Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover - EULISP Program

The University

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University of Hannover has around 21,000 students of which 3,100 come from abroad.

The University was initially established as a higher vocational school in 1831 and in 1879 the college received the official name "royal technical college" and was assigned to the Prussian ministry in Berlin. In the course of the years, the number of faculties grew to seven.

In 1978 the college was again renamed and the "Technological University" simply became the "University" which was often called "the University of Hanover ". In 1979 the first president of the University was chosen and the classical faculties modernised. In the summer of 2006 the University changed its name to "the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University of Hannover " which clearly shows the unique connection of the town with the well known Hannoverian inventor Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.

The Law School

The Law School of the University of Hannover is situated at the “Conti-Campus”, the more modern campus of the university. It is a very self-contained campus which also includes the library. An advantage for students is that most of the seminars and lectures of the masters programme will take place in the same building, where also all law Professors have their offices.

The Program

The LL.M. IT-Law offers a one-year Master program for postgraduate students. The course belongs to the framework of the “European Legal Informatics Study Programme (EULISP)”. Eleven universities are participating in EULISP including Bologna (Italy), Edinburgh (UK), Glasgow (UK), Hannover (Germany), Leuven (Belgium), London (UK), Namur (Belgium), Oslo (Norway), Rovaniemi (Finland), Stockholm (Sweden), Vienna (Austria) and Zaragoza (Spain).

The students spend the first semester in Hannover and the second one (about three months) at one of our ten EULISP partner universities. As many of the courses offered in Hannover are in English, it is possible for foreign students to participate in the programme. So far, students not only from other European countries, but also from Africa, Asia and South America have taken part.
In Hannover, aim of the studies is to acquire knowledge of German IT-law and its European basics. At our Partner Universities, you have the chance to optimise not only your professional skills but also your language skills. With the completion of the semester abroad, students intensify their work on their final thesis, which is due at the end of July. The year of studies concludes with a final graduation ceremony, usually in early December.

Among the lecturers teaching on the programme, are not only Professors of the University, but also lawyers from renowned law firms and administration departments. So far, this mixture has proved to be a great advantage for the students as they get to see different approaches to legal problems.
Our graduates are working in telecommunications and media enterprises, in IT-law departments of renowned law firms and in the administration. Graduating from this masters programme allows students the opportunity to apply for and accept attractive and highly qualified jobs within the field of IT-Law.
This programme is also fully accredited by an Independent accreditation agency and in February 2010 it was re-accredited for another 7 years.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Donors' Association for the Promotion of the Sciences and Humanities also conferred the award on the programme of being in the “Top 10 International Master's Degree Courses, made in Germany“

The evaluation focused on the following criteria: quality of teaching, internationalisation, student counselling and quality of the programme's graduates.

There is also the opportunity to take part in the double degree programme which runs in connection with our partner university, the University of Oslo.

The Faculty

The institute of legal informatics (IRI) was founded in 1983 and is one of the oldest University research centres in Germany which devotes itself to juridical questions in the field of IT. . The EULISP programme is conducted by the Institute for Legal Informatics and through EULISP and the IRI's European research network, it works in collaboration with a number of partner institutes around Europe and the rest of the world.

The Institute has a library for the EULISP students, which contains technical literature both in German and English. Apart from this library, there is the large library of the Law School, which also contains a lot of relevant literature. Students may also access the most important legal databases through the network of the University of Hannover. During this time, students receive "all-round care" including access to a specialised IT library, useful contacts and lectures in either English or German in a well-balanced course combining theory and practical work.

The Institute organizes the "Forum IT-Recht" three times in the winter semester which deals with current problems of IT-law and attracts experts from all over Germany. Students are always welcome to attend and join the discussion.

Entry Requirements

The prerequisite for the admission of German university graduates is the first state law examination, for foreign graduates an equivalent is required. Other requirements for the stay abroad are foreign language skills as well as an interest in legal approaches to problems within the field of IT-law.

Application Procedure

The application deadline is the 15th of July in each year for EU-students and the 31st of May for non EU-students, with studies commencing in October. Applications will normally be processed in less than a month. Please contact the Institute or visit our website for detailed information about the application procedure (English version and German version).

Tuition and Fees

We charge a fee of € 1500 for the semester in Hannover. Additionally, the University of Hannover charges registration fees (€ 283,00, as per Winter term 2010/2011). Student levies include a student transit pass valid for the city of Hannover as well as the region of Lower Saxony. The payment of the fees needs to be proven upon acceptance of the place of study.

Some of the universities abroad also charge tuition fees. For details, please visit www.eulisp.de.

Financial Aid

Students have the option to apply for a scholarship that amounts to a reduction of 750,-Euro from the fee for the semester in Hannover.

There is also the option for students on the double degree programme to apply for a scholarship.

Location

Hannover is the state capital of Lower Saxony. It is a modern city, with a mixture of modern and classic architecture and is surrounded by idyllic little towns and villages, which students of the University are able to explore without cost due to the free travel ticket for the state included in the student registration fees. This is perfect for foreign students to have opportunity to explore more of Germany.

There are some 40 different theatres, numerous museums and a worldfamous State Opera in Hannover. Equally attractive are the Herrenhausen Gardens, the Maschsee Lake and there are many sporting events and open-air concerts, and a large number of fairs and popular festivals that take place. The Christmas market is a must for students and takes place in the picturesque Old Town.

Accommodation

The university can provide assistance in finding accommodation. www.studentenwerk-hannover.de/en-rooms.html
There is accommodation available to suit all requirements regarding size, type of apartment and cost.

Summer Program

IN SITU – International Summer School in IT-Law at Leibniz Universität Hannover, is a four-week summer-programme, organized by the IRI, which offers its participants an excellent opportunity to acquire knowledge in Information Technology Law. The classes are taught in English by highly qualified lecturers. They cover the areas of European Law, Data Protection, Biotechnology, Electronic Commerce and Intellectual Property Law, laying emphasis on the fact that IT-Law is a modern field of law, which is strongly influenced by European and International Law developments.

The challenging curriculum will provide the participants with solid knowledge in the various fields of IT-Law, laying an ideal basis for further research.

This makes IN SITU a good opportunity for prospective EULISP-students, especially candidates coming from a non-European country, to acquaint themselves with the requirements of studying law in Germany in terms of language, curricular content and the method of teaching, so as to have an easier start to their EULISP-classes in October.

For details please visit: www.ITwillbefun.eu