French Literature and Culture Leiden University

Overview

The master's in French Literature and Culture at Leiden University offers an excellent qualification in French and Francophone literature and culture. All classes taught in French, which will greatly improve your fluency in oral and written French. During this master’s programme you will study French literature from France and beyond, ranging from the Middle Ages to the present. The programme offers courses in the ‘traditional’ canon of French literature, but also goes beyond it, focusing on francophone literature from origins as diverse as the Caribbean and the Maghreb.

Customise your degree

You will be able to design your curriculum according to your career goals or interests. Concentrate on French literature from the 20th and 21st century, or on courses related to medieval or early modern literature. You will also be able to combine French literature courses with Masterlanguage and French linguistics courses.

What you will learn

The Master's programme in Literary Studies at Leiden University equips you with a range of transferable skills and knowledge that will help you stand out in your future career. Your specialised knowledge is complemented by a broad and contextual understanding as well as critical-thinking skills that can be applied to complex conceptual problems. Other skills you may encounter in the various Literary Studies courses are:

• Analysis
• Oral and written communication
• Research
• Intercultural skills
• Creative thinking

Career prospects

The master’s programme in French Literature and Culture prepares you for a wide range of positions. Our graduates can be found working in a great number of professions requiring specialist linguistic or communication skills.

Our alumni find work in positions such as:

• French teacher in a secondary school
• French teacher in professional higher education
• Literary translator
• Business translator
• Editorial secretary & editor at a publishing house
• PhD candidate at a Dutch or foreign university
• Publishing assistant at a publishing house
• Marketing and communications officer at a telecom company
• Policy advisor at a Dutch university
• Foreign rights manager at a publishing house
• Journalist at a press company

Accreditation

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