You are eligible to apply for the MA North American Studies if you have:

• a bachelor’s degree from a research university, equivalent to the level of a Dutch academic Bachelor’s degree, including general Academic Skills; and
• knowledge and understanding of the defining events and developments in the history and culture of the United States and/or knowledge and understanding of the canonical works of American literature; you should, for example, have a Bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in the field of American Studies or another Bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in Humanities or Social Sciences that includes components in the field of American Studies worth at least 30 credits; 

The following applicants are considered to have fulfilled the requirements mentioned above:

• Applicants who have a Bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in Humanities or Social Sciences and who have completed the minor in American Studies at Leiden University are considered to have fulfilled this requirement. 
• Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in International Studies who have completed all area courses for North America worth 20 credits, and wrote their BA Thesis on North America and/or completed at least one 10-EC course which is included in the minor or pre-master programme in American Studies.

If you have a bachelor’s degree from a research university in the Humanities or Social Sciences that does not meet the requirements specified above, you may be eligible for a pre-master programme of 30 EC. If you have completed the imposed pre-master programme within the prescribed period, you will be admitted to the master’s programme. Read more about the pre-master’s programme.

Students holding a Bachelor’s degree from a university of applied sciences (hbo) in History, English, European Studies or Journalism will be admitted after completing the pre-master programme of 60 EC within the prescribed period. Read more about the pre-master’s programme.

The following requirements apply:

• IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall, with at least 6.0 for each separate component score.

For other accepted exams, including score equivalency tables and criteria for the accepted exams, refer to our English language proficiency requirements.

Note that English test results may not be more than two years old.

You do not have to submit an English proficiency test if you have completed your education in the USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada (except French-taught programmes in Canada) Singapore, South-Africa or Malta, if you have obtained an English-taught International Baccalaureate™; if you have completed a Dutch VWO diploma or an English-taught degree at a Dutch research university or an English-taught bachelor’s degree from a Dutch university of applied sciences.