Introduction
Once upon a time lawyers only
needed to know the law of their home country. They enjoyed a national legal
education, worked with national law only and did not need to speak foreign
languages. A sophisticated lawyer of the 21st century, however, must be prepared
for the ongoing globalisation and its growing impact on his work.
International legal cooperation has unfolded during the last decades, and
international and foreign law have become more important for the lawyer. This
process will not be stopped, neither by the Covid-19 pandemic nor by the
neo-imperialist Russian war on Ukraine, but even intensify after the end of
these global threats. A young
researcher, university lecturer, lawyer in an international law firm or civil
servant in a ministry should have studied international and comparative law and the legal thinking in other countries with different legal systems. This
will enable him for international cooperation but also to make valuable contributions to the development of the law of
his home country. The best way to qualify is to pursue studies abroad, thus
learning to know not only the foreign law but also the country, the culture and
the people. After the end of the pandemic, it will be easier again to go abroad.
Studies in Germany
are particularly attractive for lawyers from countries whose legal system is
based on the continental legal tradition - including Indonesia. After Word War II,
responding to the catastrophe of the Third Reich, Germany has focused eminently on
building up a modern "Rechtsstaat" ("negara hukum", state based on the rule of law) with a
sophisticated legal system. For many countries, in particular in East Europe and
East Asia, German law and German legal science have become a source of
inspiration for the development of their own legal system. For the foreign lawyers, not the details of the German law are interesting but
the structures, the innovative legal concepts, the highly developed legal
dogmatics and in particular the systematic approach and the advanced legal methodology.
Many German universities have developed study
programs for foreign law students. The course offerings are heterogeneous and sometimes confusing.
It is my task as DAAD lecturer to provide guidance for orientation. The
following overview shall serve this purpose, redirecting you directly to the
relevant websites of the universities. It is followed by an overview of
scholarship programs and
links to
general information on studying
in Germany. With regard to the great number of study and scholarship
programs the overview cannot be exhaustive. Note
that this overview is restricted to study programs in English.
If your language skills allow you to follow study programs in the German
language, there are many more options (see the comprehensive
DAAD database on study programs).
Are you interested? Then, in a first step, you should inform yourself
about the study programs that come into consideration. It may be a good idea to
contact a relevant university in order to make sure that your participation in
the program is in principle possible. Besides advanced language skills usually a
master's degree (in some cases a bachelor's degree) and sometimes other
qualifications are required. You should also acquaint yourself with the
scholarship programs. In a second step you should see me for consultation (UGM Faculty
of Law, Building A, room A.IV.11, e-mail:
tschmit1@gwdg.de). On closer examination, some course offers may be less
interesting than they appear in the advertising of the universities. Others may
not be well advertised but correspond better to your personal interests or
promise a better individual support. Concerning scholarship programs, you may
also get advice from the DAAD Regional Office
Jakarta. Finally, in a third step you may submit your
applications to the German university and the scholarship provider. Plan all
these steps a year in advance so that you do not risk to miss the deadline.
In particular, upgrade and certify your language skills in time! For many DAAD
scholarships, the deadline for applications is in September or October.
Study
programs for foreign law students in Germany
[A.
Summer courses] [B. Erasmus program] [C. Complementary
study programs] [D. General
postgraduate study programs]
[E. Specialised postgraduate
study programs]
A. Summer courses (as advertised
for 2022)
Note: If not indicated otherwise,
the summer courses will be in English and on-campus.
 |
University of Augsburg:
Augsburg Summer Program
on European and International Economic Law (offered also
online) |
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University of Bayreuth:
Bayreuth International Summer School - Law: Corporate Governance, ESG,
and Sustainability |
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Humboldt University Berlin:
HUWISU Summer University
with various summer courses in law:
- Introduction
to International Economic Law
- European Constitutional
Law: National Identities Between Unity and Plurality,
- Introduction to Refugee
Protection and Forced Migration,
- The European Union
between Supranational Integration and National Sovereignty
- Law in the Age of
Algorithms: Interdisciplinary Investigations |
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Hochschule für Wirtschaft und
Recht Berlin / Berlin School of Economics and Law:
How Europe Works: Institutions & Law in the EU (ILEU)
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University of Frankfurt/Oder:
The European System of Human Rights Protection |
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University of Giessen:
U.S.-German Summer Law School
Giessen (with courses in international economic law,
intellectual property law, human rights law and comparative constitutional
law) |
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Bucerius Law School, Hamburg:
Bucerius Summer Programs:
Legal Technology and Operations,
International Business Law and
Licensing Transactions in Intellectual Property |
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University of Munich:
Munich University
Summer Training in German and European Law (MUST) and
Munich Advanced
Course in International Law (MACIL) (partly on-campus,
partly online) |
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Saarland University,
Saarbrücken:
European Summer Course 2022: #Visions4aNewEurope |
See also the language and
introductory courses for lawyers, e.g. the course
Introduction to German Law and German Legal Language at the University of
Bayreuth, the summer course
German for Lawyers and Other Legal Practitioners at the University of
Münster, the
Online German Course for Legal Professionals at the SDI München and the
International Summer German Courses in the field of law
at the
University of Bielefeld (all courses in German).
