hi everyone,

Year 2006/07 is going to be my 3rd year of Law, I'll spend it as an exchange student in Groningen and I'm starting to look up Master I'd like to apply to.
I was wondering if anyone could explain to me the LLM system in other European countries. I'm French, and there to go into a Master 2 (ex DESS) we need a Master 1 (ex-maitrise). The Master 2 is our 5th year of university, however browsing the net, it seems that some universities consider that the Master is a 1 year degree which one does after having obtained a bachelor degree.

My question is what is called the 4th year in other European Country.
Thanks in Advance

Hi marine,

as you might have guessed from my name I'm French too. I've just finished my Master 1 Droit international et Européen at Paris X Nanterre and I'll be studying for an LLM in European Law at Leiden University next year. Congratulations for choosing Holland, I'm sure it's a good choice, especially due to the fact that very few French students opt for that country.

The LLM system in Europe is, to be honest, quite confusing for French students. And I think that my answer will be more confusing rather than clarifying. I applied to both Leiden and Utrecht, the good old rivals (similar to the Assas-Sorbonne rivalry): Utrecht admitted me without any condition, i.e. I did not need to get my fourth year degree (master 1), whereas Leiden required me to pass my Master 1 (which I have just done) before being fully admitted. Two unis, two different answers...

As to the UK universities, they nearly always ask for the Master 1, because they know that there is no selection prior to that year, and that, to be honest, a Licence student in France is less well prepared, in my opinion, than an LLB British student.

I think you should in any event try and get a Master 1 before going on to an LLM, because a foreign LLM does not always qualify you to pass the French Bar Exam. And even though you might not want to be a barrister, I think you should still have that option left open.

I don't want to go on for too long, I believe the easiest way to get information is to contact the unis directly by e-mail.

Good luck for your Erasmus year in Holland (have you already started learning some Dutch? God, it's so hard to pronounce...)!

thanks for answering :)
I always intented to do a Master 1, I simply have a hard time finding it on the site of the universities. As I'm already going to spend my 3rd year abroad, I wished to spend the 4th year and the 5th year abroad as well.
You said you're in Nanterre, how good is the university? the Master in Droit Compéré interest me (as there's a possibility to do it as a big-deug and I'm at Cergy currently, it's interesting for me). I have to admit Nanterre scares me a little.

Marine, how long will you be in Holland next year ? The whole year or the first semester ? I would like to know a little more about the exchanges with Uni of Cergy : length and partnerships.

I'll be studying there the whole year

Too bad... If you were back for the 2nd semester, I would have probably been one of your lecturers...