Hi guys,

I would like to do an LLM on European/International stuff in a German speaking country. I speak some German, but would like to do the programme in English.
I consider applying to Uni Saarland or Uni Wien. Which is one you think is better? The one in Vienna is more prestigious + plus the city is great, whereas the programme offered by the Europa Institut in Saarbruecken seems to be better.
What do you think?

The new program in Lisbon Católica (not a German speaking country, of course) will offer a great alternative: directed by NYU's Joseph Weiler and (advocate-general) Miguel Poiares Maduro, LL.M. - Law in a European and Global Context has an "all star" selection of world class faculty. See: www.llmcatolica.com/Bologna/ .

Well, thanks, the programme looks really great; however I am still more interested in the German programmes. Anyone with some advice on that? ;)

Hi,

I think, taking into account that you want to do the program in English, that Vienna is a stronger option. The Vienna Program is exclusively taught in English, whereas the website of the Saarbruecken program states: "Die Lehrveranstaltungen werden hauptsächlich in deutscher, aber auch in englischer und französischer Sprache abgehalten." This basically means that the primary language of the program is German, but some courses are also taught in English and French. This is reflected in the course description of the program which mentiones that only some, but not all courses, are tought in English. That applies to the courses covering European law. Conclusion: Your choices are, given that the information on the webpage is correct, limited when choosing courses exclusively taught in English.

There are other issues to take into consideration. I am not aware of any international organizations in Saarbruecken, but they are plenty in Vienna. The likelihood of you getting an internship (if that is something that interests you) should be higher if you were to choose Vienna.

Hi, again,

I forgot to mention that I described the program late last night. Please see my post: http://www.llm-guide.com/board/66312.

Well, thanks for the advice; I will consider it ;)

The Saarbrücken program is excellent! I absolved the program and want to correct some of the points IntLawyer mentioned.

1) It is possible to absolve the Saarbrücken program completely in English. The study units European Economic Law and WTO Law are taught completely in English. All European Law basic courses are taught in English and German.

2) Saarbrücken is very close to Brussels and Luxembourg. A major part of the lecturers at the Institute are from EU institutions, tribunals and international law firms. It is - contrary to what IntLawyer assumed - very easy to get internships with law firms and institutions, especially because the first contacts are already made in the lectures.

3) The reputation of the Europa-Institut - being one of the oldest of its kind in Europe - is very high.

Best regards,
Eric

Hey,
You seem to know a lot about that program. Are you sure about the Saarbruecken LLM being prestigious? I'm kind of worried about. The Saarland University is really young comparing to other German universities, like Heidelberg. And also is that city/town a nice place to live for a year? The place seems to provincial, whcich could be a plus or a flaw, depending on circumanstances

I cannot but comment on the post of Eric.K of May 1 as it is intended to correct some of the points supposedly raised by me in my answer to lawoman on April 21. The post of Eric.K reveals a misunderstanding of my post of April 21 as it is filled with corrections on things which I did not comment on.

1) I did not say in my post of April 21 that the Saarbrücken program could not be completed in English. I quoted directly, when commenting on the fact that the program is not entirely taught in English, the website of the University of Saarbrücken which states that some of the courses are in German.

2) I did not say that students at the University of Saarbrücken would have any difficulty in getting internships. I stated that there were more international institutions in Vienna than Saarbrücken and taking that into account the likelihood of getting an internship in Vienna is higher. But this was not addressed in the aforementioned post, but rather a statement made that Saarbrücken is very close to Brussels and Luxembourg. According to Google maps the distance between Saarbrücken and (a) Brussels is 308 km; (b) Luxembourg is 134 km. The distance from Viennas city center to the UN office (Vienna International City) is 8,1 km. Numerous other examples could be illustrated.

3) I did not question the reputation of the Europa-Institut in any way, so I do not see why this remark is relevant.

And finally, shouldn't people contributing to this forum answer (...or should I say correct...) other peoples postings in a fair and equitable manner?

Hey,
You seem to know a lot about that program. Are you sure about the Saarbruecken LLM being prestigious? I'm kind of worried about. The Saarland University is really young comparing to other German universities, like Heidelberg. And also is that city/town a nice place to live for a year? The place seems to provincial, whcich could be a plus or a flaw, depending on circumanstances

Well, thanks, that cleared things a little bit ;)