Honours Academy
Education
Honours education offers students an extra challenge alongside their regular studies. The education is small-scale, personal and future-oriented. Because students and lecturers from different faculties work together, education is multidisciplinary from the very first moment.
Multidisciplinary
Students from all seven faculties participate in the honours programmes. Thanks to honours education, they come into contact with each other and learn to look beyond the boundaries of their own academic discipline. On top of that, lecturers are encouraged to work with colleagues from other disciplines, resulting in much cross-pollination. By doing so, lecturers gain experiences they can apply in their regular teachings, and educational innovation is promoted throughout the university.
Education for everyone
The Honours Academy aims to be a place for everyone, where Pre-University (vwo) secondary school students and university students can develop their talents to the fullest. Various programmes to facilitate this are on offer, designed for secondary school students and bachelor’s and master’s students. There are no additional fees associated with attending honours education, unless otherwise indicated and with the exception of Pre-University education.
For secondary school students (vwo), the Honours Academy offers Pre-University College and Pre-University Classes. These two programmes are aimed at students who are looking for an extra challenge in addition to their regular schoolwork and are interested in experiencing university education. The goal is to help school students discover their interests and further develop their talents. The participants are supervised by Leiden University, which gives them the opportunity to already have a taste of what it is like to be a student.
Honours College
The Honours College offers motivated students extra education in addition to their regular studies. Students can choose between following a faculty track (30 EC) at their own or another faculty. The Honours College is characterised by contact between many different students and cross-pollination between different disciplines.
Bachelor Honours Classes
Bachelor Honours Classes (5 EC) are small-scale interdisciplinary courses on current topics, with plenty of focus for personal development and discussions. It is mandatory for Honours College students to take a Bachelor Honours Class, but non-honours Leiden University students are welcome to apply as well.
LDE Bachelor Honours Programme Sustainability
This interdisciplinary programme (15 EC) enables motivated second- and third-year bachelor's students to develop both their fundamental knowledge of sustainability and their practical skills by tackling 'real-world' sustainability challenges. A cooperation between the Honours Academies of Leiden University, Erasmus University Rotterdam and TU Delft, enables students of all three universities participate.
Impact Challenges
Impact Challenges are extracurricular courses in which students work towards solving a current isuue of an external partner of the Honours Academy. The education is project-based, high-level, multidisciplinary, and focused on making a positive real-world impact. Some Impact Challenges are open to master’s students exclusively, while others are open to advanced bachelor’s students as well.
Leiden Leadership Programme
The Leiden Leadership Programme (15 EC), in which both Dutch and international students can enrol, is unique in that it equips students with the necessary leadership knowledge, insights and skills to increase their social impact through seminars, skills training and carrying out a practical assignment.
Master Honours Classes
Master Honours Classes (5-10 EC) are small-scale interdisciplinary courses on current topics, with plenty of focus on personal development and discussions. A new selection of classes is offered each year, which means that students are always working on topical themes and the latest research.
Impact Challenges
Impact Challenges are extracurricular courses in which students work towards solving a current problem of an external partner of the Honours Academy. The education is project-based, high-level, multidisciplinary, and focused on making a positive impact on a real-world issue. Some Impact Challenges are open to master’s students exclusively, while others are open to advanced bachelor’s students as well.
