Throughout the programme, you will, together with students of the MA Middle Eastern Studies (research), participate in the following two core courses:

• Critical Area Studies: Placing Your Research – which covers theories and issues central to the field of area studies and examines key writings on the challenges of studying and writing about “other” cultures and societies.
• Methodology in the Social Sciences and Humanities -  which critically explores the multitude of methodologies in the Social Sciences and Humanities.

Electives

In addition to the core courses you will choose core elective and elective courses. These can be specific to Asian Studies or you may venture out and combine courses from other (Research) MA programmes and/or courses from national Research Schools.

Research and thesis supervisor

To assist you in making your choices, during the first months of your study you are coupled with your research and thesis supervisor, one of the professors involved in the programme and who (preferably) works on a topic of interest to you. Together with your supervisor and the study advisor you compose a programme which caters to your immediate and future interest.

Research project

 You are expected to spend the third semester of the programme doing research, either in the Netherlands or abroad. Blended and virtual research-based options are also available.  

Scholarship

If you decide to spend a period of time abroad for fieldwork, research or a study exchange, you can apply for a (supplementary) scholarship, specifically for research master’s students of the Faculty of Humanities, the Uhlenbeck scholarship programme.

Thesis

After you have finished your research project, you work on your MA Thesis. During the process of writing, you will meet regularly with your supervisor and receive feedback. Once you have finished your thesis and have received a passing grade, you will defend your thesis publicly. During the last semester you can also attend a bi-weekly seminar during which you will be offered information on post-graduate opportunities.

We also offer the MA Asian Studies (one-year and two-year programmes).

Apart from the study content, there can be other arguments to choose for either a master’s or a research master’s programme. Have a look at the table in pdf for a quick overview of the differences. For more details on the contents, also visit the MA Asian Studies website.

The aim of the two-year master's in Asian Studies (Research) is to provide you with in-depth and specialised knowledge within the field of Asian Studies with the added value provided by a comparative, area studies approach. 

The acquisition of advanced academic skills in the interpretation of texts, the analysis and solution of conceptual problems, and the ability to independently conduct scientific research are other key goals of the programme. Opportunities are provided for students to broaden their academic skills by conducting field research, in archives and/or special collections, occasionally combined with studying subjects at another university.