Media Studies (MA)

About the programme

You are able to choose from four specialisations:

• Book and Digital Media Studies: focuses on the dynamic process of the transmission of knowledge and information through handwritten, printed, and digital texts.
• Cultural Analysis: Literature and Theory: is devoted to the study of literature from a comparative and theoretical perspective.
• Film and Photographic Studies: offers you a challenging academic study in the field of ‘lens-based’ media, comprising photography, film and video.
• Journalistiek en Nieuwe Media (taught in Dutch): provides you with strong editorial skills, a journalistic attitude and a strong academic background.

All programmes are taught across two semesters and comprises compulsory courses, elective courses, and the writing of an MA thesis.

Experiential learning

Some of the Media Studies programmes encourage students to get involved in projects for external clients. These projects provide students with the opportunity to apply ideas in practice, develop new contacts, and gain invaluable professional experience.

Examples include:

• Book and Digital Media Studies produced an open-access yearbook, TXT, on the role of reading and the book during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Journalistiek en Nieuwe Media students conducted an exit poll during the national elections for the Leiden City Council. They also do fact checks for national and international media, for more information, please visit the Nieuwscheckers website.

Paul Hoftijzer

Senior University Lecturer

“Leiden has fantastic resources available in our field that are all within easy reach: the University Library, the Bibliotheca Thysiana, many museums, and renowned book shops and publishing houses such as Koninklijke Brill, which has been in existence since 1683.”