Bachelor of Law (International & European Law) - The Hague University

TEL: 0207 193 7932   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Are you interested international law and justice? Whether you see yourself as a defender of human rights, a high-flying corporate lawyer for a multinational, or someone who helps make the laws, a International Bachelor of Laws - International and European Law will prepare you for a legal career on a global scale.

A legal career

The course covers the fundamentals of International Law, European law, and national laws. More generally, it also looks at the wider principles and skills you need for a legal career – like listening, writing and presenting.

Focus on cross-cultural interaction

Working in an international environment also takes cultural awareness. One of the things that sets our programme apart is its focus on cross-cultural interaction. Our students and staff represent over 30 different nationalities. You’ll work in multicultural teams, learning to embrace other ways of thinking.

International City of Peace and Justice

And you couldn’t ask for a more inspiring setting to study in. The Hague is an International City of Peace and Justice, home of the International Criminal Court, War Crimes Tribunal and Europol.

Structure

The programme is run in close co-operation with The Hague Bynkershoek Institute, where all of the research on the course happens. The curriculum looks at the law at every level – global, regional and national.

At the global level

We’ll explore among others International Public Law, Human Rights Law and International Arbitration.

At the regional level

We’ll study among others European Law, European Principles of Contract Law, and European Intellectual Property Law.

At the national level

We’ll examine the principles of Contract Law, Tort Law, Litigation Law and Taxation Law (and how they’re influenced by international and regional law). Further knowledge of typical national laws can be obtained though further study in the minors.

But technical knowledge is only one part of the programme. We’ll also work hard to develop skills like listening, writing and presenting – all essential for a professional, in any field.

By the time you graduate from the programme, you’ll be fully prepared to start a career with a range of different international organisations – multinationals, local or national government, or not-for-profit. Or maybe as an independent advisor, consultant or legal representative.

Major-minor

The course covers a broad range of subjects. But to make your degree as relevant to your individual career plans as possible, you can choose to specialise in a subject by taking a ‘minor’. You could minor in an area of law, to deepen your knowledge. Or you could decide to minor in something completely different, to add a unique edge to your degree. Taking the right minor can help lay the foundations for further studies.

At The Hague University, you can get your Master’s degree in just 12 months - or 15 months if you choose the part-time course.

Content

The course strikes a balance between theory and practice. You’ll learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, self-study and group work. There’s a lot of reading involved, so you’ll need a lot of stamina and self-discipline to succeed. We offer special training in Legal English, too, to help you understand specialist terms.

Practice

Throughout the course, you’ll practice preparing legal documents like audits, counsel, pleadings, judgements, rulebooks, contracts – the kinds of things a practicing legal professional needs to produce. By the time you graduate, you’ll have built up a full portfolio, including your final thesis.

Theory

There are some fundamental subjects that all young legal professionals should know – like comparative law, history of law, philosophy of law, law and economics and alternative dispute resolutions.

But a large part of the programme is up to you to decide. You can choose from a range of advanced study subjects, depending on your own interests and career plans, like:

• Migration
• Child Rights
• Weapons of Mass Destruction
• International Security and Environment
• European Association Agreements
• European Regulated Markets
• International Insolvency
• Transport and Lex Mercatoria

Outside study

If you want to specialise in an area of law that we don’t offer ourselves, you can spend time studying at one of our partner universities – here in The Netherlands, or all over the world. Or you could take up a work placement with an international organisation, like a business or law firm.

Learning strategy

We want you to interact as much as possible during your Bachelor’s course. We’ll engage you in a mix of classroom tuition, lectures, group activities and project work. But to get your degree, you will have to do more than sit in lectures taking notes – you’ll need to be an active learner. Hands-on assignments will gear you up to work with real organisations.

Knowledge

We believe that knowledge is something to be shared – not just with our own students, but with the outside world. We’re always looking for new opportunities to exchange knowledge with people from other places, and we teach our students to do the same.

Talent

Having knowledge isn’t enough. You have to know how to use it, how to adapt and apply it to real situations. Our students learn not just how to think for themselves, but how to do for themselves. Practical experience and independent thinking are a big part of The Hague University experience.

Diversity

To discover new ways of thinking, you have to explore other people’s perspectives. We believe that diversity is absolutely essential to progress. We welcome different viewpoints here, through cross-cultural debate and collaboration.