Master of Comparative Business Law

The Master of Comparative Business Law (M.C.B.L.) is a one-year advanced master´s program providing an in-depth understanding of business law aspects of the European single market and the Global market.  It has been designed for graduates with a degree in law or with a sufficient background in law, who wish to specialize in business law while taking a comparative perspective.

The M.C.B.L. is a high-level demanding postgraduate program in the fields of European and International business law. Students enrolled in this program will acquire specific knowledge of the legal framework of the European Union as well as the actors in international trade law.

The focus will be on European business law in your first semester and on international business law in your second semester. Additionally, you will have to write a master’s thesis.

The program offers a you a broad range of courses that are taught by law professors from the University of Mannheim, as well as by lawyers, judges, and managers. In addition, you can take part in field trips and visit the European Court of Justice, the World Trade Organization, or the European Parliament, for example.

All courses of the program are taught in English.

The M.C.B.L. program offers a unique combination of traditional comparative law studies (legal methodology, legal traditions, and the common/civil law divide) with studies in business law (e.g., competition law, contract law, company law, and tax law), providing our students with a competitive edge on the labor market. They are particularly sought-after as strategic decision-makers in both the public and the private sector. 

During the program, students will explore in detail how to apply the law to real-world cases. Among other things, they will have the opportunity to attend trials at the European Court of Justice and classes held by practicing lawyers.

Thanks to their expert knowledge in comparative and business law, their language skills, and their international experience, our graduates have a profound foundation for a career at international law firms and companies.

Previous students have, for example, found a job as Global Category Manager at HeidelbergCement, as Junior Lawyer at Kuwait Airways, in the Legal Global Corporate Banking Department of Santander Bank, or as Transaction Support Lawyer at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

Apart from that, graduates can also pursue a doctorate and aim for a career in academia.

Students of Comparative Business Law should

• have a sound grasp of the legal basics,
• have a very good level of English proficiency,
• be keen to learn about different legal systems,
• be enthusiastic about business law,
• be committed to the program.

Module catalog
The module catalog gives you an overview of the courses and their content.

The Master of Comparative Business Law (M.C.B.L.) program is not selective. All applicants who meet the admission requirements will therefore be sent an official letter of admission.

Applicants need to have a bachelor’s degree in Law from a university in Germany or abroad or from a state-recognized university of cooperative education (Berufsakademie).

The following requirements must be met: 

• The bachelor's degree must correspond to at least 240 ECTS credits or have a standard period of study of at least eight semesters/four years. In exceptional cases, the admissions committee may allow relevant work experience to be counted towards the required ECTS credits. 
• A degree in a different field is sufficient if it is recognized as equivalent by the admissions committee and if students have obtained at least 20 ECTS credits in law subjects.
• The admissions committee may waive the requirement of proof of law contents for applicants with a first degree recognized as equivalent if applicants can prove their qualification for the Master of Comparative Business Law – M.C.B.L. by different means.
• A letter of motivation in English must be submitted along with the application.

Language requirements
You must be very proficient in English.

The following proof of English proficiency is accepted:

• a higher education entrance qualification from a school in a country with English as an official language after at least one year of school,
• the successful completion of a program of study at a higher education institution with English as the language of instruction and examination and a duration of at least one year,
• a certificate of the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet Based Test (TOEFL iBT) with a score of at least 90 points,
• a certificate of the International English Language Testing System – Academic Test (IELTS) with an overall band score of at least 6.5,
• an equivalent result of a test recognized as comparable. The admissions committee shall decide on the comparability of the test individually.