Asian Studies (research) (MA)
Asian Studies (research) (MA) Designed for high-achieving students, Leiden University’s research MA Asian Studies offers access to unique resources and expertise. Asian Studies at Leiden University has a reputation for excellence that is unmatched in Europe. You can choose subjects from a curriculum that spans the entire Asian region, both in geography and time, from their societies and politics to their languages and literature.
Why study Asian Studies (research) at Leiden University?
You can explore subjects that span virtually entire region both in time and geography. This two-year research master's degree allows you to focus on a country or region such as China, Japan or Korea; or South or Southeast Asia; or on a discipline such as history, politics, international relations, political economy, literature or languages. A key feature is our comparative approach to learning, which includes intra-Asian comparisons, as well as comparisons of Asia with other regions in the world, such as, for example, the Middle East. The programme co-operates closely with the MA Middle Eastern Studies (research) programme: the programmes have the same structure and share two courses, a common introductory course on Area Studies and one on Methodologies in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Study programme
The courses in the first year of the programme develop your academic skills to an advanced level. In the second year, you will do research on a topic related to Asia and, where appropriate and possible, in a specific place in Asia. You may also combine this research with attending courses at another top university, here or abroad.
Learn more about the study programme
What are your career prospects?
Our graduates have pursued successful careers in the public, private and non-profit sectors for which knowledge of the Asia and advanced conceptual, analytical and interpretative skills are essential. Graduates have also gone on to pursue a PhD and a career in academia. If you wish to pursue an academic career, your Master's is excellent preparation for a PhD programme or a career in a research agency or the research department of a company or a governmental or non-governmental organisation. Your strong analytical and problem-solving skills can also be applied in a wide range of other professions.
Find out more about your career prospects
Is Asian Studies (research) the programme for you?
Are you interested in Asia and do you want to know more about the histories, literatures, societies, economies and politics of one or more regions of this vast continent? Are you an excellent student with an inquisitive mind? Then check the admission requirements to find out if you are eligible for this Research Master’s Programme!
Check the admission requirements
A centre of expertise on languages and cultures of the world
When it comes to languages and cultures, Leiden University is the university. The global expertise present places our university at the top. In Leiden and The Hague, we study languages and cultures from all regions of the world and from prehistory to the present day. In this way we create a broad view of the world; the key to mutual understanding.
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