The Department of Legal Studies provides high quality advanced legal education and education in human rights, comparative constitutional law, and international business law. Its programs are among the finest in Europe, enabling students to obtain a solid grounding in fundamental legal concepts in civil law and common law systems and to develop unique skills in comparative analysis. Our students are encouraged to see complex legal and social problems in their broader context and seek solutions across continents and disciplines.
Our first master programs were established in 1992 to respond to the challenges of constitutional, legal and political transition to democracy. We have gradually expanded our curriculum to explore the challenges established and emerging democracies and their societies face in an increasingly globalized world. Today, our students come from over 30 countries and are received by our outstanding international faculty from 20 countries. The diversity of our academic community serves as a resource for professional development, a constant source of inspiration for developing new ideas and an unmatched opportunity for personal development in and outside classes.
The Department's Master's program in Comparative Constitutional Law is the only such degree in this subject in the world, training future civil servants, NGO leaders and IGO professionals, and academics to respond to domestic and global constitutional challenges in a theoretically grounded and policy-relevant manner. The Master's program in International Business Law enables graduates to become competent participants in international business structures and transactions through offering a range of courses in dispute resolution, comparative and international business law and the regulation of business environments. This program also offers, in collaboration with the Department of Economics, a joint degree in Economic and Legal Studies.
The MA degree in Human Rights remains the first in the region to offer graduate education in international and European human rights for committed future practitioners of human rights. Students studying for an LLM degree in Human Rights also benefit from the highly interdisciplinary environment of the Human Rights Program, while they receive an advanced degree in the legal dimensions of human rights protection.
Our Doctoral Program offers an opportunity to conduct independent research, complete doctoral-level course work and gain experience with teaching and other academic activities. The Department of Legal Studies welcomes doctoral projects on topics pertaining to our research and teaching areas. Applicants holding a law degree qualify for an SJD degree offered by the Department of Legal Studies. Applicants not having a law degree, but holding a master's degree in a field related to human rights qualify for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Science - Human Rights Minor, offered jointly by the Department of Political Science.
The student/faculty ratio for the Department of Legal Studies is 7:1.