• Foreign lawyers who have already completed a law degree in their home country

• Duration of the program: Two semesters
• Course load: Introductory session + 20 semester-week hours + master’s thesis
• Tuition: None; only an administrative semester fee for the semester ticket, etc.
• Supervision by a professor from the faculty

• Completion of a first foreign professional degree in law that is comparable to the first examination as defined in § 2 JAG NRW

• Proficiency in the German language in accordance with § 2 RO-DT

• This must be demonstrated by the following certificates:
  • the Test of German as a Foreign Language (TestDaF) with a score of 4x4
  • the German Language Examination for University Admission (DSH-2)
  • the German Language Diploma (DSD II)
  • the “German Language Section” of an assessment exam administered by a preparatory college (Studienkolleg) or the competent authority under state law

• Unless there is a basis for exemption under § 8 RO-DT (2011). For example:
  • A high school diploma equivalent to a German university entrance qualification
  • A certificate of passing the “Goethe-Zertifikat C2: Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom (GDS)”
  • A certificate confirming successful completion of the “Austrian Language Diploma C2” (ÖSD C2)
  • A certificate confirming successful completion of the “telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule” exam

• The applicant’s aptitude to successfully complete the degree program

The RO-DT can be found below under Downloads.

Applications for our LL.M. program, in accordance with the Study and Examination Regulations of June 22, 2010, are handled primarily online. The application deadline is May 31 for students beginning their studies in the respective winter semester.

You will need the following application documents:

• Application form
• Resume in German
• Letter of Motivation
• Proof of language proficiency (see “Requirements” above) 
• Two academic references from a professor, instructor, or similar figure on the linked form
• Transcript of academic records, including a certified translation
• Optional: Evaluation of academic credentials by the Central Office for Foreign Education
• Other documents, e.g., internship certificates, etc.

Submitting Documents:

Please send these documents in the order listed above as a single PDF file via email to the Center for International Affairs at the Faculty of Law, Ruhr University Bochum (zfi-jura@rub.de).

Please note: The completed academic evaluations must be sent directly by the evaluator in a sealed envelope via mail to the Center for International Affairs.

Once we have received all of your documents, we will contact you.

Enrollment:

• Upon receipt of the letter of admission from the Dean of the School of Law, applicants may enroll at Ruhr University. Further information on this can be found on the Student Affairs Office website.

Course Structure and Content:

• Students are supervised by a professor from the faculty and work with that professor to develop a course schedule totaling at least 20 hours per week—spread out over the academic year. Subject to the requirements of § 8 of the Study and Examination Regulations of June 22, 2010, they may select the courses to be taken from the course catalog of Ruhr University Bochum, provided that the selection consists of courses from the required and required-elective categories.
• Pursuant to § 8, paragraphs 2 and 3, of the Study and Examination Regulations, successful participation in a required course from the introductory phase in one of the subjects of civil law, criminal law, or public law, as well as in another required course from the same area of law, a foundational course, and a seminar is mandatory. In addition, any introductory courses on German law offered by the faculty must be attended. The certificate of completion for the foundational course may also be earned as part of the seminar.
• Pursuant to § 9 (1) of the Study and Examination Regulations of June 22, 2010, the student must submit a proof of achievement for each course taken, which may be in oral or written form at the instructor’s discretion.

Admission to the (written) Master’s thesis:

• According to § 13 of the Study and Examination Regulations (SPO), a Master’s thesis must be written in German within a period of 3 months. The topic is chosen in consultation with the advisor. Admission to the Master’s thesis is granted upon the student’s application, upon submission of the documentation specified in § 14 of the SPO.
• The program concludes with the Magister examination (Section 13 of the Study and Examination Regulations of June 22, 2010), which consists of the academic achievements already completed during the Magister program and a written Magister thesis to be completed within a three-month period. In the Master’s thesis, the student must demonstrate the ability to conduct independent scholarly work and to present the results appropriately. Through the selection of their courses and the topic of their thesis, the candidate may focus on any area of German civil law, criminal law, or public law, as well as international and European legal disciplines.

Master’s Degree Certificate:

• Upon successful completion of the Master’s program, the Faculty of Law confers the degree of “Magister Legum (LL.M.)”. The degree of Master of Laws may be used both in Germany and in the graduate’s home country in accordance with the respective legal provisions. The Master’s degree certificate attests that its holder has studied the fundamentals of German law and has acquired in-depth knowledge in a specific area. It may, where applicable, help the holder secure a professional position in which he or she will later deal in particular with issues of German law that are relevant from the perspective of his or her home country.