ECTS
120 credits
Duration
2 years
Training Structure
School of Law and Political Science
Overview
To understand the value of the history of law, one need only read these few introductory lines from the 19th-century *Répertoire Dalloz*! “Few fields of study are as interesting and as useful as the history of law. It is full of valuable insights for the philosopher, the historian, and the jurist. (...) But knowledge of it is especially necessary for the true jurist, to grasp the true meaning and understand the real scope of the civil institutions of his time; for the present, even after the most profound moral or social revolutions, is always linked to the past by powerful bonds, which cannot be broken without reducing the present itself to an enigma.”
Objectives
The course is designed, on the one hand, to provide students with a foundation in legal history research and, on the other hand, to equip students in the Master’s program in Legal History with a legal background in French law and other European legal systems; finally, it aims to deepen their understanding of the foundations of legal institutions and techniques. This program enables students to supplement the strictly technical knowledge of positive law acquired during their legal education by broadening their perspective on the concepts and techniques they will need to apply in their professional careers.
Expertise and Skills
Understand the methods of basic research in legal science
Master the fundamentals of legal reasoning and be able to refine legal concepts.
Be able to apply techniques that foster legal rigor and logic.
Know how to use all available sources of law.
Be able to identify legal issues in order to apply one’s knowledge.
Place legal concepts and public institutions in their historical and geographical context.
Master the auxiliary disciplines necessary to successfully carry out one’s personal research.
Master the art of written and oral expression.
Organization
Program
The master's program consists of lectures and seminars.
In addition to these required courses, students must complete an independent research project (under the supervision of a faculty researcher) in order to write a thesis in legal history (on a topic chosen in consultation with a faculty member from the teaching team).
Select a program
Master's Degree (Year 1) in the History of Law and Institutions
History of Property Law (ST)
2 creditsEU Language
Criminal Procedure 1 (ST)
EU History of Labor Law
6 creditsTD History of Labor Law
2 creditsCM History of Labor Law
4 credits
History of Medical Law (ST)
EU History of Legal Thought
6 creditsCM History of Legal Thought
4 creditsTD History of Legal Thought
2 credits
Civil Law: Matrimonial Property Regimes, Group 2 (ST)
EU History of Family Property Law
6 creditsCM: History of Family Property Law
4 creditsTD: History of Family Property Law
2 credits
Digital Skills - In-Depth Research
Optional
Civil Law: Inheritance (ST)
3 creditsEU History of Public Law
6 creditsTD History of Public Law
2 creditsCM History of Public Law
4 credits
Criminal Procedure 2 (ST)
3 creditsThesis
2 creditsDigital Skills - Pix+Droit Prep
Constitutional Litigation Practice (ST)
EU History of Business Law
6 creditsTD History of Business Law
2 creditsBusiness Law Course
4 credits
EU History of Justice
6 creditsTD History of Justice
2 creditsCM History of the Justice System
4 credits
Master 2 in the History of Law and Institutions
Sources of Law in Antiquity
2 creditsHistory of Written Law
3 creditsSeminar on the History of Public Law
2 creditsMethodology Seminar
1 creditSeminar on the History of Private Law
2 creditsHistory of Colonial Law
2 creditsHistory of Private Law
3 creditsHistory of Criminal Law
3 creditsSeminar on the History of Criminal Law
2 creditsHistory of Public Law
3 creditsLegal Culture (Codification)
2 creditsLanguage
EU Options
Choose one of the following two options:
Criminal Procedure Law and Practice
2 creditsLaw and Literature
2 credits
Internship
2 creditsList of EU options
Choose one of the following two options:
Thesis
28 creditsList of Thesis/Commitment Options
Student Engagement
Thesis
26 credits
Sources of Law - Contemporary Sources
Optional
Admission
Recommended Prerequisites
Above all, applicants must have a solid legal background and have demonstrated an interest in the history of law courses offered in law schools.
And then
Continuing Education
Students who have earned a Master 2 degree in the history of law and have written a strong research thesis may continue their studies by pursuing a doctoral degree.
Employment Placement
The career opportunities available therefore extend beyond the narrow fields of teaching and research (lecturer-researcher, research director, research fellow). On the contrary, the career paths of recent graduates demonstrate the diversity of legal professions available. Of course, most positions in the public sector require passing competitive exams or specific tests. Master’s degree holders tend to choose careers in local government (Administrative Officer, Administrative Clerk), the Ministry of Culture (Archivist, Information Specialist, Librarian), and decentralized government (IRA). The most sought-after sectors are the fields of justice (judge, court clerk) and public safety (police, gendarmerie, correctional services, etc.). The liberal professions, and in particular the legal profession, have also been widely favored, with admission to EFACS occurring either after passing the pre-CAPA exam or, following the completion of a dissertation, as a Doctor of Law (History of Law). A few M2 graduates entered the “private sector” directly (insurance, real estate, and mutual insurance).