Classics and Ancient Civilizations

specialisatie Assyriology

In this programme you will study the ancient Middle Eastern cultures which used the cuneiform script (invented pre-3000 BC) as a writing system.

Leiden University's Assyriology programmes have gained international recognition and the department's staff is involved in a variety of research projects.
During this one-year specialisation, you will have the opportunity to participate in research programmes at a leading international university, including Leuven, Cambridge, Münster and Heidelberg.

In Leiden, you will study through the Netherlands Institute for the Near East (NINO), home of a library which has one of the finest collections of books and journals connected with Mesopotamia and Anatolia, as well as a world-class collection of original cuneiform documents from all periods of Mesopotamian history.

specialisatie Classics

The MA Classics at Leiden University is part of the oldest Classics department in the Netherlands, with chairs held in Latin and Greek since the university was founded in 1575 – making for an almost five hundred year tradition in the field.

The programme is taught by academic staff internationally renowned for their research work. Research at Leiden University in the field of Classics – Greek in particular – is at the leading edge of the field.

During the programme you will develop your knowledge across the full range of traditional Classics topics, but the Leiden Classics programme also gives you the opportunity to specialise in research fields such as Ancient History, Ancient Philosophy, Papyrology and Renaissance Latin.

You will also benefit from the collaboration of classicists from different Universities in the National Research School in Classics (OIKOS).

• Leiden University's Humanities Faculty was recently ranked 25th in the Times Higher Education worldwide ranking.

specialisatie Egyptology

During the Egyptology MA at Leiden University you will acquire a broad and extensive understanding of the linguistic and cultural history of Egypt from the Pharaonic times to Graeco-Roman and Coptic Egypt.

You will join an acclaimed research master's programme that has its roots in the 19th century, when the city's National Museum of Antiquities acquired its famous collection of Egyptian antiquities. You will benefit from a combination of tradition and leading-edge international scholarship.

The programme is delivered by academics who are pre-eminent and active scholars in the field and whose wide-ranging research activities include Egyptian mortuary inscriptions, archaeological and epigraphic field work in Egypt, and Coptic magical texts.

You will be able to access the resources of one of the world's most reputable Egyptological libraries, the library of the Netherlands Institute for the Near East (NINO), giving you ready access to the library's extensive materials for your study and research.

• Leiden University's Humanities Faculty was recently ranked 25th in the Times Higher Education worldwide ranking.

specialisatie Hebrew and Aramaic Languages and Cultures

The MA specialisation in Hebrew and Aramaic Studies is delivered by internationally acclaimed experts at Leiden University.

You will benefit from a broad range of relevant adjacent disciplines for the study of ancient languages and civilisations as well as from the famous library resources.

You will be able to acquire a broad overview of Hebrew and Aramaic, as well as a thorough knowledge of a chosen area of specialisation, with the rich and diverse expertise on Linguistics in all its aspects at Leiden just at your fingertips.

Your study will focus strongly on languages, mainly Hebrew and Aramaic, with optional Phoenician, Ugaritic and other small corpus languages – but also on the region's wider cultural history with many different possibilities for specialisation (such as Linguistics, Ancient History, etc.).

Leiden University is home to the only Chair of both Hebrew and Aramaic worldwide and plays a major role in international research.

• Leiden University's Humanities Faculty was recently ranked 25th in the Times Higher Education worldwide ranking.

honours-/excellence program Leiden Leadership Programme

The Leiden Leadership Programme (LLP) is an honours programme of 15 ECs on top of the regular master's curriculum. The programme consists of training courses, seminars and a practical assignment.

Are you looking for an extra challenge in addition to your Leiden master's programme? Are you adventurous enough to look beyond the borders of your own master's programme? The Leiden Leadership Programme may be just what you are looking for. The programme gives you the opportunity to develop your leadership skills. You will follow seminars and courses, as well as carrying out a practical assignment for a company or organisation as part of a small, multidisciplinary team. Your lecturers will be leading academics and experienced professionals from the business sector.

Students can apply who have:

• Good study results in the bachelor's programme;
• The ambition and motivation to develop leadership qualities;
• A broad and interdisciplinary span of interest.