Career Preparation
The programme
The curriculum of English Language and Culture offers you a multi-faceted programme in which you’ll study the language in all its varieties, from Old English, through its intermediate stages, down to the many different forms of the language currently in use. You’ll also be studying British and American literature in their cultural-historical context.
How can you use this knowledge and the skills that you acquire? Which specialisation should you choose within your study programme and why? What skills do you already have, and what further skills do you still want to learn? How do you translate the courses that you choose into something that you’d like to do after graduation?
These questions and more will be discussed at various times during your study programme. You may already have spoken about them with your study coordinator, the Humanities Career Service or other students, or made use of the Leiden University Career Zone. Many different activities are organised to help you reflect on your own wishes and options, and give you the chance to explore the job market. All these activities are focused on the questions: ‘What can I do?’, ‘What do I want?’ and ‘How do I achieve my goals?’.
Activities
You will be notified via the Humanities website, your study programme website and email about further activities in the area of job market preparation. The following activities will help you to thoroughly explore your options, so we advise you to take careful note of them:
First year
Second year
Third year
Study abroad
Studying abroad is a great way to broaden your horizons. It’s beneficial for both your academic and personal development. Not only will you gain new experiences, but you’ll also learn to get by in a different environment. A period of study abroad is an asset on your CV. With the increasing internationalisation of job markets, many employers regard international experience as a real advantage.
Exchange programmes
Exchange programmes offer an easy way to study abroad. You’ll study at a university that has an agreement with Leiden University and, in return, a student from that university will come to study here.
You can apply for a spot through two different programmes:
- Erasmus+ with partner universities within Europe
- University-wide exchange programme with partner universities outside Europe
More information? Please check this website on studying abroad.
Harting
Harting is a selective programme that offers ambitious students of English language and culture with good grades an opportunity to study a full academic year in Britain or Ireland. Participating universities include Newcastle University, University College London, University of Southampton, University of York, University College Dublin and the National University of Ireland Galway. For more information about the programme or the selection procedure, please contact Dr. Michael Newton. More information can also be found on this website.
Summer and winter schools
Summer and winter schools are short programmes that you can follow during the holidays, which means your studies won’t be effected. Some summer and winter schools award credits, others don’t. In general, you will have to pay a fee.
More information? Please check this website on studying abroad.
Other options
Going abroad independently:
Instead of going on exchange, you could choose to go abroad independently. This is an option if you want to go to a destination that doesn’t have an exchange agreement with Leiden University, or if you missed out on an exchange place.
Internship:
An internship or research project abroad is not only a fun and educational experience, it's also a great asset to your CV. As job markets are becoming increasingly international, employers tend to view international experience as a big advantage. Read more about how to arrange an internship or project abroad.
More information? Please check this website on studying abroad.
Brexit...?
Are you a Leiden University student (thinking of) studying in the UK? On this webpage you can find out more about the impact of Brexit for current and prospective EU students of Leiden University studying abroad in the UK.
Transferable skills
Future employers are interested not only in the subject-related knowledge that you acquired during your study programme, but also in the ‘transferable skills’. These include cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, reasoning and argumentation and innovation; intrapersonal skills, such as flexibility, initiative, appreciating diversity and metacognition; and interpersonal skills, such as communication, accountability and conflict resolution. In short, they are skills that all professionals need in order to perform well.
It is therefore important that during your studies you not only acquire as much knowledge as possible about your subject, but that you are also aware of any general skills you have gained in the process and the further skills you still want to acquire. The course descriptions in the e-Prospectus of English Language and Culture include, in addition to the courses’ learning objectives, a list of the skills that they aim to develop.
The skills you may encounter in the various courses are:
Collaboration
Persuasion
Doing research
Self-directed learning
Creative thinking
The BA English programme does not include any courses that specifically prepare for the job market. For all that, you will encounter all the above-mentioned skills in the courses you will be taking. You just need to identify them, but they are all there. In addition, there is the possibility for students to do internships (for credits): these will give you a good idea about particular sectors on the job market you might be interested in – or not, as the case maybe. Find out more about this on the website of the Leiden University Career Zone (see link above), but we will also announce placement offers on the English Language and Culture Facebook page.
