Master of Laws in Finance (LLM Finance) Goethe University Frankfurt

The Institute for Law and Finance at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main offers a unique, one-year graduate programme leading to a Master of Laws in Finance. ILF students are fully enrolled members of Goethe-Universität, which confers the LLM Finance degree. About 50 highly qualified graduates will be admitted to the programme, to ensure academic excellence and direct personal contact between students and faculty. We have both full-time (one-year study period) and part-time (two-year study period) students.
This programme, conducted entirely in English, is suitable for graduates with a good degree in law, business or economics who have an interest in combining theoretical knowledge with practical training in law and international finance. It overcomes the traditional separation of the academic disciplines of law and business/economics by teaching aspects of both and focusing on their intersection and interplay. The faculty consists of prominent academics as well as experienced practitioners from Europe's legal and financial world.
The LLM Finance programme also incorporates a special, two-month internship with public and private institutions which support the ILF. These institutions typically include leading international law firms, banks, accounting and consulting firms, the European Central Bank and the Deutsche Bundesbank.
The ILF, located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, the major financial centre of Europe, provides the ideal location to train young professionals to deal with current and future legal and financial challenges.
With a small cohort of approximately 50 LLM Finance students per year, a conducive learning environment is established, ensuring direct and personal contact with the lecturers. During their year of study at the ILF, students can also attend various conferences and seminars on current issues relating to law and finance held at the ILF. In addition, many extra-curricular activities (such as a field trip to Berlin, a Christmas party, a basketball game and get-togethers with alumni) are organised specifically for the students, allowing them to enjoy a year filled with activities while studying at the ILF. Graduates from the ILF will attain an internationally recognised and accredited LLM Finance degree from Goethe University Frankfurt am Main.

Curriculum Components

Components and Credits (total 90 ECTS credits)

A) Coursework – 12 courses (60 ECTS)

If your first degree is in law: At least four of the 12 courses must be in the field of business or economics.

If your first degree is in business or economics: At least 10 of the 12 courses must be in the field of law.

B) Master’s thesis & Oral defence (20 ECTS)

The Master’s thesis is to be written within a three-month period after the completion of the courses, during which period students do not have to be physically present in Frankfurt. If the written Master's thesis receives a pass grade, an oral defence of the Master's thesis will be held online. 

C) Internship (10 ECTS)

https://www.ilf-frankfurt.de/llm-programs/llm-finance/curriculum-components

The LLM Finance degree programme includes an internship of seven to eight weeks. The internship experience gives students an opportunity to test and consolidate their understanding of the coursework. Thanks to our location in Frankfurt and the high calibre of our sponsors, students benefit from unique internship opportunities. Internships are offered by leading international law firms in Frankfurt, major banks, accounting firms, the Deutsche Börse (German Stock Exchange), the German Bundesbank (German Central Bank) and the European Central Bank. Internships expose students to the working environment and professional expectations of leading firms and institutions. The valuable opportunity to form contacts for potential career development is also highly appreciated by students.
Internships are usually undertaken during the break between the winter and summer semesters (February/March), but they may occasionally take place during the summer break (from July onwards).
The ILF assists students in finding suitable internship positions. Positions are awarded on a competitive basis, with student initiative and interest being the primary criterion for placement. Students, in consultation with the ILF, may apply to law firms, financial institutions or other organisations outside the ILF's list of internship providers. Internships are not necessarily restricted geographically and positions outside Germany are possible if a student takes the initiative to organise such an opportunity.

Candidates should submit their applications as soon as possible after 15 October of every year. Evaluation of completed applications will begin on 1 November and candidates will generally be informed of the results of their applications within six weeks of receipt.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis i.e. on a "first come, first served" basis. We recommend that you submit your application early in order to secure a place in our programme. No application fee is required.

There is only one intake per year.

Applicants are required to have an undergraduate degree in law, economics or business administration.

Goethe-Universität charges an administrative fee of approx. 400 EUR per semester (about 800 EUR per year). This includes a ticket for public transport and free entrance to public museums. The "magic ticket" entitles you to use buses, trams and the underground in Frankfurt. For now, it also includes local public transport systems throughout Germany. Therefore, you can even use the regional trains to travel to various other cities, e.g. Marburg, Giessen or Mainz.

The cost of living in Frankfurt depends on personal requirements and lifestyle. However, students should expect minimum expenses of approx. 1,000 EUR per month. This calculation is based on the following items: 800 EUR for rent, food, clothing and study materials; around 150 EUR for compulsory health insurance that is almost comprehensive; and approx. 60 EUR for the semester contribution (including free public transport).

Goethe-Universität provides a well-developed career service and has a lot of interesting offers, some of which are even tailor-made for students from abroad.

Frankfurt am Main offers a wide variety of accommodations, from university dorms to privately rented apartments. The biggest providers of dorms are the "Studierendenwerk" (student services) and churches. Studierendenwerk Frankfurt am Main currently operates 34 student residences. 3,726 domiciles are housed in 30 buildings located close to Goethe University, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt/Main. For further information, click here.

As these rooms are in high demand, we strongly recommend that students contact such organisations as soon as they receive their letter of acceptance to the programme.

The Institute for Law and Finance (ILF) is a centre for academic excellence in teaching and research. It was established as a non-profit foundation in 2002 by Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main with the support of many prominent institutions. Leading commercial banks and international law firms, the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the city of Frankfurt and the State of Hesse as well as the European Central Bank and the Deutsche Bundesbank have been actively involved in the ILF right from the planning stages to this day.

The ILF conducts academic teaching and research and plays a supportive role as a policy centre since its establishment as a public-private partnership. It provides interdisciplinary training to lawyers, senior management and executives in Germany and worldwide and serves as a policy centre in the legislative process by offering forums for discussions and exchanges between academia and practitioners.

Since 2002, the ILF has been offering a Master of Laws in Finance (LLM Finance) degree programme on a comparative law and interdisciplinary basis to highly qualified graduates of law or business/economics from Germany and overseas. This Master’s programme is aimed at students interested in combining theoretical knowledge and practical training in the specialised fields of law and international finance. Courses in this highly specialised programme are conducted entirely in the English language.

Goethe-Universität is frequently ranked among Germany's leading institutions of higher education. Although the current organisation was founded as a university in 1914 by prominent citizens of Frankfurt, its actual origins go back to 1763. With currently approx. 46,000 students, including many international students, 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 and Max Horkheimer's Institute for Social Research, and three Clusters of Excellence in life sciences, medicine, and social sciences. Several Max Planck Institutes are situated on its campuses, too. Goethe-Universität has enjoyed the teaching of philosophers and theologians, 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 and Commerzbank. 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.