Doctoral Degree in Law
Bucerius Law School – Hochschule für Rechtswissenschaft · Hamburg, Germany
QS World University Ranking: N/A
Quick Overview
Apply Now📘 Program Overview
At Bucerius Law School, foreign-trained lawyers may pursue a doctoral degree in law if they first find a faculty member willing to supervise their dissertation and meet the admission requirements set out in the Doctoral Degree Regulations.
The doctoral process is supported by a structured doctoral program that includes mandatory and elective components, networking opportunities, and access to know-how and coaching through the Doctoral Degree Center.
🎯 Course & Curriculum
Course structure
- A mandatory course called Basic Principles of Scholarly Legal Research, taking place at Bucerius Law School twice a year.
- The course is held in German and takes 10 to 15 hours.
- Attendance may be waived in circumstances where participation would be unreasonable, as decided by the Doctoral Degree Committee.
- You begin thesis planning together with your chosen faculty supervisor at Bucerius.
- You write your thesis and can live abroad while pursuing the doctoral degree.
- Your doctoral research is supervised by a Bucerius Law School faculty member who agrees to supervise your research.
- The Doctoral Degree Committee can allow you to write your dissertation in a foreign language if approved by two Law School professors or lecturers.
- Waivers (for the requirement to take two courses in German private law, German criminal law, or German public law) may be granted on a case-by-case basis depending on the relevance of your thesis to German law.
Curriculum
Doctoral training at Bucerius Law School is structured through dissertation work plus mandatory doctoral research training (“Grundlagen rechtswissenschaftlicher Forschung”) and other Center for Academic Qualification (ZQ) events; the doctoral degree regulations describe activities and requirements rather than a Bologna-style ECTS/CP credit table for course modules.
| Semester | No. of modules | Module / subject category | ECTS / CP | Semester total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall doctoral phase | Doctoral achievements and structured doctoral research support (dissertation plus oral examination; mandatory research fundamentals event; ZQ events) | Dissertation | ||
| Oral examination | ||||
| Event "Fundamentals of Legal Research" (Grundlagen rechtswissenschaftlicher Forschung) | ||||
| Events of the Center for Academic Qualification (ZQ) (mandatory and suitable optional events as specified by the doctoral relationship) | ||||
| Total | Dissertation, oral examination, and mandatory doctoral research event plus Center for Academic Qualification (ZQ) events (no ECTS/CP totals published in the doctoral degree regulations). | |||
Career outcomes
- You develop advanced, research-led legal expertise through your own dissertation topic under Bucerius faculty supervision, positioning you for academic and high-level professional roles in your research area.
- By working closely with leading law faculty and producing a Doctoral dissertation, you strengthen your ability to lead complex legal research and policy analysis projects.
- This doctoral path builds strong credibility for careers requiring deep legal reasoning, such as legal research, compliance and regulation-focused roles, and policy advisory work.
- You gain experience producing a sustained, high-quality scholarly work product, which supports long-term career progression across expert and leadership positions.
Employability rate
Doctoral graduates in Germany typically see a high employability outcome, with many moving into research, academia, and professional legal roles, alongside a relatively low unemployment risk.
Together, this points to a stable outlook for career advancement where advanced legal research skills are valued.
✅ Entry Requirements
Academic qualification
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Foreign-trained legal degree and outstanding grade | Foreign-trained lawyers may apply if they have completed a legal degree comparable to the German First State Examination with an outstanding grade. To verify comparability, applicants should submit all university documents including transcript(s) of grades and diploma(s) in original form, with a certified translation into German or English. |
| Supervisor at Bucerius Law School | Applicants must have found a Bucerius Law School faculty member who is willing to supervise their research. Applicants are advised to contact faculty members directly to arrange supervision. |
| Two course requirement in German law subjects | Applicants must show proof of having followed two courses in either German private law, German criminal law, or German public law at a law faculty in Germany or at a faculty abroad that is officially recognised by the respective country. This requirement may be waived if the doctoral thesis is in no way relevant to German law, decided case-by-case by the Admission Committee. |
Module matching by study area
| Study area | Match possible? | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Law | Direct match | The doctoral admission requires proof of a comparable legal degree and coursework in German private, criminal, or public law (or a waiver if the thesis is not relevant to German law). |
Language requirements
For this doctoral degree at Bucerius Law School, German language proficiency is not required but is strongly recommended. If you are studying with foreign-language materials, you may still need to participate in a mandatory fundamentals seminar held in German.
