Today, many important private law questions no longer stop at national and disciplinary borders. Lawyers, working in legal practice, national and EU institutions, international corporations, NGOs, and academia, are increasingly confronted with rules and doctrines of European and international origin.

This programme uniquely equips students with the insights, knowledge, and critical skills needed for dealing with private law issues in a rapidly changing world. It provides a thorough understanding of the European and international aspects of private law, and of the economic, social and political forces driving its Europeanisation and globalization.

Within the programme lecturers and researchers from various foreign backgrounds work together. The Faculty of Law of VU Amsterdam is distinctive in having united EU Law, International Public Law, Internet Governance and Legal theory all in one joint research programme. This approach allows a broad, and at the same time in-depth, analysis of transnational legal issues. Students can design their own programme in line with their personal preferences: practical, academic, public law, civil law, economic, theoretical and social.

Transnational Legal Studies is a full-time, one-year graduate programme, organized as a specialization in the VU Master of Laws (LLM). Its curriculum is designed for students who want to pursue careers related to European and international issues and who are passionate about exploring the political, economic and social context of law. You will follow:... [-]

Master of Laws: Specialisation Transnational Legal Studies

The traditional distinctions between national, European and international law fail to capture the nature of law in a globalizing world. Cross-border phenomena such as terrorism, economic interdependence, migration, global warming and the internet invite us to use and think about law in ways challenging to traditional ideas of sovereignty and jurisdiction. Transnational legal studies focus on law beyond the state in its social, political, economic, symbolic and policy context. Students learn to address law as a phenomenon in its social, theoretical, symbolic and policy context.

Your programme in a nutshell

Transnational Legal Studies is one of the full time, one-year specializations within the VU master of laws, consisting of 60 EC in total. You will follow:... [-]