Public Law
Public Law (B.A.)
The study of public law enables you to understand and actively shape the foundations of our society. Explore how legal rules operate in government, society, business and the private sector. Learn how laws are created, who implements them, and how they are applied in court cases. Delve into the exciting field of constitutional law, which includes fundamental rights and rules governing government bodies. Explore administrative law and learn how government agencies act and how to defend against decisions.
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- Duration of studies in semester
- 6
- Start of degree program
- Winter semester
- Study location
- Erlangen
- Number of students
- 1-50
- Subject group
- Economic Sciences, Law
- Special ways to study
- 2-subject Bachelor, Part-time degree program
- Teaching language
- completely in German
- Admission Requirements
- No Admissions Restrictions
What is the degree program about?
Coexistence in the state, society, the economy and in the private sphere is shaped by legal rules in the form of laws and regulations. By studying public law, you will learn how these rules are made, who implements them, and how they are applied in court proceedings.
Public law includes first of all constitutional law: these are the rules that apply to the state organs (Bundestag, Federal Government, etc.) as well as the fundamental rights (e.g. freedom of religion, freedom of opinion and freedom of assembly). In addition, public law includes administrative law, which deals on the one hand with the actions of public authorities, and on the other hand with how one can defend oneself against decisions of the administration. Finally, we include the law of the European Union (EU) and the law that applies to all states (international law) in public law.
Public law and political action are closely related: One realizes this when thinking about elections to the Bundestag, the importance of EU rules for economic policy decisions, or the review of laws by the Federal Constitutional Court. That is why you can combine the first subject Political Science with the second subject Public Law in Erlangen.
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In the first semester, the introductory module, the basic module and the module on state organization law take place. In the following semesters, the modules Basic Rights, General Administrative Law, Administrative Law I and European and International Law I are offered. In the sixth semester, you can take either European and International Law II or Administrative Law II and thus pursue your special interests. In the sixth semester you will also write your Bachelor’s thesis in your first subject (Political Science).
Internships, language courses, insight into neighboring disciplines and qualifications in working techniques (library, presentations, rhetoric) must be proven within the key qualifications (amounting to 30 ECTS points).
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- Genuine interest in all manifestations of the political
- Interest in the meaning of law
- Willingness to read a lot and intensively
- Good linguistic expression
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- FAU is one of the few German universities to offer the possibility of combining Political Science with Public Law as a second subject, thus providing an opportunity to specialize in the area of law that is closest to the study of politics.
- The Bachelor’s program can be supplemented by a consecutive Master’s program, also with Public Law as a major.
- The group of second-subject Bachelor students is small and is supervised by separate tutorials or exercises.
- It is possible to transfer from the Bachelor’s second subject Public Law to the regular course of studies in Law, and the achievements are recognized.
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The program qualifies students for positions in
- Administrations at all levels (federal, state, local, EU and international organizations)
- associations and companies on a national, international and supranational level;
- political parties, parliaments, parliamentary groups and members of parliament at all political levels;
- political education in the non-school sector;
- political consulting
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- The study of the second subject Public Law is not a full-fledged law study and does not qualify to become a lawyer (lawyer, judge, etc.). For this purpose, the degree program in law must be studied, which includes criminal and civil law in addition to public law.
- The second subject Public Law has the same requirements as the normal law studies with regard to the legal examinations. It is not a study “law light”.
- The second subject Public Law can only be combined with the first subject Political Science.
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Degree program combinations
Das Lehrangebot dieser Kombination ist so aufeinander abgestimmt, dass die Fächer in der Regel überschneidungsfrei miteinander kombiniert werden können.
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- Admission requirements (first semester)
- No Admissions Restrictions
- Application deadline winter semester
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30.09.
Language skills
- German language skills for international applicants
- DSH 2 or equivalent
- Details and notes
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The application deadline for the winter semester for international applicants is July 15th.
In addition to the general qualification for university entrance (Abitur), there are other access options for studying at FAU.
Do you need help or more information?
Our Student Advice and Career Service (IBZ) is the central point of contact for all questions about studying and starting a degree programme. Our Student Service Centres and subject advisors support you in planning your studies.