During the LLP, Master’s students from a wide range of studies partake in lectures and trainings. They apply the acquired knowledge and skills in a practical assignment for a company or an organisation. Through this, students learn to make an impact within a relevant social theme. The programme (15 ECTS), for which international students can also register, starts in November and ends in June.
The Leiden Leadership Programme (LLP) is an honours programme for ambitious, talented master’s students from University Leiden, Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam. In this programme, you will be equipped with the knowledge, insights and skills required for the practice of leadership through seminars, skills training and a consultancy assignment. In so doing, it increases your societal impact.
The programme takes place alongside a regular master's degree. The extracurricular credits cannot count towards the completion of a study programme. After successful completion of this component, this can be stated on your diploma supplement. You will receive an Honours certificate if you have completed all parts of the LLP with at least a pass.
The objectives of the programme relate to acquiring knowledge and insight, honing interdisciplinary skills, and developing accurate judgment for relevant leadership problems:
The programme is taught in English, with one component, the Leadership Lab, offered in Dutch as well.
The Leiden Leadership Programme consists of 15 EC and is made up of a core element called LLP Essentials (5 EC), to be complemented with a Leadership Lab (4 EC) and two electives (each 3 EC).
In the LLP Essentials, the fundamental aspects of leadership are covered in a series of lectures, provided by scientists and experts from the field.
There are four Leadership Labs, all linked to relevant questions surrounding four societal issues. You chose one of these Leadership Labs and work on a question from one of our partner organisations. Moreover, you work on (further) developing your leadership skills which contributes to successfully completing your assigned assignment.
You also choose two out of four electives. All electives focus on a specific leadership style.
The programme takes place between November and June. All classes take place in the evening on Mondays and/or Thursdays, between 17:15 and 19:00, and between 19:15 and 21:00, and in very exceptional cases by own choice on Monday or Tuesday evening or during the daytime on Thurday or Saturday. We strive to organise the classes on campus as often as possible. Physical attendance is mandatory for all classes.
The marks you receive for every component (the LLP Essentials, one Leadership Lab and two electives) make up your final mark for the LLP.
By the end of the programme, you will have:
gained extensive knowledge on leadership theory
developed and practised leadership skills
gotten to know your own strengths and weaknesses
learned how to have an effective impact within an organisation
met unique people and started to curate your professional network
received 15 EC for extracurricular activities on your Diploma Supplement as well as an honours certificate
There are no additional costs related to this programme.
Leiden Leadership Programme – Leadership@ha.leidenuniv.nl
For more information you can sign up as 'interested' using the following link. Students that have signed up will recieve news of the Leiden Leadership Programme, and an alert when the applications open for the academic year 2023/2024.
This component will cover the fundamental aspects of leadership through a series of lectures given by scientists. In addition, some lectures are given by real-life leaders: the Leiden Leadership Lectures. These guest lectures are also open to attend for students that don't follow the LLP.
These lectures are plenary and take place between November and June.
The total study load for this component is 5 EC (140 hours, of which an important part is for self-study).
The LLP Essentials consist of lectures by lecturers from different disciplines and Leiden Leadership Lectures by practical speakers.
Attendance is mandatory.
Language: English
Level 600
Completed partial marks are only valid in the current academic year.
The programme takes place alongside a regular master's degree. The extracurricular credits cannot count towards the completion of a study programme. After successful completion of this component, this can be stated on your diploma supplement. You will receive an Honours certificate if you have completed all parts of the LLP with at least a pass.
Scientific articles (literature list via Brightspace).
In the Leadership Lab (4 EC) you will set out to tackle a topical problem presented by one of our partner organisations, and develop general leadership skills that contribute to a successful execution of the consultancy assignment.
The interdisciplinary Leadership Labs start in November and end in June. These sessions have a group size of approximately 25 students. The Labs are guided by teachers with experience in connecting science and practice.
