Master's Law - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Become a versatile and socially engaged legal professional

Master

English / Dutch

EN / NL

1 year

Full-time

Do you want to deepen your legal knowledge and specialise at the same time? The Master’s in Law provides you with a solid academic foundation.

You will develop into a legal professional capable of approaching complex legal issues with a critical, analytical and scientifically grounded perspective. The social relevance of law is always at the heart of this programme. In line with the law in action philosophy, you connect theory with practice. You will not only study the law as it stands, but also examine the impact of legal rules and institutions in national, European and international contexts.

Choose your specialisation

Within the Master’s in Law, you choose one of the following ten specialisations. All specialisations have the same admission requirements:

Labour Law (NL)
Construction Law (NL)
Conflict Resolution, Judiciary and Mediation (NL)
European and International Law (EN)
International Migration and Refugee Law (EN)
International Technology Law (EN)
Internet Law and Intellectual Property (NL)
Law and Government (NL)
Civil Law (NL)
Criminal Law (NL)

Civiel effect

If you hold a qualifying Bachelor’s degree in Law, all specialisations within the Master’s in Law give access to the so-called toga professions in the judiciary or the legal profession.

The startingdates for this programme are 1 September and 1 February.

VU Master's Event

Saturday 7 March 2026

More information about the event

International Master's webinar

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Stream the on-demand webinar

International applications

Want to know if you can be admitted?

Check your eligibility

You can choose from ten specialisations, each focused on a specific field of law. This allows you to shape your own academic and professional profile. At the same time, the programme offers plenty of flexibility, giving you the opportunity to select courses that match your interests and ambitions. Each specialisation includes at least 24 EC of electives. This means you can emphasise your chosen profile, or broaden your expertise by taking courses outside your specialisation. This makes the Master’s in Law an attractive option both for students who want to specialise and for those who want to grow more broadly.

A uniform structure across all specialisations

All specialisations follow the same structure. Within your chosen track, you will complete the following components:

An advanced course (12 EC)
An internationalisation course (6 EC)
Legal Methodology (6 EC)
Master’s thesis (12 EC)
An integration course, or a choice from several integration courses (6 EC)
A restricted elective from a list of restricted electives (6 EC)
Electives (12 EC), which may include an internship of up to 6 EC

You can find more information about the integration courses, restricted electives, and free electives in the specific specialisations or in the study guide.

An excellent foundation for your career

This Master’s programme is an important step in your career. After graduation, you will be well prepared for a wide range of positions in every field of law - from the judiciary to ministries, from law firms to business, and from consultancy to academia. A Master’s degree is also required for admission to the training programmes for judges, lawyers and public prosecutors. And even outside the toga professions, a Master’s in Law is often a requirement.