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The Master’s in Modern and Contemporary History provides a comprehensive education, equipping students with the ability to examine and critically analyse the phenomena around us, based on a strong interdisciplinary component and drawing on the areas of study developed at Iscte.
The Master’s programme offers an integrated educational pathway that focuses on two thematic areas:
· Society, Economy and Citizenship
· International Relations
The first thematic area provides a comprehensive education in Modern and Contemporary History, covering society, the economy and political culture. The aim is for students to engage with the new issues and approaches generated by the most recent national and international historiography, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and theoretical and methodological resources necessary to engage with current issues and debates.
The second thematic area covered by the Master’s programme offers specialisation within a broad conception of the discipline of International Relations, going beyond the classical perspective (political, diplomatic and military relations between states) and favouring study from the perspective of the History of International Relations and International History.
The main academic focus of the Master’s programme is History, which is complemented by contributions from other academic disciplines taught at Iscte, such as International Relations, Political Science and Cultural Studies, amongst others.
2026/2027
The Master’s Degree in Modern and Contemporary History is a two-year programme, corresponding to a total of 120 credits (ECTS), and is delivered on a part-time basis. The programme’s curriculum comprises a set of compulsory modules, which cover the learning outcomes considered fundamental and span the two thematic areas that form the structure of the programme. Students must also complete an optional course of a methodological nature in the field of History in the first semester of the first year, and one further optional course in the first semester of the second year. During the second year, students attend a dissertation/project seminar designed to support the completion of the final project required to complete the programme.
Students may choose to specialise in one of the programme’s core thematic areas by selecting and undertaking an optional module and completing their final project – either a dissertation or a project – in that same thematic area. To do so, they must take one of the following modules:
Thematic area Society, Economy and Citizenship: (01984) Contemporary Portuguese Culture or (00774) Heritage Inventory and Interpretation
Thematic area: International Relations: (M8301) Nationalism and Ethnicity in the International System or (03508) History and Theory of International Relations (taught in English).
Students may, alternatively, choose to undertake a curricular internship in the first semester of their second year.
| Unidades curriculares | Semester | ECTS |
|---|---|---|
| Diplomacy and Foreign Policyin the Ancien Régime | 1 | 6.0 |
| History and Globalization I | 1 | 6.0 |
| New Perspectives on Early Modern History | 1 | 6.0 |
| Popular and Urban Cultures | 1 | 6.0 |
| History and Globalization II | 2 | 6.0 |
| History of Portuguese Foreign Policy | 2 | 6.0 |
| New Perspectives on Modern and Contemporany History | 2 | 6.0 |
| Research in History | 2 | 6.0 |
| Social Movements and Citizenship | 2 | 6.0 |
Recommended elective
Optional courses will only be held if they achieve a minimum number of enrollments.
Thematic area: Society, Economy and Citizenship: (01984) Contemporary Portuguese Culture or (00774) Heritage Inventory and Interpretation
Thematic area: International Relations: (03508) History and Theory of International Relations (taught in English).
Students may, alternatively, choose to undertake a curricular internship in the first semester of the second year.
Society, Economy and Citizenship: Portuguese Culture:
01984 | Portuguese Contemporary Culture
or
00774 | Inventory and Analysis of the Urban Heritage
| Unidades curriculares | Semester | ECTS |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Cycle Internship Parte Escolar > Optional Courses > Free Options | 1 | 6.0 |
| Master Dissertation in Modern and Contemporany History Final Work | 1 | 48.0 |
| Master Project in Modern and Contemporary History Final Work | 1 | 48.0 |
Recommended elective
Optional courses will only be held if they achieve a minimum number of enrollments.
Thematic area: Society, Economy and Citizenship: (01984) Contemporary Portuguese Culture or (00774) Heritage Inventory and Interpretation
Thematic area: International Relations: (03508) History and Theory of International Relations (taught in English).
Students may, alternatively, choose to undertake a curricular internship in the first semester of the second year.
Society, Economy and Citizenship: Portuguese Culture:
01984 | Portuguese Contemporary Culture
or
00774 | Inventory and Analysis of the Urban Heritage
The objectives of the Master’s programme are to develop students’ ability to identify, critically analyse and conceptualise key themes in Modern and Contemporary History. It also seeks to strengthen students’ research autonomy and capacity for historiographical analysis, creating an academic and scientific profile suitable for potential progression to doctoral studies. The programme is structured to foster the development and consolidation of skills in the fields of research and critical analysis of information, with a view to enabling professional practice across a wide range of sectors, from tourism and heritage to culture and international relations, amongst others.
2025/2026
Overall, this Master’s programme develops the broad skills and knowledge essential for a range of professional activities. The specialisation in Society, Economy and Citizenship is primarily designed to enable students to acquire practical, theoretical and methodological skills and tools for research, critical understanding and analysis of contemporary issues from a historical perspective.
In professional terms, the specialisation in International Relations ensures the development of appropriate skills for those wishing to embark on or pursue a career in the fields of diplomacy, cooperation and development, and international journalism within EU bodies, non-governmental organisations or companies with an international dimension;
It also prepares students for a career in academia and equips them with the necessary skills to progress to postgraduate studies.
| Round | Start Date | End Date | Vacancies | Application fee | Reservation fee | Reservation fee outside EU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st round | Mestrado/Master | 2025-12-15 09:30 | 2026-01-14 17:00 | 5 | 70.00 € | 200.00 € | 500.00 € |
| 2nd round | Mestrado/Master | 2026-01-15 09:30 | 2026-02-25 17:00 | 5 | 70.00 € | 200.00 € | 500.00 € |
| 3rd round | Mestrado/Master | 2026-02-26 09:30 | 2026-04-06 17:00 | 10 | 70.00 € | 200.00 € | 500.00 € |
| 4th round | Mestrado/Master | 2026-04-07 09:30 | 2026-05-13 17:00 | 10 | 70.00 € | 200.00 € | 500.00 € |
| 5th round | Mestrado/Master | 2026-05-14 09:30 | 2026-06-24 17:00 | 5 | 70.00 € | 200.00 € | 500.00 € |
The following may apply for this Master’s degree:
Holders of a bachelor degree or its legal equivalent;
See the admission and ranking criteria 2026/2027