There are four Leadership Labs, all linked to relevant questions surrounding four societal issues. These societal themes are:
Sustainability & Climate
Do you want to contribute to a green and sustainable world, now and in the future? In the Climate and Sustainability lab we focus on leadership aimed at climate and sustainability. Climate change has a huge impact on our society. But how do we motivate people and organisations to change?
You will take on the role as leadership consultant and advise an organisation on their sustainability challenges. With your team you will explore the core problem and determine which leadership perspectives play a role (diagnosis). After the diagnosis phase you will develop solutions (design) and make a plan for implementation (development). You are encouraged to present the solutions in a creative way. Whitin these lab sessions, you will learn about applying leadership in practice, consultancy skills and how to reflect on your learning goals.
Equality & Inclusion
Do you want to contribute to a world where equality and inclusion are the norm, not just fashionable concepts? Do you want to translate the latest (scientific) insights about equality and inclusion into practice? In this lab you will work with a multidisciplinary team on an assignment in the field of equality and inclusion from practice.
With your team you will explore with the client what the core of the problem is and which leadership aspects play a role in this (diagnosis), you will develop a solution (design) and you will advise the client how they can implement the solution (develop). In the lab meetings you will learn how to apply leadership aspects in practise, how to be a good consultant and how to achieve your personal learning objectives.
Healthy Living & Well-being
In this lab you will work with a multidisciplinary team on an assignment in the field of Healthy Living & Well-being. Health inequality, rising costs for health care, wellbeing of adolescents, and the shortage of health care professionals are just some of the problems that organisations all over the world face.
With your team you will explore with the client what the core of the problem is and which leadership aspects play a role in this (diagnosis), you will develop a solution (design) and you will advise the client how he / she can implement the solution (develop). In the lab meetings you will learn how to apply leadership aspects in practise, how to be a good consultant and how to achieve your personal learning objectives.
Peace & Safety
In this lab you will work with a multidisciplinary team on an assignment in the field of Peace and Safety. The military, police and fire services are directly related to security in our society. However, all kinds of organisations may face security issues such as data leakage, cybercrime and crisis management.
With your team you will explore with the client what the core of the problem is and which leadership aspects play a role in this (diagnosis). Subsequently, you will develop a solution (design) and advise the client how he / she can implement this solution (develop). In the lab meetings you will learn how to apply leadership aspects in practise, how to be a good consultant and how to achieve your personal learning objectives.
The themes form the contextual framework within which current leadership issues are discussed. Every student brings their own unique expertise to the table, in order to come to an impactful result benefitting the partner organisation. This includes the expertise gained from the student’s regular master’s program, as well as the knowledge and skills acquired through the other components of the LLP.
During the practical assignment, you will work in interdisciplinary and (inter)national student teams of an average of 5 students to solve a topical leadership issue within one of the partner organisations of the LLP. The practical assignment is about leadership (in a broad sense) and is linked to the theme of your lab.
In addition to knowledge and insight, skills are also important for making an impact. The practiced skills can be applied directly in the practical assignment. In the trainings the following elements, among other things, are covered: listening, recognizing the question behind the question, dealing with conflicting interests, giving and receiving feedback, and convincingly conveying your results and story to other people.
The total study load for this component is 4 EC (112 hours).
The Leadership Lab consists of working groups, supervision, working in groups on the practical assignment and training.
Attendance is mandatory.
Language: both Dutch and English (you can choose).
Level 600
Completed partial marks are only valid in the current academic year.
The programme takes place alongside a regular master's degree. The extracurricular credits cannot count towards the completion of a study programme. After successful completion of this component, this can be stated on your diploma supplement. You will receive an honors certificate if you have completed all parts of the LLP with at least a pass.
Scientific articles (list of literature via Brightspace) and handouts.
Electives provide in-depth coverage of specific leadership theories and related skills. They offer students the opportunity to further specialise and deepen in specific aspects of leadership. This deepening is a valuable addition to the Essentials and Labs.
You choose two of the six electives, in which you work in-depth with specific leadership themes.
