Course units

General

All first year LLB students are registered at the start of the academic year for the so-called Workshops Starting your Academic Career (SYAC). The SYAC workshops are meant to ease the transition from high school to university. The SYAC workshop will deal with several topics which will allow for a good start of your degree. . The small size of the group (half your working group) will accommodate getting to know your peers.

Mentors

Students are supervised by mentors (advanced Law students). These mentors will help students get acquainted to all study related subjects Law students will face. The mentor is also, as are the study advisers of the International Office, available for students to pose questions to.

Last update 08-07-2025

General

The Research Colloquium aims to:
a. improve the writing and communication skills;
b. deepen the research skills;
c. add to the academic formation.

Students need to write and present their bachelor theses; they are expected to work independently but under the supervision of their supervisor. Students will formulate an academically relevant research question, set up a research plan, collect, analyse and evaluate relevant information and data, and formulate conclusions based on the research conducted. Research results have to be clearly presented in a research paper and orally presented and defended in front of lecturers and fellow students. Students will be evaluated on their research and presentation skills.

Bachelor concluding course unit

The Research Colloquium is the bachelor-concluding course unit within the LLB programme International and European Law. This course is therefore only open to students who are in the final stages of this LLB programme.

Requirements

You can participate in the Research Colloquium when you have obtained at least 90 ECTS including all first-year courses. These credits need to be available in Progress.

The Board of Examiners can deviate from this rule at the request of a student in case of extraordinary circumstances.

For more information, please check Ocasys.

Enrolment

More information about the enrolment procedure can be found here.

Last update: 08-07-2025

General

A seminar is an educational form in which academic and legal skills are being dealt with. It has a research-like set-up. You will be conducting research, do assignments, hold presentations, and write papers. It is a training in academic thinking, which, after a thorough analysis has been made, leads to a (creative) solution of a legal question. This solution should be presented clearly and hold all possible arguments.

Skills

The following academic skills will be trained:
• logical reasoning, arguing, creative thinking, analysing problems, making connections;
• verbal skills: argumentation and formulating;
• communicative skills: communicating, presenting and persuading, listening, reading.

The legal skills include:
• handling a legal perspective;
• adequate usage of the descriptive and prescriptive aspects;
• understanding and applying legal texts;
• finding and applying jurisprudence/case law.

Binding enrolment

Enrolment in a seminar is compulsory and binding.

Enrolment will lead to a result in all cases; this could be a pass or fail grade after full participation in the seminar or a fail grade when you have participated insufficiently/quit the seminar.

The Board of Examiners can deviate from the above at the request of a student, based on special circumstances.

Advice

For more information, please check Ocasys.

Enrolment

The International Office will enroll all LLM students for the compulsory seminar of their programme.

Last update: 08-07-2025

General

Every master programme is concluded by the writing of a Master's thesis. In this Master's thesis, a student should show his/her command of academic skills in such a way that he/she, with the knowledge provided during the programme, is able to:

• formulate a scientific phrasing in the legal field;
• set up research in a responsible scientific manner;
• assemble, classify, analyse, correlate and value the relevant data;
• draw relevant conclusions on the basis of the conducted research and to formulate defendable solutions;
• reproduce the research, the conclusions and solutions in a clear and orderly manner.

The study load of the Master's thesis is arranged for in the Teaching and Examination Regulations of your programme and can also be found in the Thesis Regulation.

Brightspace page

All master students will be granted automatic access to the Faculty’s Master’s thesis page in Brightspace. This page holds all information about the Master’s thesis process, rules, time lines, etc.

Enrolment

Because the Master’s thesis process is organised as a course, all students are required to enrol for the Master’s thesis writing process in the semester before they start the actual research. There are two starting moments for the Master’s thesis writing process each academic year. The enrolment and writing periods are as follows:

• Start per 1 February: enrolment in enrolment period block 2 (October/November)
• Start per 1 September: enrolment in enrolment period block 4 (March/April)

Students will have to stick to all deadlines in the Thesis writing process to be able to finish their Master’s thesis within the stated time. The time lines per starting moment are set.

The thesis writing process takes careful planning. Keep in mind which other tasks or responsibilities you have in the same semester, because enrolment means that you will receive a grade. Feel free to contact a study adviser at the International Office to help you plan.

Master’s thesis Research Master
No enrolment in Progress is necessary.

