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?
  • Are you looking to collaborate with motivated students from different Master's programmes and nationalities?

The LLM's Honours Programme of Utrecht Law School 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. 

What does the LLM’s Honours Programme entail?

Master-specific Programme
Within your specific Master's programme, you will participate in an in-depth project. Depending on the chosen Master's track, potential projects include:

  • assisting with a research project conducted by a professor;
  • completing a short-term internship at a law firm;
  • participating in a legal clinic, providing legal advice to a non-profit organization.

These serve merely as examples. Personal initiative from you and your fellow students is pivotal. There are ample opportunities to tailor (parts of) the programma to your preferences and to focus on the specific themes and subjects that align with your interests.

Overarching Programme
Approximately once a month, you will attend overarching sessions designed for all honours students from the various Master's programmes. This part of the programme consists of two main projects:

  • 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).
  • Student-Led Meetings: you organize substantive and cross-disciplinary sessions for one another. While all meetings are organized around the theme of 'Making the (legal) world a better place', students are encouraged to select their own topics and explore themes they find particularly compelling. Examples include topics in the field of law and sustainability, the future of legal education and the enhancement of international dispute resolution.

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 was always great to speak to other students from other degree programmes that I would not have met otherwise and I 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.

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 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.

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 recognised programmes and apply within the deadline: Sunday, 20 September 2026 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 weeks 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.