Your level of Dutch determines much of your first year. No previous Dutch? Then you will work hard at learning to speak, write and understand Dutch. You attend lectures on Dutch culture, and gain the research, writing and presentation skills needed for your final written paper. You learn about the great historical impact of this small nation and gain insight into present-day Dutch society.

• If your Dutch is more advanced you may be able to complete the programme in 2 years. For more information please contact the study advisor
• Leiden also offers this year as a one-year programme in Dutch Studies.

In your second year you cross into true Dutch fluency, learning to recognise and understand the nuances of the language and culture. As you deepen your knowledge of Dutch history and literature and modern and historical linguistics, you will also learn how to conduct independent scientific research. The advantages of studying at Leiden University include being surrounded by Dutch every day, so you start to really accelerate in your ability to speak and interact with native speakers.

During the third year you have a lot of freedom to tailor your studies to your personal interests and ambitions via electives. You may choose to follow courses from other Leiden programmes; in this way you structure a minor period that reflects your interests and future academic or career goals. You conclude by writing a bachelor’s thesis (in Dutch). 

Examples of bachelor’s assignments:

Dutch Literature

• Now tell me the truth: An autofictional game in the works of four recent Dutch female writers.
• The image of evil: The representation of the SS in Dutch concentration camp literature.

Dutch Linguistics

• The most difficult word in Dutch: Which reference particle 'er' is the most difficult for learners of Dutch as a second language?
• The influence of a native language on the distinction between the perfect and imperfect learners of Dutch as a second language.
• The acquisition of Dutch articles by Chinese and Hungarian speakers of Dutch as a second language: Has a native language played a role in the acquisition of Dutch articles?

Dutch History

• Power to Widows! A comparison of the influences of Mary of Hungary, Catherine de Medici and Kösem Sultan after the death of their reigning husbands.
• In the land of cheese and clogs: A research into the change in the lives of former Turkish migrant workers in the Netherlands between 1987 and 1991.

Dutch Art History

• Vilmos Huszár (1884-1960), a Hungarian artist from the Dutch art movement: De Stijl.

Maybe you are interested in Dutch, but you do not want to spend three years at university. If so, then it is possible to take just the first year of  Dutch Studies at Leiden University. At the end of this first year you will be awarded a transcript and a so-called ‘propaedeuse’, a first-year diploma, if you complete all the first-year courses successfully in one year. It is good to know that with the ‘propaedeuse’ of Dutch Studies you get access to almost all bachelor programmes in Dutch.

Note however, that the one-year programme students will be regarded as regular first year students.