Minors

Would you like to check out a different programme while following your own? Or perhaps you’d like to delve deeper into a field of expertise? A minor is an excellent way of adding your own flavour to your study.

What is a minor?

A minor is a structured package of topics with which you can broaden your knowledge and competencies or focus more sharply on a specific area. Most minors last a semester and will earn a student 30 credits, which is often equal to the total elective quota. However, given that for some programmes this total quota is only 15 credits, every minor can be ‘half followed’. In terms of their degree of difficulty, minors are suitable for third-year bachelor’s students.

Why follow a minor?

• A minor represents an excellent opportunity to look beyond the confines of your own programme.
• All faculties offer a broad selection of minors, in total more than 50. This means you will have a good chance that you can follow a topic that interests you for a whole semester.
• If you follow an in-depth minor, you can specialise in a field of expertise.
• Some minors give access to master's programmes that you cannot get into without a minor.

Special minors

There are several special minors, and these contribute to various programmes:

• Brain and Cognition
• Human Evolution
• Entrepreneurship for Society
• Sustainable Development

Check out all minors offered by Leiden University.

Joint minors offered by Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam

How would you like to follow a minor at a different university? Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam (LDE) each reserve a third of their minor spots for students from the two other universities.

Together with TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam, we have also developed a number of multidisciplinary minors:

• Modes of Existence: Architecture and Philosophy
• Sustainable Chemistry and Biotechnology
• Frugal Innovation for Sustainable Global Development
• Responsible Innovation
• Safety, Security and Justice
• Geo-resources for the Future
• African Dynamics
• Smart and Shared Cities
• Space Missions
• Living Education Lab
• (Re)Imagining Port City Futures: Understanding Space, Society and Culture