And then there are a number of job related minors, such as the educational minor (if you want to be a teacher), or the translation minor (if translation is something you are interested in), but there are various others as well. You will find a full list here. So, plenty of opportunities for you to prepare for a career after you finish you studies!
Two more tips: read the report on the 2016 employment survey our Faculty’s career service produced, and join the university’s mentor network. There are a lot of people in the network very eager to help you find your way onto the job market. They specifically joined the network to help people like you!
Contact
If you have any questions about career choices, whether in your studies or on the job market, you are welcome to make an appointment with the career adviser of the
the Humanities Career Service 071-5272235, or with your coordinators of studies.
More info
2020-2021
Learning outcomes of the programme
Bachelor’s in English Language and Culture:
possess general knowledge of and insight into English Language and Culture, that is to say knowledge of (a) the system and global historic development of the English language, (b) the development of English literature in a cultural-historical perspective, and (c) an active (writing, speaking) knowledge of the English language at CEFR level C1 and a passive (reading, listening) knowledge of the English language at CEFR level C2;
are able, on the basis of the acquired knowledge and insight, to develop a correct, well-argued and critical oral and written report of the current status of topics within one or more areas of English Language and Literature and draw sound conclusions from the findings;
are able, in one or more areas of English Language and Culture, to collect and interpret relevant data based on the specialist literature studied and the application of common methods and terms from the discipline, with the aim of forming a judgment on the topic that they have studied;
are able to communicate, orally and in writing, information, ideas and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences;
possess such knowledge and skills concerning the discipline of English Language and Culture that they can be considered able to apply these in the performance of employment for which a degree in English Language and Culture is necessary or useful.
At the end of the three-year degree programme, bachelor’s students also possess skills and knowledge that are further tailored to their field of specialisation. For more details see: student.universiteitleiden.nl/reglementen.
Binding Study Advice (BSA)
For further information on the BSA Regulation and the associated study guidance plan, see: www.studenten.universiteitleiden.nl/BSA
Please note: the course Language Acquisition 1: From Scratch to Print is an additional requirement to the BSA.
The programme
The English Language and Culture programme has four specialisations: Philology, Literature, Linguistics and Language Acquisition.
First year: propaedeuse
The first year of the bachelor’s programme consists of mentoring and courses in the main subjects, i.e. the above disciplines. All full-time students also take part in the compulsory mentoring.
In the first year, you are assigned to a mentor group that has two student-mentors. In addition, two lecturer-mentors supervise the mentoring. The lecturer-mentors are generally also lecturers in one of your seminars or lectures. The student-mentors are students from the more advanced years of the bachelor’s programme.
The mentor group is identical to the seminar group and the meetings are scheduled in the timetable. In the different mentor meetings, you can ask informal questions about various topics associated with studying. You also learn about important matters such as how to avoid plagiarism. The student-mentors can help you by sharing their own experiences, and can also show you around the University and city. There is also time for social activities to help you get to know the other students better outside classes.
If you receive negative study advice in January, you follow a compulsory course provided by EAV in the second semester. This helps you improve your study skills. You will receive further information about this from study coordinator before the second semester.
Second year
Most departments expect you to meet certain conditions before you can take their second-year courses. If you have not met all the requirements for the propaedeuse, take good note of the entry requirements for the second-year courses. In the second year, you also look at how to develop your study plan, which is compulsory from the second year.
In both semesters of the second year, you follow compulsory courses in the four main subjects. You also follow two culture courses that span the main subjects. Within Literature you can choose American or British literature in the first and second semester. In the second semester of Philology, you can choose one of two specialisations. You have to decide which options you will choose before the start of the semester. You do so in your study plan and register through uSis.
In the second year, you also follow the Introduction to Literary Theory and Philosophy of Science courses together with students from other Humanities programmes.
Third year
In the third year, you can specialise in one of the courses (10 EC total) offered by the different departments. In addition, you follow the compulsory Language Acquisition course in both semesters. You write your bachelor’s thesis in the second semester and attend a compulsory thesis seminar.
You also need to earn 30 EC of elective credits in your third year.
