Overview

The Middle Eastern Studies programme at Leiden University offers one of the most interdisciplinary programmes in the Netherlands, stretching the breadth of humanities and social sciences and involving multiple languages of the Middle East.

Career prospects

After successfully completing the Middle Eastern Studies programme you will have developed and honed a unique set of academic skills that will be highly relevant to a career requiring a specialist language or cultural knowledge of the Middle East.

These skills and competences will serve as a strong foundation for a wide variety of academic-level positions, and will also enable you to furthering your academic education with a PhD programme. You will also follow in the footsteps of alumni who have built careers that require specialist linguistic, cultural, social, and political knowledge of the Middle East in the diplomatic services, cultural institutions, non-profits, NGOs, immigration, international organizations, travel industry, development cooperation, as well as in academia.

Examples of the diverse roles of our graduates include:

research

teaching

governmental and semi-governmental organisations

non-profit organisations

business services

banking

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Programme Structure

Courses include:

Culture and Society in the Medieval Muslim World

From Algeria to Palestine - The MENA Region in the Settler Colonial World

In the Time of Cities: Space, Place, and Politics in the Urban Middle East

Material Culture, Heritage and Memory along the Silk Roads in Central Asia

Narratives That Matter: Literature, Film and Television Drama in the Middle East

Oil, Waste and Water: the Political Ecology of the Middle East and North Africa

Radio Palestine/Israel: Voices in Conflict

Check out the full curriculum

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Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 12 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-02-02 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-11-15 00:00:00 , EEA/EU
- Apply before 2026-10-15 00:00:00 , International
Starting 2027-09-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-05-15 00:00:00 , EEA/EU
- Apply before 2027-04-01 00:00:00 , International

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

90

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IELTS

6.5

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Credits

60 ECTS

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Leiden, Netherlands

Disciplines

Middle Eastern studies View 6 other Masters in Middle Eastern studies in Netherlands

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

90

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

A bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in Middle Eastern Studies; or

A bachelor’s degree from a research university, equivalent tot the level of a Dutch academic Bachelor's degree, including general Academic Skills, and

the bachelor's degree is in the field of Middle Eastern Studies or a relevant subfield, such as Arabic Studies, Hebrew Studies, Persian Studies of Turkish studies; or

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.

Make sure you meet all requirements

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Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

21600 EUR / year

≈ 21600 EUR / year
EU/EEA Applies to you

Applies to you

EU/EEA Nationals

2601 EUR / year

≈ 2601 EUR / year

Additional Details

Second Dutch master’s programme: €16,600 per year

Living costs

Leiden

Netherlands

850 - 1250 EUR / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Middle Eastern Studies.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Career prospects

Get more details

Programme Structure

Check out the full curriculum

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

Explore more key information

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Make sure you meet all requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

EU/EEA Applies to you

Additional Details

Living costs

Leiden

Funding

Check for any work restrictions

Need help with your student visa?

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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