LL.M. in Compliance

Part-time continuing professional development programme – ‘Master of Laws in Compliance (LL.M. Compliance)’

The whole world of compliance in two semesters

Every company needs measures in place to ensure that legal requirements are met. After all, breaches of the rules are costly and jeopardise a company’s reputation. This is where compliance comes in. Its role is to communicate legal requirements to company staff as clearly as possible and to ensure they are enforced. Only in this way can directors, managers and employees be protected from criminal and civil liability.

The Master’s programme at university level – the only one of its kind in Germany – launched by the University of Regensburg in the winter semester 2018/19 provides the necessary tools for this. It offers theoretically sound further training tailored to the requirements of business practice, leading to a unique academic qualification. Upon successful completion, the title ‘LL.M. Compliance’ is awarded.

The two-semester programme imparts up-to-date legal, business and organisational knowledge in the subjects of compliance management systems, risk analysis and risk management, corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. The elective modules allow students to focus on specific areas of interest, such as ‘Medicine and Pharmacy’, ‘Capital Markets Law’ or ‘Contractor Compliance’. The programme is complemented by interdisciplinary courses in the psychology of compliance, the economics of compliance (incentive effects and incentive management in remuneration systems and whistleblowing schemes) and change management. Case studies ensure the direct application of the theoretical knowledge acquired. In their Master’s thesis, participants demonstrate their ability to resolve practical compliance management issues in a legally sound manner, taking all relevant interests into account and in line with the latest case law and academic scholarship.

The programme has been developed by high-calibre lecturers from academia and the professional world with extensive professional experience (including compliance officers from Deutsche Bahn, SAP, e.on, UniCredit and Merck). They guarantee the high standard and excellent delivery of the material. The programme is divided into 12 learning units, each of which is taught from Thursday to Saturday. The modules are designed to ensure that, building on the participants’ prior knowledge, a consistent, practice-oriented level of knowledge in the field of compliance is achieved. The content delivered by the lecturers through presentations and case studies enables participants to gain and evaluate their own experience in various areas of compliance during the subsequent practical exercises. The fact that half of all modules are compulsory electives is intended to cater for the individual interests of participants, which are wide-ranging due to the variety of professional fields within the compliance sector.

The programme is aimed at managers and staff who are already working in compliance roles within companies or who are aspiring to such roles, as well as at solicitors, chartered accountants and management consultants. Admission is open to those who have passed the first or second state law examination or who hold a comparable qualification. The programme begins in September each year. The application deadline is in July.