John Hopkins University

What you'll study

This programme centres on the cultures, institutions and mentalities of Europe roughly between the late Roman world and the eighteenth century, emphasising connections between intellectual, religious, artistic and social history. Core study develops historical methods, historiography and research skills through small seminars and skills-based courses.

• Core methods and theory: historical research methods, historiography, quantitative and qualitative approaches to sources, and a senior capstone or honours thesis.
• Periods and themes: courses in medieval Europe, the Crusades, Byzantine and Ottoman interactions, the Renaissance, the Reformation and confessional cultures, early modern state formation, and the rise of print culture.
• Special topics: intellectual and literary history, religious practices and devotional life, gender and family, urban and economic history, material and visual culture, and legal and diplomatic history.
• Language and palaeography: instruction in Latin and options to study medieval/early modern vernacular languages (for example, French, Italian, German or Spanish), plus palaeography and diplomatic skills for reading manuscript sources.
• Practical work: archival and manuscript study, digital humanities methods for textual and material evidence, internships or practicum placements with libraries, archives or museums, and study-abroad options for on-site learning in European archives and collections.

Entry requirements

Admission to Johns Hopkins is competitive and applicants should present a strong secondary-school record with evidence of excellence in humanities and writing. Typical application materials include a secondary-school transcript, teacher recommendations (often including a humanities teacher), a personal statement or essay, and a writing sample. Candidates who have taken advanced-level courses (for example, IB, A-levels, AP or equivalent) in history, literature, languages or related fields are particularly well prepared.

Because language ability is important in medieval and early modern study, successful applicants often have prior study of Latin or another European language, or demonstrate readiness to undertake language training in the first years of the degree. Johns Hopkins also considers extracurricular engagement such as research projects, editorial experience, museum work or archival volunteering as positive preparation.

Career prospects

Graduates with specialised training in medieval and early modern European cultural history pursue a wide range of careers that value strong research, critical thinking and communication skills. Common paths include:

• Academic work and postgraduate study leading to careers in higher education and research.
• Museums, historical sites and archives — roles in curation, collections management, conservation and public programming.
• Publishing, journalism and editorial work where historical literacy and source analysis are assets.
• Libraries and information management, including special collections and digital archives.
• Heritage management, cultural policy and public history roles in government and non-profit organisations.
• Law, public administration, consulting and other professions that prize analytical writing, complex evidence evaluation and contextual reasoning.

Why study at Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins offers an interdisciplinary, research-led undergraduate environment within a university known for rigorous scholarship. History students benefit from close faculty mentorship in small seminars, opportunities to undertake original research and a departmental culture that encourages combining history with other fields such as art history, classics, religious studies, and digital humanities.

Campus resources strengthen medieval and early modern work: extensive manuscript and rare book holdings in the university libraries, opportunities for hands-on experience with archival material, and ready access to major museums and cultural institutions in Baltimore for internships and public-facing projects. The programme’s emphasis on languages, palaeography and archival methods equips graduates to pursue specialised postgraduate study or careers that engage directly with historical sources and cultural heritage.