This one‑year, English‑taught master's blends law and economics to develop the “transversal skills” employers increasingly demand: the ability to analyse problems from both legal and economic perspectives and to work across disciplines. With a track record of over 30 years, the programme attracts an international student body and is hosted by a network of European partner universities, creating a multicultural learning environment where ideas and methods from different traditions are actively exchanged. Graduates leave equipped as lawyers and economists with the interdisciplinary toolkit needed to tackle complex challenges in European and international business and law.
The academic year is worth 60 ECTS and is organised into three trimesters running from the beginning of October until September. Students may study at up to three different partner universities during the year, but may not spend all trimesters at the same location. Upon successful completion, participants receive an official degree from each partner university where they studied (these are LLM titles or master’s degrees equivalent to an LLM, under a system of joint/multiple degrees).
Students choose one of three specialised tracks to focus their studies:
Program structure and mobility The degree is organised in three trimesters, with a shared core in the first trimester and progressive specialisation thereafter. Students begin together in one of the first-trimester partner campuses (each hosting about 25–35 students), move to a second-trimester partner for the start of their specialisation (same group size), and finish in a third-trimester partner institution where groups are smaller (typically 5–18 students). This structure combines a common interdisciplinary foundation in law and economics with tailored advanced study and close supervision for the Master’s thesis.
Core and specialisation modules During the first trimester all students take the same foundational courses: Introduction to Microeconomics; Introduction to Law; Concepts and Methods of Law and Economics; Economic Analysis of Public Law; and Economic Analysis of Private Law. In the second trimester the programme provides three additional common courses—Competition Law and Economics; Corporate Governance & Finance; and Empirical Legal Studies—while each host university also delivers two specialised courses aligned with its chosen track. The third trimester is devoted to two complementary advanced courses in the student’s specialisation at one of eight partner institutions and, centrally, to writing the Master’s thesis in Economic Analysis of Law with supervision from the chosen host.
Learning outcomes Graduates gain interdisciplinary analytical skills to apply economic reasoning to both public and private law, grounded in microeconomics, legal doctrine and empirical methods. The curriculum emphasises: economic analysis of legal rules; competition policy; corporate governance and finance; and empirical techniques for legal research. The small third-trimester groups and thesis supervision develop independent research capacity and specialist knowledge in the student’s chosen track.
Curriculum requirements (what you will complete)
Applicants must hold the equivalent of four years of higher education (at least 240 ECTS) to be considered for admission. In the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), 240 credits generally correspond to four full-time academic years; if your national credit system differs, you should clarify equivalence with the admissions office.
Acceptable academic routes include combined Bachelor’s and Master’s studies, long-cycle degrees common in some countries, and specific German qualifications. Degrees that are not in law, economics or business administration may still be eligible, but they will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and may require additional documentation or evidence of relevant coursework.
Requirements (at least one of the following)
Winter Semester (International)
31 December 2026
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
15 January 2027
Graduates leave with a distinctive interdisciplinary profile useful in law firms, economic consultancies, regulatory agencies, international organisations, corporate legal or economic departments, and public policy institutions. The programme’s combination of legal reasoning, economic analysis and empirical methods is particularly valued for roles involving regulation, competition policy, corporate governance and intellectual property strategy.
The thesis and specialised modules also prepare students who wish to pursue research or doctoral study in law and economics, as well as graduates seeking analytical positions where cross-disciplinary expertise and quantitative skills are required.
Trier University of Applied Sciences — Birkenfeld
Technische Universität Braunschweig — Braunschweig
Furtwangen University — Villingen-Schwenningen
University of Siegen — Siegen