Certificate in Principles of German Law

You are eligible for this programme, if you:

• are proficient in German at Level B2 CEFR (see German language requirements)

and

• are not yet be matriculated at a German higher education institution
• have successfully completed at least two years of a law programme at a foreign higher education institution

or if you

• are currently studying at the University of Passau as an integral part of a law programme offered by a foreign university on the basis of an agreement between the two universities

Basic information

• Starts in October each year
• Duration: two semesters
• Coursework: 60 ECTS credits
• This certificate programme is entirely taught in German

Programme structure

Winter semester:

Core module

• Constitutional Law 1 (foundation course, 10 ECTS credits)
• Civil Law 1 (foundation course, 10 ECTS credits)

Elective module

• Courses with a combined workload of 10 ECTS credits from: Public Law, Civil Law, Criminal Law, International Law, Principles of Law or Legal German for Certificate Students

Summer semester

Core module

• Civil Law 2 or Constitutional Law 2 (10 ECTS credits)

Elective module

• Courses with a combined workload of 10 ECTS credits from: Public Law, Civil Law, Criminal Law, International Law, Principles of Law or Legal German for Certificate Students

Tutorial module: Methods in German Law

• Tutorial on Legal Methodology in German Law for international students (10 ECTS credits)

Each course concludes with an examination. The course convenor decides whether this will be an oral or a written examination. Information on the type of examination will be posted on the German language website for the "Urkunde über Grundkenntnisse im deutschen Recht" under the download section "Hinweisblatt für Studierende der Urkunde im deutschen Recht".

Due to the current situation in connection with the corona virus, the examination format has also changed for the exams concerning the "Urkunde" in the summer semester 2020!

Please note that the examinations will all take place only in virtual form in the summer semester 2020!

For more detailed information on the examination itself, the examination procedure and the specific dates, please refer to the respective course under StudIP.

Assessment of core modules:

Depending on the professor's decision, most core modules are assessed in a written examination, in which you will work on a legal case.

Assessment of elective modules:

The type of assessment (oral or written) is determined by the course convenor and is posted on the German language website of the "Urkunde über Grundkenntnisse des deutschen Rechts" under the download section "Hinweisblatt für Studierende der Urkunde im deutschen Recht".

Assessment of Legal Methodology in German Law for international students:

An oral presentation based on a written essay on a topic to be announced ahead of time. The essay should not exceed 20 pages. It is also possible to achieve the required ECTS-points for this module by completing an essay as part of a double-degree programme e.g., with Toulouse.

ECTS information package

The Faculty of Law awards ECTS credits to facilitate the recognition of coursework completed at the University. The webpages of the Dean of Studies provide detailed information on ECTS allocation. Please also read the information package on ECTS allocation: although it is written in German, the information contained in the lists and tables should be comprehensible to non-German-speakers.

Please note: Although ECTS-points are awarded for language courses, these ECTS-points do not count towards the ECTS-point account for the Urkunde. In this context only ECTS-points awarded through legal courses will be recognised.

ECTS credits awarded for completion of German Courses

out of a total of 18 points

One resit is allowed for examinations which have been marked deficient or inadequate. To achieve a pass mark on the overall examination, you should attain at least 4 points in every module. The overall examination is failed if you fail a single part-examination with zero points.