During the LLP, Master’s students from a wide range of studies partake in lectures and trainings. They apply the acquired knowledge and skills in a practical assignment for a company or an organisation. Through this, students learn to make an impact within a relevant social theme. The programme (15 ECTS), for which international students can also register, starts in November and ends in June.
The Leiden Leadership Programme (LLP) is an honours programme for ambitious, talented master’s students from Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam. In this programme, you will be equipped with the knowledge, insights and skills required for the practice of leadership through seminars, skills training and a consultancy assignment. In so doing, it increases your societal impact.
The objectives of the programme relate to acquiring knowledge and insight, honing interdisciplinary skills, and developing accurate judgment for relevant leadership problems:
You gain knowledge on leadership theory and conduct empirical research into various topical leadership problems, and learn how to apply these insights to the analysis of topical problems within your own discipline;
You aquire the skills to have an impact and effect on situations in everyday life;
You develop a framework for weighing choices related to leadership problems, and you can reflect on your own contribution within a professional and societal context based on that framework.
The programme is taught in English, with one component, the Leadership Lab, offered in Dutch as well.
The Leiden Leadership Programme consists of 15 EC and is made up of a core element called LLP Essentials (5 EC), to be complemented with a Leadership Lab (4 EC) and two electives (each 3 EC).
In the LLP Essentials, the fundamental aspects of leadership are covered in a series of lectures, provided by scientists and experts from the field.
There are four Leadership Labs, all linked to relevant questions surrounding four societal issues. You chose one of these Leadership Labs and work on a question from one of our partner organisations. Moreover, you work on (further) developing your leadership skills which contributes to successfully completing your assigned assignment.
You also choose two out of four electives. All electives focus on a specific leadership style.
The programme takes place between November and June. All classes take place in the evening on Mondays and/or Thursdays, between 17:15 and 19:00, and between 19:15 and 21:00, and in very exceptional cases other moments (Monday or Tuesday in the daytime or Saturday 09:15 - 15:00). We strive to organise the classes on campus as often as possible. Physical attendance is mandatory for all classes.
The marks you receive for every component (the LLP Essentials, one Leadership Lab and two electives) make up your final mark for the LLP.
By the end of the programme, you will have:
gained extensive knowledge on leadership theory
developed and practised leadership skills
gotten to know your own strengths and weaknesses
learned how to have an effective impact within an organisation
met unique people and started to curate your professional network
received 15 EC for extracurricular activities on your Diploma Supplement as well as an honours certificate
There are no additional costs related to this programme.
Leiden Leadership Programme – Leadership@ha.leidenuniv.nl
For more information you can sign up as 'interested' using the following link. People that have signed up will recieve news of the Leiden Leadership Programme, and an alert when the applications open for the academic year 2023/2024.
This component will cover the fundamental aspects of leadership through a series of lectures given by scientists. In addition, some lectures are given by real-life leaders: the Leiden Leadership Lectures. These guest lectures are open to attend for any master’s student.
These lectures are plenary and take place between November and June.
The total study load for this component is 5 EC (140 hours, of which an important part is for self-study).
The LLP Essentials consist of lectures by lecturers from different disciplines and Leiden Leadership Lectures by practical speakers.
Attendance is mandatory.
Language: English
Completed partial marks are only valid in the current academic year.
The programme takes place alongside a regular master's degree. The extracurricular credits cannot count towards the completion of a study programme. After successful completion of this component, this can be stated on your diploma supplement. You will receive an Honours certificate if you have completed all parts of the LLP with at least a pass.
Scientific articles (literature list via Brightspace).
In the Leadership Lab (4 EC) you will set out to tackle a topical problem presented by one of our partner organisations, and develop general leadership skills that contribute to a successful execution of the consultancy assignment.
The interdisciplinary Leadership Labs start in November and end in June. These sessions have a group size of approximately 25 students. The Labs are guided by teachers with experience in connecting science and practice.
There are three Leadership Labs, all linked to relevant questions surrounding four societal issues. These societal themes are:
Sustainability & Climate
Equality & Inclusion
Healthy Living & Well-being
The themes form the contextual framework within which current leadership issues are discussed. Every student brings their own unique expertise to the table, in order to come to an impactful result benefitting the partner organisation. This includes the expertise gained from the student’s regular master’s program, as well as the knowledge and skills acquired through the other components of the LLP.
