Hello everyone,

I studied at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and at its Institut d'Etudes européennes, so if you need information about it please don't hesitate to contact me.

Adam

Hello Sleth,

I'm from Portugal and I'm thinking to apply for the Master Complementaire Droit Europeen in ULB. So, I would like to know some information about IEE. Is this a good university ? I mean in term of academic skills, and professional orientation as well ....

How was your student's year there ? Did you like all the courses taught ? To sum up, what are the strong and weak points?

My objective is to find a job afterward, thus my principal interest is studying in a university with good reputation and which is able to offer a professional career ....

Hi,

I actually attended the Master in EU politics (and not in EU law) at the IEE/ULB. However, both are given at the same Institute and electives often intersect. I havent been looking for a job so I cannot answer that part of your question.
If you are concerned mainly with finding a job (instrumental perspective), then you should compare programs mainly on one criteria: their focus on competences (rather than academic knowledge). Using that criteria, I would conclude that the ULB is very good and would enable you to start networking in Brussels (if you dont live here) but very academic-oriented. The Dutch and Flemish tradition on the other hand is much more geared towards developing competences and preparing for the job-market. You may therefore wish to consider Leiden (excellent reputation and ranking, very competency-oriented, cheap), but also Amsterdam (specialized in EU Competition law). The KU Leuven is also a very good option (but more expensive and restricted to lawyers ony, I believe). Ghent also develops competences (but is less known I think and relatively). A final option to consider would be the university of Luxembourg (bilingual, cheap, practice-oriented, possibility of networking with judges but it is a new/unknown university and program is 2-years long).
Other factors that may determine your final choice: the language (if you already have degrees in English then consider a LLM in French) and the field you later want to work in (EU public vs private law. In general, for public law French is a very good option as it is one of the 2 languages of EU law. But for private law, go for English).

Leiden: http://en.mastersinleiden.nl/programmes/about/law-and-public-administration/law-for-international-students-and-professionals/
Amsterdam: http://www.studeren.uva.nl/ma_europeanunionlaw/object.cfm/DDDA8B11-1321-B0BE-68DC33077D8F1829
KU Leuven: http://onderwijsaanbod.kuleuven.be/opleidingen/e/SC_51016788.htm
Luxembourg: http://wwwfr.uni.lu/formations/fdef/master_en_droit_europeen_ll_m_academique
Ghent: http://www.ugent.be/nl/onderwijs/opleidingsaanbod/courses/bneula?openwithform=fmDisplayCourseProgram
Paris Panthéon-Assas (2 years, academic and professional strand starting from final, good reputation): http://www.uparis2.fr/91967266/0/fiche___pagelibre/&RH=FORMATION&RF=M2-EUROP-09

I hope this was helpful !
Cheers,
Adam

Thanks a lot Adam for your email, and all the information contained in it.

It's very helpful for me ! Actually I'm a lawyer and I want to start a new career in EU Law and make some networking in Brussels. As I don't know Brussels I guess IEE will be a good option for that.

I'm also very interested in attending this master because the program seems very full and varied. It could be -I hope- a real boost to prepare for a career change or to apply for some EU competitions. I don't know yet exactly what I want to do after, I guess I will take the opportunity during this break year to think about it ...

Thanks again for your answer ! And what about you, what the plans after this studying year in Brussels ?

Well, happy to have helped you a bit. I think that students -especially those wanting to do a second Master- should carefully study all the options according to what they want to do with their degree. Personnally, I'm thinking of doing a Phd, but somewhere than Brussels and not in the Francophone world. I'd also like to do a 2nd internship outside the EU, that is always extremely stimulating.

Hi. Firstly, I believe you can help me. I am a Nigerian. I did my fist degree in law in Nigeria and I intend doing my LLM in International Law in France. I did only basic french, in fact the main reason I want to do my masters in France is to improve my french. Please what is your advice to me, which school is good for me and how much will it cost me to undergo the program there. Thank you.

Here are some suggestions in Paris:
1) Paris 1 Sorbonne ( 1.500 for 2 years): http://www.univ-paris1.fr/ws/ws.php?_cmd=getFormation&_oid=UP1-PROG30325&_redirect=voir_fiche_diplome&_lang=fr-FR
2) Paris 2 Assas (contact them for info about fees. Its not clear on their site) : http://www.u-paris2.fr/4132M-2009/0/fiche___formation/&RH=FORMATION
3) Strasbourg (contact them for info about fees. Its not clear on their site) : http://www-faculte-droit.u-strasbg.fr/index.php?id=1122&L=fr
4) Aix-Marseille (contact them for info about fees. Its not clear on their site) : http://formations.univ-amu.fr/SPDIE5A.html
5) Bordeaux-Montesquieu IV (contact them for info about fees. Its not clear on their site) : http://www.u-bordeaux4.fr/formation/master/cdm/?contentId=46757
For more general information about studying in France: http://www.cnous.fr/index.php?lg=en&refresh=1
http://www.campusfrance.org/en

The problem with the French education system is that they dont have one year LLMs. All Masters last for 2 years. Besides, the enrolment procedure is quite complex. Some universities require all foreign students to use their local CampusFrance, others demand that only or foreign BA students.. So, if you are not pinned on France per se, you can try the LLM international law in French in Brussels. The thing is youll have to have at least 300 credits or in some exceptional cases 180 credits with professional experience before being admitted:
6) Université Libre de Bruxelles (1 year, approx. 3.00): http://www.ulb.ac.be/catalogue-ancien/droit/DINT6-P.html

Dont forget that youll also have to prove some level of proficiency in French by passing a French language test before being admitted. Consult the French or Belgian embassy/consulate in Nigeria for help.

Best,
Adam

PS: You may contact me via e-mail if you wish more info or some of the documents I found