Which universities in Germany offer the best BA in HIstory specializing in World War 1 and World War 2

[Brusilov]

Hi!

I have a friend who is much younger than me (20 years old) who has read voraciously on World War 1 and 2. He is an American who wants to go to Germany to study the military history of World War 1 and 2.

He asks me to post it here so that we can receive a good list of universities that offer rigorous courses on World War 1 and World War 2.

Could you give me some details on this issue?

Also, is it viable to find a job after graduation? How long does it take to complete a PHD in History in Germany? Is it advisable to study there?

Thank you!

[AOK4]

Studying military history in Germany? That's forbidden!

No, seriously, I doubt that any university in Germany offers good military studies...

Perhaps @egbert can elaborate on this?

Edited 21 September , 2021 by AOK4

[Brusilov]

28 minutes ago, AOK4 said:

Studying military history in Germany? That's forbidden!

No, seriously, I doubt that any university in Germany offers good military studies...

Perhaps @egbert can elaborate on this?

Oh yeah, you brings that up. Germany today is much more pacifist than during the Second and Third Reich.

I forgot to mention this.

If not in Germany, what about in France?

[knittinganddeath]

Re: job prospects, I and a lot of my friends were educated as historians or anthropologists. The ones with PhDs all work at universities, while the ones with "only" master's degrees all work in completely unrelated fields. Of course, this might not be representative.

I believe that in the US, it's common to do a joint master's + PhD. As far as I know, this isn't the case in (northern/northwestern) Europe. So if your friend doesn't yet have a master's degree, he will need to acquire that qualification before applying to a PhD program.

[Brusilov]

29 minutes ago, knittinganddeath said:

Re: job prospects, I and a lot of my friends were educated as historians or anthropologists. The ones with PhDs all work at universities, while the ones with "only" master's degrees all work in completely unrelated fields. Of course, this might not be representative.

I believe that in the US, it's common to do a joint master's + PhD. As far as I know, this isn't the case in (northern/northwestern) Europe. So if your friend doesn't yet have a master's degree, he will need to acquire that qualification before applying to a PhD program.

Where are you from, may I ask? Are you from the UK?

[knittinganddeath]

2 hours ago, Brusilov said:

Where are you from, may I ask? Are you from the UK?

I went to uni in the Netherlands and have lived in Norway for ~15 years.

 

[GreyC]

There are small contingents of civil students allowed at the Universities of the Bundeswehr at Munich and Hamburg under certain circumstances. There is the possibility to study at the (civil) University of Hamburg and co-study at the BW University of Hamburg, too.

GreyC

[egbert]

Immediate recommendations:

 

Düsseldorf: Fächerübersicht_Bachelor_04_2021.indd (hhu.de)

I discussed some Verdun and HWK subjects and his projects with international known Professor Gerd Krumeich. Don't know whether he retired recently.

And also the best and most famous modern day German WW1 historian (subjective of course) at University of Potsdam ,  Prof Sönke Neitzel

Prof. Dr. Sönke Neitzel - Professur Militärgeschichte / Kulturgeschichte der Gewalt - Universität Potsdam (uni-potsdam.de)

[Brusilov]

3 hours ago, egbert said:

Immediate recommendations:

 

Düsseldorf: Fächerübersicht_Bachelor_04_2021.indd (hhu.de)

I discussed some Verdun and HWK subjects and his projects with international known Professor Gerd Krumeich. Don't know whether he retired recently.

And also the best and most famous modern day German WW1 historian (subjective of course) at University of Potsdam ,  Prof Sönke Neitzel

Prof. Dr. Sönke Neitzel - Professur Militärgeschichte / Kulturgeschichte der Gewalt - Universität Potsdam (uni-potsdam.de)

That's very helpful, thank you.

Do you happen to be an academic historian as well?

[egbert]

8 hours ago, Brusilov said:

That's very helpful, thank you.

Do you happen to be an academic historian as well?

Academic yes, academic historian no, historian yes