Hello everyone,

I am trying to decide whether I'll be applying for Leiden's or Utrecht's Public International Law LL.M. Programme. I know that Leiden is in higher ranking as far as the subject is concerned and also that its Programme is a strong one and of high reputation. But what I really like in Utrecht is that you can choose a specialisation apart from the umbrella of General PIL. More specifically, you can choose the International Law of the Sea and International Environmental Law Track which on the one hand I really can't find anywhere else in European Programmes and on the other hand it constitutes a subject that one will be taught- as friends of mine have told me- in a very general way in Leiden. I'm not 100% sure that I want to pursue a career in the above sub-section of PIL but I am highly interested in it and that's why I don't want to attend a Programme which will not give me the choice afterwards. So, taking all the above into consideration, should my LL.M. choice be based on the ranking/reputation or on the programme as such?

Any more info regarding the comparison of these two programmes will be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Hi! Did you end up choosing anything?

Hello,

Leiden offers 2 Public International Law Programmes:
- Public International Law: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/education/study-programmes/master/law/public-international-law
- Advanced Public International Law: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/education/study-programmes/master/public-international-law

Within the Advanced Master you can specialise in International Criminal Law or Peace, Justice and Development. Within the regular Master there is no possibility to further specialise.

Kind regards,
Anette

Hi Komelt,

If you are still in doubt, maybe it's nice to know that the Environmental track within Public International Law is a top rated programme within the LLM Guide.
https://llm-guide.com/lists/top-llm-programs-by-speciality/top-llm-programs-for-environmental-law

Best regards,
Esther