Compulsory elements Master’s thesis process

The Master’s thesis writing process consists of several (compulsory) elements:

1. Enrol in Progress.
2. Participate in the Thesis class.
3. Participate in the Library instruction.
4. Participate in thesis workshops of the Groningen Centre for Legal Skills (not compulsory, but strongly recommended).
5. participate in the introduction meeting per LLM programme.
6. Handing in research plan.
7. Research and writing process.
8. Handing in final version of Master’s thesis on or before the deadline.

The Thesis class is offered twice a year and can be found in the list of courses available in the schedule generator. At the start of each academic year, the International Office arranges for all students to participate in a library instruction. Only students who have taken their bachelor’s degree at the Faculty of Law of the University of Groningen can be exempt from this library instruction.

Thesis coordinators

Each LLM programme has its own thesis coordinator:

• Energy and Climate Law: Prof. dr E. Woerdman
• European Law in a Global Context: Prof. dr R.A. Wessel
• Global Criminal Law: Dr W. Geelhoed
• Health and Technology Law: Prof. dr B.C.A. Toebes
• International Commercial Law: D.F. Kopalit, LLM (tort law topics), C.F. Manders, LLM (contract law topics) and Dr K.C. Henckel (private international law topics)
• International Human Rights Law: Dr A.G. Hallo de Wolf
• Public International Law: Dr A.G. Hallo de Wolf
• Technology Law and Innovation: Dr J. Milaj-Weishaar

The first point of contact for students for questions of an academic nature is their supervisor. For questions of an organisational nature, students may consider approaching the programme thesis coordinator or the Faculty thesis coordinator. Issues of planning may be discussed with the study advisers of the International Office.

Thesis Regulations

The faculty has set Thesis Regulation which amongst others hold guidelines for thesis writing and information about:

• The compulsory elements of the thesis writing process, e.g., Thesis class, Library instruction, introduction meeting per programme, etc.;
• Choosing a topic;
• Thesis supervision;
• The size;
• The assessment;
• The way of handing in the thesis, etc.

Paper

A student can choose to write a paper instead of taking an optional course. All arranged for above is not applicable to such a paper. Please contact a lecturer with a supervision request if you wish to write such a paper. The paper should at least be 3 ECTS and can be 7 ECTS maximum. The Thesis Regulation indicates which articles are applicable to the writing of a paper.

Last update: 08-07-2025

General

Law in Practice is a collective name for all activities, either inside or outside the Faculty, which allow you in some way to put law or legal science in practice, get in touch with the labour market, and practise important skills according to the labour market. This could e.g.,. be done by taking up an internship, participation in a Law Clinic, participation in Moot Courts, etc. More information can be found on the Careers Services Law website and in Ocasys (bachelor and master).

Awarding credits

Only the course units which appear in the overview in Ocasys (bachelor and master) can be awarded with ECTS.

Rules applied when including Law in Practice course units on your list of courses:

• In order to be awarded ECTS for a Law in Practice course unit, the course unit must have prior approval of the Board of Examiners via de graduation process approval in Progress.
• You will also have to, if applicable for your specific Law in Practice course unit, fulfil the requirements arranged for in the Law in Practice Regulation.
• Your job cannot be registered as an internship.
• If you are participating in more than one internship or write more than one paper (or a combination thereof), these cannot be dealing with the same topic.

Contact persons

Overview Faculty contact persons Law in Practice courses

Please check Ocasys for the coordinators of the Law in Practice course units.

In-house Law in Practice components

In addition to internships and moot courts, the Faculty also offers in-house variants of the Law in Practice component. The in-house variants are geared towards specific LLM programmes, but can also be used in other LLM programmes at times. Please contact the Law in Practice contact person of your programme in case you wish to use a different Law in Practice component than indicated for your programme.

Enrolment

Please check here for information about the enrolment procedure.

Please note: enrolling for an in-house Law in Practice variant is binding. By definition, enrolment leads to a result, either a final mark in case of participation, or a fail in case of absence. So it is advised to choose carefully.

The Board of Examiners may, at the student’s request, decide differently than indicated above on the basis of special circumstances.

Last update: 08-07-2025

General

It is highly recommended to do an internship during your studies. An internship not only provides valuable practical experience, but also helps you gain a clearer understanding of potential career paths. In addition, relevant work experience can significantly improve your chances in the job market, as it is often seen as a major advantage during job applications."

