Overview

The Middle Eastern Studies (research) MA programme at Leiden University has a reputation for its breadth and depth of expertise that is unmatched in Europe. You can explore subjects that span virtually the entire Middle East both in time and geography.

The two-year research Master's allows you to freely combine subjects from seven specialisations: Turkish Studies; Arabic Studies; North African Studies; Persian Studies; Islam; Eastern Christianity; and Modern Middle East Studies. You can focus on a region such as the Arab world, North Africa or the Persian world, or on a discipline such as history, politics, literature or languages across a region. A key feature is our comparative approach to learning, which includes intra-Middle Eastern comparisons.

Additional courses develop your academic skills to an advanced level. You also have the opportunity to conduct field research in the Middle East or study courses at another top university.

Career prospects

• Freelance writer/translator/project coordinator at a translation centre

• Lecturer at a Dutch university

• Translator and executive secretary at an embassy in the Netherlands

• Policy officer for education and funding at a national student union

• PhD candidate at a university in Spain

• PhD candidate at Leiden University

• Policy officer for Sahel region at a ministry

• Production assistant at a Swedish museum

• Teacher of English/Islamic religion at an educational institute in Saudi Arabia

• Middle East representative at a shipping and forwarding company.