Mission statement

With roughly 4700 students and 430 faculty & staff, the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is the largest faculty within Leiden University.

• Institutes
• Topics in teaching and research
• Hall of Fame
• Facilities

Institutes

• Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology 
• Education and Child Studies (Dutch)
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Public Administration

Together these institutes offer, five Bachelor’s (Dutch), ten Master’s, and five PhD programmes.         

Topics in teaching and research

In instruction and research, faculty and students from the Netherlands and abroad focus on themes of wide social interest as for instance adoption, growing up in a multicultural society, European politics, safety, traditional ways of life, and changing societies.

International and interdisciplinary cooperation is of major importance here, which is reflected not only in the various research institutes but also in the number of interdisciplinary minor programmes for BA students, and our pre-master programmes for international students and those entering university from schools for higher vocational education.    
 

Hall of Fame

Many of our faculty members and students have been awarded grants and prizes. There are the NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) Veni, Vidi, and Vici research grants, a number of students receive prizes for their Bachelor’s or Master’s theses every year, and there are awards for PhD theses.   Visit our Hall of Fame.
 

Facilities

High-quality support facilities are of course essential. The Pieter de la Court building, which houses the five institutes, offers an up-to-date  and stimulating environment in which to work and learn. We now have:      

• science laboratories for experimental research;
• a common room for each institute, for (informal) get-togethers and consultation sessions;
• over 400 student PCs and laptops in what is called the ‘Student Paradise’ .
• a Blackboard digital learning environment for students;
• on-demand ICT support for faculty in the ICTO Studio;
• the Master Thesis lab, in which MA students can write their theses in peace and quiet and expert advice is available;
• the Social and Behavioural Sciences library and ICT Helpdesk;
• the Student Career Service, which helps students prepare for entering the job market;
• modern canteen facilities: the Pieter de la Court restaurant offers a wide range of meals and snacks, and the Café provides the right atmosphere for a stimulating discussion or just a cozy chat.