French Literature and Culture (MA)

Career prospects

Where do our graduates work?

The master’s programme in French Literature and Culture prepares you for a wide range of positions. Our graduates can be found working in a great number of professions requiring specialist linguistic or communication skills.

Our alumni have taken positions as a:

• French teacher in a secondary school
• French teacher in professional higher education
• Literary translator
• Business translator
• Editorial secretary & editor at a publishing house
• PhD candidate at a Dutch or foreign university
• Publishing assistant at a publishing house
• Marketing and communications officer at a telecom company
• Policy advisor at a Dutch university
• Foreign rights manager at a publishing house
• Journalist at a press company

Teacher qualification

If you are interested in a career in teaching, you can apply for the Dutch-taught teacher-training MA at the ICLON Graduate School of Education after graduating from the master’s programme. To be admitted, you need to have a master’s degree in the  relevant discipline. Fluency in Dutch is mandatory, and additional entry requirements may apply.

Sannerien van Aerts

Graduated in MA French Language and Linguistics (MA Linguistics) and MA French Literature and Culture (MA Literary Studies)

"After my graduation, I started working at the administration of the Alliance Française de La Haye (first as secretary, now at the finance department), which turned out to be a perfect first job. It gives me several opportunities for my career: not only am I able to improve my French and to develop my professional competences, but also it gives me the possibility to get involved in the 'French scene' through cultural activities with other Francophone partners, such as institutions, embassies and cultural organizations."

Knowing a language opens many doors

"In a way, there is no real relation between my literary and linguistic masters and my current job, but I regarded the masters as a means to improve my linguistic skills in order for French to become my speciality. Knowing a language opens many doors to different countries, cultures and people and an international environment has always interested me. In the future, I hope to remain working in an international context while organizing all kinds of (cultural) events."

Laura den Boer

Graduated in French Literature and Culture (MA Literary Studies)

"I very much enjoyed doing the Master’s in French Literature and Culture of the Literary Studies degree programme. I chose this master’s because the selection of subjects on offer appealed to me enormously."

Personal

"I took the master’s together with a small group of students, which encouraged me to take an active role in the tutorial discussions. Taking part in the discussions helped to improve my French oral skills, as well as giving me personal contact with the teachers."

A teaching position

"After my master’s I am going to work in Lille for 6 months, where I will be a language assistant in a secondary school, helping French pupils with their Dutch. After those 6 months I plan to do the Educational Master’s in French Literature and Culture, which will afterwards hopefully provide me with a teaching position in a Dutch secondary school, in which I will be able to apply the knowledge I have gained during my French studies. In all, the degree programme at Leiden has given me a superb grounding for a job in education, because studying the many and varied subjects allowed me to acquire interesting and in-depth knowledge."

The graphs below are based on alumni data from the MA Literary Studies 2016-2020.

In which sector do students find jobs?

• 36 % Education
• 14 % Communication and marketing
• 9 % Government and semi-government organisations
• 8 % IT
• 6 % Financial institutions
• 5 % Publishing
• 5 % Media and journalism
• 3 % Research
• 3 % Consultancy
• 3 % Business services
• 8 % Other

Teacher qualification

Are you interested in pursuing a career in education? Then you may apply for the Dutch-taught teacher-training MA at the ICLON Graduate School of Education after graduating from the master’s programme. To be admitted, you need to have a master’s degree in the relevant discipline. Fluency in Dutch is mandatory and additional entry requirements may apply.

Career preparation

Find out how this programme prepares you for your future career and check our career preparation activities.