Key points

Degree: Master of Laws (LL.M.).
Specialization: International Law.
Language of instruction: English.
Duration: 1 year (1 October to 30 September).
Workload: 60 ECTS credits.
Study mode: full-time.
Admission requirements: bachelor's degree plus 1 year of professional experience.
Tuition fee: €7,800 (€3,900 per semester); early applicants €7,200.
Scholarships: full and partial tuition waivers.
Application deadline: 31 May.
Number of students per year: 20-30.

Overview

Göttingen Master of International Law (GOMIL) is a postgraduate program designed to provide a deeper understanding of legal rules and standards of interstate relations and so to prepare students for careers involving international law and policy. The program encompasses not only the exploration of theoretical foundations of international law, but also the critical examination of numerous real-life examples and case studies illustrating the practical application of its rules and principles. The program encourages and supports the development of independent thinking, a vital skill in the dynamic realm of international law.

Target group

The main target group of GOMIL LL.M. Program is lawyers wishing to specialize in the area of international law beyond the scope usually covered in undergraduate legal studies. Additionally, the program is open to graduates of other related disciplines, e.g. international relations or political science. As a result, program participants can benefit from exchanging opinions, engaging in group projects and other forms of cooperation with classmates from other fields, which helps them to better understand different angles and perspectives of the topics they study.

Besides the variety of academic and professional backgrounds, we also strive to achieve diverse geographic representation in the selection of each year's program participants. Such diversity enriches classroom discussions and collaborative activities by ensuring the exchange and application of ideas and approaches from various legal systems and cultural environments.

Program duration

Your studies at the GOMIL Program will normally take one year (from October to September). During this time, you will have to obtain 60 ECTS credits, including 20 credits for a completion of a master's thesis. If your total post-secondary education lasted less than 4 years, you might be required to earn more credits in order to be awarded the LL.M. degree. In this case, our educational adviser will help you to work out an individual study plan that will allow you to earn the required credits without exceeding the normal program duration.

Program language

Considering the international makeup and orientation of the GOMIL Program, English has been chosen as its language of instruction. Therefore, in order to be admitted to the program, applicants will have to demonstrate that their English language skills are sufficient for the purposes of higher education.

Though knowledge of the German language is not a pre-requisite for admission, it is certainly quite useful for managing everyday life and studies in Germany. Therefore, we encourage our international students to learn some German before the beginning of the program and to take advantage of numerous language learning opportunities offered by the University of Göttingen while studying here. Specifically, students can attend all the courses offered by the University's language center (ZESS) free of charge.

Curriculum

In order to gain your LL.M. degree, you will have to obtain at least 60 ECTS credits. 20 credits will be awarded for the completion of the individual master's module, which involves the preparation and writing of a master's thesis. The remaining 40 ECTS credits can be obtained by completing a sufficient number of group study modules. In particular, you must choose and successfully complete 2 out of 3 core modules, namely:

Public International Law (6 ECTS credits),
International Economic Law (6 ETS credits),
International Criminal Law (6 ECTS credits).

In addition, you have to pass the research colloquium (4 ECTS credits) and three elective courses (each of which is worth 6 ECTS credits). The list of available elective courses can change slightly from year to year, but usually at least 5 or 6 of the below-listed courses are offered:

Environmental Law and Policy
Human Rights
Migration and Asylum Law
International and Commercial Arbitration
Law of Armed Conflict
International Organisations
Law of the Sea
Settlement of Disputes
Studies in post-colonialism
International Law and Sustainable Development
ICC and International Criminal Tribunals
International Law and the EU and the Law of EU External Action
Cases and Developments in International Economic Law
Cases and Developments in Public International Law
Cases and Developments in International Criminal Law
Moot Court
Summer School

Why study in Göttingen?

The University of Göttingen is constantly ranked among the best German higher education institutions in various national and international university rankings. Since its foundation in 1737, it has provided excellent study and research opportunities to students and scholars from all over the world, including more than 40 Nobel Prize winners. Besides the instruction and guidance from prominent professors and other experts, Göttingen students benefit from the access to first-class study facilities, for example Göttingen State and University Library, which is one of the largest libraries in Germany, containing around 8 million items and providing access to numerous legal and other scholarly databases.

Göttingen University's Faculty of Law enjoys an excellent reputation for teaching, research, and professional development. Throughout the centuries of its existence, it has been renowned for advancing legal science and offering outstanding legal training by eminent jurists like Johann Stephan Pütter, Georg Friedrich von Martens and Herbert Kraus. Consequently, Göttingen has always been a very attractive place for those wishing to study law, including some famous historic figures like Otto von Bismarck or Wilhelm von Humboldt.

Today, the Institute of International and European Law benefits from the collective expertise of Professors Kai Ambos, Andreas Paulus and Peter-Tobias Stoll. Professor Kai Ambos is a distinguished figure in international criminal law, known for his role as a Judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, The Hague, and as the author of the Treatise on International Criminal Law (OUP). He is also recognized for his contributions to the Colombia peace process and is the recipient of numerous prizes including the Lower Saxony Science Prize and the Order of Merit “Carlos Lemos Simmonds” by the Colombian Press Association. Professor Andreas Paulus is an expert in public international law, noted for his Commentary on the Charter of the United Nations (OUP) and his significant experience as a former Justice at the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, also serves as a substitute member of the Venice Commission for Democracy through Law. Professor Peter-Tobias Stoll is an expert on international economic and environmental law, as demonstrated, for example, through his authoritative Commentaries on World Trade Law (Brill/Nijhoff) and his inclusion on the European Commission's list of candidates suitable for appointment as arbitrators and TSD experts for dispute settlement panels under trade agreements to which the EU is a party. His teaching experience includes numerous international appointments both at the University of Göttingen (Jean Monnet professorship) and abroad (ELTE University). These professors, with their diverse and profound expertise, have been instrumental in the establishment of the GOMIL Program and currently constitute its Academic Board and core teaching staff.

A number of attractive features make studying law in Göttingen especially rewarding. For example, legal education here has a strong link to practice, offering classes not only by professors, but also by attorneys and other practitioners. In addition, many professors are also active outside academia, for example as legal advisers, members of legislative commissions or judges of highest courts.

Another appealing aspect of Göttingen Law Faculty is its internationality. As well as hosting students from all over the world and providing numerous exchange opportunities, the Faculty also offers classes by visiting professors from other countries and is involved in continuous international cooperation through various dedicated bodies like the Sino-German Institute of Legal Studies or the European Academy of Law and ICT. Furthermore, specifically in the field of international law, the Faculty is home to the renowned Goettingen Journal of International Law (GoJIL), which attracts input and expertise from academics and practitioners from all over the world.

Further advantages for law students in Göttingen derive from the wide variety of specialized institutes and other specialization clusters, which ensure that numerous legal subjects can be studied from multiple perspectives and in all their aspects. In addition to lectures and seminars by well-known experts in their fields, students can take advantage of various conferences, workshops, and study trips organized or co-organized by the Law Faculty or individual professors.