Study choice
Are you not sure whether you have chosen the right study programme? Are you finding it hard to decide which study programme to do next? The advisers at Leiden University’s Career Services are on hand to offer help and advice.
If your studies are not progressing as you’d hoped or if you risk being issued with negative BSA, you must always speak first to your study adviser! Your next step might be to look into alternative study programmes with the help of a study choice adviser at the Career Services.
Choosing a study programme
There are a number of steps you can take yourself to look for the right study programme. Take a look on the LU Career Zone-Study choices page for information, tips and possible pitfalls.
Study choice tests
The Career Services offer a range of tests to help you with your choices. You can find these on the LU Career Zone-Know yourself page.
Website
On the choosing your bachelor website you can find detailed information to help you choose the right bachelor’s at Leiden University.
Doing a Master’s
Obtaining a master’s degree can be seen as the culmination of your university career. With a master’s degree, you have a greater chance of getting a higher-level (first) job than you would with a bachelor’s degree. Although this of course depends on the rest of your CV.
Finding it difficult to choose your master’s programme? Take a look on the LU Career Zone-Choosing a master’s page.
Other options after your bachelor’s
If you don’t want to start a master’s after completing your bachelor’s, there are a range of options open to you. One of them might be looking for a job. This could represent the end of your academic career or just a break before continuing onto a master’s.
Take a look on the LU Career Zone-Other choices after bachelor page for advice.
After your Master's
After obtaining your master’s degree you are ready for that first job. Take a look on the LU Career Zone-Explore the labour market page for tips and advice.
Speak to a study choice adviser
Would you like further advice on study choices? Get in touch with your faculty’s Career Services and schedule an appointment with a study choice adviser.
MA entry requirements for BA International Studies students
Leiden University’s Faculty of Humanities offers many master’s programmes for students of International Studies. Check out the list below to see which choices you need to make in order to be directly admissible to one of our MA programmes.
To learn more about admission and application, please visit the Admission and Application pages.
Questions?
For questions related to the programme content you can contact the Coordinator of Studies from the relevant programme. You will find their details on the programme pages.
Please note: this information on this page is correct as of February 2021.
Master's programmes
Entry requirements
Applicants with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Leiden University who have completed the area specialisation Africa are considered to have fulfilled the entry requirements. Read more about African Studies.
Specialisation
Art History and Museum Studies
Entry requirements
Applicants who are in possession of a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and who have completed 40 EC of relevant optional courses are considered to have fulfilled the entry requirements.
Specialisations
Entry requirements
No direct admission, all students need to submit an online application.
Specialisations
Entry requirements
Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies who have completed all area courses for either East Asia or South and Southeast Asia, and wrote their BA Thesis and/or completed optional courses worth 10 credits on either East Asia or South and Southeast Asia are considered to have fulfilled all entry requirements.
Specialisations
Entry requirements
Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies who have completed all area courses for South and Southeast Asia, and wrote their BA Thesis and/or completed optional courses worth 10 credits on South and Southeast Asia are considered to have fulfilled all entry requirements.
Entry requirements
No direct admission, all students need to submit an online application. Read more about Classics and Ancient Civilizations.
Specialisaties
- Leraar VHO in Chinese taal en cultuur
- Leraar VHO in Duits
- Leraar VHO in Engels
- Leraar VHO in Filosofie
- Leraar VHO in Frans
- Leraar VHO in Geschiedenis en staatsinrichting
- Leraar VHO in Godsdienst en Levensbeschouwing
- Leraar VHO in Griekse en Latijnse taal en cultuur
- Leraar VHO in Kunstgeschiedenis en Culturele en Kunstzinnige Vorming/Kunst Algemeen
- Leraar VHO in Nederlands
- Leraar VHO in Spaans
Toelatingseisen
Je bent toelaatbaar tot een lerarenopleiding als je in het bezit bent van een bachelor- en masterdiploma (of een doctoraaldiploma) in het schoolvak. Als je een vooropleiding hebt gevolgd die niet geheel aansluit bij het betreffende schoolvak, kan worden vastgesteld of je toch toelaatbaar bent. Daarbij kunnen aanvullende vakinhoudelijke eisen gesteld worden.
