LLM programmes

The aim of the LLM Advanced European Union Law is to train students to become academic professionals at Master’s level who, drawing on a broad foundation of subject-specific and methodological knowledge, are able to apply their insights and skills in the field of European law to legal research and practice. 

The aim of the LLM Energy and Climate Law is to train students to become academic professionals at Master’s level who, drawing on a broad foundation of subject-specific and methodological knowledge, are able to apply their insights and skills in the field of energy and climate law to legal research and practice.

The aim of the LLM Global Criminal Law is to train students to become academic professionals at Master’s level who, drawing on a broad foundation of subject-specific and methodological knowledge, are able to apply their insights and skills in the field of criminal law to legal research and practice. 

The aim of the LLM Health and Technology Law is to train students to become academic professionals at Master’s level who, drawing on a broad foundation of subject-specific and methodological knowledge, are able to apply their insights and skills in the field of health and technology law to legal research and practice.

The aim of the LLM International Commercial Law is to train students to become academic professionals at Master’s level who, drawing on a broad foundation of subject-specific and methodological knowledge, are able to apply their insights and skills in the field of international commercial law to legal research and practice.

The aim of the LLM International Human Rights Law is to train students to become academic professionals at Master’s level who, drawing on a broad foundation of subject-specific and methodological knowledge, are able to apply their insights and skills in the field of human rights law to legal research and practice.

The aim of the LLM Public International Law is to train students to become academic professionals at Master’s level who, drawing on a broad foundation of subject-specific and methodological knowledge, are able to apply their insights and skills in the field of public international law to legal research and practice.

The aim of the LLM Technology Law and Innovation is to train students to become academic professionals at Master’s level who, drawing on a broad foundation of subject-specific and methodological knowledge, are able to apply their insights and skills in the field of technology law to legal research and practice.

At Master’s level, courses are primarily delivered in the form of lectures. These lectures will be more interactive in nature than those at Bachelor’s level. No working groups are offered, as you are now able to familiarise yourself with new areas of law through the use of literature, case-law and lectures. You are now largely able to absorb new theory and apply it to specific cases. To participate in the discussions during the lectures and thus get the most of the lectures, it is essential that you attend the lectures well prepared.

Each programme offers a seminar. The aim of this seminar is to prepare you for writing your Master’s thesis and deals with academic and legal skills. The seminar will be held in a smaller group, to allow for much interaction and do presentations. You conduct research, write a paper holding all possible arguments and present this clearly to your peers.

In the exams, you will mainly be presented with case-based legal questions, so that you can demonstrate that you understand the law and also know how to apply it in specific cases. You will also be asked questions requiring you to provide a legal analysis of a particular situation.

In several courses, the exams are open-book, to simulate the resolution of cases in professional practice (so-called authentic assessment). There will be very few knowledge-based questions.

The Master’s thesis is the master-concluding course unit. It aims at allowing you to demonstrate your knowledge, understanding, and skills in a topic related to your LLM.

In this course, you will:

• Deepen your research and writing skills.
• Strengthen your academic formation.
• Show your ability to independently (under supervisor guidance):
  • Formulate an academically relevant research question.
  • Set up a research plan.
  • Collect, analyse, and evaluate relevant information and data.
  • Formulate conclusions based on your research.

The lectures at Master’s level further develop your ability to listen to a comprehensive and sometimes detailed story, from which you can identify the key issues and relevant information. This skill is of great importance when you deal with clients in the future or have to respond to the legal team of your client’s opponent during negotiations. 

Thanks to the more interactive nature of the lecturers at Master’s level and the set-up of the seminar, you will also develop the ability to discuss legal topics with other legal professionals as a legal professional yourself.

The fact that you will have to write your Master’s thesis within a limited time mimics the real-life work situation, where you will have to deliver assignments within a set timeframe. In addition, you will have to apply skills like formulating a legal question, assembling, classifying, analysing and value relevant data in whatever kind of legal work you will work in in the future. Although the Master’s thesis may seem very academic in its set-up, you will also practise skills that will enable you to work effectively in a professional setting: all legal questions you will be presented with in your working life will need research to get to a proper solution.

By the end of your LLM, you will be able to independently identify, understand, analyse and resolve legal problems.

Are you ready to start your LLM? Check out Ocasys for more details about your LLM and each course, or visit an Open Day if you did not choose a programme yet. You are always welcome with you questions at the study advisers.

If you want to know exactly what the learning outcomes of your LLM are and how the different courses contribute to these, you can have a look at the programme files for each LLM from last academic year.