The LLM’s Honours Programme

Here you can find all the information in Dutch: Honoursprogramma.   

The LLM's Honours Programme

  • Are you looking for extra academic depth and challenge during your LLM?
  • Are personal and professional development key for you?
  • Do you want to establish professional contacts that contribute substantially to your learning process?
  • Are you looking to both deepen and enrich your specialist knowledge as well as to acquire additional lawyering skills?

The LLM's Honours Programme of Utrecht Law School (in Dutch: Honoursprogramma) may be just what you are looking for!
The Honours Programme is designed for excellent, motivated, and enthusiastic students who want to enrich their master’s studies. This is an Honours Programme pursued in addition to the regular Master’s programme. It focuses on academic depth and opportunities for personal and professional development.


In the video below student Dewy shares her experiences with the Honours Programme: 

What does the LLM’s Honours Programme entail?

  • Monthly evening meetings: in small groups, you co-organise content meetings for the other honours students.
  • Deepening your knowledge around your expertise in the master-specific parts of the programme (ranging from small-scale meetings with lecturers, clinical research for clients (offered within the Master's Public International Law and Law and Sustainability in Europe) to in-depth research, all depending on your specific LLM).  
  • The law and literature project: you read, review, and present a work of fiction related to law. Read inspiring examples written by our honours students: the reviews of I, Robot (Isaac Asimov), Gun Island (Amitav Gosh) and Waiting for Godot (Samuel Beckett).
  • Social activities: you to get to know the other honours students in a social environment.

What will The LLM's Honours Programme bring me?

  • You will be exceptionally well prepared for a successful career as a lawyer, either in a law practice or in academics.
  • You will have established a sound network of motivated peers and professionals.
  • You will have partially co-designed your own study programme and, therefore, will have contributed to aspects of your personal and professional development that you think are important.

It really develops vital skills in a fun environment

Gary Brady, LLM Law and Technology in Europe

The LLM's Honours Programme is an unmissable opportunity for students who want to develop personally and professionally. It really develops vital skills in a fun environment, from interdisciplinary work with more abstract themes like Law & Literature to essential skills workshops and the freedom to speak up and be creative. There is something for every kind of law student who wants to excel in the Honours Programme.
It was always great to speak to other students from other degree programmes that I would not have met otherwise and can confidently say that interacting with those from other legal backgrounds only made each session more interesting. It is all organised and ran in such a way that does not take away from your individual studies, but I would even say it amplifies them! Taking part in the LLM's Honours Programme for me has directly led to more opportunities for after graduation and is truly a one-of-a-kind experience for a student looking to get a deeper understanding of not just what makes a good lawyer, but a good scholar and academic also. All in all, the LLM Honours Programme is a definite path to success and the most enjoyable way someone can raise their prospects.

Which master's programme offer the LLM’S Honours Programme?

The Honours Programme is offered within the following programmes: 

Admission and Selection

You will be eligible to participate in the Honours Programme, if you:

  • Are enrolled in one of the recognized programmes and apply within the deadline: September 16 for all of the programmes;
  • Demonstrate a clear interest in participating in activities that fall outside the basic curriculum;
  • Possess a curious mind and excellent intellectual capacities (evidenced by a high grade point average for your bachelor’s degree or previous master’s degree, comparable to an average of 7.0 or higher out of 10 in the Dutch system for your entire BA or previous LLM or an average grade of 8.0 or higher in your third Bachelor year).
  • Are prepared and accustomed to working hard (the Honours Programme requires an additional study load of approximately 7 to 8 hours per week on top of your regular study requirements); and
  • Possess strong cooperation and communication skills and initiative.

Admission to the Honours Programme is a competitive selection process for which you can apply in the first month of your studies in Utrecht, after you have been admitted to your regular Master’s programme. If you are already interested in the programme now, make sure to indicate this in your application letter for the LLM of your choice. The programme itself will start each year in early October. The selection will take place in September and will be based on an assessment of your  CV, a motivation letter, and grade list, as well as through interviews. Please send in your application via e-mail to Herman Scheerhoorn.

If you are selected, you will enter into an agreement with Utrecht Law School to demonstrate your commitment to the programme. 

Practice-oriented research by honours students - A report on irregular migration

In the academic year 2019-2020, a group of public international law and European law honours students, under the supervision of two experts from Utrecht University, did a law clinic with the Public Interest Litigation Project (PILP). They wrote a report entitled Irregular Migration by Sea: A report on current case law in Europe. The report provided an overview of the current legal practices of EU Member States pertaining to irregular migration flows in the Mediterranean Sea. A great example of practice-oriented research for a real client and a true team effort!