Admissions requirements
At least the first year of study (60 EC) must have been completed.
Description
In addition to the required courses in the Bachelor's programme, the student is required to complete elective courses worth 30 EC.
The elective requirement can be satisfied in various ways provided the prevailing faculty and university requirements and norms according to article 3.2 of the Course and Examination Regulations are met.
Minor
A minor is a specified programme that is approved in advance. All university faculties offer a range of minors. The minors offered by the Faculty of the Humanities are often interdisciplinary in nature, which means that certain topics, which are sometimes social issues, are approached from various angles.
On the minors website you will find information about the minor system. The minor programmes on offer can be found in the online prospectus for more specific information.
Studying Abroad
A study abroad programme is a good experience for any student and an excellent way to complement the curriculum for your major area of study. Your time studying abroad also helps you prepare for the job market. For more information about exchange programmes with a foreign university and grants, please contact either the Humanities International Office or your study advisor.
Please note that the Board of Examiners must approve your course package; you can use the form on this webpage and send it to the Board of Examiners by email.
Internship
You can also satisfy part of your elective requirements by completing an internship. This involves working at a business or organisation under the guidance of a lecturer in the faculty and an employee of that organisation. The activities during an internship are often related to what you have learned in your degree programme. If you choose to do an internship, the Student Career Service can help you find a suitable placement at one of a large number of businesses and institutions. Take a look at the internship guidelines and the internship rules and regulations.
Elective Package
If you wish to assemble a personalised elective package using courses offered at either Leiden University or another institution of higher education, the following conditions apply:
The courses chosen must exhibit cohesion and structure;
Your elective package must be worth 30 EC in total;
The level of your courses should be sufficient, which usually means: 10 EC of level 100 courses, 10 EC of level 200 courses, and 10 EC of level 300 or even 400 courses.
You may consult your study advisor concerning how to satisfy your elective requirements. Then, the individual elective package must be presented to the Board of Examiners for approval using the request procedure.
Please note that if you are working on two Bachelor's degrees and you would like to fill up your elective space with courses from this second Bachelor, the Board of Examiners might allocate an exemption. You can only request an exemption if you have already passed the courses you want to use in your elective space. Since strict conditions apply to an elective package (see above), this will only be the case after completing the first semester of your third year of the second Bachelor.
Completed HBO degree
Students who have completed an HBO (university of applied sciences) programme have the option of using portions of that programme to satisfy their elective requirements. To do this, you need to submit a request to your department's examination committee using the request procedure.
Keep in mind that:
Students cannot receive a full exemption for the discretionary space (30 EC) based on an HBO degree.
A maximum of 20 EC can be exempt; however, this depends on the HBO programme. The remaining 10 (or more) EC must be made up of courses from your BA programme or academic courses that fit with the courses on which your exemption is based.
Ultimately, it is up to the Board of Examiners to decide how many EC are exempt and which additional courses are approved.
Remarks
Students are recommended to get in touch with their study advisor early on and present their elective preferences and then submit them to the Board of Examiners for approval using the request procedure.
The choice of courses for satisfying your elective requirements has to be approved by the Board of Examiners.
When evaluating a student's choices, the Board of Examiners will base its decision on the cohesion and standard of the package selected.