LL.M. in International Business Law

The LL.M. is a full-time program which runs from October to June. Courses are divided into two semesters, with exams held in January and June. Students are entitled to sit a second session of exams held in late August – beginning of September. LL.M. candidates who successfully complete the program are awarded an LL.M. in International Business Law from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (University of Brussels, ULB), which is recognized by the competent Belgian Academic Authorities (Communauté française) within the framework of the program of continuous education.

The LL.M. is designed for students who wish to take full advantage of the extraordinary range of opportunities offered in Brussels, the capital of Europe. The program includes visits to the institutions of the European Union (European Commission, Council, and Parliament) which are headquartered in Brussels. The LL.M. is part of the program offering of the University of Brussels (Université libre de Bruxelles, or “ULB”), one of the leading universities in Europe, with 25.000 students, 32% of which come from outside of Belgium.

LL.M. courses are taught on the Solbosch Campus, which is the main and largest campus of the university, situated in the Brussels-Capital Region. The campus is located in the vicinity of the European Institutions. The ULB offers extraordinary extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, including lectures, workshops, internships, career events and social activities. Some of these activities are integrated into our academic program. The LL.M. is open to students from across the globe who hold a primary degree in law or who have gained experience in law at the graduate level.

General structure

• The program includes 8 core LL.M. courses, 1 elective course, and an LL.M. thesis
• The LL.M. is structured on the European credit system. Each course (compulsory and elective) is worth 5 credits, for a total of 45 credits. The remaining 15 credits are earned by writing the Master’s thesis
• The 8 Core LL.M. Courses are reserved for the LL.M. students. They provide the primary course load, covering the main areas of international business law. Students will benefit from small classes, close relations with the ULB teaching staff and group camaraderie amongst the LL.M. students
• The 1 Elective Course may be selected from any of the courses that are taught in the law faculty of the ULB (in English or in French). LL.M. students can capitalize on the truly remarkable curricular and methodological diversity offered at ULB
• The LL.M. Thesis involves the preparation of a written work on a topic of international business law of the student’s own choosing, under the one-to-one supervision of a member of the teaching staff

Core LL.M. Courses

• International Company Law & Corporate Governance
• International Commercial Transactions
• International and European Competition Law
• International Regulatory and Tax Law
• International Trade and Investment Dispute Settlement
• International Litigation and Arbitration
• International Banking and Finance Law
• International Law of IP, IT and Data Protection

Elective Course

Students must choose an elective course from amongst the courses that are offered at the Faculty of Law of the ULB. The elective requirement can also be satisfied by doing an internship (obtained by the student).

The list of courses is very rich. Examples from previous years include:

• Law, Finance, and Economics (Prof. Marco Becht)
• Free Movement of Goods (Prof. Peter Oliver)
• European Private and Comparative Law (Prof. Erik Van den Haute)
• Economics and the Law of the WTO (Prof. Petros Mavroidis and André Sapir)
• Interest groups and lobbies in the European Union (Prof. Pascaline Winand)
• Global Governance (Prof. Luk Van Langenhove)
• The European Union and developing countries (Prof. Nicolas Schrijver)

Scholarship

We offer one scholarship per year which involves a waiver of fees. The scholarship is aimed at widening access to the program for a deserving student with excellent academic credentials.

The application for the scholarship must be received by 1 June.

Conditions of Admission

Primary Degree: The LL.M. is open to students who hold (i) a primary law degree or (ii) a primary degree at University level in another subject with professional or other experience in law.

Proof of English Proficiency : Candidates must establish English proficiency in one of the following ways: (i) TOEFL test with a score of minimum 90, (ii) IELTS test with an overall score of minimum 6.5, (iii) primary degree in English, (iv) other written evidence of English proficiency (subject to acceptance by the admission officer).

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