Program Overview

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International and European Law

For you?

Ever wonder which laws allow Facebook, Instagram and Twitter access to your private data? Or if tweets from government officials constitute as evidence in international criminal trials? Do you want to make the world a fairer and more equitable place?

Join students and lecturers from 75 different nationalities in the International and European Law degree programme and learn all about international and European law. This degree programme is in English and based in The Hague, the City of Justice and Peace. It cannot get any more international and equitable than this!

In 4 years you will have all the personal and professional skills to build a successful international legal career. The new bachelor law curriculum is perfectly in line with the current requirements of international law. In the first two years, you lay the foundation for your career and learn through theory and practice how to apply Law in an international environment. In year 3 you will specialise further and deepen your legal skills and knowledge. For example, follow a specific minor, choose modules or study abroad for a semester. In your final year of study, you will do an internship and a final project.

Admission requirements

You have a Dutch diploma

• Pre-education | Required profile
  • Havo (senior general secondary education) | Culture & Society, Economics & Society, Nature & Health, Nature & Technology
  • Vwo (pre-university education) | Culture & Society, Economics & Society, Nature & Health, Nature & Technology
  • Mbo (senior secondary vocational education and training) | Level 4, middle management or specialised secondary education programme

You have a non-Dutch diploma

To enrol for the LAW 4 year programme you will need a secondary school diploma comparable to a Dutch HAVO, VWO or MBO (level 4) diploma and a good command of English.

Before we can decide on your eligibility, we’ll need to assess your secondary school certificate.

To make sure your certificate is evaluated fairly, we work with NUFFIC, an organisation that specialises in the assessment of international education qualifications.

Entrance advice

It is important that you enjoy communicating in English since law is a very language-oriented discipline. This means that you should have a sufficient feeling for language and be committed to having a good command of English. You should also have an affinity for social issues and economics. A legal professional has to be concerned with social relationships and the role he or she plays in social dynamics.

Language requirements

If you were not educated in the Netherlands you usually have to submit a language test to be admitted. Depending on the type and country of your diploma you may however qualify for exemption. Please check our entry requirements page for more information.

Study choice activities

Join one of our study choice activities to find out if THUAS is the right fit for you.

• Open Day
• Shadow a student
• Trial Study Days

Degree programme in figures

• 13,5 hours of lectures per week
• 25 hours of independent study per week
• 1,5 hours of projects per week
• 60 credits per year

Programme content

What will you study each year?

The first year is the introductory (propaedeutic) year

You start with the basics. Year one (the propaedeutic year) introduces you to the foundations of International and European Law. During the first three weeks you will follow a module specifically designed to introduce you to the legal field, the basic skills, our programme, the university and The Hague. From there on, you will focus on EU Law, Public International Law, Tort, Company, and Family Law, building a solid foundation for the next three years.

We believe you should apply in practical and professional assignments what you have learnt from your law books. As a result, you will work on professional skills from day one. You will take modules on legal writing, technical skills, reasoning and negotiating as well as learning the tools of the trade, from writing memoranda and letters of advice to draft decisions and legal analysis. All things that an outstanding international legal professional does well. You will encounter professional scenario’s that either directly come from practice or mirror legal practice. Please note that our curriculum is still under construction. Subjects might change.

Semester 1

• Introduction to law
• International law
• Private Law
• Legal skills
• Global Awareness and Professional Development

Semester 2

• EU Law
• Private Law
• Legal Skills
• Global Awareness and Professional Development

Delve deeper

During year 2, you will strengthen and consolidate your legal skills when you are introduced to International Criminal Law, International Trade, Labour Law and more. Then you will take part in group Moot Court projects representing fictitious corporate clients, assisting them with legal issues, like mergers and acquisitions. Or you will defend, or prosecute, an international war crime suspect. You will gain a perfect balance of theory and practice during our programme. There is even a chance to make a final plea at the Court of Justice in The Hague where judges will assess your performance.

Semester 1

• Public International Law
• EU Business Law
• Legal Skills
• Global Citizenship and Professional Development

Semester 2

• International Criminal Law
• Corporate and Trade Law
• Legal Skills
• Global Citizenship and Professional Development

Specialisation year

In year three you are steering your own professionalisation path. Here you have the possibility to acquire more in-depth knowledge in legal areas of your interest. You follow two mandatory courses: the Research Lab and Cross-Culture Skills and Professional Development. In addition, you can choose four elective modules or minors, of 13-15 credits each, from our departments mentioned below. The module choices are broad, you can specialise in anything from Corporate Law to International Criminal Law, from Legal Technology to Human Rights. These modules are spread over both semesters, carefully selected and tailored to today’s market needs, so that you can form your own specialisation. In addition, you choose from which department you would like a coach that guides you through your third and fourth year. You can also take a minor within or outside THUAS or participate in special project, like a Moot Court Competition.