B.
The Erasmus program
The
Erasmus+ program of the European Union is the most popular exchange program
for students, lecturers (and others) in Europe. The studies abroad can be for one or two semesters, the
access is easy and the foreign students are well supported and integrated at the
guest university. In its 35 years history, the Erasmus program has provided an
important contribution to a better mutual understanding and cooperation of
lawyers in integrating Europe. However, the exchange was generally limited
to students coming from and going to European
universities. Only the
Erasmus Mundus program that focused on the sector of advanced studies and
doctoral studies supported cooperation between European and non-European
universities. In 2013, these programs and others were merged to the Erasmus+
program that also promotes the exchange with non-European partner countries.
In 2021, 139 Indonesians were awarded Erasmus+ scholarships.
The Erasmus+ program was recently reshaped and extended until 2027.
C. Complementary study programs (not
requiring completion of a full course of legal studies)
German universities
usually offer study programs for foreign law students who have completed a
full course of legal studies (of 4 to 5 years, including bachelor's and master's
degree) in their home country. However, there are exceptions (a few even in
English):
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Berlin School of Economics and
Law:
M.A. International Security Management
(interdisciplinary studies; 4 semesters; with master
thesis; requires bachelor's degree; in English) |
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University of Bonn:
Master
of European Studies
(interdisciplinary studies; 1 year;
with a focus on governance and regulation in the EU; with master thesis; in English; tuition
fee: 6.500 €) |
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Technical University of Dresden:
LL.M. (International Studies in Intellectual Property Law)
(2 semesters, one of them at a partner university [Exeter,
Krakow, London, Prague, Seattle, Strasbourg, Szeged or Tokyo]; starts twice
a year; requires
some practical experience after graduation; in German and English or
English; tuition fee: 3.000 - 7.740 €) |
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University of Göttingen:
LL.M
(European and Transnational Law of Intellectual Property and Information
Technology)
(2 semesters; with master thesis; requires bachelor's degree
and 1 year of practical experience; in English; tuition fee: 7.200 or 7.800
€) |
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University of Göttingen:
Erasmus Mundus MA
Euroculture: Society, politics and culture in a global contex
[see also
consortium
website]
(interdisciplinary studies, not at the Faculty of Law;
with master thesis; 4
semesters, including 1 semester at one of 12 foreign partner universities; requires bachelor's degree in home country; in English;
tuition fee:
5.900 - 18.000 €) |
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University of Hannover:
LL.M (European Legal Practice)
(4 semesters; with master thesis; requires bachelor's degree
in home country; joint international study program of the universities
Hannover, Lisbon and Rouen; requires knowledge of English AND of German,
French or Portuguese) |
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Leuphana University Lüneburg:
LL.M (International Economic Law)
(4 semesters; with master thesis; requires bachelor's
degree (or completion of 81 % of bachelor's program) in home country;
dual degree program with University of Glasgow (Scotland) or University
of the West Indies (Barbados); in English; tuition fee: 8.520 € - 20.440
€ in 2021) |
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Leuphana University Lüneburg:
LL.M (International Law of Global Security, Peace & Development)
[see also
consortium website]
(4 semesters; with master thesis; requires bachelor's
degree (not necessarily in law) in home country; joint master degree
program with University of Glasgow (Scotland) and Institut Barcelona
d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI); in English; tuition fee: 18.640 € -
36.744 €) |
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University of Passau:
CECIL (Certificate of Studies in European, Comparative and International
Law)
(1 or 2 semesters; certificates for 20 or 40 ECTS credit
points; includes courses on academic legal writing and/or legal presentation
skills; requires 2 years of previous studies of law; in English) |
D. General postgraduate study
programs (magister programs) requiring prior completion of a full course of
legal studies (open only to foreign participants)
Most German
faculties of law offer general postgraduate studies in German law for foreign
lawyers who have completed a full course of legal studies (of 4 to 5 years) with
a degree that must be equivalent to the German State Examination. These studies
take 2 semesters, include a magister thesis and an oral examination and result
in the degree of "Magister Legum" (LL.M) or "Magister iuris" (Mag. iur.). Often
they precede doctoral studies at the same university. However, these studies
require excellent knowledge of the German language,
since the foreign students will attend the same courses as ordinary German law
students.
