You are eligible to apply for the MA Middle Eastern Studies (research) if you have:

• A bachelor’s degree from a research university, equivalent to the level of a Dutch academic Bachelor’s degree; and
• Knowledge about Middle Eastern Studies in terms of the themes and topics you propose to study, the relevant disciplinary approaches in the humanities and/or the social sciences, and you should possess linguistic and cultural knowledge as appropriate to your project.

In addition, you must also meet the following qualitative admission requirements:

• Good grades comparable with an average mark of at least 7.5 (Dutch grading system) for your entire bachelor’s programme; and
• Affinity with and suitability for scholarly research; and
• Demonstrable motivation to study and suitability for the particular Research MA programme.

The qualitative admission requirements will be implemented as follows:

• You are asked to provide a transcript of records and diploma of the relevant obtained academic degree.
• Affinity with the field should be demonstrated by a “Research Proposal”. All applicants are required to submit a research proposal that demonstrates their insight into the proposed subject matter and the relevant scholarship. This should open with an introductory paragraph for the non-specialist; name the research questions and/or objectives and the key primary source material; outline the state of the field and the contribution they expect to make; reflect on theory and methodology; identify any challenges and limitations; and reflect on any ethical issues raised by the research. The proposal is about 2,000 words in length (+/– 10%, including references) and it is advised to use subheadings. The proposal is accompanied by an annotated bibliography that lists five key scholarly books or articles and explains the relevance and significance of each item. Applicants should also list one or two faculty members from the Leiden Institute for Area Studies as potential project supervisors (depending on availability).
• Your motivation and suitability for the Research MA programme should be demonstrated by a well-argued and structured motivation letter in which you indicate why you want to follow the programme and convincingly discuss what makes you a good candidate for the research MA programme. The statement should be between 700 and 1,500 words.
• You are required to submit two letters of recommendation of which at least one by an academic member of staff.
   

In order to successfully participate in this programme, you must be proficient in English. The following requirements apply:

IELTS: 7.0 (A minimum score of 6.5 is required for each of the four components)

• We do not accept IELTS Academic online.
• We do not accept IELTS General Training or IELTS Indicator.

TOEFL: 100 (A minimum score of 22 is required for each of the four components)

• We are not able to accept The TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situations only:
  You took the test before 1 Sept 2022 (and it is not more than 2 years old), or 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 C2 Proficiency, or C1 Advanced with overall score 180, where each separate component score must be at least 169.

See also the English test score equivalency table of Leiden University.

Note that English test results may not be more than two years old.

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 completed an English-taught bachelor at a Dutch research university.

Note that for this research master programme you cannot be granted an exemption for the English proficiency test based on a Dutch pre-university (vwo) diploma.

According to Dutch law, Leiden University is required to reimburse students with a Dutch pre-university (VWO) diploma for any extra costs they make for meeting the English language requirements. You can be reimbursed for the costs of the English language test if you meet the following conditions:

- You have obtained a Dutch VWO-diploma; and
- You have successfully completed the English language test; and
- You are admitted unconditionally to the research master programme; and
- You are enrolled in the research master programme.

After admission to the programme, you will be informed on how to submit the request for reimbursement of the test costs.

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