International Master's Programme – LLM in Legal Theory Goethe University Frankfurt

This programme engages with the rapid digitalisation and use of AI and the connected structural transformation of normativity in law. It introduces both the Anglo-American Common Law and the Civil or Continental Law tradition of legal theory. Its focus is to safeguard European traditions as the basis of constitutionalism in a global perspective, developing legal scholarship and jurisprudence as a science, and developing jurisprudence as applied legal theory so as to enable students to solve system conflicts. Such conflicts occur regularly because national law is becoming supra-, inter- and transnational and because of the growing weight of transnational law-making on the part of non-state actors.

This is reflected in the unique European design of the programme. Moreover, it offers an excellent institutional setting on the impressive and charming Westend campus of Goethe University Frankfurt.

1. The programme's exclusive concentration on legal theory makes it unique in the field of advanced legal studies in Europe, enabled by the university cluster of EALT.
2. It rests on synergies between three institutions located on the same campus: a large law faculty, the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory (www.lhlt.mpg.de/en), the Normative Orders Research Centre targeting at the integration of all Frankfurt social sciences with the focus on normativity, and the House of Finance (Institute for Law and Finance, www.ilf-frankfurt.de).
3. It also connects the reputation of Goethe University (GU) with many renowned universities in Europe as in Barcelona, Belgrade, Bologna (with EUI Florence), Glasgow, Graz, Lucerne, Stockholm and others.

Besides GU, the partners in the programme are core or associate partners.

Further associated partners contribute in a specific way within the activities of the large "Third Term Network", namely, in the supervision of students' Master's theses. In addition, a close cooperation exists with the International Association for Legal and Social Philosophy (IVR). The programme also has ties to major legal theory scholars at German universities such as Freiburg, Göttingen, Hamburg, and Munich.

The obligatory part of the curriculum consists of three compulsory modules (A-C) and of passing three elective modules out of seven (E1-7), and a Master's thesis (D). Students may stay at GU during the entire academic year. Alternatively, they may attend modules at partner universities starting in February. Moreover, they are welcome to attend more or less the whole set of modules and additional workshops and schools.

1. Compulsory modules:
A: Jurisprudence (History of Jurisprudence, Theories of Law, Moral & Political Philosophy of Law)
B: Theory of Comparative Law, Global Law; European Integration
C: Legal Methods, Inferencing in Law, Methodology in Legal Research (preparing D)
2. D-module: Master's thesis
3. Elective modules: E-modules deepen the basics of jurisprudence taught in A-, B- and C-courses.
E1: Law, History, and Culture / Cultural Studies (History of Law, Legal History, Legal Anthropology, Law and Religion)
E2: Law, Society & Culture (Legal Sociology, Law & Gender, Law & Literature)
E3: Law, Science and Technology
E4: Formation of Normative Orders (Legal Pluralism, Human Rights, International Law)
E5: Law and Economy (Governance & Compliance)
E6: Global Law (Global Digitality and Law)
E7: Law, Language and Reasoning

Following current developments in legal theory, other courses may be offered in addition.
Obligatory classes will be taken by approx. 15-20 international students. Elective classes will partly have fewer participants (minimum number: seven) and may be open to other students (as guests from partner universities and alumni from earlier classes). Classes will mostly be taught by renowned academic teaching personnel, including legal practitioners. The academic year will start with the winter semester (October/November to February) in Frankfurt.

The curriculum starts with introductory weeks (at the University of Brno on legal writing according to the Anglo-American as well as the Civil Law model and in Frankfurt preparing module A). On individual admission, students may participate in lectures or conferences at GU convened by institutions such as the Max Planck Institute or the Institute of Law and Finance.

The so-called "third term" (mid-June to mid-September, no courses) facilitates an optional research stay at a partner university or another partner of the "Third Term Network" ("mobility phase D") in Europe or Germany.

University of Bologna (and EUI Florence), University of Glasgow, University of Graz, University of Lisbon, University of Lucerne, Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona), University of Stockholm and other partner universities coordinated by the European Academy of Legal Theory

The programme provides no internships. However, some seminars will provide close contact with legal practitioners.

