Central European University - Master of Laws in International Business Law (LL.M)
Central European University (CEU) is a graduate-level, English-language University accredited both in the U.S. and Hungary. The Department of Legal Studies provides high quality advanced legal education and education in human rights, comparative constitutional law, and international business law. Its programmes are among the finest in Europe, enabling students to obtain a solid grounding in fundamental legal concepts in civil law and common law systems and to develop unique skills in comparative analysis. Students are encouraged to see complex legal and social problems in their broader context and seek solutions across continents and disciplines.
The LL.M. in International Business Law program focuses on international business transactions, the regulatory framework of international business and dispute resolution offering a comparative, cross-border perspective. The Programme is also a certified course provider for the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Single Diploma
Language: English
Start Date: September
Duration: 10 months
Price/Fee: 13,000 EUR (tuition fee) + 200 EUR (student enrollment fee) per academic year
Scholarships: Master’s candidates who applied by the relevant application deadline, and who have received an acceptance offer or been placed on the waiting list will have the opportunity to apply for CEU financial aid.
Accommodation: Most CEU students stay in the CEU Residence Center or in rented apartments in the city. The CEU Residence Center provides accommodation to CEU Master's Scholarship recipients as part of their financial aid package, and to students who wish to stay in the Residence Center on a fee paying basis. Information regarding accommodation in Budapest can be found at the CEU website.
Application Process
The Department of Legal Studies welcomes applications from individuals with outstanding academic achievements, professional experience, strong recommendations, and English language proficiency.
Completed applications must be submitted through online application system (LLM in International Business Law) by the deadline.
- Deadline:
February 1, 2018 (midnight, Central European Time)
Deadline for applicants to Master’s programs; accepted MA candidates whose application is received by this deadline can apply for CEU financial aid (if applicable). Application deadline for doctoral programs. All applications must be complete with relevant standard test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, etc.).
February 2, 2018 onwards
Application period for self-financing applicants. All applications must be complete with applicable standard test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, etc.). Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis (pending available spaces).
Citizens of countries outside the EU/EEA area who require a study visa may submit applications no later than June 1, 2018.
- Application Fee:
CEU charges a one-time application fee of EUR 30 for each candidate irrespective of the number of programs applied to in the given admissions cycle. The application fee is non-refundable: all applicants are subject to submit this fee regardless of their citizenship or financial circumstances. The fee must be paid when the first application is submitted in the given admission cycle.
The fee should be paid by bank card via the CEU online application form (secure payment). No other ways of payment are available.
- Degree requirements
Applicants for the LL.M. in International Business Law program must have completed their undergraduate studies in law before enrolling to the program. A law degree will be considered as adequate if - in a given country - it presents sufficient academic requirements for taking the Bar exam.
- Documents:
Required documents for online application:
- Curriculum Vitae
- Copy of passport containing the applicant's ID photo
- Proof of English proficiency
- Certified English version of full transcripts
- Certified English version of diploma(s), or official documentation indicating the expected date of graduation
- Two academic referees / One academic and one professional referee if the candidate has more than three years of work experience (email addresses directly uploaded to online application system)
- 1500-word essay (in total; 750 words - excluding footnotes and bibliography - per question) on the topics below specified by the respective programs (both questions need to be answered):
- “The two primary legal families today are the civil (or civilian) and the common law (Anglo-Saxon) legal systems. Common law legal systems include England and its former colonies (such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the Canadian common law provinces, and Nigeria), while civil law systems include those of continental Europe and others influenced by the continental tradition (such as the Latin American countries and many states in Asia and Africa). Identify and explain three key differences between these two legal families. Please illustrate your points with examples from your home jurisdiction, and a jurisdiction with which you are familiar that belongs to the ‘other’ family.” AND
- “In the field of international commercial arbitration it is a generally accepted practice that the parties may appoint arbitrators. For example, when the dispute is submitted to a three-member arbitral tribunal, typically each party appoints one arbitrator and the two party-appointed arbitrators appoint a presiding arbitrator. In your essay, address the following questions: (a) what may be the underlying rationale of this practice?; (b) what problems or concerns does it raise in your opinion?; (c) what may be possible solutions or remedies?”
NOTE: Late submission of required documents is not possible, and incomplete applications may lead to early stage rejection.
- Examination:
The Legal Studies admissions examination is composed of the following:
- Review of application packages
- Telephone/Skype interview offered to selected applicants on the basis of their application package
The Department of Legal Studies reserves the right to check the originality of all submissions.
Programme Structure (55.92 ECTS/24 CEU credits)
In order to enable graduate students from all over the world to cope with such increasingly interdisciplinary and cross-border legal challenges, the curriculum of the International Business Law Program rests on several building blocks rather than on a single specialisation. These include dispute resolution (e.g., international commercial arbitration, conflict of laws), international business law (e.g., GATT & WTO, EU law or drafting and negotiating in the transnational context), regulation of business (e.g., capital market and securities regulation, consumer protection) and comparative business law (e.g., comparative national company, bankruptcy and secured transaction laws). Additionally, the programme constantly strives to offer courses that deal with contemporary global, regional and local challenges, like doing business in Asia, reform of secured transactions laws in Central and Eastern Europe and elsewhere. Most courses are of comparative nature typically juxtaposing the laws of leading common law and civilian legal systems with those of emerging markets.
Courses: A complete list of the programme's courses, as well as information regarding each course, can be found on CEU's website.
Career Prospects: The IBL Program is especially proud of the prominent careers of its graduates. The alumni of the IBL Program could now be found not just in offices of leading international and local law firms, as in-house counsels of international corporations, as well as in the positions of university teachers, governmental officials, experts of regulatory bodies or even in the non-profit sector.
LLM CONTACT:
Programme Chair: Tibor Tajti
Mailing address: Department of Legal Studies, Central European University, Nador u. 9. H-1051 Budapest, Hungary
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: (+36-1) 327 3197 Fax: (+36-1) 327 3198
Website: here
Find more about the admission to this master here.