Public International Law is a track of the Master's programme in International and European Law. The programme introduces students to the core areas of general international law, including sources, international responsibility, international organisations, and human rights.

The public international law has a long tradition but also an acute modern relevance. Its main functions are the facilitation of the co-existence of independent states and communities and the furtherance of international cooperation for shared interests. Both functions are of critical importance in an era of internationalisation and globalisation.

The Public International Law track is taught by leading international law scholars with a high academic reputation and broad experience in the practice of international law. In addition to lectures, most courses are taught in smaller seminars or working groups allowing for a challenging exchange of ideas on the latest developments and academic insights in this dynamic area of law.... [-]

The two-year Research Master’s programme in Public International Law aims to give students knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles of public international law, with a particular focus on key areas of the international rule of law.

Students of the Research Master's Public International Law will engage with questions of legal science and international legal research and will acquire the skills they need in order to apply their knowledge to conduct fundamental and applied research. Graduates of the Research Master’s may apply for an accelerated, three-year PhD track.

During the first year, students gain an understanding of the foundations of public international law and, more specifically, the international rule of law. In the second year, students will have the opportunity to specialise in a topic within the theme of the international rule of law, for example in the field of human rights, criminal law or humanitarian law.... [-]

In September 2018, the Amsterdam Law School and the Amsterdam Business School launched the first year of a new Master’s programme in Law & Finance (LLM). The growing importance of finance to the global economy has made it increasingly important that lawyers have a good grasp of financial economics. According to both a Harvard Law School survey and the industry leaders we spoke to during the design phase and development of this programme, law students with extensive knowledge of Corporate Finance, Accounting, and Financial Statement Analysis have a clear advantage in the jobs market over students without that knowledge and those skills.

In this Master’s programme, the Amsterdam Law School and the Amsterdam Business School join forces to offer a challenging curriculum the contents of which was chosen in close consultation with major jobs market representatives.... [-]

Columbia University School of Law and the Amsterdam Law School offer a joint LLM programme in International Criminal Law, with an exchange to the US in the second semester. This Master track is the first to focus on international criminal law as a distinct field of legal study. The central aim of the joint LLM programme is to train a new style of international criminal lawyers who are capable of transcending (disciplinary) borders, by offering a broad and deep understanding of relevant issues pertaining to international and cross-border justice and supporting the development of academic skills through the in-depth analysis of such issues.

The programme is unique because of the dual perspective it offers on international criminal law. The International Criminal Law LLM combines insights from a common law focus offered by Columbia Law School with a civil law perspective provided by the Amsterdam Law School.... [-]

European Private Law is a Master’s programme on European civil and commercial law in context. It combines a set of core courses on topics at the heart of Europeanisation and internationalisation with a broad range of elective courses on subjects of high economic and societal relevance.

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.... [-]

What we call international tax law is actually a fascinating mix of domestic law, treaty law and soft-law initiatives, and this programme offers you the insight and skills you need to deal with this complex area.

This programme is organized together with IBFD.

The growing globalization of the world economy brings with it a growing demand for international tax law specialists who have a thorough understanding of the underlying principles, who are familiar with the policy perspectives of countries at differing stages of development and who are aware of the practical implications of the law. The University of Amsterdam has joined forces with IBFD, an internationally renowned tax research institute, to meet that demand.... [-]

The Amsterdam Law School offers a full LLM in International and Transnational Criminal Law, with transnational criminal law courses and opportunities for internships, law clinics and research for courts and tribunals in the Netherlands in the second semester. This Master programme track is the first to focus on international and transnational criminal law as distinct fields of legal study. The central aim is to train a new style of criminal lawyers who are capable of transcending (disciplinary) borders, by offering a broad and deep understanding of relevant issues pertaining to international and cross-border justice and supporting the development of academic skills through the in-depth analysis of such issues.... [-]

The law faculties of the UvA (University of Amsterdam) and the VU (Vrije Universiteit) have combined their expertise to cover a breadth of information in the Master's programme Law, Markets and Behaviour.

This multidisciplinary Master's track will deepen your understanding of the law and foster your knowledge of the fields with which the law interacts, such as corporate finance, psychology and ethics. You will find more information about the programme on the website of VU Amsterdam.

Law, Markets and Behavior is a selective, international programme, accepting approximately thirty participants annually. Students study and work together throughout the year at the VU and UvA campuses, forming strong bonds that last into their professional careers. This programme is formally a track of the Dutch Master's programme in Corporate Law (Ondernemingsrecht) at the VU. The diploma awarded will be a Master's Ondernemingsrecht.... [-]

Increasingly mobile populations, climate change, and the fast pace of technological innovation are just some of the issues in today’s headlines that reveal a growing need for experts in European Union Law.

The European Union Law Master’s programme provides its students with a solid foundation in substantive and institutional EU Law. Classes are taught by renowned experts in their fields of specialisation and our professors are scholars who are closely connected to one of the university’s research centres of excellence. We integrate the most recent academic insights and legal developments into our curriculum, along with a path towards developing expertise in a specific area of specialisation. For example:... [-]

Information is the central building block of markets and societies. New ways of creating, disseminating and using information impacts the workings of democracy, science and education, and creativity and culture. Reliance on personal data and personalised online services affects individuals and their human rights. As a result, new and important issues are emerging for which our laws are not optimally adapted.

The Research Master's in Information Law provides ambitious students with the legal skills that enable them to tackle the complex legal issues that arise in an information society, both from a scientific and practical perspective. The programme offers outstanding students with an interest in scientific research in the field of information law the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of subjects relevant to information law, to obtain hands-on research experience embedded in one of the world's leading research centres and a semester at a foreign law school abroad.... [-]

The European Competition Law and Regulation track of the LLM programme in International and European Law focus on the law and governance of economic regulation and competition in the EU.

Today’s markets are characterized by rapid developments due to disruptive innovation and dynamic technological changes. As businesses adjust their practices to the changing market environment, the boundaries of the law are greatly challenged. Cases involving Google or Facebook as well as attempts to regulate Airbnb and Uber or the position of household energy producers may serve as examples.

The master track European Competition Law and Regulation offers a unique program across European universities to specialize in competition law and study the regulatory framework applicable to economic activities in fast-moving and progressively digitalized markets. You will learn to fully understand and explain the complex web of market processes in the European law context and will also obtain the fundamental legal skills that allow you to master new legal fields and solve a diverse range of legal problems.... [-]

The International Trade and Investment Law track of the Master's programme in International and European Law deals with two aspects of the international economic law.

International trade and investment are driving forces in the world economy and its increasing globalization. This track focuses on the international law that governs these economic relations for states and regions.

A significant part of the programme concerns the Geneva-based World Trade Organisation (WTO). The WTO provides the legal framework for the multilateral trading systems for goods and services, including its advanced system of dispute resolution.

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:... [-]

War crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide disrupt societies and pose a threat to international peace and security. Developing theories to understand this human behavior and designing effective strategies to react to these atrocities is extremely challenging. International Crimes and Criminology is an interdisciplinary Master’s programme in which you will learn how to measure and investigate these crimes. You are challenged to critically reflect on international criminal law and alternative modes of transitional justice, such as truth commissions and amnesties. The Master’s programme is unique: it is not offered by any other university worldwide. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is close to The Hague, the legal capital of the world.... [-]

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:... [-]