My Experience Studying European and International Law at the Europa-Institut

My name is Irene and I was part of the 2024/2025 cohort at the Europa-Institut.

Why Saarbrücken?

If you enjoy cities that feel full of life and activity without being overwhelming, Saarbrücken will suit you perfectly. Not too small, not too big, it offers you an incredible community. It is easy to feel at home, getting to know new people and develop a sense of belonging.

Living costs are reasonable and accommodation is manageable, which takes a lot of stress out of studying abroad. And the city’s location is unbeatable: in less than 1.5 hours you can reach Strasbourg, Luxembourg or even Paris in just two hours by speed train. It is truly the center of Europe.

The Master’s Program

The LL.M. in European and International Law at the Europa-Institut is a one-year, practice-oriented Master’s program taught primarily in English. There are four tracks in the study program and at the beginning of the study year, you choose your track and each track contains two specializations. You can also obtain one cross-specialization on top from another track and / or have a wide elective pool of lectures to choose from.

Track 1 is Economic Law, Track 2 is International Economic Law – Trade – Investment – International Dispute Settlement, Track 3 is European and International Protection of Human Rights and their Economic Dimensions and track 4 is IT- and Economic Law and the GDPR Framework. You finish the program with a Master’s thesis.

The faculty is diverse and highly experienced — many lecturers work directly in EU institutions, courts, law firms or international organizations. This means you don’t just hear theory; you get insight into how things are actually done in practice.

On top of that, you can participate in practical formats like moot courts, simulation exercises and negotiation trainings. A highlight for many students is EUROSIM, one of the largest simulations of EU decision-making processes, where you represent an EU institution in a realistic negotiation setting.

Why I Recommend It

It is a unique challenging experience, that offers you the best academic knowledge in European and international law. Everyday there is something to discover, a story from a professor on how that piece of legislation came to be, or other brilliant insights of the European institutions.

The Europa-Institut also offers strong support when it comes to career planning, connections to European institutions, networking events and alumni guidance. And throughout the whole academic year, the staff is always supportive and approachable, making the experience of living in Germany smoother.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a Master’s program that combines academic training, practical experience and a very international environment, the Europa-Institut is an excellent choice. I can genuinely recommend it.

You can find more information here: europainstitut.de/en/application
Applications are open until 15 July: europainstitut.de/onlineapplication