Literary Studies (MA)

Why Leiden University

The right location to study Literary Studies

Leiden University's Faculty of Humanities is consistently ranked among the top 30 Humanities faculties worldwide in the THE World University Ranking. At Leiden University, the oldest university in The Netherlands, you can access the best teaching staff, the latest research, and a wealth of resources found nowhere else in the world. With Leiden’s world famous collections of original manuscripts and periodicals,  you have literature at your fingertips.

Research expertise

The Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS) is a leading European centre for research and teaching in languages, literature, art and culture. The Master’s programme in Literary Studies makes full use of the centre’s academic range, with a high-level of individual supervision and the flexibility to customise programmes that is to the benefit of all students.

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.

Preparing your career

Our reputation means that your qualification is respected by organisations worldwide. Our graduates enjoy successful careers thanks to their broad and global mind-sets, specialised and in-depth knowledge, and strong critical-thinking skills. Our graduates are equipped to solve the challenges facing society now and in the future.

Diversity and inclusion

We are convinced that our education can only flourish if everyone within the programme feels supported, respected and empowered to do their best work. We find it important to offer a learning environment that allows for different perspectives and points of view that students bring with them, depending on their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, health, religion, age or socio-economic background. Every new generation sees the world from a new perspective – and our students are the newest generation. We look forward to hearing more about your perspective. Leiden University has been pursuing diversity policy since 2014, with the aim of creating a diverse and inclusive learning and working environment for all staff and students.