Specialisations
- Ancient History
- Cities, Migration and Global Interdependence
- Colonial and Global History
- Europe 1000-1800
- Political Culture and National Identities
Entry requirements
Applicants with a Bachelor's degree in International Studies, who have completed
- The BA Thesis on a historical subject, o the following optional courses which are part of the Bachelor’s programme History:
- BA-Werkcollege (BA History, second year) or Elective on historical subject (BA International Studies, second year) (10 EC)
- The BA-Seminar (BA History, third year) in the BA History (either as an extra pre-master-course or as an extra Elective in the BA International Studies) (10 EC)
Specialisations
Entry requirements
No direct admission, all students need to submit an online application.
Specialisation
Entry requirements
You should have completed minor in European Union Studies at Leiden University or components worth at least 30 credits in the field of contemporary European studies with comparable content and course objectives.
Specialisations
Entry requirements
You should have completed components worth at least 30 EC:
- Global History (5 EC)
- Introduction to Area Studies/Introduction to International Studies (5 EC)
- Cultural Interaction: a Global Perspective (5 EC)
- International Economics/Global Political Economy (5 EC)
- International Politics/International Relations (5 EC)
- Politics of a specific area (i.e. Africa, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, Russia and Eurasia, South and Southeast Asia) (5 EC)
Specialisation
Entry requirements
You should have completed components worth at least 30 EC:
- Global History (5 EC)
- Introduction to Area Studies/Introduction to International Studies (5 EC)
- Cultural Interaction: a Global Perspective (5 EC)
- International Economics/Global Political Economy (5 EC)
- International Politics/International Relations (5 EC)
- Politics of a specific area (i.e. Africa, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, Russia and Eurasia, South and Southeast Asia) (5 EC)
- Prior education must include components on International Economics and/or International Political Economy worth at least 20 EC
Entry requirements
Applicants with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Leiden University who have completed all area courses for Latin America and the programme’s Spanish or Portuguese language classes, will be admitted. Read more about Latin American Studies.
Specialisations
Entry requirements
No direct admission, all students need to submit an online application.
Specialisation
Entry requirements
Applicants who possess a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Leiden University with a focus on linguistics, consisting of:
- 20 EC from the BA International Studies courses Sociolinguistics, Cultural Interaction and a Linguistics Elective
- 15 EC thesis on a linguistic topic
- 25 EC from the BA Linguistics programme, from the list below.
- Speech sounds of the world /languages of the world (5 EC)
- Phonology I (5 EC)
- Morphology (5 EC)
- Syntax (5 EC)
- Experimental Phonetics (5 EC)
- Psycholinguistics (5 EC)
- Semantics (5 EC)
- Historical Linguistics / language use in the world (5 EC)
- If the BA thesis is not on a linguistics-related topic, all 8 courses should be taken and completed.
Specialisations
- English Literature and Culture
- French Literature and Culture
- German Literature and Culture
- Italian Literature and Culture
Entry requirements
No direct admission, all students need to submit an online application.
Specialisation
Entry requirements
Applicants with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies are considered to have fulfilled all entry requirements for the specialisation Literature in Society. Europe and Beyond, provided that the student has chosen French, Spanish, German, Dutch or Portuguese and has done at least 30 EC in literary studies.
Specialisations
- Book and Digital Media Studies
- Cultural Analysis: Literature and Theory
- Film and Photographic Studies
- Journalistiek en Nieuwe Media
Entry requirements
No direct admission, all students need to submit an online application.
Entry requirements
Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Leiden University who
- have completed all area courses for the Middle East, and
- wrote their BA Thesis and/or completed optional courses worth 10 credits on the Middle East
are considered to have fulfilled all entry requirements. They do however need to submit an online application.
Entry requirements
No direct admission, all students need to submit an online application. Read more about Neerlandistiek/Dutch Studies.
Entry requirements
Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Leiden University who have completed all area courses for North America, and wrote their BA Thesis on North America and/or completed at least one optional course worth 10 ECTS which is included in the pre-master programme in American Studies are considered to have fulfilled all of the entry requirements. They do, however, need to submit an online application. Read more about North American Studies.
Specialisation
Entry requirements
Applicants with a bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in International Studies who have completed courses in philosophy with a total course load of at least 35 ECTS credits are considered to have fulfilled all entry requirements for Philosophical Perspectives on Politics and the Economy.
Specialisations
- Moral and Political Philosophy (MA)
- Philosophy of Knowledge (MA)
- Modern European Philosophy (MA)
- Global and Comparative Philosophy (MA)
Entry requirements
No direct admission, all students need to submit an online application.
