Why this programme

I am 32 years old, and my wife and I are from Israel. The decision to study in this programme was not an easy one, as we had also been admitted to similarly prestigious institutions in London. After taking a number of parameters into account, however, we decided that we would benefit most from the EMLE programme.
We are both practising lawyers in the field of commercial litigation, with more than four years’ experience, but we wanted to take a break from work in order to further our knowledge and to broaden our horizons.

The EMLE programme offered the perfect means to achieve our goals. The combination of Law and Economics is fascinating, and has led to us enhancing our academic and professional way of thinking. In addition, because the EMLE caters to many students from all over the world, it has enabled us to get to know other cultures and societies. And because most of us had left our own countries in order to participate in this programme, and we did not have our own family and friends with us, we were able to develop a new community − the EMLE family (we call it FEMLE) − and we gained friends for life. Living in Europe in general and in Rotterdam specifically was extremely pleasing, and the student experience in this city was amazing.

After completing this programme, I can say that we have gained not only friends but also a solid professional network that will help us to grasp new opportunities on an international level.

After finishing high school in the Netherlands, I went on to Boston (MA, US) to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Philosophy. During those four years, I specifically enjoyed the combination of economics, philosophy, and law. After serving as a research assistant in this field, I started to explore opportunities at universities in the Netherlands, where I could build upon this knowledge while still being part of an international environment. This led me to enroll in the European Master in Law & Economics (EMLE) programme.

Consisting of three trimesters, EMLE is a one-year master’s programme that enables you to spend each trimester in a new city (such as Hamburg, Ghent, and many others). Rotterdam, being one of those cities, offers an abundance of culture, bars, great food, friendly people, and a university that provides an awesome atmosphere for its students. Furthermore, the EMLE programme offers courses both in law and economics, which leads to an understanding of the overlap between the two subjects, and that is helpful in almost every line of work. Moreover, your classmates will be from all over the world, and every student has unique insights.

I would highly recommend Rotterdam, and the EMLE programme, to prospective students. The renowned academic excellence of the EMLE programme as well as its international character are aspects that drew me to it. A year later, as I finish my studies, I look back on a year in which I made lifelong friends, had priceless cultural experiences, and am more than ready to embark on my future academic endeavours.

I obtained my bachelor’s degree both in Economics at Erasmus School of Economics and Law at Erasmus School of Law. As well as studying, I have been active in the study association, and I like to play sports.

The European Master in Law and Economics (EMLE) consists of three different terms spanning three months each. I followed the first term in Bologna. At the moment, in this second term, I am studying at Erasmus School of Law in Rotterdam. In the third term, I will go abroad again, this time to Aix-en-Provence.

I liked studying Law while doing my bachelor’s, but I was not interested in becoming a lawyer or a judge. In the EMLE programme, I was able to learn about law from a different perspective. In the master’s, you learn how to conduct an economic analysis of laws and regulations. The master programme uses micro-economic models to analyse the changes in behaviour that result from different regulatory choices. In addition, I wanted to go abroad, and this programme provides the opportunity of going abroad twice or even three times during the year. In every country, you can follow a language course provided by the university, so it provides a good chance to learn new languages. After this LL.M. programme, I plan to do an MSc programme in Economics, probably health economics. I can say in all sincerity that I am really happy that I chose the EMLE programme, because I am interested in how law affects people, and in this programme I have the opportunity to go more deeply into this subject. 

I am not yet sure where I will be In five years, or what job I will have. Maybe I will be involved with policy making and government affairs, and I might want to work in the European Union. In any case, I believe this LL.M. programme will definitely contribute to such a career path.