Main Module (120 ec)
As of September 2025 the program does not accept new students.
As of September 1st, 2025, most courses of the ICT in Business and the Public Sector programme are offered under new catalogue numbers.
As of September 1st, 2025, Entrepreneurship is replaced by Entrepreneurship and Innovation and is changed from 3 to 6 EC. Students that did not yet complete Entrepreneurship can choose to either 1) take Entrepreneurship and Innovation and reduce their elective space with 3 EC, or 2) take Entrepreneurship and Innovation and increase their elective space with 3EC.
As of September 1st, 2025, the courses Digital Government Citizen Interaction (3 EC) and Applied Research Methodology (4 EC) are no longer offered. Each of these courses that a student has not yet completed can be replaced by electives.
As of September 1st, 2025, Global Business Game has changed from 1 EC to 0 EC. For students who have not yet completed Global Business Game, the elective space is increased by 1 EC (and Global Business Game remains mandatory).
As of September 1st, 2025, the following course has been renamed: Business Research Methods (was Research Methods). The previously completed course is considered equivalent to those renamed in September 2025.
As of September 1st, 2024, the course Process Modelling has been removed from the module Foundation ICT and Accounting has been removed from the module Foundation Business, and in the core module, the 3 EC course Systems Development has been replaced by the 6 EC course Model-Driven Systems Engineering. Students that previously completed Process Modelling or Accounting but not Systems Development must now complete Model-Driven Systems Engineering and can reduce their elective space with 3EC. Students that started before 2024 and did not complete Process Modelling or Accounting can take an elective instead.
Students who completed Advances in Datamining before September 2023 do not need to follow Cyber Security Management and Machine Learning for Business Analytics.
Students who started before 1 September 2021 and have already successfully completed the previously mandatory courses Managing Innovation or Managing the Digital Business do not need to follow Managing Software Evolution or AI for Strategy.
As of September 1st 2025, the following course has been renamed: Business Research Methods (was Research Methods). The two courses are considered to be equivalent.
As of September 1st, 2024, the following course has been renamed: Enterprise Architecture (was ICT Architectures). The previously completed course is considered to be equivalent.
As of September 1st, 2023, the following course has been renamed: Cyber Security Management (was Cyber Security). The previously completed course is considered to be equivalent.
As of September 1st, 2022, the following course has been renamed: Machine Learning for Business Analytics (was Business Intelligence), Financing Technology Ventures (was Entrepreneurial Finance). Previously completed courses are considered equivalent to those renamed in September 2022.
As of September 1st, 2021, the following courses have been renamed: Strategy and Technology (was Strategy), Marketing Science (was Marketing), Strategic Financial Management (was Financial Management), and Operations Management (was Technology Operations Management). Previously completed courses are considered equivalent to those renamed in September 2021.
Foundation Module Business (12 ec)
Students with an ICT background follow the foundation courses on Business (12 EC total). Students with a bachelor degree ‘Informatica & Economie’ from Leiden University are exempted from the courses in the foundation modules. These students instead follow additional electives for 12 EC.
As of September 1st, 2024, the course Process Modelling has been removed from the module Foundation ICT and Accounting has been removed from the module Foundation Business, and in the core module, the 3 EC course Systems Development has been replaced by the 6 EC course Model-Driven Systems Engineering. Students that previously completed Process Modelling or Accounting but not Systems Development must now complete Model-Driven Systems Engineering and can reduce their elective space with 3EC.
As of September 1st, 2021, the following courses have been renamed: Strategy and Technology (was Strategy), Marketing Science (was Marketing) and Operations Management (was Technology Operations Management). Previously completed courses are considered equivalent to those renamed in September 2021.
Students that would like to make a combination of the two foundation modules due to their prior education have to contact the programme coordinator in advance.
Foundation Module ICT (12 ec)
Students with a business background follow the foundation courses on ICT (12 EC total). Students with a bachelor degree ‘Informatica & Economie’ from Leiden University are exempted from the courses in the foundation modules. These students follow additional electives instead for 12 EC.