A suitable time to do an internship is during the final year of the bachelor's programme or during the master's phase. An internship completed during the master's degree can also count towards the course 'Law in Practice'."

Preparation

Before starting your internship, it can be useful to attend some (free) workshops offered by the University of Groningen. These workshops can be found on Brightspace under the Career-tab > Events > UG Career Services (RUGConnect). This platform offers a wide range of workshops that you can easily register for. Topics include LinkedIn, writing a CV or cover letter, networking, 'Pitch Yourself', and 'Professional Self Analysis'.

Roadmap

In this roadmap internships for ECTS you can find all important steps to be credited ECTS for your internship.

Faculty internship coordinator / Career Coach

Every programme has an internship coordinator. For general questions about internships, you can also contact the Faculty internship coordinator.

Law in Practice Regulation

The Faculty has a Law in Practice Regulation which holds amongst others the guidelines with regard to duration of the internship, the internship supervision, the approval of internships, non-disclosure, and insurances.

Approval and registration of result

In order for an internship to be a part of a programme, it must be approved by the Board of Examiners. You can do so by adding your internship to your list of courses

Formal approval

The internship coordinator of your programme needs to approve your internship before it starts. The internship needs to be formally approved. You need to meet the formal demands for the internship and final report, as arranged for in the Internship Regulation.

Combination with a paper

An internship and a paper cannot be dealing with the same topic. This also goes for two internships and two papers when taken in two different programmes. Within a programme, an activity can only lead to the award of ECTS once.

Internships on RUGConnect and Going Global

The internships offered at the Faculty are listed on RUGConnect and on Going Global. You can find this through the Career tab in Brightspace.

Last update: 08-07-2025

General

If you are interested in a study period abroad at one of our partner universities , you can contact the Faculty’s International Office Law. General information can be found on the website. The International Office organises an information session in October for students interested in going abroad as a part of their studies.

Registration / Deadline

The deadline for registration depends on your destination. You can find more information on the website. It is not possible to be selected after the deadline. .For more information, please contact the International Office.

Which courses

LLB students
The study period abroad is a part of the curriculum in the LLB programme International and European Law and is scheduled for the first semester of year 3. LLB students are allowed to take any law course, which is not part of the LLB programme and some non-law courses which are related to the programme (e.g., criminology, international relations, political science, etc.). Please be aware that at least 25 ECTS out of the 30 ECTS should be law credits. The categorisation of the courses is at the discretion of the Board of Examiners.
The study period abroad semester is therefore compulsory, the courses you take within this semester abroad are up to you and as such the semester abroad presents you with 30 ECTS worth of optional courses in the programme.

LLM students
It is also possible for LLM students to go abroad, as an extracurricular addition to the LLM programme. This will always lead to a study delay. Optional courses can be taken abroad, as long as they are within the scope of the programme in question.

Please be aware: the Board of Examiners does not accept any language courses as part of the law degree. Language courses can therefore be taken, but can only appear as extra-curricular courses on the degree certificate.

More information about courses can be found on the website.

Approval of courses

All courses need to be approved by the Board of Examiners. This can be done by filling in the correct online form:

Approval form courses abroad LLB students

Approval form courses abroad LLM students

Approval form courses abroad students of Dutch-taught programmes

Registration of results

Results obtained will be registered in Progress as separate courses, provided that the courses are approved by the Board of Examiners. .

Scholarship

More information about scholarships can be found on the website.

Last update 08-07-2025

General

If you are participating in a summer school, winter school or a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) and you would like such course units to appear on your degree certificate, you need to request approval for such course units from the Board of Examiners.

Extracurricular

Since summer schools, winter schools and Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) are never part of your programme, such course units can only be approved as extracurricular course units on your degree certificate. This means they will appear on your list of courses and thus on the diploma supplement, but they do not affect your GPA.

Requirements

Summer schools, winter schools and BIPs can only be approved if they meet the following three requirements:
1. The course unit must have legal relevance (content should be (related to) law);
2. The course unit must be offered by an accredited institution;
3. The course unit must be completed by an individual assessment (exam, test, paper, etc.).

Course units that do not meet these three criteria cannot be approved. You can however always add such course units to your curriculum vitae to show you have participated in extracurricular activities.

Approval form

As indicated, you need to apply for approval for such course units.This can be done by filling in the online form.

Registration

If approved, the results will be registered in Progress as separate courses. Don’t forget to add these to your list of courses in Progress.

Last update 08-07-2025