As a prospective student of the minor in Private Law, you should have a profound interest in working with texts, language, and argumentation, as well as a passion for societal, political, social, and economic issues.

You should be interested in exchanging arguments and in constructive and professional disputes, while being able to empathize with people.  You should also possess a sound, structured way of thinking and an interest in the issue of what justice is and how to act justly.

You will study this subject as part of a two-subject bachelor’s degree program. The degree program always consists of an academic major and minor, which can be combined according to your interests or professional goals.

If you choose the subject as a minor, you will generally complete only a portion of the modules and classes taught to students of the major subject. As a result, you will focus on a selection from the content listed below.

Program structure

The program is structured into 4 required modules:

• Handling the contents of the first three books of the German Civil Code.
  • General part
  • Law of obligations
  • Property law
• A module on legal history
• A module in which you will write a detailed term paper on a case study
• Following this, you will select a required elective module

By selecting one of the following required elective modules, you will begin to establish your specialization:

• Family and inheritance law
• Commercial law (business and corporate law)
• Labor law

Topics and issues from the beginning of your studies are taken up again and reinforced later on. As a result, the range of knowledge and skills acquired is not only larger, but also more closely linked.

Stays abroad

Would you like to live abroad for a semester or a year? Do you want to learn another language and get to know a new culture? Or gain a different perspective on your particular subject? A stay abroad provides you with the perfect opportunity to achieve this and is possible with every degree program – either self-organized or by taking advantage of one of the popular exchange programs. This is made possible by various cooperation agreements and partnerships with foreign universities.

For more information on this topic, please visit our websites on studying abroad. Visit our student exchange platform for an overview of cooperating universities in your field.

This program of study does not require you to spend time abroad, but you nevertheless have the opportunity to do so.

Internships

This program of study does not include a mandatory internship. However, voluntary internships are a great way to gain insight into a professional field.

An internship allows you to discover whether everyday life in a particular occupation suits your career expectations and interests. You can gain qualifications for a professional field and acquire important professional and personal skills to start a career. An internship helps you both shape your career path, and mold the remainder of your course sequence – in particular by selecting specializations that suit your practical experience.

You can find further information and relevant internships on the Career Service website.

Any prospective career path will take shape in large part according to what you select as your major and your potential master’s studies later on.

The Private Law minor is particularly interesting for students interested in the humanities, social sciences, and cultural studies who can see themselves going into one of the following professional fields:

• Politics and social affairs
• Public service and administration
• Media, journalism, and advertising
• Education and culture
• Publishing
• Economics

Not sure what to do after graduation? Don’t worry!

A university degree generally does not prepare you for a single profession but qualifies you for a wide range of career paths – for example, in research, in a typical profession related to your field of study, or in one of many other academic fields.

This is why career orientation is also part of your studies. Gaining practical experience is key, and you can do so through internships, working student positions, part-time jobs or voluntary work, for example.

JGU’s Career Service will support you throughout the entire process with information, advice, workshops and numerous events – from career orientation and working on your profile and skills to finding your dream job and successfully applying for it.