Duration

10 months

Starting Date

September

Application Deadline

1st of February

Tuition Fee

13,000 per year

Location

Vienna, Austria

Degree

Dual Austrian and the U.S. degree

Earn a valuable degree

In the world’s only LLM program of its kind, you will explore how constitutions contribute to good government in the age of globalization and the rise of illiberal governments. Classic models and recent developments are explored through comparative analysis in a problem-oriented manner.

Ever since its foundation, the program has explored constitutional problems at the time of transition to democracy and constitutional design. The shift in the curriculum towards issues concerning the development and strengthening of good government in a globalized world reflects our commitment to the broader international context in which contemporary constitutional systems operate.

CEU’s highly qualified and diverse faculty prepares students to engage in comparative and inter-disciplinary analysis of complex constitutional problems. Courses enable students to explore constitutional issues across legal systems, to engage in critical reading and refine their arguments in oral interactions. Individual research skills are developed and furthered through comparative problem papers and group work. Our graduates are thus able to respond to challenging constitutional and fundamental rights problems with advanced analytical skills, offering comparative insight and policy-relevant responses.

Over the years, the Comparative Constitutional Law program has educated many high-ranking civil servants, successful NGO and IGO professionals and academics.

Select areas of study

Constitutional transformations to and from democracy · Constitutionalism and the rule of law – classic, modern, sham · Migration of constitutional ideas around the world.

The core curriculum centers on fundamental issues in comparative government and constitutional rights protection in leading and emerging democracies around the world. Since its establishment the curriculum of the program has examined the legal traditions of both civil law (continental) and common law systems.

Courses include:

  • Comparative Constitutional Legal Research Methodology
  • Constitution-Building in Africa
  • Constitutionalism and Rights in South and South East Asia
  • Constitutions at Work: Comparative Perspectives
  • Critical Race Theory: Race and Law from the United States to Europe
  • European Anti-Discrimination Law
  • French Constitutional Law and Its Influence Abroad
  • German Constitutional Law and Its Historical and Political Context
  • Jean Monnet Module I: An Introduction to European Integration and European Union Governance
  • Jean Monnet II: Advanced Issues of European Integration: EU Human Rights Law and Policy
  • Illiberal Democracy and the Rule of Law
  • International Rule of Law Assistance: Law and Development
  • Introduction to European Union Law
  • Protecting Human Rights and Constitutionalism in the Council of Europe
  • US Constitutional Law

Apply

Admissions requirements:

  • Completed online application form
  • Proof of English proficiency
  • Letters of recommendation
  • CV
  • Bachelor’s degree in law or in the social sciences, e.g. political science or international relations with a legal component, are also eligible
  • Academic records
  • Academic essay (for the capstone track) or research proposal (for the thesis track)

Application deadlines:

  • February 1, 2025 for master’s and PhD studies with financial aid
  • March 15, 2025 for self-financing master’s candidates who will require a study visa
  • August 15, 2024 for self-financing master’s candidates who will not require a study visa

Interested? Get started today!