💶 Fees & Funding
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Admission fees | EUR 500 / one time | Two admission fees (admission to the program and to the exam) are 500 Euros altogether. |
| State fee for public transport and mensa services | EUR 500 / per year | The German State requires about 500 Euro per year covering a public transport ticket and a lump sum to the university mensa services; this fee cannot be waived. |
| Library and mensa access (optional) | EUR 150 / per semester | You can opt to pay Bucerius 150 Euro per term in exchange for the right to use our library and mensa. |
Proof of financial resources
Doctoral candidates are responsible for the costs described by Bucerius for the doctoral studies enrollment and study-related contributions, and you must also be able to show financial resources for your stay when applying for the appropriate German residence permit.
- For student visa/residence purposes in Germany, financial resources may be demonstrated through options such as a blocked account (Sperrkonto), scholarship confirmations, bank guarantees, or other recognised proof of secure financing.
- Doctoral students at Bucerius are informed about specific yearly and term contributions for transport and mensa services, plus optional library and mensa access fees.
Important dates
Application window
| Milestone | October - Winter intake | April - Summer intake |
|---|---|---|
| Application portal opens | N/A | N/A |
| Application deadline (final submit) | N/A | N/A |
| Application deadline (EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Application deadline (Non-EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Recommended apply-by | N/A | N/A |
| Semester begins | N/A | N/A |
Pre-application & reviews
| Milestone | October - Winter intake | April - Summer intake |
|---|---|---|
| VPD request - recommended | N/A | N/A |
| VPD result expected | N/A | N/A |
| APS - recommended | N/A | N/A |
| Start eligibility check | 6-12 months before the planned start and seminar participation | 6-12 months before the planned start and seminar participation |
Document submission deadlines
| Milestone | October - Winter intake | April - Summer intake |
|---|---|---|
| Application submission deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Document submission deadline (EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Document submission deadline (Non-EU students) | N/A | N/A |
| Language certificate deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Official transcripts deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Certified translations deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Postal / hard-copy documents deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Missing documents (if requested) | N/A | N/A |
🎓 Scholarship
| Provider | Scheme name | Coverage | Eligibility notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAAD | DAAD Research Grants — Doctoral Programmes | Tuition fees, monthly stipend, travel allowance, health insurance, research allowance | This scheme supports doctoral projects connected to research work in Germany. It aligns with doctoral studies where a host in Germany supervises the doctoral project. |
📝 How to Apply
Find a Bucerius supervisor first
Start by identifying a Bucerius Law School faculty member who is willing to supervise your research topic. Contact faculty members directly to discuss supervision and confirm their willingness. Your application depends on having found an appropriate supervisor.
Prepare your foreign-qualification documents
Gather your original degree documents and transcript(s) of grades, then arrange certified translations into German or English. Ensure your legal degree is comparable to the German First State Examination and is supported as having an outstanding grade. Compile proof of the required German law coursework as part of your preparation.
Submit your application based on the doctoral admission requirements
Apply by fulfilling the requirements described for foreign-trained lawyers, including your supervision situation and the legal coursework requirement. If your thesis has no way of being relevant to German law, you may request a waiver of the two-course requirement, decided case-by-case. After submitting, consult the doctoral degree regulations for full procedural details.
Plan for the mandatory fundamentals seminar and doctoral study setup
Doctoral candidates are required to attend a mandatory fundamentals seminar on scholarly legal research held twice per year at Bucerius. The seminar is held in German and typically lasts 10 to 15 hours. In circumstances where attendance would be unreasonable, the Doctoral Degree Committee can release the student from attendance.