We will miss you
Since the MBL's start in 2010, we have welcomed over 350 students from more than 75 countries and six continents. The international student body accounts for a unique and inspirational learning environment with a lasting personal and professional impact on our alumni.
After completing their studies, most alumni return to their home countries. Many of them use their degree as a stepping stone for their career. They join leading law firms or regulatory authorities, become public servants in ministries or international organizations, employees at multinational companies, or make their way into academia.
Mustafa Polat, Türkiye
It was fascinating to witness the complete package: learning competition law theory from academics and seeing its implementation by practitioners. MBL-FU is both academically satisfying and allows its students to work or improve themselves due to its “not too much, not too less, right on the nose” curriculum! The intensive competition law knowledge provided by the MBL-FU and academic comments on our papers allowed me to approach debatable topics from different perspectives which in turn made my thesis recognized with Ruben Perea Award. Berlin was a great place to study due to its international character, which also allowed me to work while studying. Additionally, there are several conferences in Berlin that MBL-FU students can take advantage of.
(Class of 22/23)
Flavia Alliu, Albania
What I liked the most about the program is the internationality and diversity of the lecturers and peers. The MBL-LL.M program provided me with a better understanding of both EU and German legislations. Also, Berlin is the city to be. I am so happy and grateful that I still have the chance to live here. You can find everything in Berlin. You will never get bored. There are so many leisure activities that you can do here, and you will also be able to develop your new hobbies. My best non-academic experience was spending time with my peers outside the doors of the university. Exchanging our diverse ideas and experiences helped me to embrace the changes in my life.
(Class of 21/22)
Bruno Bertolotti, Uruguay
The MBL-FU provided me with a deep and solid knowledge of economics and competition law essential for understanding today’s global markets and clients’ businesses. The top-level lecturers ranging from scholars to European Commission members as well as the tutors constantly challenged me and required me to think outside the box and step out of my comfort zone. This substantially helped me to practically analyze competition issues and interpret and apply European regulations, which are references in several Latin American jurisdictions. Even though the pandemic only allowed for digital lectures, I was able to enjoy the vibrant city of Berlin and meet my classmates from more than fifteen countries many of whom are friends now.
(Class of 2020/21)
Manav Chadha, India
The Master’s degree in International and European Business, Competition and Regulatory Law offered by Freie Universität Berlin has an enormous amount of knowledge and expertise to offer to its participants. Coming from the background of investment law, for me, the most important aspect about the MBL program was the holistic approach taken by the lecturers while explaining the legal as well as economic aspects of competition law. I personally felt that the program was extremely rewarding, due to the challenging nature of the lectures and the discussions with the professors, which came with a plethora of academic and industry experience. The course modules are extremely well organized and there is a genuine willingness by the MBL team and the visiting professors to help the students with their queries. I was particularly impressed with the blended approach of traditional classroom study and the e-learning segment as well as the depth of study content provided for preparation, prior to the lectures.
The diversity of my fellow students was also an invaluable factor in my learning experience. The lecturers encouraged plenty of debates during lectures which helped me to understand the perspectives of people coming from different cultural and professional backgrounds. Additionally, as the campus is located close to the city centre, the students have the opportunity to participate in the vibrant cultural and leisure activities offered by Berlin. The MBL program provides an excellent opportunity for its students to expand their professional as well as personal network and I would whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone looking to specialize in Competition and Regulatory Law in the European Union.
(Class of 2018/19)
Leonila Papa, Philippines
As one of the top-rated programs for competition law, I knew that the MBL program wouldn’t disappoint. The extensive lectures allowed me to integrate the theoretical frameworks with the practical implications of competition and regulatory laws. For someone like me, who is interested in policy work, one of the highlights of the program was its emphasis on explaining the economic foundations of competition and regulatory law. Our regular interaction with renowned scholars, practitioners, and enforcers from Europe, US, Asia, Africa, and Latin America challenged my thinking about what I thought was possible and opened my eyes to different opportunities for my future. Lastly, getting my MBL degree precipitated my involvement in various international projects related to competition and regulation. Without a doubt, joining the MBL program is one of the best decisions that I’ve made for my career.
(Class of 2017/18)
Dita Saragih, Indonesia
Having the opportunity to extend my education, I decided to participate in the FU Berlin MBL Program. In addition to law and regulatory studies, the program also covers economics and business, elements that are undeniably complementary to my legal study in order to be able to compete soundly in this ever-changing world and its numerous emerging economies. The international excellence study environment (expert lecturers and diverse classmates) really assisted me in attaining the knowledge and skill that I need to reach my goals. By the time I finish the whole MBL program, I wish to advance my proficiency as a legal practitioner, either as a law enforcement or as a policy maker.
