Skip to content

Studies & Degrees in Dutch Language and Literature (in Universities)

Dutch language and literature, often called Dutch studies or by its Dutch name Neerlandistiek, is the academic study of the Dutch language, its literature and the culture of the countries where it is spoken. According to the Taalunie, the Dutch Language Union, there are about 24 million Dutch speakers: about 17 million in the Netherlands, 6.5 million in Belgium and 400,000 in Suriname. Dutch is an official language in six countries: the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten.

Students work in three areas: linguistics (how Dutch is built, how it varies and how it is learned), literature from the Middle Ages to the present, and communication. Students from abroad also train the language itself up to academic level and study Dutch history and society. The Taalunie reports that Dutch is taught as a foreign language at some 130 universities in 40 countries outside the language area, to more than 14,000 students.

Qualifications and levels

Programmes fall into two groups: those designed for students who do not yet speak Dutch, and those taught entirely in Dutch for fluent speakers.

  • Bachelor's degree for international students: the BA Dutch Studies at Leiden University takes three years and is taught in Dutch and English. Leiden describes it as the only programme in the Netherlands for international students who want to specialise in Dutch language, culture, history and society. Students can start as absolute beginners, attend classes taught in Dutch from the first semester and write the final thesis in Dutch. Students with more advanced Dutch may be able to finish in two years
  • One-year programme: Leiden also offers the first year of Dutch Studies as a separate one-year programme
  • Bachelor's degree in Dutch: the BA Nederlandse taal en cultuur at Utrecht University takes three years full time and is taught in Dutch. The first year introduces literature, communication and linguistics, and students specialise in one of them in the second year
  • Master's degrees: the MA Neerlandistiek/Dutch Studies at Leiden has five specialisations: Modern Dutch Literature, Dutch Language, Culture and Society, Dutch Linguistics, Older Dutch Literature and Dutch Discourse Studies. The master's programme Neerlandistiek at Utrecht takes one year full time. Both are taught only in Dutch

Outside the Netherlands and Flanders, Dutch is usually studied as a major, a minor or a set of language courses inside a department of German or modern languages, and not as a separate degree.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists four universities for Dutch language and literature: two in the Netherlands and two in the United States.

  • Leiden University, Leiden, where the bachelor's programme for international students has an average of 14 first-year students
  • Utrecht University, Utrecht
  • The University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley
  • Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan

The language requirement is the main point to check. The Leiden bachelor's programme accepts beginners, but the master's programmes in Leiden and Utrecht require Dutch at academic level. Utrecht states that its master's programme is selective and is open to Dutch and international students, including people who studied Dutch abroad. For 2027-2028 Utrecht lists a statutory tuition fee of €2,771 for Dutch and other EU/EEA students and an institutional fee of €21,917 for non-EU/EEA students on this master's programme. For the two US universities, ask the department which Dutch courses and qualifications it currently offers.

Careers

Graduates use the language and their writing and research skills in many sectors. Utrecht University names journalist, communication adviser, teacher of Dutch, and work at a publisher or a museum as typical destinations for its bachelor's graduates, and editor, policy officer, journalist and language trainer for its master's graduates. Graduates from abroad also work as translators and as teachers of Dutch in their own countries; Utrecht students can do an internship as a lecturer at a university in one of the 40 countries where Dutch is taught.

No official employment statistics exist for this subject alone, so treat any figure you see with caution. To teach Dutch in a school, a separate teaching qualification is normally needed; ask the university which route applies.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to speak Dutch before I start?

Not for the BA Dutch Studies at Leiden University, which students can start as absolute beginners. Programmes taught entirely in Dutch, such as the bachelor's and master's programmes at Utrecht University and the Leiden master's programme, require fluent Dutch.

How long does a degree in Dutch take?

A bachelor's degree at Leiden or Utrecht takes three years. The master's programme at Utrecht takes one more year.

Can I study Dutch language and literature in English?

Only in part. The Leiden bachelor's programme uses Dutch and English, with more Dutch as the programme advances. The master's programmes are taught in Dutch.

Is Dutch the same as Flemish?

Flemish is the Dutch spoken in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium. It is the same language with regional differences, and Dutch studies programmes cover the literature and language of both the Netherlands and Flanders.