You are eligible to apply for the MA Asian Studies (60 EC) if you have:

• a bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in the specialisation Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, Korean Studies or South and Southeast Asian Studies; or
• a bachelor’s degree from a research university, equivalent to the level of a Dutch academic bachelor’s degree, in the field of Humanities or Social Sciences and completed components at the bachelor’s level (which may include the thesis) equivalent to at least 30 credits on the history, art, culture, politics, society and/or economy of one or more East Asian countries or regions; and
• knowledge of the nature and role of as well as the ability to analyse and report on academic inquiry in the humanities or social sciences.

The Board of Admissions will assess whether your degree and background are sufficiently related to the level and content of a bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, Korean Studies or South and Southeast Asian Studies on the basis of the requirements specified above.

Students with a Bachelor in Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies or Korean Studies from Leiden University are directly eligible for admission. Students can apply in Studielink. There is no need to submit an application for admission using the online application portal.

If you have a bachelor’s degree from a research university that does not meet the requirements specified above, you may be eligible for a pre-master’s programme tailored to your individual background. After submitting your application in Studielink, the Board of Admissions will decide whether you can be directly admitted to the master’s programme, whether you will first need to complete a pre-master’s programme, or whether your deficiencies are considered too extensive and you can therefore not be admitted at all. It is not possible to directly apply for a pre-master’s programme. 

The language requirements for a pre-master's programme are identical to the language requirements for the master's programme for which admission has been requested. These requirements must be met before the start of the premaster.

Once you have completed the imposed pre-master’s programme, you will be admitted to the master’s programme. For more information about the individual pre-master’s programme, please contact the Study adviser.

Applicants with a degree from a Dutch university of applied sciences (hbo) relevant to Asian Studies can be admitted after completing an individual bridging programme of 60 EC. This programme always includes Core course: Introduction to Area Studies (5 EC), a course in Academic Skills (5 EC) and a pre-master final assignment (10 EC).

The following requirements apply*: 

• IELTS Academic modules only, on paper or on computer: 6.5 overall, with at least 6.0 for each separate component score.
  • We do not accept IELTS Academic online.
  • We do not accept IELTS General Training, IELTS Indicator, or IELTS One Skill Retake
• TOEFL internet based: 90 overall, with at least 20 for each separate component.
  • We are not able to accept The TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situation only:
    You are unable to take an in-person test on location because test centres are inaccessible or closed due to unsafe conditions in a country.
  • We do not accept the following types of test: TOEFL My Best™ scores (multiple test scores combined), TOEFL Essentials™  or institutional tests such as ITP.

• Cambridge English Exam C2 Proficiency, or C1 Advanced (180), with a minimum score of 169 for each separate component.

Note that English test results may not be more than two years old and must be obtained in one single test.

*You do not have to submit an English proficiency test if you have completed your education in the USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada (except French-taught programmes in Canada) Singapore, South-Africa or Malta; or if you have obtained an English-taught International Baccalaureate™; or if you have completed a Dutch VWO diploma or an English-taught bachelor at a Dutch research university or (for September intake) a diploma of an English-taught higher professional education (hbo) programme completed at a Dutch university of applied sciences.

For detailed information, including exemption criteria and methods of submission, refer to English language proficiency.

You should have sufficient command of either Chinese, Japanese or Korean:

• Chinese: at least level 4 (HSK New Style) or level 3 (TOCFL). Please note that because an important distinguishing aspect of the programme is advanced language acquisition in Chinese, this specialisation is not suitable for native speakers, or for persons with a level 6 (HSK New Style) or equivalent level 6 (TOCFL).
• Japanese: at JLPT 2 level, with a maximum of level JLPT 1. Please note that because an important distinguishing aspect of the programme is advanced language acquisition in Japanese, this specialisation is not suitable for native speakers, and persons with near-native fluency and a BA or MA degree from a Japanese university.
• Korean: at level TOPIK 4. Please note that because an important distinguishing aspect of the programme is advanced language acquisition in Korean; this specialisation is not suitable for native speakers, and for students with a higher TOPIK level.