Graduation procedure

Graduation procedure

  1. Six weeks before the planned date of graduation a student has to apply for entry to the final examination and obtain his or her Master grades list at the secretariat in the Huizinga Building. Contact person at the secretariat for the graduation procedure for Master students is Ms. Y.H.M. Motta-Scheerder (present Monday through Thursday). This is only possible when the student has completed all his/her courses and has received a declaration from the thesis supervisor that the thesis is completed. The student must arrange the examination date and time with the student administration, and ensure that the members of the examination committee (the first and second examiner of the thesis) are available at that time. 

  2. The student then makes an appointment with the study advisor of the MA/Research MA.

    Before this appointment the student will need to upload a digital copy of his/her MA-thesis to the Leiden University Repository: MA History collection | Research MA History collection | More information and manual in Dutch | More information and manual in English

    For the appointment itself is required: 
    - a completed Application Form MA Exam
    - an up to date grade list
    - BA degree + a copy (Dutch students only)
    - passport + a copy (international students only)
    - Leiden University student card

    During the meeting, the study advisor will check and sign the grade list.

  3. Last but not least, the student is responsible for terminating his/her enrolment as a student of the MA History. This can be done via Studielink. The student administration does not issue separate forms to deregister.
    In order to graduate you need to be registered as a student of Leiden University at the moment of the final examination (see below).


Graduation date

During the teaching period final exams can only take place on Mondays and on Fridays from 9.00 to 12.00 a.m. and 14:00 to 17:00 p.m.

Students wishing to graduate within the academic year, but after June, can only do so in the last week of August. Faculty rooms in the Academy building have been reserved for that entire week.

Finally, those who plan to graduate in August should bear in mind that the graduation procedure can take longer, due to the absence of staff during the summer.

Final examination

The final examination takes place in the Academy building. It lasts about an hour, during which the thesis is discussed in a critical manner. The student is expected to be able to defend his/her work.
The final examination is a public ceremony, meaning that friends and family are welcome to attend (maximum of 10 people).
The student gives a short presentation of 10 minutes on the subject of the thesis. Using a power point presentation is possible, however, the student should provide a laptop. A beamer and screen are available.
Afterwards, the first and second examiner of the thesis ask the student questions regarding the thesis and additional literature. The student and guests then leave the room, after which the examiners will deliberate on the final mark.

Degree Classification

The examination committee will determine the final mark for the entire master programme. This will consist of a weighted average of the marks for the various courses and the thesis mark. The examination committee is mandated to deviate from the average by a maximum of 0,5 points.
In case of an overall mark higher than 8.5 or in case the thesis is awarded a 9 and the overall mark is an 8 or higher, the degree classification 'with Honours' (cum laude) will be indicated on the diploma and the diploma supplement.




Last Modified: 25-02-2013

Web editor MA History
Last Modified: 16-04-2013