Washington College of Law

Bucerius Law School is the first private university for law in Germany. Located in downtown Hamburg - simultaneously Germany's second-largest metropolis and its greenest city - the Bucerius Law School offers international students a one-term Program in International and Comparative Business Law.

Hamburg is proud of its political autonomy as a city-state within the Federal Republic of Germany and as such, legal culture is central to life in Hamburg overall. Today Hamburg is host to many legal institutions of national and global significance, including the Hamburg state courts, the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and Comparative Law, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

As participants in the exchange program at Bucerius, AUWCL students will have access to all school facilities, including the library, computer and sports facilities. All Bucerius facilities (excluding the library cupola) are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Program Dates:

This program is offered only during the fall semester from September to December. At Bucerius, the fall semester is 12 weeks long including a 2-week exam period, and runs from early September to mid-December. During the week between the two sessions, exchange students will, as a group, go on a week-long program of excursions to culturally, historically and politically significant sites in Germany.

For exact program dates please see the Bucerius academic calendar.

Language of Instruction:

Courses will be held in English and students are also welcome to sit in on regular classes, if their knowledge of German allows. In addition, two German language courses are offered.

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Courses:

Students will receive up to 12 credits towards their law degree. Only the credits and not the grades will transfer per ABA requirements. The acceptance of any credit or grade for any courses taken at the Bucerius Law School program, including externships and other clinical offerings, is subject to determination by the AUWCL Office of the Registrar.

Courses cover all main fields of German law and include the History of European Law, European Contract Law, as well as other courses taught from an international or comparative perspective. The following is a selection of courses offered in English. A more complete and up-to-date list is available on the Bucerius website.

Course Offerings for the 2012 Exchange Program
Courses Session I     

• Comparative Law           
• Introduction to Comparative Intellectual Property Law      
• Corporate Law        
• International Conflict of Laws
• Introduction to White Collar Crime
• Emerging Global Developments in Intellectual Property
• The Private Law of International Trade       

Courses Session II   

• Comparative Products Liability          
• Corporate Governance       
• International Banking Transactions        
• International and Comparative Antitrust Law          
• International Commercial Arbitration
• Introduction to the Law of the EU
• Business Mediation & Conflict Resolution          

Courses running over both sessions

• International Commercial Transactions
• German Law Survey Course
• Contract Drafting for Non-Native English Speakers
• Negotiation
• Practical Aspect of Mergers & Acquisitions

Housing and Cost of Living:

Bucerius does not offer housing to its students, but will assist all exchange students in securing suitable accommodation for their time in Hamburg. There are a limited number of rooms and apartments which Bucerius' outgoing students have made available for the duration of their time abroad. Rent will generally range from € 300 to € 650  per month, and the cost of living, including transportation, food and personal expenses will come to an additional € 400  per month. For more information on housing at Bucerius please visit the Bucerius web site's section on housing for exchange students.

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Contact:

For general questions and concerns please visit the Semester Exchange FAQ page.

All other questions and concerns should be directed to:

Jamie Welling
International Programs Analyst
Semester Exchange Program
American University Washington College of Law
4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 355
Washington, DC, 20016 USA
Telephone: (202) 274-4177
Fax: (202) 274-4005
Email: studyabroad@wcl.american.edu

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