Program Overview

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University of Fribourg Law Program

The University of Fribourg's Faculty of Law is committed to the challenges of today and tomorrow, with a strong focus on post-graduate training. The faculty offers a doctoral program in law, which is multilingual and multidisciplinary, covering various areas of legal specialization.

Fribourg Profile

The faculty attaches particular importance to post-graduate training, aiming to provide young researchers with optimal framework conditions to obtain their doctorate in law. The doctoral training is multilingual and multidisciplinary, with courses taking place at different specialized research centers and a wide network of nationally and internationally recognized scientific partners.

Research Areas

The faculty offers research opportunities in various areas, including:

• Private law: civil law, Swiss and European contract law, Roman law, and comparative law
• Public law: public law, administrative law, canon law, and social insurance law
• Criminal law: criminal law, Swiss and international criminal procedure law, mutual legal assistance, and criminology
• International and commercial law: international and European law, commercial law, international private law, and civil procedure

Institutes

The faculty is linked to several institutes, including:

• Institute of Federalism
• Institute of European Law
• Institute of Law and Religion
• Institute of Construction Law
• Institute of Law and Economics
• Interfaculty institutes (Interdisciplinary Institute of Ethics and Human Rights and Institute of Family Research and Consulting)

Doctoral Programmes

The faculty offers various doctoral programs, including:

• The CUSO doctoral program in Law, which aims to improve conditions for doctoral theses by encouraging contacts between researchers and proposing numerous doctoral training activities
• The doctoral program in law, philosophy, and history of the Universities of Fribourg and Bern, called "Law, ideas and politics of Europe"

Professors

The faculty has a range of professors who are eligible to supervise theses, including:

• Prof. Marc Amstutz: corporate law, group law, competition law, sociology of law, theory of law, and legal methodology
• Prof. Eva Maria Belser: Swiss constitutional law and comparative law, fundamental rights and human rights, democracy, federalism, and administrative law
• Prof. Samantha Besson: international law, European law, international and European human rights law, theory of human rights, philosophy of international and European law, and general international law
• Prof. Martin Beyeler: private construction law, law of public infrastructures, law of public demand, and legal analysis of alternative conflict resolution methods
• Prof. Marc Bors: Roman law
• Prof. Basile Cardinaux: labour law and social insurance law
• Prof. Isabelle Chabloz: corporate law, public takeover law, competition law, debt collection and bankruptcy law
• Prof. Jacques Dubey: constitutional law and administrative law
• Prof. Astrid Epiney: European Union law, international public law, legal relations between Switzerland and the EU, European and international environmental law, and European and Swiss data protection law
• Prof. Gerhard Fiolka: international criminal law, European criminal law, international mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, and accessory criminal law
• Prof. Christiana Fountoulakis: family law, personal rights, media law, child and adult protection law, contract law, private international law, and arbitration law
• Prof. Clémence Grisel: Swiss public law, administrative law, and administrative procedure
• Prof. Michel Heinzmann: civil procedure and enforcement law
• Prof. Pascal Hinny: national and international tax law
• Prof. Bettina Hürlimann-Kaup: property law, personal rights, and preliminary title of the Swiss Civil Code
• Prof. Alexandra Jungo: family law and succession law
• Prof. Ramon Mabillard: national and international civil procedure, debt collection and bankruptcy law, and international private law
• Prof. Stephan Maeder: criminal law and criminal procedure
• Prof. Yves Mausen: history of law
• Prof. Marcel Alexander Niggli: criminal law and philosophy of law
• Prof. René Pahud de Mortanges: history of law and constitutional law, law of religions and canon law
• Prof. Bertrand Perrin: special criminal law, criminal business law, and criminal procedure
• Prof. Pascal Pichonnaz: private law, Roman law, contract law, European private law, and European consumer law
• Prof. Maryse Pradervand-Kernen: real rights, right property ownership, law of succession, and preliminary chapter of the Civil Code
• Prof. Adriano Previtali: social and social insurance law, and constitutional law
• Prof. Sarah Progin-Theuerkauf: European law and European migration law
• Prof. Pascal Rey: contract law
• Prof. Isabelle Romy Romerio Giudici: private international law, international procedure, and environmental law
• Prof. Andreas Stöckli: constitutional right, general administrative law, and special administrative law
• Prof. Hubert Stöckli: contract law, civil liability law, and private construction law
• Prof. Daniel de Vries Reilingh: Swiss tax law and international tax law
• Prof. Joëlle Vuille: criminal law, general section, criminal penalty law, and execution of sanctions
• Prof. Bernhard Waldmann: constitutional law, administrative law, and public organisation law
• Prof. Franz Werro: contract law and European private law
• Prof. Jean-Baptiste Zufferey: Swiss administrative law, general administrative law, and social administrative law

Admission

To be admitted to a doctorate, the candidate must have been awarded an academic bachelor's and master's degree or an equivalent qualification from a university recognized by the University of Fribourg. Before applying for a doctorate, the candidate must contact a professor who would be willing to supervise the thesis work. There is no general right to be admitted to a doctorate.

Degree Conferred

The degree conferred is Iuris doctor / Doctor of Law (PhD).

Commencement of Studies

An application for admission may be submitted at any time.

Regulation

The regulation is available in French and German only.

Application Procedure

Candidates with Swiss qualifications and candidates with foreign qualifications must follow the same application procedure.

Key Points

• Degree conferred: Iuris doctor / Doctor of Law (PhD)
• Commencement of studies: An application for admission may be submitted at any time
• Regulation: Available in French and German only
• Application procedure: Same procedure for candidates with Swiss and foreign qualifications

Studies Organisation

The faculty offers various study programs, including:

• Bachelor
• Master
• Doctorate
• DEEM
• Visiting student
• Listener
• Refugees
• Welcome Center
• Administrative services for Unifr students

Choose Fribourg

The faculty offers a range of resources and services to support students, including:

• Life in Fribourg
• Living in Fribourg
• Fribourg and its region

Mobility

The faculty offers various mobility programs, including:

• Incoming
• Outgoing
• Contact

Diploma

The faculty offers various diploma options, including:

• University diploma
• Diploma Supplement
• Verification
• Duplicate
• Equivalence Licentiate / Master
• Certified copy, legalisation (of the original)

Support and Resources

The faculty offers a range of support and resources, including:

• Financial support and insurance
• Wellbeing and Health
• Learning and success
• Equality and Parenthood
• Conflits and discrimination Duplicata
• Administrative and legal support
• Contacts
• Emergency numbers