"When I joined my first CUSL courses in 2015, I would have never imagined that this would take me so far. I cannot find strong enough words to express what a precious support the CUSL program has been in this entire journey. It complemented my LL.M. courses to build a good knowledge basis in U.S. law even before the start of my bar preparation, which was a tremendous asset given the brevity of the bar preparation and that I also had to devote time to the master’s degree I was pursuing in France at the same time.
Most importantly, I see my four CUSL semesters as the defining moment that sparked off my interest in U.S. law and gave me enough confidence and passion to engage in an LL.M. degree and in taking the New York bar exam. Thank you very much for all of that!"
Léa Dreidemy
Attorney-at-law (New York), CUSL-Alumna
Certificate in United States' Law
Since 2009, the University of Cologne Faculty of Law has offered an optional qualification in US American Law. This optional qualification runs parallel to your regular German Law Degree studies.
Please note that the CUSL-program is not a qualifying degree, i.e. not a Bachelor's degree nor an LL.M. or the like. Matriculation at the University of Cologne Faculty of Law is required to participate in CUSL.
The program consists of 16 semester hours (1 semester hour = 45min/week during the semester) of classes in total. It is designed to be completed within four semesters, which means we guarantee that all compulsory classes are offered at least once during a period of four semesters. You may also decide to spread out the required exams over a longer period of time. You are free to take courses as you please. Successful completion of the CUSL certificate program may be possible in less than four semesters, though we cannot guarantee this.
Once you have successfully completed the required 8 courses, you will receive a certificate issued by the Faculty of Law.
Structure of the Program
In order to obtain a certificate in United States law, students must pass 16 semester hours (16 SWS) of CUSL classes. This corresponds to a total of eight CUSL courses. We recommend completing the program over a period of four semesters.
Ten semester hours must be completed in compulsory courses. Six additional semester hours are required in elective courses, which students may freely choose. This means students who wish to complete the certificate must pass five compulsory courses and three elective courses. For an overview of our compulsory and elective courses please click here.
Please note: even if you do not wish to obtain a certificate in United States law, you may still visit our courses as long as you meet the participation requirements outlined above.
