The LLM in International and European law (60 ECTS) has been an internationally renowned programme for decades. Created in 1971 as the Programme on international and Legal Cooperation (PILC), it is one of the most established LLMs of its kind. The programme offers each year a selection of up to 40 international postgraduate students a demanding and versatile curriculum that opens fascinating career paths in European and international legal affairs.

The educational techniques of the programme include, in addition to the more traditional forms of lecturing, interactive class teaching as well as practical case studies that simulate day to day professional life. The programme offers a balanced, versatile package. International audits and the leading positions of its graduates in various international organizations attest to the programme's excellence.

Its location in Brussels gives the programme the opportunity to benefit from the immediate vicinity of EU institutions and numerous international organizations, law firms and companies during the course of the year. This programme was established in 1971.

This LLM is a programme that is organised by the Institute for European Studies, a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, and of which the degree will be awarded by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). The Institute for European Studies is part of the Brussels School of Governance, an alliance with Vesalius College, established in February 2021.

Key features:

• Central location in Brussels, the heart of the EU: excellent research, networking and job possibilities
• Demanding, exclusively advanced master (i.e. post-graduate) level curriculum;
• Experience: offering excellence since 1971
• Perfect for the global job market: the curriculum covers the essential areas of international and European law in parallel
• Taught at the IES which, as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, constitutes a hub of cutting edge research and activities on the EU in an international context and is currently presided by former trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht
• The Chairs are nominated exclusively for this programme and are an international mixture of high-ranking practitioners and leading academics
• Limited class size ensures high interaction and close contacts among students and with the professors, helping create true bonds that last
• Brings together students of truly versatile international backgrounds and of outstanding quality
• Supported by the extensive expertise of our Office for Teaching, Learning and Innovation to accommodate sophisticated blended teaching methods

Programme structure

The LLM in International and European law is an Advanced Master's degree obtained in one academic year (from end September until early July). The program offers a balanced, versatile package that consists of compulsory and optional courses as well as a Master thesis:

• Compulsory courses: these 8 courses give a broad overview of the main topics of international and European law.
• Optional courses on either Business Law, Public law, or Data Law. Since 2020, there is also the opportunity to take a special and exclusive Moot Court course.
• Master Thesis.

The Brussels School of Governance (BSoG) is an alliance between the Institute for European Studies (°2002) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Vesalius College (°1987). For decades, both institutions have built up strong reputations as frontrunners in education, research, and academic services on the international scene. Both being associated with Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), one of Belgium’s prime universities with a strong internationalisation focus, the IES and VeCo decided to work together more closely as of 2018. In 2021, they launched the Brussels School of Governance.