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History, Arts and Culture of Asia (MA) (60EC)

The MA in History, Arts and Culture of Asia is designed for students interested in taking a humanities-related approach to the study of countries or regions in pre-modern, modern or contemporary Asia.

Why study History, Arts and Culture of Asia at Leiden University?

With an expansive curriculum, this one-year master's gives students the opportunity to delve deep into their specific disciplinary area of interest within the field of Asian Studies. Explore the countries of your choice from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, including history, literature, art history, critical heritage, media and culture, and religion.

Within the master's in History, Arts and Culture of Asia, knowledge of an Asian language is not required, but you have the opportunity to broaden your skillset by taking an intensive modern language course at beginner’s level in Sanskrit, Indonesian, Tibetan or Hindi.

You also have the opportunity to earn a dual degree by following the focus Critical Heritage Studies of Asia and Europe at one of Leiden University's partner universities in Asia, earning you an additional MA in Heritage Studies on top of your MA in Asian Studies. Knowledge of an Asian language is not required for this masters programme.

Learn more about the study programme

What are your career prospects?

Your expertise in Asia will qualify you for jobs in a variety of fields where there is demand for expertise in Asia, including journalism, publishing, international trade, marketing, business, public relations, education, development aid, and in government, non-profit and international organisations.

Find out more about your career prospects

Is History, Arts and Culture the programme for you?

Do you want to find out if you are eligible for this Master’s Programme?

Check the admission requirements

In which sector do students find jobs?

  • 26 Government and semi-government
  • 14 Education
  • 12 Financial institutions
  • 7 IT
  • 7 Culture, sports and recreation
  • 5 Industrial sector
  • 5 Research
  • 5 Consultancy
  • 5 Information management
  • 14 Other

The graph above is based on alumni data from the MA Asian Studies 2016-2020.