During the practical assignment, you will work in interdisciplinary and (inter)national student teams of an average of 5 students to solve a topical leadership issue within one of the partner organisations of the LLP. The practical assignment is about leadership (in a broad sense) and is linked to the theme of your lab.
In addition to knowledge and insight, skills are also important for making an impact. The practiced skills can be applied directly in the practical assignment. In the trainings the following elements, among other things, are covered: listening, recognizing the question behind the question, dealing with conflicting interests, giving and receiving feedback, and convincingly conveying your results and story to other people.
The total study load for this component is 4 EC (112 hours).
The Leadership Lab consists of working groups, supervision, working in groups on the practical assignment and training.
Attendance is mandatory.
Language: both Dutch and English (you can choose).
Completed partial marks are only valid in the current academic year.
The programme takes place alongside a regular master's degree. The extracurricular credits cannot count towards the completion of a study programme. After successful completion of this component, this can be stated on your diploma supplement. You will receive an honors certificate if you have completed all parts of the LLP with at least a pass.
Scientific articles (list of literature via Brightspace) and handouts.
You choose two of the four electives, in which you work in-depth with specific leadership themes.
Each Elective consists of lectures and skills training. During the lectures, various leadership theories are discussed and during the skills training you will start practicing and applying specific leadership skills, which are related to the theme of the chosen module.
The first round Electives (January-March) are (maximum 1 choice):
Business Leadership
Public Leadership
The second round Electives (March-June) are (maximum 1 choice):
Adaptive Leadership
Inclusive Leadership
The total study load for this component is 3 EC (84 hours).
The Electives consist of lectures, skills training and self-study.
Attendance is mandatory.
These modules have a lecture or lecture format and are offered in English.
Completed partial marks are only valid in the current academic year.
he programme takes place alongside a regular master's degree. The extracurricular credits cannot count towards the completion of a study programme. After successful completion of this component, this can be stated on your diploma supplement. You will receive an Honours certificate if you have completed all parts of the LLP with at least a pass.
Scientific articles (list of literature via Brightspace).
The LLP has one starting moment each year. For the 2022-2023 academic year, that is November 7. The programme ends in June. Every year, approximately 200 students can start the Leiden Leadership Programme, but there are more applications. That is why a selection takes place.
You are eligible for the program if you recognize yourself in the following profile:
You are doing your master’s degree at Leiden University, Delft Technical University, or Erasmus University Rotterdam during the academic year 2022-2023;
Your schedule allows you to take part in an intense extra programme in addition to your regular master’s classes;
You have the ambition and the motivation to learn more about leadership (practice as well as theory);
Societal themes interest you. You are willing to look beyond your own discipline, and you want to work with students from different professional fields;
You are eager to make a concrete difference with other students within an organisation.
You are willing to critically reflect on your own development;
You have received good marks during your bachelor’s degree (>7,0 out of 10,0 or a comparable score when using a different grading system ) or have an explanation as to why you have not.
Applications for the academic year 2022-2023 open on the 1st of September, 2022. Due to the tight schedule needed for the selection process it is very important that you apply before the application deadline. The application deadline is 30 September 2022. Students will not be selected on the basis of the application date.
During the application process, we will ask you to state your preferred working language for the Leadership Lab. We will also ask you to list your Top 3 Leadership Labs and the electives that seem most interesting to you. The programme team will work hard to assign first and second picks to as many students as possible.
Students can apply through the website of the Honours Academy from the 1st of September 2022, by filling out the questions and supplying a number of attachments. The attachments required are:
Your curriculum vitae, in which you provide on no more than 2 pages, more information about your educational background (names, institutes, dates), and your extracurricular activities, with an emphasis on those with a societal impact. Think, for instance of summer jobs, committees, internships, volunteer work, any caretaking duties, having your own company, or living abroad.
A certified copy of your bachelor degree results (uSis printouts will not be accepted).
Selection takes place based on the written submissions and will start immediately after the application deadline. The programme has room for 150 students. Each academic year, we are able to admit a select number of students from Delft Technical University and Erasmus University Rotterdam.
The Dean of the Honours Academy appoints a selection committee every year. The selection committee advises the Dean on which candidates should and shouldn’t be admitted.
You will be notified about whether or not you were admitted to the programme on 24 October at the latest (two weeks before the start of the programme). Once you are accepted you will receive your class schedule as soon as possible.