Elective courses Faculty of Law

Overview of electives

• Elective courses in the Bachelor

  The elective part of the Bachelor’s programmes is usually referred to as the minor. In the Bachelor’s programmes of the faculty, this elective component can be filled with a minor, a coherent package of related courses or with courses which have been completed during an exchange. In our Bachelor’s programmes it is not possible to include a number of random elective courses. For more details see under Minors.

• Elective courses in the Master

  In most Master’s programmes of the faculty, it is possible to choose one or two courses at your own discretion for the elective component of the programme. The OER specifies what is possible for your programme. 

  Elective courses which you wish to include for your exam must always be completed at an academic Master’s level. It is not possible to include courses on Bachelor’s level.

  Pursuing electives in your own programme

  Every Master’s programme lists which electives can be chosen (see Study guide). Students can choose any of the listed courses as an elective, provided they meet the admission requirements of the course and the course isn’t already included as a compulsory course. You can register for the course in your VU Dashboard.

  Pursuing electives of another VU programme or at a different university

  If you wish to pursue an elective course of another VU programme or at a different university, you must obtain prior permission from the Examination Board. The elective course must be pursued at an accredited academic university in an accredited academic Master’s programme and must be of the same level and scope as courses offered at VU Amsterdam. For course  outside the faculty, the course cannot be identical in content to a course offered at the faculty. To ask permission for including the elective in your curriculum use the webform of the Examination Board.

• Elective courses abroad

  If you complete courses abroad during a faculty exchange programme, they can be included in the elective component of your programme, both in the Bachelor’s programmes and the Master’s programmes. If your programme does not have an elective component, you may be able to pursue the courses extra-curricularly (see below).

  To include the course(s) you need prior permission from the Examination Board. The Board must check if the course(s) comply with the level requirements specified in the OER.

  For the Bachelor’s minor, the following requirements apply to the courses to be included:

  • at least two (or 12 EC) must be at level 300; and
  • no more than one (or 6 EC) may be at level 100.
     

  To include courses in the elective part of the Master’s programme, the course must be completed at at least academic Master’s level.

  For practical information on studying abroad consult the page on Exchange.

• Pursuing Extracurricular courses

  If you are studying at the VU Faculty of Law and you wish to pursue extra (extracurricular) courses of a different VU programme or at another university (abroad), you can do so.

  • To pursue extracurricular courses you do not need to obtain permission from the Examination Board.
  • You will need to obtain permission to pursue the course from the faculty/university where the course is offered. The faculty/university concerned will be able to inform you how permission can be obtained.
  • If you are applying for a scholarship, always check the conditions for getting approval. 
  • If you wish to pursue a course of another VU programme, consult Secondary courses (or a minor) at VU Amsterdam.
  • If you wish to pursue a course at another Dutch university, you will most likely have to register with them as a secondary student. You will probably also have to submit a proof of paid tuition fees (BBC). The VU Student Desk can help you with that.  Ask the university concerned about their procedure for secondary students. 
  • Please note: extracurricular courses are only included in the diploma supplement if they have been completed at the VU. Extracurricular Bachelor’s courses will not be included in the diploma supplement of a Master’s programme.