Rijkuniversiteit Groningen Faculty of Law

The University

Ever since its establishment in 1614 the University of Groningen has been educating people to serve society. All this knowledge and experience has stimulated the University to become what it is now: a modern, international university where work is being carried out at the frontiers of knowledge. It is a university with its own character. This is partly due to its geographical situation in the north of the country. The University is bold enough to be different: sober, but inventive; reliable, but surprising; solid, but prepared to accept challenges. The University of Groningen not only admitted the first-ever female student in the country but also produced the first Dutch space traveller: pioneering is a trait that is fundamental to this university. The University of Groningen is a classical university that knows the challenges of the future.

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The Law School

The Faculty of Law of the University of Groningen is a modern, internationally oriented institution that has existed for nearly four centuries. Since it has the ambition to measure itself with the best law faculties in Europe, advanced systems of quality control have been implemented to continuously improve the Faculty's research and education. And although the Faculty has grown to become one of the largest law faculties in the Netherlands, it has kept its friendly and informal atmosphere and its concern for good relations amongst its staff, students and alumni.
In addition the Faculty has a long-standing reputation in several fields of public international law and specialised subjects such as administrative relations between individuals and the State; peace and security co-operation; constitutional institutions and their relationship; criminality in a changing society; socio-economic and company law; the principles of Roman Law; Byzantine law, and the interdisciplinary study of law.

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Location

Groningen, an old but modern city of about 190,000 inhabitants, is the cultural, commercial and business capital of the province of the same name in the north of the Netherlands. It was founded over 950 years ago and is a centre of trade and transport, culture, education and science. It has two large hospitals, several theatres and museums, bookshops specialized in all European languages, and art galleries. Its industry includes sugar, tobacco and coffee factories, and the printing of schoolbooks.
Groningen is a University city; the presence of the University staff and students can be felt in all aspects of city life. But it is not only the University that leaves its mark. Other educational facilities, vocational training, art academy, etc. also give the city a very special and particularly youthful character. Over 50% of the inhabitants is under 35!

The Faculty of Law is located right in the middle of town, around the corner from the main building of the university, the Academy Building. The official address is Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 26.

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LLM Course Structure

The Faculty of Law in Groningen offers one-year LLM programmes, fully taught in English. All programmes comprise of six courses, a seminar and the writing of a Master's thesis. Successful completion of these elements with a minimum of 60 credits. Students are always allowed to take more credits if they so wish.
The Faculty offers the following English-taught master programmes:
- LLM in Criminal Law and Criminology
This programme provides you with more than just international criminal law: all aspects of criminal law are part of the programme plus a criminological component.
Core courses: Proof, Evidence and Law, Comparative Criminal Law, International Criminal Tribunals, International and Comparative Criminology and Cooperation in Criminal Matters.

- LLM in European Law
A broad European Law programme, which covers all aspects of European Union Law, but leaves sufficient room for students to specialize in specific areas of European Law. This European Law programme is part of the Groningen Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, created by the European Union and as such you will be taught by leading European Law experts.
Core courses: Judicial Protection, International Market Law, EU External Relations Law, European Human Rights, EU Constitutional and EU Institutional Law, Competition Law.

- LLM in European Law, specialization Energy and Climate Law
A brand new specialization in Energy and Climate Law, which will enable you to know all you need to know about the topic. As the city of Groningen is the capital of the Energy Valley and holds the largest gas field in Europe, all main energy extracting activities are close by. As a result of that, many guest lectures and site visits are part of the programme. This specialization is part of the Groningen Centre of Energy Law.
Core courses: Energy Law, Climate Law, Energy Contracting, International Environmental Law.

- LLM in International and Comparative Private Law
A full-fledged commercial law programme that offers you a lot of freedom to choose your own focus within the programme. The build-up of the programme gives room for both private law and private international law, whereas commercial arbitration is also extensively covered. Many of the lecturers within this programme are also linked to the Ulrik Huber Institute for Private International Law in Groningen.
Core courses: Comparative Private Law, International Contracts Law, Cross-border Commercial Transactions, Comparative Private International Law.

