Health and Technology Law
Protecting health on a global scale raises tremendous challenges. Examples of those challenges include the control of infectious diseases, tackling risk factors for chronic diseases, addressing issues in climate change, and ensuring access to proper healthcare. Consequently, healthcare increasingly relies on technology to reduce costs and improve the quality of care. The use of technology in these settings and other ares of life means that we must devote adequate attention to any security and privacy risks the use of (new) technology poses. Many of our global health challenges raise complex legal questions that require the shared expertise from both health law and technology law. That's why we have created our specialized Health and Technology Law LLM programme, to give students the opportunity to obtain a profound knowledge of health law, technology law, as well as the interface between both regimes. Some of the questions this programme examines will include:
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What is health law, as a discipline that cuts across international, European, and domestic law?
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What are the legal challenges and opportunities when it comes to improving health, and reducing infectious and chronic diseases in society?
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How does law relate to the modern online environment, including governance, digital content and intellectual property, criminal activities, e-commerce and fundamental rights (e.g., privacy and patient rights)?
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What are the opportunities and challenges posed by health technologies such as devices, medicines, and vaccines?
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How should we address the biomedical challenges and demands of the future in an international and multidisciplinary fashion?
For more details about the programme, please have a look at the sections below.
Schedule of courses
The Health and Technology Law LLM is a one year long, full-time programme. The language of instruction and examination in the programme is English. The academic year in Groningen runs from the first week of September to the end of August and is divided into two semesters of two blocks each. Each lecture block is followed by periods of examinations.
Programme requirements
Below you will find the exact build-up of our LLM programme Health and Technology Law. You can find full course descriptions in Ocasys.
*Course names and schedules are occasionally subject to change.
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Block 1
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Block 2
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Block 3
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Block 4
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6 ECTS
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6 ECTS
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6 ECTS
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6 ECTS
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6 ECTS
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6 ECTS
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6 ECTS
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Seminar: Health and Technology Law in the 21st Century (cont.) |
6 ECTS
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12 ECTS
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If you'd like to know more about the Health and Technology Law LLM programme, you are welcome to join one of our Masters Week presentations for the programme. You can also watch a recording of our most recent (online) masters week presentation here.
Special features of the programme
The Faculty of Law at the Univeristy of Groningen is home to two specialized research bodies from which the Health and Technology Law LLM gains its expertise.
The Groningen Centre for Health Law (GCHL) is a unique centre in the Netherlands, focusing on various determinants or factors that impact health from the perspective of international, regional and domestic health law. This research is further informed by health science and public health scholarship. Members of GCHL address a wide range of determinants of health from tobacco control, to air pollution and mental health in order to holistically tackle global health challenges. You can read more about GCHL here.
The Security, Technology and e-Privacy (STeP) Research Group, is an interdisciplinary team of researchers – from early stage researchers to advanced researchers – organised within the Department of Transboundary Legal Studies (TLS). As can be derived from the name, the STeP Research Group is involved in research in three main areas in their broadest sense which are very much inter-related: security, technology and privacy. You can read more about STeP here.
Interested students can gain further insight about the expertise within our Faculty in teaching form by particpating in our MOOCs on Understanding the GDPR and Protecting Health Data in the Modern Age.
If you'd like to know more about the Health and Technology Law LLM programme, you are welcome to join one of our Masters Week presentations for the programme.
Career prospects
As law is crucial for the protectin of health and regulating new health technologies, there is an urgency to ensure that the lawyers and legal experts of the future have knowledge and skills in both these areas. Graduates of this programme can work in a variety of positions in the public and private sector, for example:
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Lawyer or other positions within the judiciary.
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Lawyer at firms specializing in human rights, health, or technology issues.
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Policy officer or staff member within national ministries (e.g. Ministry of Health), international organizations, non-governamental organizations, regulatory agencies, or companies.
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Consultant working with organizations and agencies on best practices in technological regulation.
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Adviser to international and regional health bodies, health inspectorates, hospitals, or insurance companies.
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Researcher in academia
Further, all students have access to the university Career Services which can help them in finding and preparing for internships and employment.
If you'd like to know more about the Health and Technology Law LLM programme, you are welcome to join one of our Masters Week presentations for the programme. You can also watch a recording of our most recent (online) masters week presentation here.
Testimonials
You can read about the experience of previous students here.
How to apply
You will find information about applying to our LLM programmes, including admissions requirements and application deadlines, here.
Questions?
Prospective students
Prospective students interested in pursuing an LLB, pre-LLM or LLM at the Faculty of Law can fill out our information request form.
Applicants
If you have started an application to a degree programme and are applying with a non-Dutch educational qualification, please contact the Admissions Office if you have questions about your application. If you have applied to a degree programme with a Dutch educational qualification, please contact the International Office if you have questions about your application.
Current students
Current Faculty of Law students should contact the International Office if questions about their current studies or admissibility to other Faculty of Law degree programmes.
The LLM Health and Technology Law is registered as a track under the LLM CROHO label Public International Law (60856). The Academic Director of the LLM is Prof. Brigit Toebes.
Although care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of all information, there may be unintended errors and changes or deletions without notice. The matters covered by these webpages are subject to change from time to time both before and after a candidate’s admission.
| Last modified: | 12 September 2025 10.40 a.m. |