FAQs about the LL.M. Program in International and European Law
In what time frame will the courses be taught and how many credits are the LL.M. courses?
In the LL.M. program, some courses will be taught in 2-week intensive modules. The core courses may
be taught over a longer time frame during the semester.
Can a student obtain a JD/LL.M. in three years?
A LL.M. degree is traditionally a post-graduate degree, and at this stage, we would emphasize the
importance of setting it up so that exchange students would need to complete one more semester of
study at UJM Lyon-3 beyond their home law degree in order to obtain the LL.M. degree from UJM Lyon3.
What are the tuition/fee costs per semester for a non-exchange status student to complete the LL.M.
degree?
A student who has completed one semester on exchange at UJM Lyon 3 and wishes to come back to
complete his/her LL.M. degree, will pay 5000 Euros in tuition costs.
To legally be certified to practice law in France does one need to have successfully completed a M1, or
a M2?
In theory, you can pass your bar exam after your M1. In practice, there are a very small percentage of
students who succeed in doing so. The recent higher education reform in Europe has pushed even
further the idea of completing 5 full years (i.e., completing M2) of law study before taking the bar exam.
However, the likelihood of being able to pass the French bar exam is not high unless the student is
fluent in French and has followed a minimum of civil and French law education.
Does one need to be able to take the French “bar exam” in the French language to be able to practice
law in France?
Yes, you must pass the bar which is still administrated in the French language.
Are exchange students working on their LL.M. degree in Lyon required to take a French-language
course?
An intensive French language course will be required during the one week orientation program at the
beginning of each semester. We also make FLE classes available to students during the semester.
Do exchange students need to apply/commit to the LL.M. program from the start? For example, if a
student wanted to come on a semester exchange only, but then reconsidered while in Lyon and
decided to stay, or return for the second semester to complete the LL.M., would it be possible?
Students do not have to commit to the LL.M. upon arrival or while they are here. If a student
successfully completes the one semester certificate, he/she will be allowed to come back in the next
three years to complete the LL.M. or stay for a second semester in the fall if they happen to have just
finished their home law degree by transferring credit from their exchange semester at UJM Lyon 3.