- LLM in International Economic and Business Law
This programme offers a unique combination of both business law and economic law. It therefore leaves a lot of room for students to find their own focus within this programme, either more corporate law oriented or more leaning towards WTO-law, investment law, etc.
Core courses: Insolvency Law, Company Law, International Contracts Law, International Trade Law, Corporate Governance.

- LLM in International Law and the Law of International Organizations
A flexible public international law programme, in which students can adjust their focus to their future plans. The programme can therefore be both very specific and focused on one topic, but also a broad public international law programme.
Core courses: International Institutional Law, Advanced Public International Law and a choice of about 10 other public international law courses in different areas of public international law.

- LLM in International Law and the Law of International Organizations, specialization Human Rights
This programme offers a broad approach to human rights. It is therefore a specialization in the broadest sense: it covers all aspects in and surrounding human rights. This will provide students with a context in which human rights function.
Core courses: International Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, Refugee and Asylum Law, Human Rights seminar, International Institutional Law, Law of International Peace and Security.

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Admission Requirements

For admission to our LLM programmes, applicants must send us the following documentation:
- certified copy of degree certificate/diploma (or at least a statement from your university that you have fulfilled all requirements for your LLB degree or will do so soon)
- official transcript of studies
- test of proficiency in English
- motivation letter
- curriculum vitae (CV)
- 2 (academic) references
A more detailed explanation about our admission requirements can be found on our website.

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Fees and Funding

Tuition fee
The tuition fee for the LLM programmes (running from September 2013 to September 2014) is € 10,500. For students coming from EU countries the tuition fee will be around € 1,850. If you need more than one academic year to finish your programme, you will pay a proportional part of the yearly costs. The tuition fee does not include costs of travel, living, accommodation, insurance, books and readers.

Students should transfer the tuition fee after confirming their acceptance and before their arrival and the start of the academic year. Please be aware of the fact that exchange rates can vary greatly. Since the tuition fee and the costs of living are to be paid in Euro, always calculate the amount of money you need to participate in the programme in Euro, not in the currency of your home country.

Estimation of costs
Expenses incurred by the average student are approximately as follows:
Housing € 300-500 per month
Food, spending money etc. € 275 per month
Insurance € 75-100 per month
Other costs € 70 per month
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Total € 820 per month

Bicycle € 125
MVV + Residence Permit € 600
Books and readers € 600
Security deposit housing € 375 to be returned after 1st year
Administration costs housing € 275

Please be aware of the fact that exchange rates can vary greatly from time to time. Always calculate the amount of money you need at the current exchange rate.

Scholarship possibilities
There are scholarships available for students of our LLM programmes. To learn more about the possibilities, you can check www.rug.nl/grantfinder. You can fill your details into the scholarship wizard, which will give you all scholarship opportunities that are available to you.

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LLM Faculty

All English-taught programmes are coordinated by the International Office of the Faculty of Law in Groningen. The Faculty of Law has established a strong international component to its education, which has led to one English-taught Bachelor of Laws programme (International and European Law) and five English-taught Master of Laws programmes and two specializations within existing LLM programmes (Energy and Climate Law and Human Rights). Besides these programmes, the faculty has been a pioneer in student exchange ever since the end of the 1980s and has a blooming exchange programme with many excellent academic partners worldwide.

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LLM Student Body

The Faculty of Law currently hosts about 450 international students and that number is growing steadily each year. Students from all parts of the world are partaking in our LLB and LLM programmes and therefore offer you a truly international experience and a wonderful mix of backgrounds and interests within the programmes. Currently the Faculty of Law hosts students from more than 40 nationalities.

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LLM Alumni Network

The University of Groningen offers an online alumni network to its graduates, which also provides them with an email-for-life account. For the LLM students there is also a Faculty network available online and the Faculty organises a reunion for all its alumni every 5 years.

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Career Services

Talent and Career Center
The Talent and Career Center aims to facilitate the step from studying to working for students and recent graduates. The Center organizes theme workshops for inspiration and information. For international students the Talent & Career Center offers English spoken activities. You can take part in workshops and training programmes or visit the monthly Careers Office Hour. It is also possible to make an appointment for individual careers advice from our Careers Counsellor.

On top of that the University is currently investing in a Careers Tool within the students and alumni portals, called Next. More information will be made available as soon as possible.

