International Students

Curricular Courses

Several courses of the Bachelor’s programs Medicine and Biomedical Sciences are taught in English and we have places available for international students. An overview of the courses and links to the online study guide are given below. Are you interested in a certain course? Make sure you register before April 1st for the first (autumn) semester. Are you interested in the Biomedical Sciences courses of the second (spring) semester, then please apply before October 15th.

About our curricular courses

Several courses, part of the regular curriculum of the Bachelor’s programs Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, are open for international students, such as courses like Mechanisms of Disease. The course work groups consist of both international and regular Dutch students. These courses are an absolute must-follow if you are interested in a mixture of different learning types, like lectures, patient demonstrations, practical experiments and small work groups (max. 15 people). We also expect and encourage interaction between student and teacher, for instance through in-depth discussions, but also by students bringing in their own cases, and teachers showing many examples from real life.

To learn which courses, taught in English, you can enroll in as an international student, check out the website here.

How to apply

You can apply if you meet the requirements. International students have to register through the online registration system. Information can be found on the website.

Electives (half minors)

Are you a (bio)medical student and do you want to gain in-depth knowledge on a (bio)medical topic? The LUMC offers electives (half minors) in English that are open for international students. Each elective course of ten weeks covers a specific theme and has strong links with cutting-edge research within the LUMC. Each elective is made up out of 20 students, meaning you will always work in small groups and have lots of interaction with the group and the teacher.

Ten week immersion in a (bio)medical topic

Over a ten-week period, you will be completely immersed in one of the topics and explore different aspects within this theme. Our expert teachers will challenge you to learn as much as possible and broaden your view on subject related to the course. There will be practical experiments, work groups, and you will learn how to set up a research project and apply the knowledge you have obtained. After ten weeks, your knowledge on the topic of the chosen elective will have dramatically increased. You will have a good basis for research projects later in your studies or career.

We have a large selection of electives, an overview and descriptions of all half minors are given in the prospectus. If you want to make it a full 30 ECTS semester, you can add an internship in one of the half minor disciplines. This way you can earn enough credits, and you can stay a whole semester till the Christmas holidays.

Watch a YouTube video about our half minors

Erasmus programme

Students participating in the ERASMUS program spend a minimum of three months, and maximum one year at a partner university of your home institution. Courses taken at the partner institution can only be approved if these are part of your own university’s curriculum. The ERASMUS programme provides students with scholarships for the duration of their studies abroad. This helps cover emerging costs, such as transportation, accommodation, food, and insurance.

Practical information

• Start: September
• Duration: 10 weeks + additional 6 weeks
• Credits: 15 EC + 15 EC
• Registration: before april 1st

Student experiences

Three students of the University of Indonesia came to Leiden for the electives (half minors) and shared their stories. Find out what they learned

How to apply

You can apply for the half minors if you have successfully completed the first two years of a bachelor program in Medicine or Biomedical Sciences and meet the other admission requirements. International students have to register through the online registration system before April 1st. You will be asked to upload a motivation letter and several other documents. In the remark field, you can rank your order of preference (1. Your favourite half minor, 10. Your least favourite half minor). You can find all the half minors here. Dutch students from other universities can apply too.

We always aim at placing students for the half minor of their first choice. However, there is a limited number of places available for each half minor, so please have a flexible attitude and send in more choices.

When you want to add an internship, please contact the International Office for more information via intoff@lumc.nl.

Internships

For both Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, it is possible to do master level research internships at research departments. At the LUMC, clinical and fundamental research evolves mainly around ten innovative research themes: Academic Pharma, Neuroscience, Oncology, (Auto) Immunology, Cell Tissue & Organ, Cardiovascular, Genetics, Infection, Lifecourse, and Prevention & Lifestyle.

How to apply

Are you interested in doing a master level research internship? We would be happy to help you find a place that matches your interest. You can apply if you are a master student in Medicine or Biomedical Sciences and meet the other admission requirements. You can register through the online registration system and will be asked to upload a motivation letter and several other documents. In the remarks field, you can list the top five of LUMC research topics you find most interesting. An overview of the research themes and departments is listed below. A list of research departments at the LUMC can be found here.

Master Degree Programs

LUMC offers two master’s degree programs in English. Health, Ageing and Society offers a unique holistic approach on ageing, and Biomedical Sciences prepares you for a career in biomedical research. Education is small scale and intensive and you will learn to work independently.

Master Health, Ageing and Society

Older patients often suffer from many conditions simultaneously and receive care from different specialists. Each specialist has his or her own treatment plan, which can be counter-productive and lead to under- and overtreatment.  Without a holistic view of the patient, specialized medicine will not suffice to provide the best medical care for the elderly. A new approach is needed. This master’s program (fulltime or parttime) provides that approach, by integrating biological, social and medical aspects of ageing. Read more.

Master Population Health Management

Today's health care system faces many challenges. The new interdisciplinary two years master PHM will train you to contribute to a more integrated health care system. Read more.

Master Biomedical Sciences

How do certain risk factors influence cardiovascular disease? What immunological mechanisms are involved in the development of cancer? How can diagnosis of genetic defects be improved? These are just some of the important questions in biomedical sciences. The two-year master’s program Biomedical Sciences gives you a thorough understanding of human health and disease. Read more.

Master Technical Medicine
Leiden University offers a unique interdisciplinary joint-degree Master program in technical medicine together with TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam and their academic medical centers. The program in technical medicine is a multidisciplinary programme which links science and technology with clinical practice and its professional medical procedures.

Master Transfusion Medicine and Cellular and Tissue Therapies

This joint Master program will equip you with the necessary competences to play a key role in the emerging field of transfusion medicine. Its current concept includes both transfusion of blood components and hematopoietic transplants, cellular and tissue therapy and immunotherapy. Areas that are integrated in the curriculum of this Master's. You can follow either the two-year parttime program or the one-year fulltime variant.

The International Office

The International Office (IO) supports incoming and outgoing students and colleagues with topics concerning studying abroad, for instance by managing contacts with international students and colleagues. The IO helps students with arranging an experience abroad by providing information on possibilities to go abroad for internships, projects and courses; grants; and deadlines.

The IO assists students of Biomedical Sciences (EN and NL); Medicine; Health, Ageing and Society; Pharmacy; Clinical Technology; and Population Health Management in arranging an experience abroad. The IO manages relations with partners in- and outside of Europe. The LUMC is part of the LERU and Eurolife consortia and has sustainable relations with hospitals in Surinam and partners in Indonesia, Cuba, Tanzania, Japan and Brazil.

The IO contributes to the international positioning of the LUMC and continuously explores possibilities to expand her current services. The IO supports the entire faculty with the following subjects:

• Exchange- and Study Abroad programmes
• Summer schools
• International relation and contract maintenance and policy advise
• Representation within the university and external institutions domestically and abroad on internationalization related subjects
• International internships/projects
• Crisis management for students
• Consult and support for international research and education projects

You can find more information about coming to Leiden as an international student here: student website studying abroad

You can also visit https://lumcglobal.nl/education/ for more information.

If you have any questions, please contact intoff@lumc.nl.