Egyptology Leiden University

Overview

The master’s programme in Egyptology at Leiden University provides you with a multidisciplinary study of the languages, literatures and cultures of Ancient Egypt. Join an acclaimed programme that has its roots in the 19th century when Leiden’s National Museum of Antiquities acquired its famous collection of Egyptian antiquities. The one-year Egyptology master’s programme covers a wide range of focused, in-depth topics, including most of the linguistic and cultural history of Pharaonic, Graeco-Roman and Coptic Egypt.

Our staff members cooperate with fellow researchers from universities and research institutes from various countries on project topics covering: Egyptian art history, Egyptian archaeology, Egyptian religion, Coptic Egypt, Social and economic history of Ancient Egypt and the origins of the alphabet. These wide-ranging research activities form an integral part of the educational programme.

Visit excavations in Egypt

Consolidate what you learn in class by experiencing it first-hand during an intensive course on archaeology as practiced in Egypt today. You will visit excavations and research projects in Egypt and learn about the department’s own field and research projects, including excavations at Saqqara and the Dakhla Oasis.

What you will learn

Your future employers will not only be interested in your knowledge of Classics and Ancient Civilisations, but also in the skills that you have developed during your studies. Therefore, it is important that you are aware of the skills that you are training in your MA programme.

In the MA programme you learn how to analyse a problem, how to formulate a research question, how to select and assess your sources, how to assess secondary literature, how to give a clear and well-argued oral presentation either for specialists or for a wider audience, and how to write a clear and well-argued paper. You will be training the following transferrable skills:

• critical thinking (formulating questions, checking assumptions, assessing sources and scholarship)
• analytical skills (selecting, ordering, sorting out, and solving a problem)
• oral presentation skills (speaking, listening, discussing, receiving feedback)
• writing skills (reporting, summarizing, presenting an argument, with structure and style)
• independence (self-discipline, initiative, motivation)
• project management (planning, demarcation of a topic, discipline, meeting deadlines)
• flexibility (adapting to changes)
• creativity (curiosity, developing new ideas and innovative topics)
• academic integrity (acting with honesty, fairness, and responsibility)
• collaboration (working together with other students on a joint project)

Career prospects

As a graduate of an MA in Classics and Ancient Civilizations at Leiden University you are qualified to work as a junior academic researcher in an academic environment or carry out further research work on a PhD programme. It is also possible to find employment within the fields of publishing or teaching, at policy-making departments of governmental bodies, within the education sector, or within cultural tourism.

Our graduates end up working in a diverse range of positions, examples include:

• Policy officer for education
• Curator of classical antiquity at a museum
• Education officer at a museum
• PhD candidate at a university
• Research analyst at a consultancy firm
• Teacher of classical languages at a secondary school
• Teacher at an institute for special needs education
• Policy officer at the provincial department of a political party
• Chief desk editor at a publishing house

Accreditation

Accredited by NVAO, the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders.