
MSc Law and Society
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Request the earliest start date
TUITION FEES
EUR 2,530 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for Non-EU/EEA students €20,900 per year | for Second Dutch master’s programme: €16,300 per year
Introduction
Law and Society: Governance and Global Development (MSc) is a one-year master’s degree at the internationally renowned Leiden Law School of Leiden University. The program brings together students from law and social sciences to examine the dynamic relationship between legal norms and social reality. Its global orientation, interdisciplinary approach, and focus on social justice make this master’s program unique in its field.
Scope of Law and Society
Law and legal institutions play an important role in the organization of society. They can be used to address and regulate social problems ranging from migration and terrorism to corruption, and from pollution and climate change to social and gender equality. But laws and institutions, and how they operate in practice, can also preserve and deepen societal problems and lead to injustice.
In this program, you will focus on the different ways in which laws and legal institutions affect society and, vice versa, how society influences the formation and functioning of law. Combining various fields of law and diverse methods will give you the necessary knowledge and tools to critically understand the law’s role in addressing current social, political, and economic challenges.
International atmosphere
This program provides you with in-depth academic knowledge and equips you with the professional skills needed in your (global) career. To achieve this, students are taught in small, seminar-style classes. Our program attracts students from inside and outside the EU, which, combined with our diverse teaching staff makes for a truly international atmosphere.
Why Leiden University
Studying at Leiden Law School
Leiden Law School focuses on high-level academic teaching, with international staff and international students. Our teaching staff are experts in the field of law and society with broad professional experience. Moreover, students receive intensive mentoring throughout their studies and the program aims to connect students to prospective employers, consistently incorporating input from labor market representatives throughout the program. We offer a varied mix of teaching methods, including interactive lectures, individual and group assignments and presentations, plenary discussions, and debates. Besides the academic curriculum, the program organizes several social events that will build a community to last beyond the scope of the program
Studying at Leiden University
In 1575 we became the first university in the Netherlands. Since then our academic research and teaching have contributed directly towards a safer, healthier, more sustainable, more prosperous, and more just world. Here, researchers look beyond the boundaries of their discipline and work together with colleagues at home and abroad. In the annual rankings, Leiden University invariably scores in the top 100 of 25,000 universities worldwide. We have received no fewer than 19 Spinoza Prizes - the most prestigious research prize in the Netherlands.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Leiden University has a number of scholarship programmes for international students. There are also a range of scholarships offered by Dutch governmental and EU organisations.
Curriculum
The core curriculum equips students with the conceptual approaches and qualitative empirical research methods necessary to analyze law in context. Specialized electives enable students to dive deeper and focus on particular areas of legal practice—from legal mobilization to regulation and compliance.
Courses
1. The Foundations of Law and Society (10 EC)
2. Lawmaking, Politics and Society (5 EC)
3. Legal Pluralism (5 EC)
4. The Rule of Man in the Rule of Law (5 EC)
5. Disputing Deconstructed (5 EC)
6. Researching Law in Society (5 EC)
7. Thesis Proposal (5 EC)
8. Thesis (10 EC)
You can pick two out of four electives:
- Elective 1. Mobilizing Rights and Social Justice (5 EC)
- Elective 2. The Challenges of Globalization, Migration, and Cross-Border Mobility (5EC)
- Elective 3. Regulation and Compliance (5 EC)
- Elective 4. Current Issues in Law and Society (5EC)
Full-time program
The program is offered full-time (one academic year) in daytime classes. Each course is concluded with an examination. This is usually in the form of an essay or other written assignment. You will be expected to make regular contributions throughout the courses and are required to prepare oral and written presentations, in both individual and group assignments.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
The Master’s degree in Law and Society offered by the Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Society at Leiden University, will provide you with the skills and knowledge that are necessary for a successful career in both the private and public sector.
Career perspectives
The Master’s degree in Law and Society was initiated in response to demands in the labor market: experts from the professional field expressed a need for students trained in an interdisciplinary, socio-legal approach to law, who possess an in-depth understanding of the formation and functioning of law. The Master’s degree in Law and Society will offer you skills that apply to a wide range of different careers across government, civil society, and the private sector. These include experience with empirical research, policy analysis, proposal writing, regulatory analysis, and report writing.
Students that have left the program have pursued careers in:
- Intergovernmental organizations;
- Governmental positions such as Rijkstrainee;
- Non-governmental organizations in the Netherlands and abroad;
- National and European Union civil services;
- Lobby and consultancy firms;
- Small, medium, and large-size firms.
Some students have also gone on to pursue PhDs in the Netherlands and abroad. See our student profiles to learn more about the various careers our graduates have pursued.