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Facilities

Library
The University Library (UB) is situated in the centre of Groningen. All students enrolled in the University of Groningen and all staff members are entitled to use the library. In order to borrow a book or journal one needs a library pass, which is your student card at the same time. The UB has several reading and study rooms with a total capacity of 1600 seats; it is open every day, including Saturday and Sunday.

The Faculty of Law has its own library on the first floor of the Faculty building (Harmony Building, also in the centre of Groningen). It is open from Monday to Friday, and has reading and study rooms available for Law students.
All University Libraries offer their users access to the electronic catalogues of the University of Groningen (OPC), nationwide catalogues and other electronic catalogues. All students can also request for books and articles from other libraries (through a so-called IBL-account).

Computers
In the Faculty building, computer (including internet, e-mail and printer) facilities are available for all Law students.
Besides this, the buildings of the Law Faculty have a Wi-Fi-connection, so laptops can be used everywhere on the premises of the Law Faculty.

Electronic learning environment
Nestor is the electronic learning environment of the University of Groningen, a so-called electronic Blackboard. Lecturers can use this system to provide students with all kinds of information about their course, but also to support their course.
Next to this system, the University of Groningen also uses Progresswww, a system through which the registration for examinations, the ordering of readers and the checking of results can be conducted.

Sports
At the ACLO, the Groningen University Sports Foundation, students and staff of the University can participate in many types of sports. Foreign students of the University of Groningen who would like to participate in sports can get an ACLO sport card registration on their student card for approximately € 52 after showing their student card at the information desk of the ACLO.

Meals
Groningen has an enormous variety of restaurants. You have a choice of Chinese, Italian, Israeli, Mexican, Greek, Indonesian, and Indian restaurants, to name but a few. There is also the possibility to dine in many cafes, where meals are served for a relatively low price (about € 15). The Faculty of Law has its own Mensa, where students can enjoy snacks and lunch.

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Student Accommodation

The University of Groningen does not have a campus, which means that the University of Groningen itself does not have rooms available for students.

But Groningen has a separate organization for this, called the Housing Office. They have all kinds of accommodation available for international students, ranging from double (shared) rooms with shared facilities till apartments, private rooms with private facilities, studios, etc. Pictures and prices are available www.housingoffice.nl.

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Student Life

What will probably strike you most when entering Groningen is its youthful population. About a quarter of the city's entire population consists of students. You will find them everywhere, studying in the park, riding a bike, or having a drink with fellow students in one of the many pubs. With the city's many bars, restaurants, theatres, museums and sports facilities, you will never be bored. But if you do feel like leaving the vibrant city life, the countryside is never far away; many students take day- and weekend-trips to the islands in the 'Wadden Sea'.
Studying at the University of Groningen is more than just attending lectures and passing exams. Groningen has a rich student life with many facilities for the vastly growing international group of students and staff. Students can become a member of numerous student associations to experience both the Dutch and international student life properly.

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Pre-LLM Course

The Faculty of Law offers a language course each summer for those students who have not reached the required TOEFL (92) or IELTS (6.5) score or who have not obtained a sufficient score on all sections of the tests and therefore only have been conditionally admitted to the LLM programme of their choice. Students with a score between 82 and 92 (TOEFL) or between 6.0 and 6.5 (IELTS; please be aware that only one section-score is allowed to be 5.5, all other section-scores should be sufficient with this IELTS test) could participate in this summer language course to correct this deficiency. This course will take place at the Language Centre of the University of Groningen and is scheduled for early July each year.

The purpose of this seven week course is to provide students with more knowledge of the English language and in this way correct their deficiency. At the end of the seven week period, students will be tested. Students who pass the test can be fully admitted to the LLM programme they were already conditionally admitted to. If they do not pass the test, they remain conditionally admitted and will not be able to start the programme in September. The costs of this seven week language course are € 1595. The deadline for application is 25 April each year. You can apply through the application form that is placed on the internet (www.rug.nl/law/languagecourse).

After students have applied for this language course, there will be a long distance entrance-test between 10 and 20 May in order to determine in which group students will be placed. This entrance-test is decisive for admission: if the Language Centre feels that the current language skills are insufficient to get to the required level of English proficiency in seven weeks, participation in the language course can be cancelled at that time, at no costs.

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Visit our website
http://www.rug.nl/law/llm