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European Law School

Your future

A European Law School bachelor’s degree opens many doors for its graduates and we will gladly provide support to assist you in identifying a master's programme and career path that aligns with your goals. However, it's important to understand that having a LL.B. in European Law School doesn't automatically qualify you to work as a lawyer, public prosecutor, or judge.  These legal professions are regulated at national level and require additional studies in the specific country where you want to qualify.

Master’s programmes

If you decide to continue with a master’s programme, as most students do, you can enrol in one of the following master’s programmes at Maastricht University without additional requirements:

Specific admission requirements apply to the following master’s programmes:

Career prospects

There is a high demand for professionals with a European Law School degree, in particular due to their unique comparative and European legal perspective . Our graduates choose to specialize in a range of specific areas and as such work all over the world in diverse professional settings in the public and private sector. Our graduates work as legal professionals at the national, European or international level.  For instance, they work as:

 legal policy advisors, legal consultants or corporate compliance officers
 legal project managers or In-house counselors
 civil servants or government officials at the national level or in European or international institutions and organizations
 researcher or teacher

Some of our graduates decide to move outside of the legal field and work in an area like political science, economics or international relations. Advancing your career in this direction can give you access to professional settings like:

 policy influencer, diplomat or International relations specialist
 consultant or commercial professional at a private sector company

A European Law School degree provides you with a unique qualification in Europe. It demonstrates in-depth knowledge of the main fields of the law, major legal traditions (civil and common law), and expertise in EU law. Graduates excel in diverse, multilingual, and multicultural settings, showcasing flexibility across national borders. As is the case with any law school, we strongly recommend you think about your career prospects before applying.

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Legal professionals

This programme will prepare you to work as a legal professional at a regional, national and international level, both in the private and public sector. For instance, our graduates work as civil servants and policy advisors in local and national governments as well as in European and international institutions and organizations; they represent diverse stakeholders in NGOs and consultancy; and work in the commercial sector. With further study, you can also gain access to the regulated professions such as a lawyer or public prosecutor.

What you should know about your degree

On the European continent, the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree alone is not considered a fully completed law degree. We therefore strongly recommended that you complete a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.).

Career prospects for graduates with an LL.B. without an LL.M. are extremely limited in Europe, with the exception of England and Wales where an LL.M. is not necessary, but where you will need a graduate diploma in law to seek professional qualifications.

Qualifying to become a lawyer, public prosecutor or judge requires additional professional training in a national jurisdiction after you graduate from law school. Generally, access to the professional training phase for these professions requires detailed knowledge of the relevant national law. For the professions of public prosecutor and judge, there may be an additional nationality requirement. 

European Law School students can access professional qualifications in the Netherlands by enrolling in the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid at the end of their second year in the bachelor European Law School. You then have the possibility to graduate with two degrees: the bachelor European Law School and the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid. Successful completion of the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid together with the successful completion of a Master in Dutch Law will provide access to professional qualifications in the Netherlands.  Students may apply to the Board of Examiners for exemptions for elective courses in the third year of the European Law School bachelor and for first year courses in the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid. Students who are exempted from first year courses in the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid will still need to complete an introductory programme on Dutch private law, constitutional and administrative law, and criminal law before starting the second year courses of the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid. As the bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid is taught entirely in Dutch, minimum language requirements apply. Please check the website for further information.