Korean Studies (MA) (120EC)
The Master’s in Korean Studies at Leiden University offers a unique opportunity to conduct graduate level research, on various aspects of pre-modern and contemporary Korea, and to spend a full academic year at a university in South Korea.
Part of
The two-year Korean Studies programme has a maximum of 12 places; the Admissions Board ranks the requests on the fulfilment of the Admission Requirements. The application deadline is 1st of April for all students.
It is also possible to focus on Korean Studies as part of the two-year Research Master’s programme in Asian Studies and the one-year East Asian Studies programme. East Asian Studies and the Research Master have no restriction on the number of available places.
Why study Korean Studies at Leiden University?
Leiden University opened the first centre dedicated to Korean studies in Western Europe in 1947. This centre has since gone from strength-to-strength, with academics participating in high-profile research projects around the world. The Korean Studies master’s, a specialisation of the MA Asian Studies, capitalises on this expertise in every way, bringing you a master's programme that is on par with the world's very best. This master's offers students an expansive curriculum from which to choose and subsequently customise their learning. Study South Korea from diverse disciplinary perspectives – at times using original source materials – from its religion and popular culture to its modern and contemporary history. Enrich your learning with access to the world-class resources of the Leiden University Library and its famous collection of Asian artifacts.
Study in South Korea
Two semesters of your degree will be spent studying at one of our partner universities in South Korea. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse yourself in South Korean culture, language, and society, while developing a host of new skills that will prepare you for real-world success after your master's degree.
Learn more about the study programme
What are your career prospects?
Our alumni can be found working within multinationals such as banks, insurance companies, and government bodies. Others have followed paths into consultancy, management, journalism, PR and marketing, tourism, and education.
Find out more about the career prospects
Is Korean Studies the programme for you?
Do you want to find out if you are eligible for this 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.
Video: Our experts on Languages and Cultures explain
Due to the selected cookie settings, we cannot show this video here.
Watch the video on the original website or