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

• A bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in Middle Eastern Studies; or
• A bachelor’s degree in the field of the specialisation of the relevant programmes BA Arabic Language and Culture, BA Hebrew Language and Culture, BA Turkish Language and Culture, BA Persian Language and Culture, or a BA in another language relevant for the study of the Middle East, such as Syriac; or a BA Religious Studies with a specialisation Islam Studies provided that you have at least 30 EC of courses on the cultures, histories, literatures, politics, and religions of the Middle East;
• A bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences or Humanities, with either a relevant regional specialisation (e.g. Middle Eastern Studies) or a regionally relevant minor or courses on the cultures, histories, literatures, politics, and religions of the Middle East with a total of at least 30 EC.

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 Middle Eastern Studies on the basis of these requirements.

Applicants with a bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in International Studies who have completed all area courses for the Middle East, and either wrote their BA Thesis on the Middle East or completed optional courses worth 10 EC on the Middle East are considered to have fulfilled the entry requirements.

Students with a Bachelor in Middle Eastern Studies 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 30 EC (jn case your degree is in a related field) or 60 EC pre-master’s programme. 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’s programme, you will be admitted to the relevant specialisation of the Master’s programme. Read more about the pre-master’s programme.

If you have a Bachelor’s degree in a related field from a university of applied sciences, equivalent to the level of a Dutch hbo bachelor’s degree, 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.

A good working knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: listening B1; reading B2; spoken interaction B1; spoken production B1; writing B1)

A good working knowledge of Persian (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: listening B1; reading B2; spoken interaction B1; spoken production B1; writing B1)

An adequate proficiency in reading Turkish (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: reading B2)

A good working knowledge of Modern Hebrew (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: listening B1; reading B2; spoken interaction B1; spoken production B1; writing B1).