European and European Legal Studies

Do you want to enlarge your knowledge about the process of European integration? Do you strive for a career in which extensive legal, political and economic knowledge about European Integration is essential? Did you already complete your first degree preferably in the area of law, economics or political science with a remarkably good result? Then you should apply for a place in our Master Programme.

The interdisciplinary two-semester Master Programme "European and European Legal Studies" is offered by the Institute for European Integration of the Foundation Europa-Kolleg Hamburg in cooperation with the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Hamburg. After successfully completing the programme either the academic degree "Master of Arts (M.A.)" or "Master of Laws (LL.M.)" will be awarded. The programme is exclusively taught in English.

The Master Programme "European and European Legal Studies" prepares our students for a wide range of potential future employments. The aim of the programme is to teach our students the legal, economic and political aspects of European integration.

The Master Programme opens up possibilities for future employments as civil servants in the national or international public sector, association representatives, corporate consultants in competition or regulation agencies and future lawyers working in the government sector (agencies, ministries, institutions of the EU) or the private sector (companies, law firms, corporate consultants) who aspire to deal with issues of Union law or public international law.

The Master Program is particularly directed at those who already completed their first degree in the fields of law, economics or political science. Today, many of the more than 650 graduates from over fifty countries are successfully employed in international institutions, national administrations, law firms and in the private sector.

Outline:
The Master Programme takes one year – from October to September of the following year. It is a full-time course of studies. It is subdivided into nine modules in total. At the beginning of the Master Programme, three basic modules devoted to the legal, economic and political aspects of European integration have to be attended by all students collectively. After the lectures of the winter term come to an end an academic master thesis is to be written for which a period of four months is provided. A practice module scheduled for the period between the winter and the summer term (February/March) calls for the students to do an internship, e.g. at an institution of the EU, representations of the German Foreign Office in foreign countries, ministries, governmental agencies, law firms or companies. 

After the introductory phase, students have the opportunity to study one out of four elective specialisation fields in depth. Each of these specialisation fields consists of four modules. The range of specialisation fields may vary from academic year to academic year depending on the interests of the applicants.

Shared Modules:

The EU as a Legal Community
This module offers a systematic and complete overview of the law of the European Union as derived from institutional and substantive legal principles and provisions of the founding treaties as well as other written and unwritten primary law of the EU, the legal acts of the bodies of the Union and other acts of secondary law, and the jurisprudence of the courts, in particular that of the CFEU. An excursion to the EU institutions in Luxembourg and Brussels shall provide an insight into the professional world.

The EU as an Economic Community
Contents of this module are the economic advantages of cross-border division of labour. Two showcases of European integration, namely the internal market and the economic and monetary union, are analysed to what extent they prove advantageous and what are the economic-political implications they have. An excursion to the European Central Bank in Frankfurt am Main shall provide an insight into the professional world.

The EU as a Political Community
This module introduces students to the historical foundations, the history of ideas and the stages of the process of European integration starting with the time after the Second World War until today. In addition to this, the module deals with the structure, the institutional set-up and theory-based interpretations as well as analytical concepts of the Union from the view of political science. An excursion to the Foreign Office in Berlin as well as an excursion to the EU institutions in Luxembourg and Brussels (CFEU, European Commission, Council of the European Union, European Parliament) and other actors (Hanse-Office) shall provide an insight into the professional world.

Practice Module

• An internship in internationally oriented companies, international organisations, institutions of the EU, political entities, research institutions or law firms which enables the student to apply the acquired knowledge and skills in practice
• or participation in a practical simulation, e. g. simulated court proceedings (‘moot court’) or simulations of the legislative process in the European multi-level system, accompanied by practitioners from the institutions of the EU, administrative agencies, professionals etc. 

Master Thesis
The candidate shall prepare a master thesis. This paper shall demonstrate the ability to undertake independent research in the field of the Master Programme.

Fields of Specialisation:

The EU as a Political Actor
In the elective specialisation field A ‘The EU as a Political Actor’ the European Union is analysed from the perspective of political organisation, focussing on institutions, decision-making processes, policies, foundations of legitimacy, conditions of effectiveness etc.

External Relations of the EU
The increasing relevance of the economic and political external relations of the EU, including their implications on security and defence matters, led to the inception of the elective specialisation field B ‘External Relations of the EU’. In order to gain comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the process of European integration it is necessary to also consider the EU within the framework of global competition, global challenges and responsibilities of the international community. Also the concept to ensure the identity of Europe on the global level feeds into these considerations. The EU, its Member States and private economic actors are embedded in an ever-growing imbroglio of international and transnational arrangements and regulations offering various new lines of work for suitably qualified academics.

Companies as Economic Actors
The elective specialisation field C ‘Companies as Economic Actors’ focuses on the analysis of the EU and its internal and global interactions from the viewpoint of companies as the centre of economic activities. The conduct of companies on the European and global level plays a pivotal role in the pursuit of the economic, political and other objectives of the Union, the Internal Market here being the most obvious accomplishment. This specialisation field offers a thorough discussion of company law, competition law and policy and issues of business organisation. Students will also gain an understanding of labour relations, the protection of intellectual property and concepts of taxation of business-related activities.

Law of the EU
The undiminished significance of EU law as means, form and instrument of economic, political and social integration calls for the implementation of the specialisation field D ‘Law of the EU‘. It is irrefutable that there is high demand for in-depth instruction on the legal foundations of the European Union as a new design of political and economic organisation and other central areas of Union law. The process of integration utilises means of law and requires legal expertise even when dealing with eminently political matters. Owing to these considerations, this specialisation field focuses on the constitutional and international foundations of EU law, the cornerstones of internal market law and human rights protection as well as the legal aspects of the economic and political external relations of the EU.

Total costs: 8,500 EUR for the Master Programme plus two semester fees of approx. 350 EUR (subject to slight change) for the University of Hamburg.

The charged tuition fees cover both terms of the Master Programme ‘European and European Legal Studies’, i.e. the participation of the students in all lectures, tutorials, exams and mandatory excursions. Not included in tuition are accommodation and living expenses.

The semester fee for the University of Hamburg includes the costs for public transportation in Hamburg (buses and trains provided by the Hamburger Verkehrsverbund – HVV), as well as a contribution to student government, among other things.

Requirements:
Degree from a German or foreign institution of higher education (University level) representing a total of 240 Credit Points (CP) according to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), preferably in Law, Economics or Political Science. Applicants who have earned their first degree qualifying for a professional career representing a total of 180 CP have to make up for the missing 60 CP by a good performance in additional or practical training programmes in fields similar to those of the Master Programme. Proof of this may be submitted in form of professional experience, further studies, research activities, publications, etc.

Very good English language proficiency. Applicants shall provide proof of their English language proficiency by submitting one of the following tests:
–          TOEFL with a minimum result of 79 (iBT), 213 (CBT) or 550 (PBT)
–          IELTS with a minimum result of 6.5
–          Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE) with a grade of ‘C’ as a minimum in all parts
–          Cambridge in Advanced English (CAE) with a grade of ‘C’ as a minimum in all parts

Deadlines:
Closing Date for your Application: 31 May
Notification of Admission: June
Declaration of Acceptance/Rejection: June/July, (precise date will be specified in the Letter of Admission)
Beginning of Studies: 1 October
End of Studies: 30 September