Top LL.M. Programs for Competition Law 2024

The Brussels School of Competition produces research on economics and competition law. It is also home to the LL.M. in Competition Law and Economics, which is designed to meet the needs of practicing lawyers and executives who require an up-to-date understanding of the competition issues they come up against in their business. Located in the heart of Europe where the European Commission convenes, Brussels is also home to many of the legal firms that consult on competition law.

University College London offers an LL.M. specialism in Competition Law. Courses cover topics including intellectual property rights, how competition law is enforced in the EU, an economic analysis of law and a comparative study of US antitrust law and EU competition law. The Jevons Institute for Competition Law and Economics at UCL provides a forum for academics and practitioners to discuss how competition law is applied, as well as policy and industry regulation.

The LL.M. in Competition, Innovation and Trade Law at the London School of Economics focuses on recent trends in the global economy. These include a general increase in international trade, and the liberalization of what were previously private sectors, but are now subject to competition law. The LL.M. offers a global perspective, charting the intersection between competition law, innovation and trade through courses on e-commerce, cyberlaw, EU state aid law, among others.

The University of Liège is home to the LL.M. in European Competition and Intellectual Property Law. Based in Belgium, the program offers proximity to Brussels and other key European institutions, along with experienced academics and practitioners on teaching staff. Offered as both an English program or a bilingual English/French program, the LL.M. turns out graduates with the practical skills required to practice competition law in an international environment. The Liège Competition & Innovation Institute is known for producing leading research in competition and trade law.

The College of Europe, located in Bruges, Belgium, offers a Master of European Law that includes teaching on competition law in the EU. The bilingual English/French program covers European law extensively, preparing students for careers in European institutions, law firms and companies that deal with competition law on a regular basis. The college’s Global Competition Law Centre is a discussion forum for academics, practitioners and competition enforcement workers globally.

The Master of Business, Competition and Regulatory Law (MBL) at Freie Universität Berlin is the only postgraduate law program at the university taught in English. It focuses on European business and competition law, along with energy and telecommunication law to cover the liberalization of certain sectors. The Institute for German and European Business, Competition and Regulatory Law is the home of the MBL.

New York University School of Law’s LL.M. in Competition, Innovation and Information Law is taught by faculty working in antitrust policy and intellectual property, and with significant experience in government or private competition law practice. Students choose one of two focus areas: Antitrust and Competition Policy, or Intellectual Property and Information Law. The LL.M. provides an international perspective on how these laws intersect in the global economy. Courses are offered on law in diverse sectors including media, art, entertainment, fashion, human rights, civil society, life sciences and sport.

Another program based in London is the LL.M. in Competition Law at King’s College London. The program covers EU, UK, US and other systems of competition law, regulatory policy and practice, public procurement and intellectual property and the media. KCL additionally offers an EU Competition Law research program, and its faculty is keeping a close eye on the impact of the Brexit referendum on competition law within the EU.

Fordham University School of Law in New York does not offer an LL.M. in Competition Law, but for those who choose either the Banking, Corporate and Finance Law or the International Business and Trade LL.M., there are a range of electives available on antitrust law. For over 40 years, Fordham’s Competition Law Institute has hosted the annual International Antitrust Law and Policy Conference.

George Mason’s LL.M. in Global Antitrust Law & Economics offers students the opportunity to study competition law and other topics in Washington, D.C., near to bodies like the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice’s Antitrust division, not to mention countless influential firms in the antitrust field. The school houses the Global Antitrust Institute, which publishes research in the competition law space, and serves as a networking hub.