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About MELS - Programme Objectives

The programme is designed to achieve two principal aims: to provide a background to the fundamental issues underlying the European integration process and to offer progressive and increasing specialisation in the vast field of European law, to enable students to deal with legal questions in a practical way. The legal focus of the programme is on the broader ambit of European integration, also touching upon different economic and political aspects of the integration process and duly considering their legal and practical implications.

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Admission Criteria

Prospective candidates should have successfully completed a Bachelor’s degree in law, political science, economics, European studies, etc. Applicants with an equivalent educational level in a field other than these are also invited to apply. Candidates must also have an active knowledge of English or French, with full proficiency in one of the languages (C1/C2) and the ability to read and understand in the other language (B1/B2) are minimum requirements.

Enrolment

The online application form is available on our website at www.eipa.eu/mels. The Board of Admission will select students on the basis of the applications received. Once admitted, students will be enrolled with the University de Lorraine via the European Centre for Judges and Lawyers. Please note: The deadline for submission of applications is 15 September 2025.

Tuition fee per academic year

EIPA members’ fee*: €5.670 Regular fee: €6.300 per academic year. The fee includes registration fees at the Université de Lorraine. The tuition fee does not cover travel, accommodation, subsistence, or other personal costs such as health insurance.

* EIPA members can take advantage of a reduced fee; this is available to all civil servants working for one of EIPA’s member countries (i.e. AT, BE, BG, CY, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, SE), and civil servants working for an EU institution, body or agency.

Discounts and other financial support

Please note that participation in the MELS may be eligible for national financial support. Please also note that discounts cannot be accumulated! https://www.eipa.eu/discount-policy/

Career prospects

The Master degree in European Legal Studies is a highly valuable instrument for graduating participants in the development of their respective professional careers. For example, graduates can use it as a stepping stone to enter international and European organisations, while those already working as EU officials may use their degree to advance their career within the EU administration.

The degree also allows those participants already working as lawyers to practise in the various areas of European law. Finally, the degree can also enable graduates to pursue a professional career within any of the wide range of national administrations as well as European associations and companies (consultancy firms, European federations, lobby groups, territorial representations in Brussels, etc.) involved in the various aspects and facets of the European integration process.

Methodology

The fully online programme spans two years and is based on a combination of teaching methodologies.

First, students attend online lectures and tutorials using interactive education methods such as group work, case studies, simulation exercises and problem-solving learning.

Second, a set of online learning tools such as video tutorials (asynchronous), webinars, assignments and online tests are offered on the ‘Campus’. Finally, students are invited to engage in guided distance learning. Attendance is compulsory in order to be able to sit the examinations.

The tuition takes place once a month during “academic weekend” with a total number of four academic weekends per semester. The lectures are foreseen to be delivered on Thursday evening, Friday afternoon and Saturday all day. The academic weekends are supplemented by complementary lectures and self-study, providing students with an excellent opportunity to broaden and deepen their knowledge of the law and how it works in practice.

By virtue of the ‘Campus’ – the MELS e-Learning platform – students regularly receive up-to-date learning material, including extracts of legislation, case law and references for recommended literature designed to structure and supplement their studies.

Is this programme for you?

The programme is mainly intended for civil servants, EU officials, lawyers and other legal experts, as well as other professionals and graduates interested in European law. No prior degree in law is required to participate in the programme.

The courses are held in English and French, and the participants must be able to follow lectures in both languages. Full proficiency in one of the languages (C1/C2) and ability to read and understand in the other language (B1/B2) are minimum requirements. With an ever-increasing demand for online studies, the master programme offers a diverse environment allowing students to exchange information and experiences from different backgrounds.