You are eligible to apply for the MA Literary Studies: German if you have:

• A bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in German Language and Culture or European Languages and Cultures: German; or
• A  bachelor’s degree from a research university, equivalent to the level of a Dutch academic Bachelor’s degree, with:
  • Active (writing, speaking) and passive (reading, listening) proficiency in German at the final level of the degrees referred to in the first bullet point; and
  • At least 40 EC of courses in German Literature and Culture; and 
  • Demonstrable knowledge of and insight into the historical development of German literature (Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern); and
  • Substantial literary research skills, demonstrated in a BA thesis and/or substantial research papers written as part of a BA programme.

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 German Language and Culture on the basis of the requirements specified above.

Students with a Bachelor in German Language and Culture 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 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 or whether you will first need to complete a pre-master’s programme. It is not possible to apply for a pre-master’s programme directly. Once you have completed the imposed pre-master programme, you will be admitted to the master’s programme. For more information about the individual pre-master’s programme, please read more here.

If you have a Bachelor’s degree in German from a university of applied sciences, equivalent to the level of a Dutch hbo bachelor’s degree (i.e. lower secondary education teaching qualification, or tweedegraads), the Board of Admissions may impose the 60 EC pre-master’s programme. Read more about the pre-master’s programme.

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.

German at level CEFR C1, as evidenced by an appropriate test (Goethe-Zertifikat C1).