A central focus of the MA in Japanese Studies is on mastering the Japanese language. Your fluency in Japanese will complement the knowledge you develop in other disciplines, which you will select from the wide range of academic perspectives available at leiden. These academic disciplines include Japanese History, Philosophy, Religion, Literature, Politics, Sociology, Anthropology and many others.

At Leiden University, we give you the tools to become a powerful critical thinker with a strong and relevant knowledge base. Graduates of the master's in Asian Studies understand the key academic approaches taken within Asian Studies across multiple disciplines, and how to use these concepts to conduct quality research. They have a wealth of practical and professional skills. These qualities amount to a highly attractive package for future employers.

Future employers are interested not only in the subject-related knowledge that you acquired during your study programme, but also in ‘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.