Peace, Justice and Development

“What is an Advanced Studies programme?”

The LL.M. Advanced Studies programmes differ from regular LL.M. programmes both in their level of teaching and learning. The Advanced Studies programmes are specifically designed for excellent students with legal experience and for qualified lawyers who wish to enhance their career prospects. Regular LL.M. programmes are the final part of the standard Dutch law curriculum, and form a required programme for Dutch students wishing to gain the right to enter legal practice in the Netherlands. The regular programmes the Leiden Law School offers are also accessible for international students (and attract many!), and are aimed at those participating directly after completing a bachelor‘s programme in Law.

In terms of level of study, the Advanced Studies programmes are substantially more in-depth and demanding. In just one academic year they offer a thorough and focused education on a specific area of legal expertise. Advanced Studies students benefit from teaching based on the Socratic method, as well as both a practical and theoretical approach to the subject area. The Advanced Studies programmes are not in the first place research programmes. Whilst they are an excellent vehicle for the further development of research skills and as such also offer entry into PhD research, the programmes are first and foremost professional in their orientation. They cater exclusively for a group of students who benefit from close contact with their professors and with expert practitioners from the relevant legal field. There are very few universities that offer LL.M. programmes at this level.

“The LL.M. (adv.) provided me with the workings of Public International Law, as a foundation and a specialisation, evoking my interest in International Criminal Law; a field I intend to pursue.”