The first semester of the programme is held at Leiden and consists of the following courses: 

• The core course Introduction to Asian Studies that explores the place of Asian Studies in the larger field of Area Studies and among the many disciplines represented in Asian Studies;
• Electives with a focus on Korea; 
• Advanced Korean language courses. 

You will be free to follow a variety of academic courses – known as Master Classes in Asian Studies and State of the Field seminars. These include classes in: 

• History (modern and pre-modern) 
• Politics and International Relations 
• Philosophy 
• Religion 
• Literature 
• Social science 
• Linguistics 

Two semesters of your degree will be spent studying at a university in South Korea, where you will follow relevant courses in your chosen field of research and conduct research for your MA thesis. The purpose of this study trip is to strengthen your language skills while developing your understanding of the country and its society. 

The Faculty of Humanities offers a partial scholarship to reduce costs (and travel expenses) for the year in Korea for each applicant who has been admitted to the programme. This is not a full scholarship but only a partial contribution to your expenses in Korea.

Upon your return to Leiden, you will continue to develop your language skills while developing knowledge in your area(s) of specialisation. Our goal is that, by the time you are ready to write your MA thesis, you will be in a strong position to integrate your language and academic skills to the point where you can use primary sources written in Korean as part of your research. 

You are free to choose the topic of your thesis from any field supported within the department – although we recommend that the topic closely mirrors one or more of the classes you followed while in South Korea. Your thesis supervisor will be available to advise you. Currently the department can supervise theses from the following specialisations: 

• History
• Philosophy
• Religion 
• Literature 
• Politics and International Relations 
• Anthropology 
• Sociology 
• Linguistics 
• Material Culture 

During the final stages of the programme you will concentrate on honing your language skills to a level that can be applied in your professional life (post graduation). This includes, for example, learning how to use language in a legal, commercial and political setting.