Each Elective consists of lectures and skills training. During the lectures, various leadership theories are discussed and during the skills training you will start practicing and applying specific leadership skills, which are related to the theme of the chosen module.
The first round Electives (January-March) are (maximum 1 choice):
Business Leadership
“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” ― Peter Drucker
Are you considering a career in business? And would you like to work in a leadership position someday? Then the elective business leadership might be something for you. In it, we explore the fundamentals of leadership in business. What are the different leadership roles, traits, styles, and competencies you can have in this? Does it make a difference whether you work for a fast-growing young company ('start-up') or for a large multinational? What are the dilemmas you face, for example balancing profit goals on the one hand and social responsibility on the other?
These are some of the questions that recur in this interactive elective. We discuss theory but also experienced guest speakers will be invited to exchange ideas with the students. They talk about leadership issues in the companies they are affiliated with, but also reflect on their own careers and personal leadership successes and mistakes they have made. After the elective you have a good idea of what leadership in business means and how you yourself may see your role in it.
For the assignment, students will apply the business leadership concepts, best practices and skills that are taught in the course to an emerging leadership topic. The assignment consists of a personal reflection paper on the topic that includes both the course theory as well as students’ own perceptions of how they would like to develop themselves into a successful future business leader.
Public Leadership
In this elective we will focus on the moral dilemmas that come with the special nature of public leadership. Running a constitution of a liberal democracy into practice is a complicated affair, not in the least because of the different, and often incompatible moral claims on public officials. This poses a challenge to the preservation of one’s integrity as an official, but also as a moral agent.
The purpose of this elective is to make students aware of what it is like to perform this balancing act. A theoretical framework will be presented that is then applied in a simulation. The most important aim of the elective would be a reflective answer to the question: is public leadership something that I should pursue?
The assessment will consist of a paper that seeks to help students formulating this answer. It requires reflecting on and interpreting their own behaviour, thoughts, and emotions during the simulation in terms of the concepts and theories presented during the lectures.
Digital Leadership
During this elective we approach how digital technologies are influencing leadership. The course is structured around four topics/challenges.
The first topic deals with the question of how to overcome institutional and organizational barriers to promote the use of technological innovations to drive positive change. The second topic focuses on the implementation of artificial intelligence, looking at how algorithms may become leaders and change agents on their own. The third topic deals with social media use to drive effective communication and engagement, both between organization employees and with the audiences. Finally, the fourth topic will revolve around remote working and the shift on the nature of the workplace and its relations.
The second round Electives (March-June) are (maximum 1 choice):
Adaptive Leadership
This elective introduces students to the challenge of adaptive leadership and provides them with frameworks, skills, and capabilities to support them in steering organizations through periods of disruptive change. The course touches upon challenges of adaptive leadership at different levels, such as that of the individual, the team and the organization. You will study these challenges through different conceptual lenses, drawing on theory from the literatures of organisational psychology and the sociology of organisations.
To bridge the theory and practice of adaptive leadership, the reading list and class discussions for this course build on a mix of articles form scientific journals and more practitioner-oriented publications. The lectures will follow an interactive format that relies to a large extent on practical case studies.
The assessment of this course consists of a paper. In the paper, students are asked to reflect on a particularly successful or unsuccessful example of adaptive leadership in a case where an organisation faced a disruptive change.
Inclusive Leadership
Changing societies and workforces create challenges for leaders in organisations to find ways to foster justice, equity, and the inclusion of underrepresented groups. Despite many efforts, this has not been realised across different levels in contemporary organizations.
Different values may drive diversity and inclusion in organisations, resulting in a wide range of policies, procedures, and behaviours to foster inclusiveness. This course delves into the literature on diversity and inclusion, inclusive leadership, and its antecedents and outcomes. The lectures will be interactive, using short in-class assignments to discuss the literature and reflect on practical dilemmas and solutions.