Semester 1 & 2

• Corporate Law
  • Corporate Governance
  • Tax Law & Financial Regulation
  • Compliance Minor
• Business Law
  • Business & Employment
  • Dispute Resolution Minor
  • Contract Management & Legal Ops
  • Sale & Logistics
• EU Law
  • EU Public Law & European Governance
  • Public Health & Animals
  • EU Business Regulation
  • Climate & Natural Resources

Graduation year

It is no secret that the international law job market is fiercely competitive. But the good news is that our law graduates are particularly successful at finding jobs within a year. That is because The Hague, the International City of Peace and Justice, hosts multiple prestigious international institutions, NGOs, embassies and international companies. We also organise an employment network event, where you can meet and network with legal professionals and look for internships and jobs. The modules you follow in the graduation year are spread over both semesters

Our partner institutions and companies advise us on our curriculum, internships and graduation projects, so we always stay relevant to current market demands. This culminates in year four when you work on your final graduation project and go on an internship for at least 100 working days. With your Law diploma in hand you will become a world citizen, like we aim in our mission statement: ‘From the International City of Peace and Justice, and through an ambitious and practice-oriented learning environment, the Law programme aims to educate world citizens and form excellent and adaptable legal professionals who embrace today’s and tomorrow’s legal challenges and opportunities’.

Semester 1 & 2

• Internship
• Applied Research Project

Testimonials from our students

Who better to tell about the degree programme than our own students? They share their experiences here. Some of them are also ready and waiting to answer any questions you may have.

• Ask me anything about the Law programme - Zsófia Rába
• On studying Law at an Applied Sciences University - Rebecca Howard
• On being part of a global community of Law students - Gaia Padalino
• On The Hague being an ideal location to study Law - Iza Piacentini

Career perspective

What will you become?

• Compliance officer
• Contract Manager
• Legal researcher
• Project worker
• Legal advisor
• Legal assistant
• Trainee solicitor
• Policy analyst

Continue studying

More and more Law graduates continue their education after graduating from THUAS. Outside the Netherlands, you can follow a masters after graduation. Law students have enrolled for masters at King’s College and the London School of Economics in London, the University of Kent in Canterbury, Oxford and Cambridge. Even as far as Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia.

You should note that some universities in the Netherlands require you to follow a pre-masters year after graduating from THUAS. There are exceptions, such as Utrecht University.

Practical information

What else do you need to know?

• How to apply
• Tuition fee
• Scholarships
• Student finance
• Visa and residence permit
• Additional Costs

Official details of the programme

This degree programme is registered in Registration of Institutions and Programmes (RIO):

• Official Dutch name of degree programme: HBO - Rechten
• Official international name: Law
• Programme code (Isat): 39205
• Institution code (Brin): 27UM

Both the official Dutch and the official international name of the degree programme (current at the time of your graduation) will be printed on your diploma.

For more information on the accreditation of this degree programme, see the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) website.

Downloads

• Programme and Examination Regulations (PER)
• OLP
• Study in numbers

Binding Study Advice (BSA)

To continue your degree programme after the first year, you need to earn 50 of the 60 credits (EC or Credits). In some cases, the degree programme may also require that you pass a specific subject as part of the credit requirements. We call this a qualitative requirement. If you meet the credit requirements as well as the qualitative requirement where applicable, you will receive a positive binding study advice (BSA) from the Examination Board at the end of your first year and you will be able to continue your degree programme.

If you earn less than 50 credits or don’t meet the qualitative requirements where applicable, you will receive a negative binding study advice and will have to leave the degree programme. This is why this advice is called a Negative Binding Study Advice (NBSA).

Your academic progress may be affected by personal circumstances such as illness or the professional practice of a sport. It is important that you inform the Examination Board immediately of any personal circumstances that might apply to you. The Board can take these into account when issuing its study advice.

Read all the rules for the binding study advice in Chapter 7 of the Programme and Examination Regulations (PER) for your degree programme.