This information page is composed for students of the Bachelor programme in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology.
A minor is a coherent package of courses offered by the university, for 30 ECTS. By means of a Minor students may explore topics outside their own educational programmes, and a well-chosen Minor will enrich the Bachelor’s course with knowledge, insights, and skills from other disciplines. A Minor can also help students prepare for a Master’s degree.
Students may take a Minor at any time once the first year has been successfully completed, but the best time is in the third year of the Bachelor’s course. Ideally, a Minor should be completed within one year, as changes might be made to the curriculum for following years.
Minor at the Leiden University
Leiden University offers more than 50 minors. However, while the choice is wide there are restrictions: some Minors have special admission criteria, and for others a limited number of places are available. Students may not follow Minors in their own disciplines since they consist of the same courses as for the Bachelor’s degree.
It is important therefore to begin looking into the possibilities as soon as possible, which is during the first semester of the second year. It is essential not to miss the application deadline. Application for Leiden University Minors is via Usis between May 1 and August 1. In order to add the Minor to your Usis study-requirements, please contact the SSC.
Minor at another Dutch University
Students may follow Minors at other Dutch universities, although not those offering "applied sciences"/ hbo).
Students wishing to choose Minors from other universities must enrol as "guest students" following the application procedure of that particular institution. No extra tuition fee will be due because fees have already been paid to Leiden University.
Leiden University has an agreement with the Technical University in Delft and Erasmus University in Rotterdam, making it simpler for Leiden students to follow Minors at those institutions. Places are reserved in both for Leiden students and the application procedure is more uniform. Please read more about the LDE cooperation and available Minors on the designated page of the UL-webiste.
To add "external" Minors to study results in Usis, students must submit petitions in Usis ("petition for external education", see the tab Electives, Situation 3). Petitions should be submitted before commencing study for Minors, to allow confirmation that the preferred Minor is compatible with Bachelor’s courses at Leiden. An official transcript of records issued by the university in question should then be submitted to SSC after completion of Minors, so that grades and EC's may be registered in Usis.