The assignment consists of a personal reflection on how the student applies the learned concepts, theories and practical skills in a professional context. After the course, students can reflect on diversity and inclusion processes in teams and organisations, identify required inclusive leadership, and reflect on their own values and inclusive behaviours.
Community Leadership
Well-being of a community is determined by both structural characteristics of the community and features of its individual members (i.e., knowledge, skills, and motivation). To increase a community’s well-being, community leaders need to build and maintain trusting relationships with the other members of their community.
In this elective, we focus on the social psychology of leadership and address different aspects that are at the heart of good community leadership. Students will review empirical articles and they acquire advanced knowledge of relevant social psychological topics, such as power and leadership, procedural justice, dissent, and collective action.
Questions that are addressed concern, amongst others, the following. How are decisions of (formal and informal) leaders affected by the power they have over the outcomes of others? How can trust develop in the unequal power relationships that exists between leaders and other community members? How can leaders create fair processes in a way that other members of a community feel treated in a “procedurally just” way? How can leaders organise constructive dissent and motivate community members to take collective action to achieve a common goal?
The elective will be concluded by an individual assignment in which students can apply their acquired knowledge on a current social issue.
The total study load for this component is 3 EC (84 hours).
The Electives consist of lectures, skills training and self-study.
Attendance is mandatory.
These modules have a lecture or lecture format and are offered in English.
Level 500.
Completed partial marks are only valid in the current academic year.
he programme takes place alongside a regular master's degree. The extracurricular credits cannot count towards the completion of a study programme. After successful completion of this component, this can be stated on your diploma supplement. You will receive an Honours certificate if you have completed all parts of the LLP with at least a pass.
Scientific articles (list of literature via Brightspace).
The LLP has one starting moment each year. For the 2023-2024 academic year, that is November 7. The programme ends in June. Every year, approximately 200 students can start the Leiden Leadership Programme, but there are more applications. That is why a selection takes place.
You are eligible for the program if you recognize yourself in the following profile:
You are doing your master’s degree at Leiden University, Delft Technical University, or Erasmus University Rotterdam during the academic year 2023-2024;
Your schedule allows you to take part in an intense extra programme in addition to your regular master’s classes;
You have the ambition and the motivation to learn more about leadership (practice as well as theory);
Societal themes interest you. You are willing to look beyond your own discipline, and you want to work with students from different professional fields;
You are eager to make a concrete difference with other students within an organisation.
You are willing to critically reflect on your own development;
You have received good marks during your bachelor’s degree (>7,0 out of 10,0 or a comparable score when using a different grading system ) or have an explanation as to why you have not.
Applications for the academic year 2023-2024 open on the 1st of September, 2023. Due to the tight schedule needed for the selection process it is very important that you apply before the application deadline. The application deadline is October 4th 2023, 22.00 hrs. Students will not be selected on the basis of the application date.
During the application process, we will ask you to state your preferred working language for the Leadership Lab. We will also ask you to list your Top 4 Leadership Labs and Top 3 of the electives that seem most interesting to you. The programme team will work hard to assign first and second picks to as many students as possible.
Students can apply through the website of the Honours Academy from the 1st of September 2023, by filling out the questions and supplying a number of attachments. The attachments required are:
Your curriculum vitae, in which you provide on no more than 2 pages, more information about your educational background (names, institutes, dates), and your extracurricular activities, with an emphasis on those with a societal impact. Think, for instance of summer jobs, committees, internships, volunteer work, any caretaking duties, having your own company, or living abroad.
A certified copy of your bachelor degree results (uSis printouts will not be accepted).
Selection takes place based on the written submissions and will start immediately after the application deadline. The programme has room for 200 students. Each academic year, we are able to admit a select number of students from Delft Technical University and Erasmus University Rotterdam.
The Dean of the Honours Academy appoints a selection committee every year. The selection committee advises the Dean on which candidates should and shouldn’t be admitted.
You will be notified about whether or not you were admitted to the programme on 23rd October at the latest (two weeks before the start of the programme). Once you are accepted you will receive your class schedule as soon as possible.