Master of ‘Digital Technologies Applied to History’

The ‘Archives—Digital Technologies Applied to History’ master's degree is awarded by Université PSL. It centres on the scientific challenges of processing sources (objects, texts, images) using digital technologies in the service of history and heritage.

The master's programme is designed for students who wish to acquire historical and literary source analysis methods, and the digital technologies needed for their research.

This master's degree is affiliated to the Translitteræ graduate programme.

Head of Education

First year of the master's programme

The first year of the master's programme includes a common curriculum of courses on sources, archives, books, and media.

These two semesters are based on courses from the ‘Archiviste paléographe’ training programme to ensure proper teaching expertise and coordination.

Admission to the second year of the master's programme is subject to the Teaching Committee’s approval.

The school does not award a ‘maîtrise’ degree.

The agenda for M1 TNAH follows the ‘Archiviste paléographe’ course agenda. For more information, please contact the School Office.

The aim of the Digital Technologies Applied to History master's degree is twofold:

• Offer students wishing to pursue their studies at doctoral level a methodological training programme that makes extensive use of digital technologies to develop their research.
• Give young historians the opportunity to find a job in the public or private sectors, in organisations or for projects using IT to process or promote primary documents

Course entry requirements

Prerequisites

The Digital Technologies Applied to History master's course is part of the Archives major.

Students seeking admission to the Digital Technologies Applied to History programme must have acquired sufficient proficiency in history or literature to take the master's courses. Therefore, there are no general, chronological or thematic history courses in the master's programme.

Conditions d’admission

• First year: Bachelor's degree (Law, Humanities, History, History of Art and Archaeology, Humanities, Social Sciences), or equivalent diploma, with the agreement of the Teaching Committee, after an interview with the Teaching Committee.
• Second year: M1 obtained at the École des Chartes or another higher education establishment, with the agreement of the Teaching committee.

Admission requirements for M1:

• Understand that the master's degree is not a master's degree in archiving in the traditional sense but that it prepares students for careers in the processing and valourisation of written and visual heritage using information technology.
• Demonstrate the required background knowledge, as there are no chronological or thematic courses in this master's programme, which is designed for students seeking to learn historical and literary source analysis methods and the digital technologies required for their research.
• Show a marked interest in digital technology, regardless of form (hardware, programming, news, etc.) or academic categorisation (digital humanities, data science, etc.)

Applying

Master 1

Students can apply on the national master's portal from 26 February to 24 March 2024.

Candidates selected by the teaching committee will be invited to an interview.

Required supporting documents:

• Application with covering letter and CV in French, diplomas and transcripts (from S1 to S6)
• A 1 to 2-page digital project describing a personal project using digital technologies. The project may be one that the student has carried out as part of his or her studies (presentation, group work, internship, etc.), a personal project (website, audiovisual editing, etc.) or a project that the student wishes to complete at the École des chartes (for example, a digital publishing, database or digital archiving project, etc.).

Agenda

• Admission results: 30 April 2024

Only eligible candidates will be contacted.

• Interviews (if eligible): week of 13 May 2024
• Admission results: 4 June 2024

Master 2

Students can submit your application on thePSL application platform from 26 February to 24 March 2024.

Candidates selected by the teaching committee will be invited to an interview.

Agenda

• Admission results: 30 April 2024

Only eligible candidates will be contacted.

• Interviews (if eligible): week of 13 May 2024
• Admission results: 4 June 2024

Application reviews

Applications will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

• Applications meeting the prerequisites
• Results obtained, particularly in history or literature
• Quality and coherence of the research and professional project
• Evidence of motivation, autonomy and intellectual curiosity (international experience, language skills, prizes and scholarships, community activities)

Composition of the recruitment committee: three professors, researchers and/or design or research engineers.

International applicants (excluding nationals of the European Economic Area, Andorra, Switzerland or Monaco)  whose country of residence is covered by the Études en France scheme must apply for the first (and the second) year of the Master's programme on the PSL application platform.

The course is available as initial or continuing education.

Future students are eligible for continuing education:
- if you have been out of education for more than three years
- if you are an employee or on individual training leave, looking for a job or retraining for a new career

→For VAE candidates

Registration fees

The Digital Technologies Applied to History master's degree is specifically designed for students who wish to acquire historical and literary source analysis methods and digital technologies useful for their research.

Registration costs for initial education are €250  (+ CVEC €103), and the gap year cost is €164.

Registration fees for continuing education are €3,000 (M1) and €5,000 (M2).

A student’s status falls under continuing education: 
-If they have secured funding for the registration fee.
-If they are an employee or on individual training leave, looking for work or retraining.

The master's programme is not open to distance learning or apprenticeship.

The course is open to Erasmus-Socrates students.

• Number of semesters: 4
• Capacity: 15 (M1), 20 (M2) 

Health Insurance

Beginning the 2023-2024 academic year, students must also pay a student and campus life contribution (CVEC) of €100.

In some cases, students (particularly those on scholarships) may be exempt from registration fees and the CVEC.

The CVEC is payable on www.etudiant.gouv.fr

Admission results (2024 session)

The results will be published on 4 June 2024.