The law faculties of KU Leuven and the University of Zurich offer a double degree programme focusing on the areas of law in which each faculty has special expertise. The two-year master's programme is fully taught in English and consists of one year of study in Leuven and one year in Zurich.

About the programme:

Students of the Master of Law programme gain experience at two different universities, each with their own expertise. In this two-year master programme you will study one year in Leuven, Belgium and a second one in Zurich, Switzerland. The programme focuses on each institution's individual strengths: International and European Law in Leuven and Arbitration Law, Financial Law and Human Rights Law in Zurich. Switzerland enjoys a world-class reputation as a centre of arbitration and banking, and many international institutions are based in Geneva, just as they are in Brussels, 20 minutes by train from Leuven.

Upon completion of the programme, students receive a double degree - one from KU Leuven and another from the University of Zurich. A double degree from two leading law faculties in Europe will be of enormous added value for your future professional career in the world of business and/or international law. Each partner university will select fifteen students to participate in the programme.

Structure:

Students applying for admission to the Master of Law programme at KU Leuven will start the programme in Leuven (60 ECTS) and continue in Zurich during their second year (also 60 ECTS). In Leuven, your curriculum consists of a number of compulsory courses (18 ECTS), a large number of elective courses with a focus on European and INternational law (36 ECTS) and a practical clinic (6 ECTS). In Zurich, you will follow one compulsory course (6 ECTS) and you will also be able to choose from a wide range of electives (36 ECTS). In addition, you write a master's thesis (12 ECTS) and you follow a complementary methodology course (6 ECTS) at the University of Zürich.

The programme consists of day time education and there are no part-time, evening or weekend courses. Each institution applies its own regulations and issues an individual diploma referring to the fact that it is granted in the context of the double degree programme and in conjunction with the other institution's degree. None of the institutions can grant a degree unless the student has also been granted his/her degree at the other institution.

Admission to both the Belgian and Swiss bar:

This degree has been recognised to be equivalent to the Dutch-taught 'Master of Law in de Rechten' degree provided that you also hold a 'Bachelor of Law' degree obtained at a Belgian (Dutch and French speaking) university.

With this Double Degree you are also admitted to the Swiss Bar if you successfully pass the bar examination, after an internship at a lawyer's office or at a court in Zürich. The duration of the internship may vary (12-24 months). The examination is offered in German only.

Get the best of two universities:

Gain experience at two universities, each with its own expertise, what students consider to be most appealing at each of these institutions.

Upon completion of the programme, you receive a double degree, one degree from KU Leuven and one from Zürich University. A clear added value for your career in an international context.

Read a testimonial of one of our alumni students.

Leuven and Zürich Campus:

The city of Leuven is home to the main and largest KU Leuven campus. The Campus of the University of Zürich is situated in an centre for arbitration and a real banking hub.

Former students from the Master of Law established B.A.S.S. In order to get as much out of their time of study in Zürich as possible, B.A.S.S. offers its members both professional and social activities.

Student profile:

Ideally, you should possess the following attributes:

• basic knowledge of local, European and international law and a general understanding of the mutual relationship between these three systems of law;

• a capability for situating law in its social, historical and geographical context;

• an ability for treating law with critical, reflective research;

• a mastery for reasoning, synthesising and analysing in order to think in a creative and law-forming manner;

• a sound knowledge of legal sources.

Career perspectives:

The Master of Law programme is a stepping stone towards an interesting legal career. As experts in European and international law, our students work in international law firms, a wide variety of public services at all levels of the government and in European and international institutions. Our graduates are also recruited by non-governmental organisations and companies in the private sector.