Master’s Programme in Law

The Second-Cycle Master's Study Programme in Law represents an advanced continuation of the First-Cycle Law Programme and, together with it, provides the formal educational qualification required for admission to the State Legal Examination.

The programme comprises 60 ECTS credits and is delivered over two semesters.

Students may choose one of the following specialisation modules:

• General Law Module
• Commercial Law Module
• Public Law Module
• International Law Module

These modules build upon the fundamental legal knowledge acquired during the first-cycle law programme and allow students to deepen their expertise in specific legal fields.

The Master's Study Programme in Law is offered on both a full-time and part-time basis.

Upon successful completion of the programme, graduates are awarded the professional title:

Master of Laws (mag. prava)

Applicants may enrol in the Second-Cycle Master's Study Programme in Law if they meet one of the following conditions:

a)

They have completed a First-Cycle University Study Programme in Law (Bologna programme) comprising at least 240 ECTS credits.

b)

They have completed a First-Cycle University Study Programme in Law (Bologna programme) comprising at least 180 ECTS credits, provided that before enrolment they successfully complete a preparatory year consisting of an additional 60 ECTS credits from the First-Cycle University Study Programme in Law, achieving at least:

• 60 ECTS in Civil and Commercial Law,
• 22 ECTS in Criminal Law,
• 12 ECTS in Labour Law and Social Security Law,
• 30 ECTS in Administrative Law,
• 10 ECTS in Public International Law,
• 13 ECTS in Constitutional Law,
• 16 ECTS in Legal History and Roman Law,
• 16 ECTS in Theory and Sociology of Law,
• 20 ECTS in Law and Economics courses.

c)

They have completed a professional higher education programme in a related field (for example, economics, social sciences, sociology, or public administration), provided that before enrolment they successfully complete a preparatory programme worth 60 ECTS credits, consisting of the following courses:

• Introduction to Jurisprudence (6 ECTS)
• Constitutional Law (6 ECTS)
• Criminal Law (6 ECTS)
• Criminal Procedure Law (4 ECTS)
• Civil Law (8 ECTS)
• Commercial Law (6 ECTS)
• Civil Procedure Law (4 ECTS)
• Public International Law (6 ECTS)
• Administrative Law (6 ECTS)
• Administrative Procedure Law (4 ECTS)
• Labour Law (4 ECTS)

Selection Criteria in the Event of Limited Enrolment

If enrolment is restricted, applicants will be selected based on their weighted grade point average (GPA).

The weighted GPA is calculated by multiplying each course grade by the corresponding number of ECTS credits and using these weighted values to determine the overall average.

All academic requirements completed within the preparatory year at the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, are also included in the calculation.

Academic Year 2025/26

• Winter Semester: 1 October 2025 – 13 January 2026
• Winter Examination Period: 14 January 2026 – 3 February 2026
• Summer Semester: 4 February 2026 – 19 May 2026
• Spring Examination Period: 20 May 2026 – 10 July 2026
• Autumn Examination Period: 24 August 2026 – 18 September 2026

Students of the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, who wish to take an external elective course must complete the prescribed application form and submit it together with the approved course syllabus by email to milena.kastelic@pf.uni-lj.si.

The form must be fully completed, signed, and stamped by the responsible person at the other higher education institution. A request for recognition and substitution of an external elective course must be submitted through the Student Information System (ŠIS) after the successful completion of the examination (Application: Recognition of Extracurricular Activities – Elective Course Substitution). The application must be accompanied by a certificate issued by the other higher education institution confirming successful completion of the external elective course.

Certain courses offered by the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, may also be selected by students from other higher education institutions. For this purpose, applicants must complete the relevant application form and submit it by email to milena.kastelic@pf.uni-lj.si.

Upon successfully passing the examination in the selected course, students may obtain a certificate of completed academic requirements from the Student Affairs Office.

Applicants who have not completed a First-Cycle University Study Programme in Law comprising at least 240 ECTS credits and thereby obtained the title Bachelor of Laws (University Programme) (diplomirani pravnik (UN) / diplomirana pravnica (UN)) must complete additional examinations (the so-called Preparatory Year) before they may enrol in the Second-Cycle Master's Study Programme offered by the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana.

The Preparatory Year comprises 60 ECTS credits, but the required obligations differ depending on whether the applicant has previously completed an undergraduate or first-cycle law programme.

