Laws

The core component of the postgraduate programme is the Master's thesis, which is to be submitted to the Master's committee within six months, following the duly completed course component. The supervising professor is jointly responsible for the topic and the quality of the Master's thesis. The selection of a topic may be made on the basis of your own particular areas of interest in every area of German civil, criminal or public law, as well as international and European legal disciplines. A comparison with the legal circles of the student's country of origin often lends itself as a possible topic.

The compulsory course component of the programme which precedes the Master's thesis enables a selection of suitable lectures and, in this way, a certain focus area can be found. However, it is not possible to concentrate on just one area of law. On the contrary, study in two of the three large legal areas - civil law, public law and criminal law - is stipulated. These two areas of law are the subject of examinations, both during the programme and in the concluding Master's exam.

Educational organisation

There are no separate lectures for Master's students. Master's students take part in the same courses as German students. This has the advantage of giving LLM students ample opportunity to experience everyday life at a German university and, of course, to get to know German students. To help out with everyday orientation - inside as well as outside the university - possibilities for special advice and introductory tutorials are offered to foreign students.

Within the scope of the course component of the programme, students must visit a seminar offered by the professor who will supervise the Master's thesis. As part of the seminar, students complete a written seminar paper, in which they conduct academic research on a topic given to them by their supervisor. The seminar paper is usually 20 to 30 pages in length and has to be presented orally to the other seminar participants. Afterwards a discussion will be held with the seminar participants on the topic and the paper.

Forms of assessment

The Master's exam is made up of the Master's thesis and an oral exam in German. The oral exam covers the area of the Master's thesis and one of the legal areas chosen by the candidate from the two areas of law studied in the course component of the programme.

Language requirements

A sound knowledge of the German language proven by certified language tests (successfully taken DSH-2, TestDAF TDN 4, small or large Sprachdiplom of the Goethe-Institut)

Required DSH / TestDaF

Yes

Academic requirements

• A foreign degree in law, equivalent to the German First Legal State Examination (If you have any queries about degree equivalence, you are more than welcome to contact us.)
• A sound knowledge of the German language (successfully passed DSH-2, TestDAF TDN 4, small or large Sprachdiplom of the Goethe-Institut)
• A supervisor at the faculty

Enrolment fees

145 EUR per semester

Costs of living

Participants must make sure in good time that sufficient funds are available to finance their participation in a course of study. The average cost of living in Freiburg for one month is currently approx. 800-900 EUR. Some details:

• Student accommodation costs approx. 280-450 EUR (monthly).
• Private expenses amount to around 350 EUR (monthly).
• Health insurance is available for approx. 45-90 EUR (monthly).
• Transport: A special student fare for regional transport costs approx. 89 EUR (per semester).

Services and support for international students

In addition to services and support offered by each coordinator of a course of study, the International Office organises a special four-day orientation session, which generally takes place two weeks before the beginning of the semester. This orientation session includes information about various aspects of everyday life (e.g. accommodation, work opportunities, etc.), presentations and visits to important institutions (e.g. the university library) and opportunities for socialising with other international students. During the semester, the "International Club" (coordinated by the Studentenwerk (Student Social Services)) offers a great variety of events, trips and services for international students in cooperation with the International Office. Furthermore, the UNIKOS team, a group of international students who have been studying at Freiburg University for some time, give practical advice and can be approached for help in several languages.

Accommodation

As Freiburg is an attractive city, finding a suitable place to live can take a little time. Only a small proportion of students can be offered a room in a student dormitory. The Studentenwerk (Student Social Services) is in charge of the student dormitories. Applicants must expect a waiting period. In addition to these dormitories, several independent dormitories are listed on the university website. The Studentenwerk also offers a list of available private rooms and the International Office can be contacted for further assistance in finding accommodation (http://www.international.uni-freiburg.de).