Study programme

The study programme of Master's track International Trade and Investment Law is devoted to the study of the two branches of International Economic Law: International Trade Law and International Investment Law. The first semester focuses on learning to operate within the core principles and institutions of these disciplines.

Programme structure

Students begin by studying the principles and foundations of public international law and of international economic law (12 EC). We proceed with compulsory courses covering the cardinal rules in two key areas of international economic law: international trade law (6 EC) and international investment law (6 EC). In the second semester, you specialize in either trade law or investment law (24 EC). Students may complete their credits by following both specializations or by choosing to follow two free electives. The course concludes with the submission of a Master's thesis, presented to examiners in a specially convened session.

COURSES SEM 1 SEM 2 SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 EC

Foundations of International Economic Law

Period 1

6
Principles and Foundations of International Law

Period 1

6
International Investment Law

Period 2

6
International Trade Law

Period 2

6
Restricted-choice electives: Elective courses I

Period 4

6
Restricted-choice electives: Elective courses II

Period 1

Period 2

Period 3

Period 4

Period 5

Period 6

6
Restricted-choice electives: other elective courses

Period 1

Period 2

Period 4

Period 5

12
Free-choice electives: Extracurricular

Period 1

Period 2

—
Master's thesis

Period 1

Period 2

Period 3

Period 4

Period 5

Period 6

12

UvA Course Catalogue: International Trade and Investment Law

The information on this website is valid for the current academic year and may change for next year. In May the Course Catalogue is updated for the next academic year.

Discover the Master’s Honours programme

Are you looking for more challenge and academic depth? In that case the new Honours programme Academic Excellence track could be interesting for you!

More about the Academic Excellence Track

Compulsory courses (24 EC)
Foundations of International Economic Law (6 EC)

Principles and Foundations of International Law (6 EC)

International Investment Law (6 EC)

International Trade Law (6 EC)
Restricted-choice electives: Elective courses I (6 EC)
You must choose one of these two courses:

International Investment Arbitration (6 EC)

International Trade Law and Domestic Regulation (6 EC)

You can find the specific course information in the Course Catalogue.
Restricted-choice electives: Amsterdam Law Practice, elective courses II (6 EC)
You can choose from different skills courses that are part of the Amsterdam Law Practice, our unique, award winning experiential education. A contemporary way of learning, in which reflection on your own experiences and the development of a professional identity are central. The education programme received for this a Dutch Higher Education Award 2022 for innovative higher education.

You must choose one of the Amsterdam Law Practices courses:

Amsterdam Law Clinics (6 EC)

International Law Moot Court: Philip C. Jessup (6 EC)

WTO Moot Court (6 EC)

Internship (6 EC)

International Investment Arbitration Moot (6 EC)

International Investment Law Practicum (6 EC)

International Trade Law Practicum (6 EC)

Justice Entrepreneurship (6 EC)

You can find the specific course information in the Course Catalogue.
Restricted-choice electives: other elective courses (12 EC)
You must choose two of these courses:

History and Theory of International Law

Jurisdiction and Cooperation in Criminal Matters

Processes and Procedures of International Law

International Criminal Tribunals - Procedural Aspects

International Criminal Tribunals - Substantive Law

International Human Rights Law

International Humanitarian Law

International Organization

EU Regulated Markets

Foundations of EU Competition Law

International Environmental Law

International Investment Arbitration

International Law of Military Operations

International Trade Law and Domestic Regulation

Climate Litigation and Investment Protection in Europe

European Human Rights Law

International Law and Sustainable Development

You can find the specific course information in the Course Catalogue.
Free-choice electives: Extracurricular (0 EC)
The 6 EC for Legal English do not count for the 60 mandatory EC's of this master, but are extracurricular.

Legal English (6 EC

You can find the specific course information in the Course Catalogue.
Master’s thesis (12 EC)
The Master's thesis course contains the following components:

Conducting academic research and providing a written report of this research;

Oral presentation of this academic research.

The course includes lectures concerning skills relevant to writing a Master's thesis in law. These lectures are offered in January. In addition, a tutorial on presentation will be offered prior to the oral presentation.

Experience the programme

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Amsterdam Law Practice?

The Amsterdam Law Practice (ALP) is a unique experiential education program for all law Master's students. In the Amsterdam Law Practice, you learn by reflecting on who you are as a lawyer and how you want to contribute to society in the future. You apply your academic knowledge of law and your learned skills by stepping into the shoes of a lawyer in real or simulated cases.

As part of your LLM programme, you must take at least one ALP course of 6 ECTS and a maximum of 12 ECTS. You can take these ALP courses in the form of clinics, where you participate in real cases, or in a moot court or law Lab, where practice is simulated.

The Amsterdam Law Practice won a Dutch Higher Education Prize for innovative education in 2022.
Can I follow this Master’s part-time?

It is also possible to follow this Master's programme on a part-time basis; the programme then lasts 2 years. Students are advised to start with Principles and Foundations of International Law and Principles and Foundations of International Economic Law. Then, students are advised to take one compulsory course and one core course plus one elective (in total 30 EC) in the first year of studies. In the second year they can follow one compulsory component, one elective, one core course and the thesis trajectory (in total 30 EC). Most courses, however, are not offered in the evening. For more information, please contact the Education Desk.
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