(Class of 2015/16)
Aly Mohamed Elberry, Egypt
My experience of the MBL program was one of a kind. This unique program brought together the fields of business, competition and regulatory law, which were taught by an excellent array of first-rate professors from across Europe and the US. Likewise, students came from varied cultural and legal backgrounds, which nourished academic discussions, expanded my legal knowledge and added to the course an international dimension - an essential quality of today’s legal global market. Moreover, the intensive courses, which were also wide-ranging, gave me the opportunity to enhance my analytical, critical and research skills and to master the knowledge of the program’s fields of study. On a different note, Berlin, known as one of the most student- friendly cities in the world, gradually became a second home for me. The remarkable multicultural diversity of this city coupled with the uniqueness of the German culture was a really brilliant experience.
(Class of 2015/16)
Girish Nagraj, India
What I I enjoyed the most was the interdisciplinarity of the courses and the multicultural and cosmopolitan vibe of Berlin. As the capital of Germany, Berlin - with its open atmosphere, vibrant art, music and cultural influences - is one of the best cities to live in and truly bridges the past and the present organically.
The lectures at the MBL program were inspiring and opened my eyes to what excellent scholarship is. The Professors were inspirational and the interdisciplinary lectures - including economics, law and technology - have helped me to understand the inter-connectedness of the subjects and the need for scholarship in disparage fields to make better policy decision. In my current line of work in Standard Essential Patents, the knowledge and understanding of competition and regulatory law, as well as intellectual property I gained during the MBL programme has been essential.
Finally, the vibrant FU campus and the classmates from all parts of the world brought in fresh perspectives and helped me understand the world much better. With its various faculties such as philosophy, photography, economics, language, political science and more, Freie Universität provides immense opportunities to students to understand various other subjects and purse their interests.
(Class of 2014/15)
Ignacio Parra Benavente, Chile
There is no doubt that the MBL-FU contributed to increase my knowledge of competition law and regulatory law. The program not only considers the European regulations but also the experience of a wide majority of countries including the US. Furthermore, the expertise of the academics is quite admirable because they generally occupy important positions in regulatory bodies as the European Commission or the WTO. Certainly, one of the most interesting aspects of the MBL-FU is that you have the chance to share with people from all around the world with different backgrounds. This allows you to get a broader picture of the regulatory frameworks in different regions. The atmosphere in class was simply awesome. We organized a lot of activities that made the experience of living abroad more interesting. I can certainly assert that I left the program with a bunch of new friends from all around the world.
(Class of 2014/15)
Ning Li, China
As a graduate of Freie Universität, I found that the MBL-FU program provided me with the perfect combination of knowledge about economics and law. With the help of highly qualified professors and responsible tutors, the obstacles could be conquered easily. Moreover, the high percentage of practitioners from all over the world was inspiring.
(Class of 2014/15)
Ena Ostroški, Croatia
As a lawyer, I have benefited from the MBL programme a lot. The programme itself provides students with a good mixture of law and economics, which I missed a lot in my previous studies. In addition to that, I received solid knowledge and expertise in the field of international and European business, competition and regulatory law and learned how to apply it in my daily work. Therefore, I highly recommend the programme to each young professional. But this programme is not only about studying. It is also a great place where I met many amazing classmates who became my friends. Definitely, if I could, I would take this experience once again and enrol myself at the Freie Universität Berlin to be a part of the programme.
(Class of 2013/14)
Daniela Pavez Gálvez, Chile
The scope of the program is broad, so as a lawyer I had to learn a lot more about economics. That was very useful to get a better insight into environmental and energy issues. Also, the master program helped me to get new job opportunities in my country and abroad.
(Class of 2011/12)
Quang Ngoc Dam, Vietnam
The time as a student of the MBL-FU program is a great part of my life. The studying environment and friendly people impressed me the most. The MBL-FU team helped me to adapt quickly to the program and way of studying. I have benefitted greatly from the program, not only in the areas of business and regulatory law but also in the field of European law on internal markets, which now is so important for my job and career. As a participant of the program, I met many new people and found good friends with whom I keep in touch until today. Moreover, life in Berlin is nice. It is an amazing place. I wish I could be a part of the MBL-FU program once again.
(Class of 2011/12)