LL.M. with Thesis

In today’s world, where there is a growing need to adopt legal approaches to cope with local as well as global issues, resolving legal controversies require a multi-dimensional perspective based on a conception of different legal disciplines; hence, the lawyer profile who is able to add to the development of society, economy, politics and the legal profession has been changing. With this respect, Koç University Institute of Social Sciences targets to contribute to the molding of this new lawyer profile, with an understanding based on reliable academic research, as well as practicing experience. We also offer non-thesis  programs as well as thesis programs. The program with thesis is composed of 3 core courses followed by 4 elective courses and is concluded with a thesis. The non-thesis program is composed of 10 courses and a final paper.

Fundamental characteristics of the Koç University LL.M. Programs of Public Law and Private Law, which have been established in conformity with the legislation of higher education, are as follows:

– World-wide reputed professors (and lecturers), who are distinguished as to their publications, research and practice of legal profession.
– Up-to-date courses structured on well-established and absorbed legal knowledge.
– Research and learning of different legal disciplines based on multi-dimensional perspectives.
– An atmosphere stimulating academic and vocational progress, whereby legal issues comprising comparative and international aspects are thoroughly examined.
– An integrated program with workshops, seminars and other activities parallel to the curriculum.
– Various options devoted to candidates with high competence of scientific research and to those who would like to differentiate from others in the legal profession.
– Regular and effective academic consultancy.
– Advanced research opportunities with regard to academic publications and instructions in particular, provided by Suna Kıraç Library.
– Privilege of being the part of a qualified group of graduate students, elected through adopting effective scaling and evaluation criteria.
– Academic collaboration with the leading law schools abroad.

Koç University Law School is a member of the European Law Faculties (ELFA and the Law Schools Global League.

Prof. Dr. Bertil Emrah Oder

Dean KU Law School

“With a genuine focus on global studies of law, outstanding research track of eminent faculty members and full impact in professional practice, our LLM programs trigger a new approach of advanced legal studies not only for Türkiye, but also for studying in Türkiye. Koç University LLM courses in public and private law have a wide range of curriculum including most demanding and less-discussed comparative and international topics of different legal disciplines. Taking into account legal developments at regional, local and international level, we offer both deepening in well-established legal disciplines and micro studies of law. Our varied LLM curricula is bilingual (English-Turkish). It intertwines local and global scholarship and expertise of law. Koç University LLM programs are dedicated to effective lecturing, real sense of legal research, global seminars, workshops, intensive consulting as well as co-curricular activities offering different types of career opportunities in legal leadership. With our competitive scholarships we aim at fostering high quality academic candidates and establishing a research hub of legal studies through academic LLM. Prospective students may also pursue a professional LLM track with a practical focus.”

LL.M Program in Private Law

Assoc. .Prof. Dr. Zeynep Derya Tarman

LLM Program Coordinator

““Our LLM program in private law aims to provide students with a broad advanced education in international and European Law. The program is composed of 3 core courses followed by 4 elective courses and is concluded with a thesis. The non-thesis program is composed of 10 courses and a final paper. Our program design provides the students with a systematic learning process. This is made up of three distinct parts, beginning with the core and common modules which will provide the students with a solid foundation in international and European contract law, intellectual property/competition law and dispute resolution mechanisms. The aim is to broaden the strict horizons of national law and to equip students with those elements of the different legal systems which are at the core of the elaboration and application of uniform law, the approximation of laws within the European Union and the development of International Law. After completion of three core courses, the students can choose from a range of our elective modules to suit their specific learning and career objectives, and this essentially makes up the second part of the program. Some courses, which will be offered in English, will be organized around block seminars by specialized professors from our partner universities abroad and professionals of repute. The courses offered in the private law track touch on everything from contracts, transactions, dispute resolution mechanisms and taxation to competition, securities, and intellectual property. Given the importance of these areas to national and international business the program provides a chance to delve into the detail, but also appreciate the context of a specialist field from an international and comparative perspective. The goal of our LLM program in private law is to deepen a lawyer’s awareness about the links between the different fields of law and their transnational aspects.