The bachelor's programme in International and European Law takes three years. The first year teaches just about all basic law fields and is therefore broad in character, with concepts of private law, constitutional law, and criminal law discussed. In the second year, European Union law and public international law will be discussed to be a much larger extent, as well as research methods and training. The International and European Law programme is delivered by University of Groningen.
The third year ends your bachelor programme by writing a thesis on a subject of your choice in law, which will be defended in front of supervisors and fellow students. This third year also requires students to study one semester at a university abroad. There is an interdisciplinary component in each year of this program.
Job prospects
After graduation you can work at international organizations like the European Union and the United Nations. You can find a job as a legal or policy advisor. You can also draft international laws and regulations. After taking additional courses, you are able to work as a judge, lawyer or public prosecutor. You can also work in international business.
Graduates of the bachelor programme in International and European Law will ? after having completed an additional master programme - be qualified for careers in diplomacy, as civil servants for national ministries, the EU, the UN or other international organizations, in non-governmental organizations (such as Amnesty International or Greenpeace), in the international commercial sector (such as Unilever or Shell), or in academic teaching and research.
Entry into traditional legal professions (advocate, attorney, barrister, judge, etc.) is not guaranteed upon completion of the programme as such entry is depending on national requirements. The programme does not qualify for these traditional legal professions in the Netherlands; additional courses will be needed should one wish to qualify. These additional courses would require knowledge of the Dutch language and would lead to about 18 months extra in courses. For all other countries, students should check the websites of the bar associations or judiciary of the country in question for specific details.
Job examples
- A career in as civil servants for national ministries
- A career in the international commercial sector
- A career in international politics
- A career in diplomacy
- A career in academic teaching and research
- a career in international or non-governmental organizations
