Law - Political Science - Administration

Master's Degree in History of Law and Institutions

  • ECTS

    120 credits

  • Duration

    2 years

  • Training structure

    Faculty of Law and Political Science

Presentation

 To understand the importance of legal history, one need only read these few introductory lines from the 19th-century Répertoire Dalloz! "Few studies are as interesting and useful as that of legal history. It is full of fruitful lessons for philosophers, historians, and legal experts. (...) But knowledge of it is especially necessary for the true legal expert, in order to penetrate 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 ties that cannot be broken without reducing it to an enigma itself."

Read more

Objectives

The course is designed to provide students with the fundamental skills required for research in legal history, as well as to give Master's students in legal history a grounding in French law and other European legal systems. Finally, it aims to perfect their knowledge of the foundations of legal institutions and techniques. This program allows students to supplement the strictly technical knowledge of positive law acquired during their legal training by broadening their thinking on the concepts and techniques they will need to apply in their professional lives.

Read more

Know-how and skills

Knowledge of fundamental research methods in legal science
Mastery of the fundamentals of legal reasoning, ability to refine legal concepts.
Ability to implement techniques that develop legal rigor and logic.
Knowledge of how to use all available sources of law.
Know how to identify legal issues in order to apply one's knowledge.
Situate legal concepts and public institutions in time and space.
Master the auxiliary sciences necessary to carry out one's personal research work.
Master the art of written and oral expression.

Read more

Organization

Program

The Master's program is organized into classes and seminars.

In addition to these compulsory courses, students must complete independent research (under the supervision of a faculty researcher) in order to write a thesis on legal history (on a topic chosen in consultation with a faculty member from the teaching team).

Read more

Select a program

Master's Degree in History of Law and Institutions

  • History of Property Law (ST)

    2 credits
  • EU Language

    • Choose 1 out of 3

      • English

      • German

      • Spanish

  • Criminal Procedure 1 (ST)

  • EU History of Labor Law

    6 credits
    • TD History of Labor Law

      2 credits
    • CM History of Labor Law

      4 credits
  • History of Medical Law (ST)

  • EU History of Legal Thought

    6 credits
    • CM History of Legal Thought

      4 credits
    • History of Legal Thought Seminar

      2 credits
  • Civil law: Matrimonial property regimes group 2 (ST)

  • EU History of Family Property Law

    6 credits
    • CM History of Family Property Law

      4 credits
    • Tutorial on the history of family property law

      2 credits
  • Digital skills - In-depth documentary research

  • Optional

    • Legal clinic (F)

    • Memory (F)

    • Internship (F)

    • Professional integration workshops (F): CV/cover letter

    • Supervised project (F)

    • Apprenticeship (F)

    • Legal monitoring (F)

  • Civil law: Inheritance (ST)

    3 credits
  • EU History of Public Law

    6 credits
    • Public Law History Tutorial

      2 credits
    • CM History of Public Law

      4 credits
  • Criminal Procedure 2 (ST)

    3 credits
  • Memory

    2 credits
  • Digital skills - Pix+Law preparation

  • Constitutional litigation practice (ST)

  • EU History of Business Law

    6 credits
    • Business Law History Tutorial

      2 credits
    • CM History of Business Law

      4 credits
  • EU History of Justice

    6 credits
    • History of Justice Seminar

      2 credits
    • CM History of Justice

      4 credits

Master's Degree in History of Law and Institutions

  • Sources of law in antiquity

    2 credits
  • History of written law

    3 credits
  • Seminar on the history of public law

    2 credits
  • Methodology seminar

    1 credit
  • Seminar on the history of private law

    2 credits
  • History of colonial law

    2 credits
  • History of private law

    3 credits
  • History of criminal law

    3 credits
  • Seminar on the history of criminal law

    2 credits
  • History of public law

    3 credits
  • Legal culture (codification)

    2 credits
  • Language

  • EU of choice

    • Choose one of two options:

      • Criminal procedure law and practice

        2 credits
      • Law and literature

        2 credits
  • Internship

    2 credits
  • EU list to choose from

    • Choose one of two options:

      • Memory

        28 credits
      • List of choices Memory/Commitment

        • Student engagement

        • Memory

          26 credits
  • Sources of law - Contemporary sources

  • Optional

    • Supervised project

Admission

Recommended prerequisites

Candidates must above all have a good legal background and have demonstrated an interest in the history of law courses taught in law schools.

Read more

And after

Continuing education

Holders of a Master 2 degree in legal history who have produced a good research thesis may continue their studies with a doctoral thesis.

Read more

Professional integration

The career opportunities available therefore extend beyond the strict field of teaching and research (teacher-researcher, research director, research fellow). The graduating classes of recent years demonstrate the diversity of legal professions available. Of course, most professions in the public sector are accessible after competitive examinations or specific exams. Master's degree holders tend to choose careers in local government (attaché, editor), the Ministry of Culture (archivist, documentalist, librarian), and decentralized government (IRA). The most popular sectors are justice (magistrate, clerk) and security (police, gendarmerie, prison administration, etc.). The liberal professions, particularly that of lawyer, are also highly sought after, with EFACS students entering the profession either after passing the pre-CAPA exam or, after completing a thesis, as a Doctor of Law (history of law). Some M2 graduates have gone directly into the "private sector" (insurance, real estate, mutual insurance).

Read more