Book and Digital Media Studies Leiden University

Overview

Why study Book and Digital Media Studies at Leiden University?

The Book and Digital Media Studies MA programme at Leiden University covers a broad range of topics related to reading and the circulation of text in manuscript, print and digital form.

During this programme you will develop your expertise in the dynamic process of knowledge transmission through analogue and digital media.

The only programme of its kind in the Netherlands, this Master programme teaches you essential skills in how to critically assess academic theories in the field of publishing and textual media as well as Book Studies.

You will study the historical development and modern practice of textual communication from Gutenberg to Google. Much attention is given to the far-reaching consequences of the digital revolution for the world of the book. As part of the programme, you will take field trips to world-famous institutions including the seventeenth-century Bibliotheca Thysiana, the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, and the Antwerp Museum Plantin-Moretus.

Leiden University is an internationally-recognised centre for the study of humanities. As a student you will have access to unique resources at the famous Leiden University Library and the 'Press Room' of Academic Press Leiden and learn from leading scholars in the field.

Career Opportunities

• Graduates of the master in Book and Digital Media Studies leave with a well-developed knowledge of the history, theory and practice of textual transmission via manuscript, print and digital media.
• Our alumni have gone on to pursue successful careers in a wide range of fields, including all branches of the book trade, libraries, the cultural heritage sector and the knowledge industry. They have also found employment as antiquarians, booksellers, librarians, curators, and project managers for publishing companies.

Some of the positions of our graduates include:

• Account manager at a publishing house

• Project officer at a governmental agency specialising in cultural heritage

• PhD candidate at a university in the United Kingdom

• Project manager at a university library

• Desktop publishing editor at a publishing house

• Technical marketing coordinator at a publishing house

• Communications officer and author on company history at a multinational publishing group