The programme - A short history
The European Master Programme in Law and Economics started in 1990 at the Universities of Gent, Paris IX, Oxford and Rotterdam with 20 students from different European countries.
From the very beginning, the Programme received recognition and financial support of the ERASMUS Bureau of the European Community. Awards were granted every year for student mobility and the development of an international curriculum.
The partner universities exchanged multilateral agreements to continue their joint venture and made all the necessary arrangements in order to be included in the new SOCRATES framework between the European Commission and the European universities.
Expansion
In the first three years the possibility to choose among different teaching centres only existed in the third term. From 1993 onwards, the network has offered a choice also in the second term. Since 2002 students have been able to choose between different universities for each of the three terms.
The number of partner universities has increased rapidly and the network now comprises seven teaching centres within the EU (Aix-Marseille, Bologna, Gent, Hamburg, Manchester, Rotterdam, Vienna) and Haifa.
Since its beginning the Law and Economics Programme has steadily increased in numbers of participating students and scholars. The broad supply of teaching centres has clearly added to the attractiveness of the Programme. For example, in the year 2007-2008 there were more than 500 applications for a maximum of 116 places in the Programme.
Most applicants are nationals of EC member states and Israel, but there is also an increasing number of applications from outside Europe (North America, Canada, Latin America, India, China and other Asian countries).