Applicants with a First-Cycle Law Degree (180 ECTS)

Applicants who have completed a First-Cycle University Study Programme in Law (Bologna programme) comprising at least 180 ECTS credits must, prior to enrolment in the second-cycle programme, successfully complete Preparatory Year examinations worth 60 ECTS credits from the First-Cycle Law Programme.

The specific examinations required are determined individually for each applicant by the Faculty Committee for Academic Affairs.

Applicants from Related Fields

Applicants who have completed a professional higher education programme in a field related to law (for example, economics, social sciences, sociology, public administration, etc.) must successfully complete a predefined set of Preparatory Year examinations amounting to 60 ECTS credits before enrolment in the Second-Cycle Master's Programme.

Application Procedure

Interested applicants from both categories must submit a written application to the Faculty Student Affairs Office in order to be permitted to take Preparatory Year examinations.

Applications may be submitted at any time during the year, but not before the applicant has completed their undergraduate studies.

Each candidate independently organises the manner and timetable for completing the examinations, either on their own initiative or in agreement with the course coordinators.

Recognition of Previously Completed Courses

Within the Preparatory Year, course content may be recognised in whole or in part only if it has been assessed as equivalent in terms of quality, curriculum content, and scope by the Senate of the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, upon the recommendation of the Committee for Academic Affairs.

Student Status During the Preparatory Year

Candidates completing Preparatory Year examinations do not have student status.

No lectures are organised specifically for the Preparatory Year. As noted above, candidates independently determine the order and timing of their examinations.

Each examination attempt is subject to a fee in accordance with the Faculty's fee schedule for differential examinations.

Eligibility for the State Legal Examination

To be eligible to sit the State Legal Examination, candidates must have completed both the first-cycle and second-cycle law programmes.

Further Information

For additional information regarding the study programme, please contact:

maja.marentic@pf.uni-lj.si.

A student completes the Second-Cycle Master’s Study Programme in Law upon successfully passing all examinations from compulsory and elective courses totalling 48 ECTS credits, and by preparing a master’s thesis, which is worth 12 ECTS credits. This means that the programme is completed upon earning a total of 60 ECTS credits.

When preparing the master’s thesis, students must comply with the Rules on the Completion of Studies and Master’s Thesis and the Ethical Code for Researchers of the University of Ljubljana.

Selection of Master’s Thesis Topics

In accordance with the Rules on the Completion of Studies and Master’s Thesis, students may propose a thesis topic to a potential supervisor. The proposal must include a title and a short outline (proposal/disposition).

Supervisors accept proposed topics only until 5 October of the current academic year. After this date, they decide whether they will accept supervision of the proposed topics and inform the students accordingly. Supervisors may also announce additional topics if student proposals do not fill their supervision quota.

All topics (whether proposed by students or additionally announced) must be approved before acceptance at the October meeting of the Committee for Academic Affairs. After the meeting, a list of approved topics and instructions for registration are published on the Faculty website.

Preparation of the Master’s Thesis

The thesis must include the following formal components:

• title page
• first internal title page (identical to the title page)
• abstract in Slovene and English (maximum 20 lines), including key findings and up to 10 keywords
• main content
• signed declaration of authorship

The main body of the thesis must include:

• table of contents
• introduction
• main body
• conclusion
• list of literature and sources
• declaration of authorship

The main text of the thesis must be between 65,000 and 90,000 characters without spaces, including footnotes (excluding abstracts, keywords, list of literature, and appendices).

Submission of the Master’s Thesis

Before the thesis defence, the student must have settled all financial obligations to the Faculty and obtain a certificate from the Faculty Library confirming that no books or other materials are outstanding and that there are no other debts to the library.

When the supervisor assesses that the thesis is ready for defence, the candidate is invited to upload the electronic version in the Student Information System (ŠIS). After submission, a similarity check procedure is carried out. Detailed instructions are available in ŠIS.

Before the defence, the student must submit a completed form (Decision on the Thesis) in duplicate to the supervisor.

After the Defence

No later than two working days after a successful thesis defence, the student must submit the following to the Student Affairs Office during office hours:

• two copies of the Decision on the Thesis form, signed by the chair and a member of the defence committee
• a certificate from the Faculty Library confirming that no materials are outstanding and no debts remain

The Student Affairs Office then issues a temporary certificate of graduation, while the official master’s diploma is issued later. Students are informed of the diploma ceremony date at a later stage.