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Posted April 5, 2019
Reasons To Study Your LLM In Belgium
Belgium is in the political centre of the European Union and is a popular place for law students looking to work in the EU, NATO or associated NGOs to study and network.
It is the ideal place to study your LLM program and has a great selection of exciting Master of Laws courses to choose from.
Here are just a few reasons why you should choose to study your LLM in Belgium.
Legal System
The Belgian legal system is based on the Napoleonic code, and like France Belgium has a Civil Law System. For students from other Civil Law systems that are broadly similar to the French system this is a great place to study an LLM, however, for those students who have learnt and practiced under the Common Law system there is another layer of learning added to their LLM studies – making it both interesting and useful.
International Career
Belgium is one of the founding nations of the European Union and the EU parliament itself is based in Brussels, as are many other international organisations related to the EU. The United Nations has a large representation in Brussels in order to work more closely with the EU. NATO is also based in Brussels. Travelling around Belgium is really easy, so making the most of the connections of the law school within these organisations is an excellent way to network and improve your future career prospects.
Foreign Languages
There are three languages spoken in the different areas of Belgium. Some areas speak French, others speak Dutch and those closer to Germany speak German. This means that Government communications are issued in all three languages as well as in English. However, the official language of the region determines which language is the local legal language and this can only be either French or Dutch. This gives LLM students an excellent chance to work in a number of different European languages – an excellent opportunity for the linguists amongst you!
LLM Topics
Most law schools in Belgium offer an LLM in English. Often these will specialise in some aspect of European or International Law such as European Union Law or International Business Law. One good option is the LLM in International and European Law organised by the Institute for European Studies, in cooperation with the Vrije University of Brussels Faculty of Law.At KU Leuven the LLM program has two specialities of either International and European Business Law or International and European Public Law. Ghent University offers a similar selection of LLM courses in English as well as European Union Law and the University of Antwerp focuses strongly on European Law. Meanwhile the University of Liège has an LLM program in English that concentrates more specifically on EU Competition and Intellectual Property Law.
Excellent Academic Record
The law schools of Belgium are well respected internationally. KU Leuven is the highest ranked law schools and regularly features in the top 50 law schools in the world by the QS World Rankings. The remaining law schools all feature in the top 300 law schools in the world.
Teaching Methods
Belgian law schools teach in a manner familiar to most other European law students with lectures, tutorials and legal clinics and discussions. Some law schools, such as KU Leuven, focus on legal research as well as teachings and base their programs on this research.
LLM Courses in English by Law School
Here is a table showing the LLM programs on offer at various Belgium law schools.
Sources: 1 and law schools own websites.
PLEASE NOTE: As a result of Brexit, from Autumn 2021 postgraduate students from the European Union studying at a UK university will be charged the same tuition fees as international students. UK students studying their postgraduate course at a European university are also likely to incur higher tuition fees than their EU counterparts. It is advisable to check with the individual universities in the UK and Europe for up-to-date information on tuition fees for all postgraduate programs.
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Studying Your LLM (Master of Laws) In Belgium
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