Law and Society: Governance and Global Development (MSc) is a one-year master’s degree at the internationally renowned Leiden Law School of Leiden University. The programme is distinct in its broad inter-disciplinary approach, offering a timely opportunity to study the dynamic relationship between legal norms and social reality. Its global orientation and cohesive curriculum make this master’s programme unique in its field.

Scope of Law and Society

Law and legal institutions play an important role in the organisation of society. They can be used to address and regulate social problems ranging from migration and terrorism to corruption, and from pollution and climate change to social and gender equality. But laws and institutions, and the way in which they operate in practice, can also preserve and deepen societal problems and lead to injustice.

In this programme, you will focus on the different ways in which laws and legal institutions affect society and, vice versa, how society influences the formation and functioning of law. You will gain a broad, in-depth understanding of the relationship that exists between law and society, as well as the necessary knowledge and tools to think critically about current legal, socio-political and economic developments in the field.

International atmosphere

Our aim in this programme is to provide you with in-depth academic knowledge and to equip you with the professional skills needed in your (global) career. To achieve this, students are taught in small, seminar-style classes. Our programme attracts students from inside and outside the EU, which makes for a truly international atmosphere.

After graduation

The Master’s degree Law and Society offered by the Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Society at Leiden University, will provide you with the skills and knowledge that are necessary for a successful career in both the private and public sector.

Career perspectives

The Master’s degree Law and Society was initiated in response to demands in the labour market: experts from the professional field expressed a need for students trained in an interdisciplinary, socio-legal approach to law, who possess an in-depth understanding of the formation and functioning of law. Career prospects students may consider when choosing this Master’s programme include:

• Intergovernmental organisations;
• Non-governmental organisations;
• National and European Union civil services;
• Lobby and consultancy firms and large corporations;
• Academia.