What do you like about the specialisation and why? How has the specialisation challenged you?
Radboud University is among the top one per cent of universities in the world. It was just recently awarded best traditional university in the Netherlands in, with the law programme as best in its field. Almost 95% of alumni with a Master's degree work in a paid position within 1.5 years after their graduation.
All these statistics were a sound reason for me to enrol in the International and European Law programme at Radboud University, but their significance ended on the first day of the programme. What matters from that moment on, are your personal feelings and your own experiences.
After a very welcoming introduction by the International Office, the programme started with a four-week long introductory lecture in European and International law for LL.M. students of all specialisations. It really impressed me, how this lecture perfectly served a number of purposes in such a short time. First, it raised the knowledge of every student, no matter how different their educational background, to an equal level and gave them the confidence to successfully attend the subsequent courses in their specialisations. Secondly, as it was taught by various lecturers, students got a sound insight into the different departments and research fields in the faculty. This provided direction for choosing subsequent lectures and even raised some preliminary research ideas for our Master's theses. Lastly, as these lectures were held every day for one month, it was a perfect opportunity to get to know and make friends with fellow students.
What do you think about the atmosphere in class?
After completing the introductory lecture, students split up into the lectures of their specialisations. The Business Law track features one compulsory and five elective courses. All share some things in common: they are taught in small groups, by competent and approachable lecturers. The atmosphere in class made it easy to participate and interact. This gives confidence in actually applying the gained knowledge. After completing all of the required lectures, I felt as though I had obtained a thorough understanding of up-to-date European and international business law.
What did you find most challenging in your Master’s specialisation? Have you encountered any obstacles?
The last feature I want to emphasise is that the LL.M. programme provides a fully-fledged Master's programme in only two semesters.
The upside of this is obvious: You unquestionably get a complete finish to your legal education without having to spend several more years. On the downside, however, timeframes for delaying exams or lectures are short and the Master's thesis has to be written in a tight schedule. But, the lecturers, the International Office and other University staff will do their best to provide all the help you need.
Are you currently doing an internship? Or what is your thesis about?
For me personally, the programme was a success even before finishing it, as I got accepted for a paid full-time job halfway through. Apart from my previous education, I really feel like attending the LL.M. programme in Business Law was what set me apart from other applicants.