European Legal Practice LL.M Joint Degree
(Master of Laws)

European flags in front of a building. © European Union 2016 Source: EC Audiovisual Service | Photo: Etienne Ansotte
© European Union 2016 Source: EC Audiovisual Service | Photo: Etienne Ansotte

Profile

Course type
Postgraduate studies (Master, international)
Standard Course Duration
4 semesters
Course Start
Winter semester, Summer semester
Language of Instruction
German, English
Language Requirements

German HZB: B2 Knowledge in a language of instruction of the partner universities.
International application: German B2 AND B2 Knowledge in a language of instruction of the partner universities.
Find out more

Special Requirements

 An excellent university degree in law with at least 3 years of study time.

Admission
Restricted admission
International

Stay abroad obligatory.

Short Description

The two-year full-time consecutive postgraduate LL.M. degree programme leads to a joint degree from the state universities in Hannover, Lisbon and Rouen called "European Legal Practice - LL.M. Joint Degree".

The Master's programme is coordinated by a consortium. Requirements are a university degree after at least three years of law studies and German language skills at the level of B2 for the study in Hannover. A one-semester stay abroad at one of our consortium partner universities in the 3rd semester is mandatory.

The third semester takes place at a partner university of the consortia which has not been attended yet. In addition to the DaP universites above, consortium partners in Vilnius (Lithuania), Fribourg (Switzerland), Pune (India) and Recife (Brazil) can be selected.

The modules of the Master's programme have comparative, European and international legal relevance. In addition to some compulsory and optional modules, students can specialize in the topic of their final thesis in order to achieve a total of 120 ECTS credits. The Master's thesis is written in the fourth semester at a DaP or optionally at another, not yet attended DaP.

Furthermore, language skills in two consortium languages (English, French, German or Portuguese) are mandatory. To mitigate this rigidity, partners in Hannover and Lisbon offer modules in English to varying degrees. In addition, students have the opportunity to complete a legal internship with international law firms and companies. This offer is supplemented by summer schools at our partner university in Lisbon.

The degree programme is intended to provide insights into national law, working practice, the language of foreign legal systems and basic knowledge of European and international law. The Master of European Legal Practice is aimed not at least for future specialists for the European and international field of work. The professions chosen by our alumni take this claim into account.

Course Content

  • Comparative law
  • European and international private and business law
  • European legal practice
  • Institutional European law
  • International law
  • National law (in Germany, France and Portugal in the areas of civil law, criminal law and public law)
Course Structure

The degree programme takes two years; the first two semesters are spent at one of the degree awarding partner universities (DaP). Different compulsory and optional modules are chosen to earn the necessary 120 ECTS.

Students then spend the third semester obligatory at one of the DaPs that they did not attend in the first year.

Finally, in the fourth semester, students usually write their Master’s thesis at a DaP or, alternatively, another DaP that they have not yet attended.

Modifications to these mobility requirements may be made in the case of students whose home university is the primary University.

Recommended Abilities
  • Independence
  • Excellent linguistic skills or an interest in learning a new language
  • Openness towards new people and change
  • A basic interest in subject matter relating to European law and comparative law
Career Opportunities

Owing to the specialisation in European Law, the following professional opportunities are open to graduates:

    • Employment with European institutions
    • Civil service in Germany and abroad
    • International advocacy or consultancy
    • In-house lawyer
Admission requirements and application

Admission Requirements

For master''s degree programmes with restricted admission, places shall be allocated according to the university’s own selection procedure, if there are more applicants fulfilling the admission requirements than there are places available. The exact admission requirements can be found in the admission regulations:

Application Deadlines

First-year students from Germany and the EU

  • June 1st – July 15th of the year for the winter semester
  • December 1st – January 15th of the year for the summer semester

First-year students from non-EU countries

  • April 15th – May 31st of the year for the winter semester
  • October 15th – November 30th of the previous year for the summer semester

Students resuming their studies and transfer students from Germany and the EU (application in a higher semester)

  • June 1st – July 15th of the year for the winter semester
  • December 1st – January 15th of the year for the summer semester

Students resuming their studies and transfer students from non-EU countries (application in a higher semester)

  • April 15th – May 31st of the year for the winter semester
  • October 15th – November 30th of the previous year for the summer semester

Are you interested in this degree programme? We recommend that you contact the Law Faculty''s Erasmus office for more information before applying.

Looking for exam information for this course?

Do you have questions about studying? We are happy to help!

Zentrale Studienberatung
Address
Welfengarten 1
30167 Hannover
Building
Zentrale Studienberatung
Address
Welfengarten 1
30167 Hannover
Building