What we offer you

The MBL-FU is a postgraduate master program in law (LL.M.). It lasts for one academic year. You will obtain in-depth knowledge on cutting-edge questions of European and International Competition and Regulatory Law.

Our lecturers are renowned legal and economic academics as well as practitioners from all around the world – from officials of the European Commission and national authorities to attorneys at international law firms and multinational companies. Their classes cover a wide range of topics, from foundational theoretical and economic questions to all aspects of European and international competition law, to intellectual property and other crucial issues driving important sectors of today’s (digital) economy.

You will study seven modules and write a master thesis. Each module consists of in-class lectures, seminars and tutorials. Classes are held on Fridays and Saturdays and occasionally on Thursdays at the Department of Law. Online study and work components complement and build upon these lectures.

Freie Universität Berlin (FU) is one of eleven “Universities of Excellence” in Germany. Its network of libraries holds approximately eight million media units, thereby providing you with the necessary resources for any academic endeavor. FU is one of the largest universities in Germany: 30,600 students are enrolled in over 150 degree programs. The university's 15 departments and central institutes are spread out through the university campus. FU has over 100 partnerships with scholarly institutions around the world; 15 percent of its student body come from abroad. The university offers a wide range of extracurricular activities, from a varied university sports program to a host of different language courses.

You will find the current course schedule in our download section. If you have any additional questions, you might want to check our FAQ.

First Term

Module 1: European and International Business Law (5 credit points)

You will become familiar with the European Union, its institutions, and sources of law. You will learn about the development of the EU’s internal market and the role which economic freedoms played in this development. In addition, you will learn about the nuances of the EU’s external relations, its common commercial and investment policies and the international legal framework for trade, investment and competition.

Module 2: Economy and Competition – The Broader View (10 credit points)

This module is dedicated to economic principles and processes. You will learn about economic efficiency, welfare allocation, models of perfect competition, monopolies, oligopolies, the application of game theory in economics, Cournot and Bertrand competition models, market power and market definition, cartels, horizontal and vertical agreements, mergers and unilateral abusive conducts.

Module 3: European Competition Law (10 credit points)

You will study intensively the rules on which European competition law is based. You will learn how to apply the rules on horizontal and vertical restraints, on unilateral abusive conducts, and on merger control, and will become familiar with the peculiarities of public and private enforcement of competition law.

Module 4: Advanced Competition Law (5 credit points)

The module covers advanced aspects of EU competition law as well as comparative and international competition law. You will study the rules governing state intervention in the internal market, especially concerning subsidies and state aid, and will compare US antitrust law and EU competition law. In addition, you will learn about competition law and its enforcement in select countries of the Global South.

Second Term

Module 5: Intellectual Property (5 credit points)

You will learn about the intersection between competition law, innovation, and intellectual property. To do so, you will study intensively the international and European Union legal framework for copyrights, patents, and trademarks.

Module 6: Regulatory Law – The Fundamentals (5 credit points)

You will learn about the legal and economic foundations of infrastructure regulation and will get insights into the Digital Economy. You will study the role of online platforms and digital ecosystems, and will examine EU policies to make Europe fit for the digital age, including the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act. You will compare these initiatives with similar regulatory approaches in other jurisdictions, including those for the regulation of artificial intelligence.

Module 7: Advanced Regulatory Law – (5 credit points)

This module aims to provide students with insights into different regulated markets. This may include traditional regulated industries such as telecommunications or energy, as well as contemporary regulatory challenges for the protection of personal and/or machine data, or for artificial intelligence.

MBL at a glance

Target group	Lawyers and economists with a strong interest in competition and regulatory law
Contents	European and international competition law and their economic foundations; the fundamentals of regulatory law and insights into different regulated markets
Lecturers	Professors from law and economics departments; practitioners from public authorities and international law firms
Structure	Classes on Fridays and Saturdays (and Thursdays sometimes); E-learning exercises
Language	English
Class size	Approx. 32 students
Duration	One academic year, starting in October
Degree	University degree "Master of Business Law (LL.M. MBL)"
Admission requirements	University degree (240 ECTS), preferably in legal studies Work experience of a year or more English language proficiency of at least B2, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
Application deadline	March 15 of each year
Tuition	9,500.00 EUR plus semester fees and contributions

You find a PDF-version of this chart at our download section.