Cultural, Intellectual and Visual History 24 months Postgraduate Programme By University of Milan |TopUniversities

Programme overview

Main Subject

Art and Design

Degree

MA

Study Level

Masters

Study Mode

Blended

Overview

Unlock the Past, Shape the Future: Explore the Dynamics of Culture, Ideas, and Society

The Master’s degree in Cultural, Intellectual and Visual History, delivered entirely in English, aims to provide students with a comprehensive education blending historical knowledge from antiquity to the present, rigorous methodology, critical thinking, and proficiency in digital technologies. Focusing on cultural studies, the programme equips students with the tools to analyse reality in both its diachronic and synchronic, national and transnational dimensions.

Students will explore the ideas, artifacts, institutions, practices, beliefs, and behaviours that have shaped and transformed societies, particularly in Europe, while examining the material and intellectual factors that have influenced the interpretation of social life, roles, and identities across time and space.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of the programme, you will be able to:

  • delineate the history of European civilisation, focusing on cultural, political, economic, and social dynamics
  • analyse period-specific sources, comparing historiographical works and recognising historiographical trends
  • independently formulate research questions, also using digital tools
  • communicate clearly in English, using subject-specific vocabulary and adapting your style to different audiences
  • carry out independent in-depth studies on specific topics of cultural history.

Why Choose our Master’s degree in Cultural, Intellectual and Visual History

  • 100% taught in English
  • Comprehensive and interdisciplinary historical and cultural training
  • Innovative teaching methods: flipped classroom, role-playing exercises, project tasks involving the production of multimedia contents.


Programme Structure

The Master’s degree in Cultural, Intellectual and Visual History is divided into two years of 60 ECTS each, with remote lectures for about 50 % of the total. The first year is fully in person at the University of Milan, while the second year is largely online, with selected on-campus activities such as workshops, thesis supervision meetings, tutoring activities, and educational trips .

The programme features a strong interdisciplinary approach, allowing significant flexibility, with 36 ECTS available for elective courses.

On top of this, 18 ECTS are devoted to the thesis project.

For further details, visit the University’s website.


Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Master’s degree in Cultural, Intellectual and Visual History are equipped with a unique blend of historical and cultural skills .

Where Your Degree Can Take You

Everywhere! Literally, you could work all over the world as:

  • Museum communicator and cultural heritage manager, both in public and private institutions
  • Author of historical content for publishing, media, documentaries, and digital platforms
  • Corporate heritage manager, strengthening corporate identity, image, and institutional relations
  • Researcher in cultural institutions such as foundations and research centres.

Whether you aspire to work in museums, research centres, corporate environments, or even in the media sector, this degree programme provides a solid historical foundation and advanced methodological skills to interpret, manage, and communicate cultural heritage.

Thanks to your combined expertise in historical content, heritage management, and cultural communication, you will be fully equipped to make a meaningful impact by shaping how history is researched and narrated to diverse audiences.

Programme overview

Main Subject

Art and Design

Degree

MA

Study Level

Masters

Study Mode

Blended

Overview

Unlock the Past, Shape the Future: Explore the Dynamics of Culture, Ideas, and Society

The Master’s degree in Cultural, Intellectual and Visual History, delivered entirely in English, aims to provide students with a comprehensive education blending historical knowledge from antiquity to the present, rigorous methodology, critical thinking, and proficiency in digital technologies. Focusing on cultural studies, the programme equips students with the tools to analyse reality in both its diachronic and synchronic, national and transnational dimensions.

Students will explore the ideas, artifacts, institutions, practices, beliefs, and behaviours that have shaped and transformed societies, particularly in Europe, while examining the material and intellectual factors that have influenced the interpretation of social life, roles, and identities across time and space.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of the programme, you will be able to:

  • delineate the history of European civilisation, focusing on cultural, political, economic, and social dynamics
  • analyse period-specific sources, comparing historiographical works and recognising historiographical trends
  • independently formulate research questions, also using digital tools
  • communicate clearly in English, using subject-specific vocabulary and adapting your style to different audiences
  • carry out independent in-depth studies on specific topics of cultural history.

