MA/MS in Asian Studies: History, Arts and Culture of Asia (60EC)

The MA in History, Arts and Culture of Asia is designed for students interested in taking a humanities-related approach to the study of countries or regions in pre-modern, modern or contemporary Asia. This specialization will merge with the Global Asia specialization starting September 2026. Students enrolling in February 2026 will be able to complete their program as planned.

Create your own curriculum

With an expansive curriculum, this one-year master's gives students the opportunity to delve deep into their specific discipinary area of interest within the field of Asian Studies. Explore the countries of your choice from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives.

Learn from acclaimed researchers

Expertise on Asia at Leiden University is internationally renowned, as is our collection of unique Asian artefacts. As a student of the MA in History, Arts and Culture of Asia, you will learn from some of Europe's best scholars in the field. And with classes kept deliberately small, every individual has the opportunity to voice their ideas and interact directly with these inspiring minds. 

Learn a language

Within the master's in History, Arts and Culture of Asia, knowledge of an Asian language is not required, but you have the opportunity to broaden your skillset by taking an intensive modern language course at beginner’s level in Japanese, Indonesian, Chinese, Korean or Hindi.