Midden-Oosten Studies (research)

Designed for high-achieving students, Leiden University's Master's in Middle Eastern Studies (Research) offers you unmatched resources and expertise. Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at Leiden University has a reputation for its breadth and depth of expertise that is unmatched in Europe. You can explore subjects that span virtually the entire Middle East both in time and geography.

The two-year research Master's allows you to freely combine subjects from seven specialisations: Turkish Studies; Arabic Studies; North African Studies; Persian Studies; Islam; and Modern Middle East Studies. You can decide to focus on a region such as the Arab world, North Africa or the Persian world, or on a discipline such as history, politics, literature or languages. A key feature is our comparative approach to learning, which includes intra-Middle Eastern comparisons, as well as comparisons of the Middle East with other regions in the world.

The courses in the first year of the programme develop your academic skills to an advanced level. In the second year, you will do research on a topic related to the Middle East and, where appropriate and possible, in the Middle East. You may also combine this research with attending courses at another top university, here or abroad.