For the Master of Laws in Legal Theory (LLM), the following requirements must be met:

• Graduates must hold a basic degree in law or a basic degree in another field of study relevant to legal theory (e.g. arts, humanities or cultural, social, political, or economic studies) with a minimum duration of six semesters (180 ECTS).
• In general, they should also prove a minimum of one year of professional and/or research experience outside the basic degree programme prior to the start of the Master's programme in Legal Theory.
• Applicants must include evidence of English language proficiency (details below).

For further information, please see: www.legaltheory.eu/llm-in-legal-theory/application-admission-language/.

Approx. 380 EUR

This includes free public transportation (short-distance trains) in Germany ("Deutschlandticket"). There are numerous discounts for museums and the renowned Frankfurt Opera House.

1,050 EUR a month or more

In Frankfurt, almost 45,000 companies and organisations have approx. 450,000 employees on their payrolls. In addition, Frankfurt is the financial centre of Germany, with 350 banks, including the European Central Bank, 150 foreign banks, and the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world. Furthermore, Frankfurt is home to various cultural and research institutions. These are key players in a flourishing economy, offering students and graduates interesting jobs and internships. During your studies, there are job opportunities at Goethe University itself (e.g. as a tutor or research assistant), or you may look for jobs and internships elsewhere in the greater Frankfurt area. Some job opportunities are particularly interesting for students from abroad, e.g. at the airport and the trade fair. The "Studierendenwerk" as well as the Career Services at Goethe University can help you to find a suitable offer.

The city offers a wide variety of accommodation, from university dorms to privately rented apartments. The biggest providers of dorms are the "Studierendenwerk" (student services: www.swffm.de/en/accommodation/general-information) and churches. Further details will be given after the applicant's acceptance into the programme.

Goethe University is frequently ranked among Germany's leading institutions of higher education. The current organisation was founded as a university in 1914 by prominent citizens of Frankfurt. With far more than 40,000 students, including international students from almost 150 nationalities, the university prides itself on a rich tradition of intellectual and cultural excellence. Numerous Nobel laureates in science and medicine, including Max Born, Paul Ehrlich, and Max von Laue, were among the students and teachers at the university. It is home to the world-renowned Frankfurt School, Theodor Adorno's and Max Horkheimer's Institute for Social Research. Several Max Planck Institutes are situated on its campuses, too. Goethe University has enjoyed the teaching of philosophers and theologists, such as Paul Tillich, Martin Buber, and Jürgen Habermas. The university has 16 faculties, including Law, Economics and Business Administration, Social Sciences, Educational Sciences, Psychology and Sports Sciences, Philosophy and History, Theology, Linguistics, Cultural Studies and Arts Studies, Modern Languages, Geosciences and Geography, Computer Science and Mathematics, Physics, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Biological Sciences, and Medical Science.

Since the Middle Ages, Frankfurt am Main has been a major trade and finance centre at the crossroads of Europe's trade routes. Today, as the leading financial marketplace in continental Europe, Frankfurt is the seat of the European Central Bank and of international banks such as the Deutsche Bank. Thus, Frankfurt is at the centre of European monetary policy and the European Monetary Union. Major public banking institutions, including the Deutsche Bundesbank and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, one of the EU's leading public credit institutions, are based in Frankfurt, as is the world's fourth-largest stock exchange, the Deutsche Börse AG. The stock exchange also houses the world's largest and most modern all-electronic derivatives exchange: Eurex.

The region benefits from an outstanding telecommunication and transportation infrastructure. Frankfurt Airport is the leading airport in continental Europe and offers excellent connections within Europe and overseas. Frankfurt's dense transportation network ensures a seamless connection to all road and rail links.

Frankfurt is an international meeting point. It is home to the oldest trade fair in the world, the world-renowned Frankfurt Book Fair. It also offers many cultural attractions, among them two opera houses, concert halls, theatres, and a great variety of museums and art galleries. Situated on one of Europe's great rivers, the Main, Frankfurt is a vibrant city with many recreational facilities catering to the city's international population.
Cosmopolitan in nature, Frankfurt is home to a large community of expatriate workers and offers a wide choice of entertainment in the English language, from cinema to theatre, literature, and sports. About half of Frankfurt's citizens are foreign-born. There are a multitude of ethnic-based associations, and food from around the world is easily available. Frankfurt is a city in the heart of Europe: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, and Zurich can all be reached by high-speed rail in less than four hours.