How to Compose a Personalized Elective Package
The free elective space of 30 ECTS can also be composed by a selection of electives from different Dutch academic programmes.
Unlike the Leiden minors the personalized packages must be approved by the Board of Examiners.
Unlike the Leiden Minors who are by definition suitable for filling in the free elective space, the optional packages must be explicitly approved by the Board of Examiners. Students are therefore advised to submit petitions for a personalized package in uSis in advance, that is, largely before courses begin (see the Elective courses tab).
The following guidelines from the Board of Examiners for approval of electives will help in selecting appropriate courses:
A maximum of 10 ECTS at level 100 is permitted as a third-year elective course, the other courses must be level 200 or higher.
In principle, electives should fall within the areas of social sciences, behavioural sciences, archaeology, the humanities, economics, public administration, or law. Academic language courses are suitable with the exception of English language proficiency courses. Subjects from other disciplines may be added to the 3rd year Bachelor’s CADS, but students must state their motivation and the courses’ coherence with the rest of the CADS programme.
Subjects followed at universities of applied sciences (HBO's), are not suitable for filling in the free elective space, with the exceptions of the photography courses at the Royal Academy of Art in the Conservatoire (KABK) and some music theory subjects at The Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.
Please note:
Students who do a CADS internship and thereby earn 10-20 ECTS (depending on the overall size of the internship) for the free elective space, need fill in only the remaining 25-10 ECTS with free elective courses. Those who follow the Water Course in the Philippines with CADS (note: with reservation due to COVID-19) must only follow the remaining 20 EC of free elective courses.
Students may take more than 30 ECTS elective courses, but should not forget to mark them as extracurricular education (see the tab ‘Electives’).
Taking Electives Abroad
Free electives can be followed abroad within the study exchange abroad programme. Plans for study abroad via the exchange programme must be announced at least half a year in advance by contacting the Exchange Coordinator.
Courses taken in the context of study abroad, but outside the exchange programme, must be approved in advance by the CADS Board of Examiners by way of a personalized Learning Agreement. After returning to Leiden, the student must submit to the SSC suitable evidence of the study abroad and the official transcripts of records, and must submit a petition must in uSis (see the tab ‘Electives’).
Courses taken in the context of study abroad should be approved in advance by the CADS Board of Examiners by way of the Learning Agreement. After returning to Leiden, students should submit petitions in uSis along with official transcripts of records to the SSC, so that courses and their results may be definitively added to Bachelor’s programme courses in uSis.