As of September 1st, 2024, the course Process Modelling has been removed from the module Foundation ICT and Accounting has been removed from the module Foundation Business, and in the core module, the 3 EC course Systems Development has been replaced by the 6 EC course Model-Driven Systems Engineering. Students that previously completed Process Modelling or Accounting but not Systems Development must now complete Model-Driven Systems Engineering and can reduce their elective space with 3EC. Students that started before 2024 and did not complete Process Modelling or Accounting can take an elective instead.
Students that started before September 2023 and succesfully completed Cyber Security and Machine Learning for Business Analytics don't need to take Introduction to Machine Learning.
As of September 1st, 2022, the following course has been renamed: Machine Learning for Business Analytics (was Business Intelligence). Previously completed courses are considered equivalent to those renamed in September 2022.
Students that would like to make a combination of the two foundation modules due to their prior education have to contact the programme coordinator in advance.
Specialisation ICT in Business (15 ec)
Students who choose for the specialisation ICT in Business need to take all courses from the Module specialisation ICT in Business (15 EC in total), whereas students who choose for the specialisation ICT in the Public Sector take all courses from the Module specialisation ICT in the Public Sector (15 EC in total). Students who choose both specialisations have to take all specialisation courses from both specialisations resulting in a total of 144 ECTS.
Students with a bachelor degree ‘Informatica & Economie’ from Leiden University are exempted from the course Strategic Financial Management and follow within this module 3 extra EC as elective courses instead of 9 EC.
As of September 1st, 2025, Entrepreneurship is replaced by Entrepreneurship and Innovation and is changed from 3 to 6 EC. Students that did not yet complete Entrepreneurship can choose to either 1) take Entrepreneurship and Innovation and reduce their elective space with 3 EC, or 2) take Entrepreneurship and Innovation and increase their elective space with 3EC.
As of September 1st, 2021, the following course has been renamed: Strategic Financial Management (was Financial Management). The previously completed course is considered equivalent to those renamed in September 2021.
Students who started before 1 September 2021 and have already successfully completed the previously mandatory courses Managing Innovation or Managing the Digital Business do not need to follow Managing Software Evolution or AI for Strategy.
Specialisation ICT in the Public Sector (15ec)
Students who choose for the specialisation ICT in Business need to take all courses from the Module specialisation ICT in Business (15 EC in total), whereas students who choose for the specialisation ICT in the Public Sector take all courses from the Module specialisation ICT in the Public Sector (15 EC in total). Students who choose both specialisations have to take all specialisation courses from both specialisations resulting in a total of 144 ECTS.
As of September 1st, 2025, the courses Digital Government Citizen Interaction (3 EC) is no longer offered. Students who did not complete this course can take an elective instead.
From September 2022 Data-Driven Policy Making changed to 6 EC instead of 3 in the previous years, and, dually, Working for the Government as ICT Expert changed to 3 EC instead of 6. Students following Public Sector specialisation who successfully completed the 3 EC version of Data-Driven Policy Making before September 2022 will be able to follow the old 6 EC version of Working for the Government as ICT Expert after consulting the program coordinator.
Electives
Elective courses on ICT, business and governmental topics allow students to individualise their programme and accommodate their specific interests.
Students that take the ICTiB specialisation are allowed to follow the public sector courses as electives and dually.
Eventual other electives need to be discussed with the study advisor and may need the approval of the Board of Examiners if the selection includes courses not in this programme.
As of September 1st, 2022, the following course has been renamed: Financing Technology Ventures (was Entrepreneurial Finance). The previously completed course is considered to be equivalent.
Career Preparation
Career preparation at Leiden University
In addition to offering you a solid university education, Leiden University aims to prepare you as well as possible for the labour market, and in doing so contribute to the development of your employability. In this way, it will become easier for you to make the transition to the labour market, to remain employable in a dynamic labour market, in a (career) job that suits your own personal values, preferences and development.