Mandatory attendance
Seminar attendance is compulsory. You may miss a maximum of two of the 13 meetings per subject (if you have a valid reason and provided younotify the lecturer and the study coordinator before the seminar that you will miss). If you have not prepared, do not participate and/or fail to bring the course material for a particular week, this may also count as absence.
If you miss more than two seminars, you must contact the study coordinator. If the study coordinator believes there are special circumstances, they may decide that the maximum two absences do not apply. The study coordinator will consult your lecturer(s) and inform you and your lecturer(s) of their decision.
If you fail to meet the attendance requirement, you will be excluded from attending the course. This may mean that you will not receive a final mark or that your final mark will be a fail for the participation or presentation part, for example, and/or any other exams that you sit during the seminar.
Please note: if you have been absent for a valid reason, you may still be barred from attending the course if it is likely that you will no longer be able to successfully complete the course. This could be if you have missed important deadlines or have simply missed too many meetings.
Exemptions
You may request an exemption from apply to the Board of Examiners for exemption from a course on the basis of a previously completed equivalent course, with one exception: no exemptions are granted for Language Acquisition courses. For the procedure, please contact the teaching administration and/or coordinator of studies.
Exam resits
Each course provides an explanation of the form of examination and any resits.
You must always resit any exams for which your final mark is a fail (that is to say, lower than 5.5). In principle, you may not resit exams that you have passed, with the following exception:
You may resit a passed exam or partial exam three times during your entire bachelor’s degree programme. You must take the resit in the same academic year in which you passed the exam or partial exam that you are resitting.
You must submit a request to the Board of Examiners in good time if you wish to resit a passed exam or partial exam.
Electives
In the third year of the bachelor’s programme, you have a 30 EC (15 EC per semester) of discretionary/elective space. For more information see: [student.universiteitleiden.nl/fgw/keuzeruimte]https://www.student.universiteitleiden.nl/studie-en-studeren/studie/onderwijsinformatie/keuzeruimte/geesteswetenschappen/engelse-taal-en-cultuur-ba?cf=geesteswetenschappen&cd=engelse-taal-en-cultuur-ba#tab-1.
Full-time and part-time
The Bachelor’s degree programme in English Language and Culture is a full-time or part-time programme. The description of the part-time programme can be found in this e-Prospectus.
Bachelor’s thesis and graduation requirements
To graduate, you must have passed the programme of 180 EC, met the requirements for the elective credits and successfully completed your bachelor’s thesis.
The bachelor’s thesis is a paper worth 10 EC. It must tie in with a second- or third-year course (not an introductory course). You develop two possible topics and submit these to the Board of Examiners before the start of the semester in which you will write the thesis. The Board of Examiners appoints a supervisor for one of the two topics. The supervisor then helps you write a thesis proposal, which you submit to the Board of Examiners. The Board of Examiners uses the thesis application form to evaluate your proposal and appoints a second reader. Then you attend a compulsory thesis seminar. For more information, see the course description for the third year.
The regulations and important deadlines for the BA thesis can be found at: student.universiteitleiden.nl/reglementen.
Subsequent degree programmes
A Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Culture grants you direct access to the one-year Master’s programme in Linguistics, English Language and Linguistics track, or the one-year Master’s programme in Literary Studies, English Language and Culture track. If you hold a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Culture and have completed the minor in Translation, you have direct access to the one-year Master’s programme in Linguistics, Translation in Theory and Practice track, but will have to request admission.
Depending on your results, you may also be granted access to a two-year research master’s programme, for instance Literary Studies or Linguistics. You can also apply for admission to another related master’s programme such as the Master’s programme in Media Studies, Book and Digital Media Studies track, or the Master’s programme in Linguistics, Language and Communication track, or the Master’ s programme in North American Studies.
After graduating from the one-year Master’s programme in English Literature and Culture or English Language and Linguistics, you may wish to train as a secondary-school teacher. You can choose to follow the Master’s degree in Education at ICLON (one year full-time, two years part-time), which qualifies you to teach in all types of secondary education. If you have followed the Minor in Education during your bachelor’s degree (only possible if you pass the first and second year) and have already earned a master’s degree, you can follow the shorter teaching training programme (30 EC instead of 60 EC).
For more information on the various master’s programmes and the application procedure, see: mastersinleiden.nl.
