Korean Studies (MA) (120EC)
Career prospects
Where do our graduates work?
Our alumni can be found working within multinationals such as banks, insurance companies, and government bodies. Others have followed paths into consultancy, management, journalism, PR and marketing, tourism, and education.
Examples of the diverse roles of our graduates include:
- Secretary at an Embassy
- Policy Officer at a ministry
- Communications adviser
- Coordinator of an Asia desk
- Coordinator of a Korean trade mission
- Export consultant on Korea
- Junior policy officer, political and international relations
- Manager of a translation and interpreting agency
- Marketing Officer
- Travel consultant on Korea
- Sales manager Korea
- Interpreter of Korean
- Translator of Korean
Research Master
If you have ambitions to pursue a PhD position or career as a researcher outside of academia you can apply for the two-year Research Master in Asian Studies on completion of the programme.
Maaike de Vries
Graduated in Korean Studies (MA Asian Studies)
"Last year, immediately after graduating the 120EC Korean Studies master, I started a dual degree PhD in Korean Studies and History of Medicine/Drugs. I decided to enroll for that specific master because I wanted to continue academic research."
A solid base for PhD research
"Although there is a research master that prepares you for a PhD track, I decided to enroll for the Korean Studies track instead. Mainly because I wanted to improve my Korean language skills and take courses at a Korean university. The master gave me a solid base for PhD research. It taught me to critically engage with primary and secondary sources (in both Korean and English) within and outside my field of interest, and it introduced me to core works in the field of Asian Studies. It also gave me the opportunity to study in South Korea."
Building my academic network
"In Korea, at Yonsei University, I enrolled in a course on Cultural Studies. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the professor who taught the course now turns out to be one of the most important individuals for leads to primary sources I need for my PhD research project. So coincidentally, deciding to do the master has helped me to start building my academic network as well."
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
Career preparation
Find out how this programme exactly prepares you for your future career and check our career preparation activities.
At Leiden University, we give you the tools to become a powerful critical thinker with a strong and relevant knowledge base. Graduates of the master's in Asian Studies understand the key academic approaches taken within Asian Studies across multiple disciplines, and how to use these concepts to conduct quality research. They have a wealth of practical and professional skills. These qualities amount to a highly attractive package for future employers.
Do you consider to put your knowledge into practice during your studies? Determine whether an internship could be an option for you. Start orientating your possibilities by visiting an internship information session. This way you can receive information about the internship procedure and listen to tips of former interns.
Notice that you will search for an internship yourself to find a place of your interest. Do you need some help with this or the application process? Do not hesitate to contact the Career Service. When you have found an internship, inform us. Then, the internship coordinator advises you how to proceed and provides your internship plan with feedback so it can be submitted for approval to the board of examiners.