Program Overview

University of Fribourg

The University of Fribourg offers a range of academic programs, including a doctoral program in Legal Studies.

Program Overview

The doctoral program in Legal Studies at the University of Fribourg is a multilingual and multidisciplinary program that aims to provide young researchers with optimal framework conditions to obtain their doctorate in legal studies. The program is open to students who have a Master of Arts in Legal Studies (MALS) and is designed to offer a wide range of specializations in legal subjects.

Research Areas

The program covers various research 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 and Research Centers

The program is linked to several institutes and research centers, 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 Programs

The University of Fribourg offers several doctoral programs in law, 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, "Law, ideas and politics of Europe," which is an interdisciplinary bilingual doctoral program open to doctoral students at the universities of Fribourg and Bern

Professors and Supervisors

The program has a range of professors and supervisors with expertise in various areas of law, 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

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the doctoral program, candidates 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. Candidates must also contact a professor who would be willing to supervise their thesis work.

Degree Conferred

The program confers the degree of Philosophiae doctor in scientiis iuridicis / Doctor of Philosophy in Legal Studies (PhD).

Commencement of Studies

An application for admission may be submitted at any time.

Regulation

The program is regulated by the University of Fribourg's regulations, which are available in French and German.

Application Procedure

Candidates with Swiss qualifications and candidates with foreign qualifications must follow the same application procedure, which involves submitting an application and providing required documents.

Support and Resources

The University of Fribourg offers various support and resources to doctoral students, including financial support, wellbeing and health services, learning and success services, and administrative and legal support.