Why Choose our Master’s degree in Cultural, Intellectual and Visual History

  • 100% taught in English
  • Comprehensive and interdisciplinary historical and cultural training
  • Innovative teaching methods: flipped classroom, role-playing exercises, project tasks involving the production of multimedia contents.


Programme Structure

The Master’s degree in Cultural, Intellectual and Visual History is divided into two years of 60 ECTS each, with remote lectures for about 50 % of the total. The first year is fully in person at the University of Milan, while the second year is largely online, with selected on-campus activities such as workshops, thesis supervision meetings, tutoring activities, and educational trips .

The programme features a strong interdisciplinary approach, allowing significant flexibility, with 36 ECTS available for elective courses.

On top of this, 18 ECTS are devoted to the thesis project.

For further details, visit the University’s website.


Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Master’s degree in Cultural, Intellectual and Visual History are equipped with a unique blend of historical and cultural skills .

Where Your Degree Can Take You

Everywhere! Literally, you could work all over the world as:

  • Museum communicator and cultural heritage manager, both in public and private institutions
  • Author of historical content for publishing, media, documentaries, and digital platforms
  • Corporate heritage manager, strengthening corporate identity, image, and institutional relations
  • Researcher in cultural institutions such as foundations and research centres.

Whether you aspire to work in museums, research centres, corporate environments, or even in the media sector, this degree programme provides a solid historical foundation and advanced methodological skills to interpret, manage, and communicate cultural heritage.

Thanks to your combined expertise in historical content, heritage management, and cultural communication, you will be fully equipped to make a meaningful impact by shaping how history is researched and narrated to diverse audiences.

Admission Requirements

5.5+
72+

Entry Qualification:

Undergraduate diploma (or higher)

A. Students with an Italian University Degree

Applicants to this Master’s degree programme are required to hold a Bachelor’s degree in one of the following classes:

  • Cultural Heritage (L-1)
  • Disciplines of the Figurative Arts, Music, Performing Arts and Fashion (L-3)
  • Philosophy (L-5)
  • Humanities (L-10)
  • Modern languages and Civilisations (L-11)
  • Communication Studies (L-20)
  • Political Science and International Relations (L-36)
  • Sociology (L-40)
  • History (L-42)

No matter what Bachelor’s degree they hold, all applicants must have earned at least 36 credits ( ECTS ) in certain basic subjects covered by the degree programme. A full list of these subjects is available on the University’s website.

B. Students with Non-Italian University Degrees

If you hold a foreign first-cycle degree (i.e. a Bachelor’s or other degree issued by a non-Italian higher education institution), the Admission Board will check your transcript of records to assess whether your first-cycle degree makes you eligible for admission. As a general rule, the Admission Board is looking for applicants with a first-cycle degree as close as possible to those required of students with an Italian university degree, i.e. in fields related to history, arts, philosophy, literature, sociology, etc. Please note that the Admission Board may ask you to provide further documents or request an additional online interview to assess your prior academic studies, particularly as regards the 36 ECTS requirement .


All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application as soon as possible. Please bear in mind that reply times may vary depending on the number of applications received.

The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English / German / French / Spanish / Italian.

Please note that we only accept official translations (either issued by your former higher education institution or carried out by a certified or sworn translator).

Language Requirements:

English

A B2 or higher level of proficiency in English is required for admission.

How to Prove Your English Proficiency

  • If you hold an English-taught degree issued by a foreign university, you don’t need to submit any language certificate and your knowledge of the English language will be ascertained during the interview
  • If this is not your case, you will have to submit a language certificate. Please note that the University accepts only certificates obtained in the last 3 years (2 years for TOEFL )

List of language certificates accepted by the University.

2 Years

Tuition fees

International
156 EUR

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