Master's Degree in the Theory and Practice of Constitutional Law

The teaching provided in the first year of the program has two main purposes. Firstly, the training is deliberately generalist because the careers for which the students are destined require solid theoretical skills in all the disciplines of public law, taught by university specialists. Secondly, the aim is to offer students courses designed to make them aware of the disciplines that will be studied in greater depth in the second year, particularly constitutional law.
The courses taught in the second year of the program - in the form of lectures, case studies and exercises - correspond to a training of excellence with an essentially research objective, the results of which in terms of the production of theses and the success of competitive examinations in higher education are very significant. Fundamental research in constitutional law can be carried out in the main areas of reflection of the CERCOP, namely legal theory and philosophy, constitutional litigation and comparative constitutional law.
The program includes a "Research Methodology" seminar that trains students in the practice of research in constitutional law. This seminar is given by a teacher-researcher from the CERCOP. It provides students with tools and methods for writing their research paper.
Students also complete an internship in the laboratory. In close collaboration with the referent teacher, the students will participate in the daily life of CERCOP. They will also have to organize a "study day" at the end of the academic year on a theme chosen by all the students.
The management team also maintains close ties with the Constitutional Council, since each year a team composed of students from the program participates in the pleading competition organized by the institution (Vedel competition).
Finally, the program allows students to prepare for the major administrative competitions, in particular those for civil servants at the National Assembly and the Senate, which are mostly presented by candidates with a Master's degree in public law. For those who wish to become lawyers in public law, the training allows them to acquire in particular a solid competence in the mechanism of the QPC.

The Master's degree offers students a high level of training in constitutional law, the law of fundamental freedoms and legal theory. It offers professional opportunities in the field of university research and allows students who wish to do so to prepare for the civil service exams, to become magistrates or to become lawyers in public law.