school students interested in modern history. At the bachelor’s level, it is currently unique in the Czech Republic in that it offers concentrated teaching of contemporary history – i.e., history since the end of the Second World War. Its second unique aspect lies in the interdisciplinary cooperation of contemporary history experts and social science specialists.

““Each day is a drive through history.””

Practical training

A mandatory part of the study programme is professional practice (the course entitled “Practice”), 100 hours of which are supervised. The internship should be completed in the fifth or sixth semester of study. Departments participating in the programme provide students with work placements with their long-term institutional partners (including museums, archives and the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes), where students may carry out their practical work. The practice is oriented towards the acquisition of competences both in terms of working with sources and basic research activities in the field of contemporary history.

Career opportunities

Completion of the programme allows graduates to continue in various social science master’s study programmes and in the future to devote themselves to independent research or expert analytical work. At the same time, graduates of the programme are also ready to work in various fields of human activity: education, media, non-profit and for-profit sectors, and national and local government.

Deadlines

1 Nov 2024 – 28 Feb 2025

Submit your application during this period

Submit an application

Study options

Combined studies

In this type of studies, the students focus on the main degree programme (120 credits) supplemented with another, minor, programme (60 credits). The student enrols in the degree programme in which he/she majors. Both the programmes are stated in the university diploma. You will find possible combinations on the websites of individual degree programmes.​ An exception is programmes preparing students for teaching professions, where both fields of study are equal and the thesis may be written in any of them.

Recommended combinations

Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Social Studies

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Courses – curriculum examples

An example of your study plan:

Combined studies

Recommended combinations

Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Social Studies

Contemporary History (major), full-time studies
+ International Relations (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Follow-up studies

A graduate of the bachelor’s study programme can (upon meeting the admission conditions) continue in any follow-up master’s study at the Faculty of Arts or at the Faculty of Social Studies of Masaryk University, or in any follow-up master’s programme of any Czech or foreign university with a humanities or social science focus.

Study information

Provided by Faculty of Social Studies
Type of studies Bachelor's
Mode full-time Yes
combined No
distance No
Study options single-subject studies No
single-subject studies with specialization No
major/minor studies Yes
Standard length of studies 3 years
Language of instruction Czech
Collaborating institutions

Do you have any questions?
Send us an e-mail to

prof. PhDr. Jan Holzer, Ph.D.

Consultant

E‑mail:

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