'Employability' consists of the following aspects that you will develop within your study programme, among others:
1. Discipline-specific knowledge and skills
Knowledge and skills specific to your study programme.
2. Transferable skills
These are skills that are relevant to every student and that you can use in all kinds of jobs irrespective of your study programme, for example: researching, analysing, project-based working, generating solutions, digital skills, collaborating, oral communication, written communication, presenting, societal awareness, independent learning, resilience.
3. Self-reflection
This concerns self-reflection in the context of your (study) career, including reflecting on the choices you make as a student during your studies, what can you do with your knowledge and skills on the labour market?
In addition, reflecting on your own profile and your personal and professional development. Who are you, what can you do well, what do you find interesting, what suits you, what do you find important, what do you want to do?
4. Practical experience
Gaining practical experience through internships, work placements, projects, practical (social) assignments, which are integrated into an elective, minor or graduation assignment.
5. Labour market orientation
Gaining insight into the labour market, fields of work, jobs and career paths through, for example, guest speakers and alumni experiences from the work field, career events within the study programme, the use of the alumni mentor network, interviewing people from the work field, and shadowing/visiting companies in the context of a particular subject.
Employability in the curriculum of ICT in Business and the Public Sector
General
During the master Computer ICT in Business and the Public Sector (ICTiBPS), we want to provide you with the best possible preparation to enter the job market after graduation.
The master ICTiBPS programme combines industry-based practice with research, which allows training of a broad set of discipline-specific knowledge and skills, but also teaches students to work in a professional environment and fosters the development of an extensive set of transferable skills. This makes its graduates also well-prepared for a career both in industry and in research.
In addition, in the Master Class, which runs over the entire second year of the programme, students are explicitly trained in several aspects of academic skills and are stimulated to make self-directed, conscious choices for their own professional development and preparation for a successful start of their career on the job market.
Activities contributing to employability
First and/or second year
All courses (discipline-specific knowledge and skills)
Science Skills Platform with a Personal and Professional development domain (transferable skills, self-reflection)
Mentorship and tutoring (transferable skills, self-reflection)
Lunch & Learn lectures by companies (labour market orientation)
Visits to companies and organisations as part of courses (e.g., Capstone Cases; practical experience, labour market orientation)
‘Inhousedays’ at companies via study association De Leidsche Flesch (labour market orientation)
Symposia and seminars by study association De Leidsche Flesch (labour market orientation)
Workshops and Career Colleges Science Career Service (transferable skills, self-reflection, labour market orientation)
Second year
Master’s Thesis Research Project (discipline-specific knowledge and skills, transferable skills, self-reflection, practical experience)
- Optional: internship (practical experience, labour market orientation)
Master Class (transferable skills, self-reflection)
- Including: career orientation (e.g., guest lectures) (labour market orientation)
Activities to prepare for the labour market co-curricular or outside the curriculum of ICT in Business and the Public Sector
Every year, various activities take place, within, alongside and outside of the ICTiBPS study programme, which contribute to your preparation for the labour market, especially where it concerns orientation towards the work field/the labour market, (career) skills and self-reflection. These may be information meetings on decision moments within your programme, but also career workshops and events organised by the ICTiBPS programme, the faculty Career Service, study association De Leidsche Flesch, or others, including:
Career Service, LU Career Zone and career workshops calendar
Faculty Career Service
The Career Service of your faculty offers information and advice on study (re)orientation and master's choice, (study) career planning, orientation on the labour market and job applications.
Leiden University Career Zone
Leiden University Career Zone is the website for students and alumni of Leiden University to support their (study) career. You can find advice, information, (career) tests and tools in the area of (study) career planning, career possibilities with your study, job market orientation, job applications, the Alumni Mentor network, job portal, workshops and events and career services.
Workshops and events
On the course calendar you will find an overview of career and application workshops, organised by the Career services.
