Integrated LL.B. and State Examination Program in Law

Read more about the integrated program in Law (LL.B./state examination) (only available in German)

Brochure on the integrated program in Law (LL.B./state examination) (PDF, 3 MB) (only available in German)

Studying the integrated program in Law at the University of Mannheim trains you to a high standard in law, and qualifies you in Business Administration and Economics.

Research and teaching activity at the Department of Law is clearly oriented towards business and economic law. The Department has, once again, been ranked highly in the latest CHE university ranking. It was well ranked especially with regard to teaching, and received top scores in eleven of the 19 categories, including “overall study situation”, “teacher support”, and “career orientation”. The Business School and the Department of Economics, where you complete the modules in Business Administration and Economics, are leading institutions in Germany (take a look at the rankings).

By completing the first phase of the program, you earn a professional qualification after finishing the sixth semester. 

You can then choose to continue with or complete the second phase of the program, the first state examination in Law, which requires four additional semesters of study.
If you meet certain requirements, you can complete the first state examination in two steps: You can take exams in civil law during the bachelor's degree program, then you can sit the exams in criminal law and public law following the additional four semesters of study. This Abschichtung, or ability to take the first state examination in stages, means that you do not have to sit all of the exams at once. 

As an alternative to taking the state examination, the bachelor’s degree in Business Law also qualifies you for other (individual) master’s programs in Law and Business Administration.

With a bachelor’s degree in Business Law from the University of Mannheim, which also qualifies you in Business Administration and Economics, you have a dual qualification and can work in a range of areas within an organization. Our graduates work, for example, in legal and human resources departments, and in tax consultancy, controlling, auditing, purchasing, and sales teams.

The first state examination in Law, which you can complete or take after you have completed four additional semesters of study, is the first step towards becoming a lawyer in Germany. You can then begin your Rechtsreferendariat and go on to take your second state examination. Passing the second state examination enables you to become a judge or lawyer in Germany. Administrative departments in authorities and ministries, and many legal departments in organizations, require their legal staff to have passed both state examinations.

Students of the integrated program in Law should

As you will also study Business Administration and Economics, you should be interested in these fields, too. You should enjoy math.

The examinations taken during phase one, the bachelor’s degree in Business Law, are challenging to prepare for the state examination from day one of the program.

Module catalog
You can find further details on how the program is structured in the module catalog, which is only available in German.

Studying abroad
The Department of Law has a large and comprehensive network of partner universities around the world, and can advise you on planning a period of study abroad. The ideal time to spend a year abroad is after the fourth semester. If you don’t want to spend a whole year abroad, it is also possible to integrate a shorter period of study abroad into your program. You can contact the international coordinators of the Department of Law for further advice. Studying abroad is optional.

Internships
According to the examination regulations, students must complete a one-month internship during phase one of the program, the bachelor’s degree in Business Law. Ideally, students do this internship during the semester break after the fourth semester. You can choose to do an internship in Germany or abroad. It may have a legal and/or a business focus. The Department’s website contains further information, in German, on the mandatory internship to be completed during the bachelor's degree. A further, two-month internship (at a law firm, court, business, etc.) must be completed during phase two of the integrated program, the four additional semesters of study for the state examination.

Sample course schedule
This is how your course schedule (PDF, 152 kB) (available only in German) for the first semester could look.

First state examination
Graduates of phase one, the bachelor's degree in Business Law, may take the first state examination in Law. During an additional four semesters of study, students learn more about public law and criminal law to prepare for the examination. Upon completion of phase one, the bachelor’s degree in Business Law, students are automatically admitted to phase two, the state examination, without having to take part in an admissions process.

Master of Laws (LL.M.)
Students learn more about business law, economic law, and business administration. They can specialize in either tax and accounting, or human resources.

Master’s program in Competition Law and Regulation (LL.M.)
Students learn more about competition law, regulation law, and economics.

Mannheim Master in Management (M.Sc.)
A degree program focusing on business administration which is available at the Business School.

Master of Accounting and Taxation (MBA)
A degree program for professionals which is studied at the Mannheim Business School.

In our selection process for the Integrated LL.B. and State Examination Program in Law, we take the following criteria into account:

• the grade average achieved in your university entrance qualification,
• extracurricular activities relating to the field of law, such as vocational training, work experience, and internships.

You cannot be considered in the selection process if you have failed an examination in this, or a similar, degree program and have no option to re-sit it, or if you are no longer eligible to take exams in this, or a similar program. You can find further details in section 5 subsection 1 sentence 2 of the selection statutes (only available in German).