Specialisations
- Philosophy of Humanities (MA)
- Philosophy of Law, Governance and Politics (MA)
- Philosophy in World Traditions (MA)
Entry requirements
No direct admission, all students need to submit an online application.
Entry requirements
Applicants with an academic Bachelor Degree in Humanities or Social Sciences, who successfully finished the minor ‘Religion in a changing World’, will be admitted. They do however need to submit an online application. Read more about Religious Studies.
Entry requirements
Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Leiden University who have completed all area courses for Russia and Eurasia, and the programme’s Russian language classes (25 EC), and who wrote their BA Thesis and/or completed optional courses worth 15 EC on Russia and Eurasia are considered to have fulfilled the entry requirements. They do however need to submit an online application. Read more about Russian and Eurasian Studies.
Research master's programmes
For all research master's there is no direct admission. Check the admission pages of your preferred research MA.
Master Programmes
60 % of our International Studies students choose to do a Master’s Programme after graduation.
| Programme Title | University |
| African Studies | Leiden University, SOAS, University of London, University of Birmingham |
| Asian Studies | Leiden University, Lund University |
| China Studies | Yenching Academy, Peking University |
| Chinese and Korean Studies | Ruhr-University of Bochum |
| Communication Studies | University of Amsterdam (UvA) |
| Comparative Public Governance (European Studies double degree) | UT |
| Conflict, Power and Politics | Radboud University Nijmegen |
| Crisis and Security Management | Leiden University |
| Culture, Organisation and Management | Vrije Universiteit (VU) |
| Economics and Management of Government and International Organizations | Bocconi |
| Education and Child Studies | Leiden University |
| Education for Global Development | Erasmus Mundus (Joint Master) |
| European Public Affairs | Maastricht University |
| European Studies: East European Studies | University of Amsterdam (UvA) |
| European Union Studies | Leiden University |
| Finance | Vrije Universiteit (VU) |
| Global Business and Sustainability | Erasmus University Rotterdam |
| Global Studies | University of Gothenburg |
| Globalisation and Development Studies | Maastricht University |
| Globalization and Sustainable Development | Trondheim |
| History | Leiden University |
| History of Society | Erasmus University Rotterdam |
| Human Geography | University of Amsterdam (UvA) |
| Industrial Ecology | TU Delft |
| International Affairs | John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies |
| International Business Economics and Management | KU Leuven |
| International Comparative and International Politics | KU Leuven |
| International Development Studies | University of Amsterdam (UvA), Utrecht University, Wageningen University & Research, Sciences Po |
| International Hospitality Business | Glion Institute of Higher Education |
| International Humanitarian Action | RUG Groningen/Stockholm |
| International Land and Water Management | Wageningen University & Research |
| International Organisations | Leiden University |
| International Public Management & Policy | Erasmus University Rotterdam |
| International Relations & Regional Studies | Tartu University |
| International Relations | Leiden University, Central European University, Humboldt Universität, Freie Universität Berlin& Universität Potsdam |
| International Relations: Conflict Studies and Human Rights | Utrecht University |
| International Security | University of Warwick, Sciences Po |
| International Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies (Erasmus Mundus) | University of Glasgow |
| International Studies on Media, Power and Difference | Universitat Pompeu Fabra |
| Latin American Studies | University of Amsterdam (UvA) |
| Literature Today | Utrecht University |
| Management in the Energy Industry | Luiss Business School |
| Management | HEC Paris |
| Media Studies | Utrecht University |
| Medical Anthropology and Cultural Sociology | University of Amsterdam (UvA) |
| Middle Eastern Studies | Leiden University, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg |
| Modern East Asian Studies | University of Duisburg-Essen |
| New Media and Digital Culture | University of Amsterdam (UvA) |
| North American Studies | Leiden University |
| Peace Studies | University of Innsbruck |
| Philosophical Perspectives on Politics and the Economy | Leiden University |
| Political Science | Leiden University |
| Psychology | University of Amsterdam (UvA) |
| Public Administration | Leiden University |
| Public International Law | Utrecht University |
| Public Policy and Human Development | MERIT Maastricht |
| Russian and Eurasian Studies | Leiden University |
| Security, Conflict and International Development | Leicester University |
| Social Policy for Development | International Institute of Social Studies - Erasmus University Rotterdam |
| Sociology | Utrecht University |
| Sociology of Policy in Practice | Leiden University |
| Sustainable Development | Uppsala University |