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see the course offerings of the universities of
Augsburg,
Bayreuth,
HU Berlin,
Bielefeld,
Bochum,
Bonn,
Cologne,
Constance,
Erlangen-Nuremberg,
Frankfurt/Main,
Frankfurt/Oder,
Freiburg,
Gießen,
Göttingen,
Halle,
Hamburg,
Heidelberg,
Jena,
Kiel,
Mainz,
Marburg,
Munich,
Münster,
Osnabrück,
Passau,
Potsdam,
Regensburg,
Trier,
Tübingen,
Würzburg
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E. Specialised postgraduate study
programs requiring prior completion of a full course of legal studies (open to
German and foreign participants)
German universities offer
a wide variety of specialised
postgraduate study programs, in particular in the fields of European Union law
and business law. These programs are primarily designed for graduates of a full
course of legal studies in Germany but are generally also open to foreign
lawyers with equivalent degrees. Usually they last 2 semesters and result in a
postgraduate master's degree (LL.M). They provide legal education at the highest
level but some present a challenge to foreign participants because they build upon
the knowledge from a full course of legal studies in Germany. These programs are
usually offered in German, some combine lectures in German and English.
However, there is
also an increasing number of specialised postgraduate study programs offered
entirely in English. While some of them require a moderate tuition, many are
offered on a commercial basis for high or very high tuition fees (but sometimes with tuition waivers for certain
applicants). Scholarships may not always cover the high fees. The target group
of the most expensive programs are predominantly young professionals with a bit of practical
experience whose employer may support their studies.
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Freie Universität Berlin:
MBL-FU (Master of
European and International Business, Competition and Regulatory Law)
(2 semesters; with master thesis; requires 1 year of
practical experience; in English; tuition fee:
9.500 €) |
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Humboldt University Berlin:
IDR LL.M (International Dispute Resolution)
(2 semesters; with master thesis; requires 1 year of
practical experience after graduation; in English; tuition fee: 9.000 €) |
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Technical University of Berlin:
MBL European and International Energy Law
(2 semesters; with master thesis; requires 1 year of
professional experiene; in English; tuition fee: 11.200 €) |
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University of Bremen in
cooperation with University of Oldenburg (Hanse Law School):
LL.M (Transnational
Law)
(2 semesters; with master thesis; optional double degree
with University of Groningen; in English, elective courses also in
German) |
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University of Erlangen-Nuremberg:
M.A. (Human
Rights)
(interdisciplinary studies; 3 semesters; with master thesis;
in English; tuition fee: 4.900 €)) |
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University of Frankfurt/Main:
LL.M
(Legal Theory)
(2 semesters; with master thesis; in English; tuition fee:
7.200 €) |
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University of Frankfurt/Main:
LL.M (Finance)
(interdisciplinary studies, also practice-orientated; 2
semesters; with internship and master thesis; in English; tuition fee:
20.000 - 24.000 €) |
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University of Frankfurt/Main:
LL.M (International Finance - for Asian Graduates)
(interdisciplinary studies, also practice-orientated; 2
semesters; with master thesis; in English; tuition fee: 18.000 €) |
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Munich
Intellectual Property Law Center:
LL.M IP (Intellectual
Property and Competition Law)
(2 semesters; with study visits, conference attendance,
optional intership and master thesis; requires 1 year of practical
experience; admission possible with 3 years bachelor's degree and 2 years of
practical experience; with individual tutoring; in English; tuition fee: 32.000 €) |
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Saarland University (Saarbrücken):
LL.M European
and International Law
(2 semesters; with master thesis;
can be followed in German and/or English; tuition fee: 6.800 €)) |
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EBS Universität für Wirtschaft
und Recht Wiesbaden:
LL.M (Global Business Law)
(2 semesters; with master thesis; in English; tuition fee:
21.900 €) |
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In preparation: University of
Giessen:
LL.M (International Law)
(4 semesters; also practice-orientated; with distance
(online) learning and
master thesis; requires 1 year of practical experience; in
English; tuition fee: 9.990 €) |
Doctoral programs (open to German and foreign participants)
Foreign lawyers
who want to obtain a doctoral degree in Germany, usually first have to
complete general postgraduate
studies in German law for foreign lawyers (magister programs). During this
time they may already look for a doctorate supervisor. Afterwards they may
prepare a doctoral thesis in German language; only a few universities accept
doctoral theses in legal science in English. Special doctoral study programs are
not common in the field of legal science. However, some German universities and some consortiums of Max Planck
Institutes and local universities offer them. Despite their English label, some require advanced German language
skills, while others only require English language skills. Free paid doctoral
research positions are usually especially advertised (e.g. in the
PhDGermany Database of the DAAD). See for further information the
special
web page of the DAAD.
Scholarship programs for law students for studying in Germany
There are many scholarship offers
for studies of foreign students in Germany. Orientation is not easy, since the
offers are heterogeneous - different sponsors, objectives and target groups,
different requirements and conditions and different deadlines for application.
Some programs are open for all foreign students, others only for those from
certain countries. So the first step will be to get an overview. The best tool
for this purpose is the
DAAD scholarship database.
I. Overviews
II.
Scholarship
programs of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
III. Scholarship
programs of political foundations (close to political parties)
IV. Other scholarship
programs
General information on studying
in Germany
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Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmitz