When looking for the right LL.M. Program, always focus on what you need for your career and who of the faculty listed may be able to give you solid know how. I alway say to my students in London, look at the teachers and then you know what you will get. In case of the Vienna Law School, you rarely be able to appreciate such an outstanding faculty in one place! More important here is what one of the graduates of the Viennese LL.M. Program International Legal Studies has answered in his post about his experience under: www.llm-guide.com/board/66312.
“ I participated in the program LL.M. in International Legal Studies at the University of Vienna during the academic year of 2007-2008. I have noticed that no information is available from a former student, so I decided to describe my experience.
Two words come to my mind concerning my experience of studying in the program: unique and interesting. My view is that the program is unique in the sense that it is not a “mass LL.M. program” – you will not, as a student, sit in class with 200 other master students finishing their Austrian masters degree (...which is the case in some European universities and I would have found unappealing...). Instead you will be part of a small group of students which are able to have interesting dicussions with a number of professors who are renowned in their field. This has its pros and cons; the pros are that you are able to take an active part in class with your colleagues and the professors; the cons are that it is not the cheapest LL.M. program available. Still, it is cheaper than programs in many US and UK universities in terms of tutition and much cheaper after having taken into account living accommodation.
The Program contains four modules. I will not go into the details of these modules as they are described on the Program´s website.
The professors have all taught extensively in Europe and in the United States. Some have worked for the Austrian Foreign Ministry (e.g. Professor Hanspeter Neuhold and Professor Karl Zemanek), at the UN level (e.g. Professor Gerhard Hafner and Professor Manfred Nowak), at specific fields of law concerning investment protection and international institutions (Professor August Reinisch) or in GATT and WTO law (Professor Friedl Weiss). Other professors, such as Christoph Schreuer, are very well known in international investment law, especially regarding the ICSID Convention. Some of the professors are or have been involved in the most prestigious international lawyers institutions, such as the International Law Commission, the International Law Association, etc. ....... So all in all, you will get to study law, have interesting conversations with the law professors in class or in study trips in various European cities, enjoy Vienna and its surroundings and meet a group of students from different countries. The best part is that you will probably have fun while doing so.”