How does History as a subject work in University? I know you can choose between almost anything, but how do the lectures work? Do they talk about how to write a great essay, or does the course start with lectures on possible subjects for a history degree/masters.
I don't really mind if you have only done a degree (I don't even know if there is a masters degree).
I'm from England, but if you're from America or somewhere else you can still answer. Im interested in all of the universities, I still don't know which one I'll go to
It varies per university, but to give you an idea I can explain how the university I went has things set up.
At my university all first-year history students get an overview of world history (with a definite Western bias), with some courses covering periods (Ancient/Medieval/Modern/Contemporary history) and others subjects (Social/Economic/Dutch history). In year 2 and 3 students choose lectures and seminars based on their interests and the field they want to graduate in. The topics of the lectures and seminars are decided by the professors and are generally quite broad (often covering several centuries). Topics will change year by year.
In addition to those courses, all students have to do courses covering philosophy of science, philosophy of history, historiography (the history of history), and historical skills (reading sources, doing research, etc.) Everything is wrapped up with a BA thesis.
For a MA, it's more of the same (more historiography, oh joy) but a lot more focused on a narrow subject, and with a lot more effort required. But also a lot more close collaboration with professors. Instead of them telling you about their research, you're more likely than not to actually get involved in it. If you're going to learn how to do original research, you may as well be helping your professor in their current research project :) That said, my university actually did allow MA students to choose their own research for their MA thesis, even if it did not 'fit' in an existing project, as long as a professor was willing to be an advisor. Of course such a choice pretty much axes any career-opportunities at that university after your MA.
You may want to specific the country where you will be attending: degrees are handled differently in different places.