Five-Year Master's Degree in Law

The Five-Year Master's Degree in Law provides a modern and forward-looking legal education designed to meet the evolving demands of contemporary professional and institutional environments.

The programme has undergone recent curricular updates to address major economic, environmental, and technological transformations. The course now addresses increasing relevance of the Green Economy and the growing supranational dimension of legal systems. This introduced three specialized study tracks—Traditional, Environment and Territory (unique in Italy), and European and International—an innovative structure characterised by significant legal developments in areas such as environmental protection, infrastructure, and waste management.

In response to the profound changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme was further adapted; guided by the principles of Sustainability and Innovation, and aligned with the priorities of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), strenghtening the programme's focus on internationalization, employability, and practical skills. A notable change was the reorganization of procedural law courses, with civil and criminal procedure moved to the fourth year to better support students' learning paths.

Programme Structure

Years 1–2: All students follow a common curriculum that provides a solid foundation in the principal areas of legal study, including civil, constitutional, criminal, administrative, labour, international, and economic law.

Years 3–5: Students select one of three specialization tracks:

• Traditional Track
  Offers comprehensive training in classical legal disciplines, supplemented with contemporary subjects such as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Antitrust Law, and Artificial Intelligence.
• Environment, Territory, and Innovation Track
  Focuses on environmental and digital law, preparing graduates for careers in public administration, law firms, and the private sector. This track is closely linked to the Department's PhD program in Law and Sustainability and addresses key issues related to environmental protection and digital transformation.
• European and International Track
  Emphasizes European Union law and comparative legal studies. Many courses are taught in English and are accessible to students from all tracks who wish to develop an international perspective.

Practical Training and Career Preparation

The programme places strong emphasis on practical training, particularly in the final two years.

• Fourth-year workshops: Legal writing, use of legal databases, accounting, and trusts.
• Fifth-year options: Students may choose either an internship—recognized as early legal practice through an agreement with the Lecce Bar Association—or participation in procedural law laboratories, which include mock trials and the drafting of judgments, sentences, and other legal documents.

This practice-oriented approach ensures graduates are well-prepared to enter the legal profession, judicial institutions, and increasingly digital workplaces. The programme equips students with immediately applicable professional skills while maintaining rigorous academic standards.

Admission to the five-year Master’s degree programme requires a high school diploma or another qualification obtained abroad that is officially recognised as suitable.

Applicants are also expected to possess a strong general educational background. They should also demonstrate a strong aptitude for abstract and sequential reasoning, well-developed skills in working with complex written texts, and a basic knowledge of foreign languages.

All applicants are required to take a non-binding assessment test. The test is designed to evaluate the student’s preparedness for the chosen course of study and to assess their level of basic required knowledge.

Applicants who do not pass the test will be assigned an additional educational requirement, determined annually, which must be fulfilled by attending a dedicated support course or through other supplementary learning activities.

Graduate Profile

Graduates of the Five-Year Master's Degree in Law are prepared for careers requiring high levels of responsibility, autonomy, and decision-making capacity, including positions as lawyers, members of the judiciary, and civil-law notaries.

The programme provides in-depth knowledge of the main areas of the legal system and their interconnections, equipping students with the cultural, methodological, and technical competencies essential to the modern legal professional.

Skills and Competences

Graduates develop strong analytical and critical skills, enabling them to interpret legal texts, evaluate complex cases, and make informed decisions across different legal contexts. They are trained to produce clear, structured written and oral legal arguments, addressing both general and specialized issues with full awareness of their technical, cultural, and ethical dimensions.

Special attention is given to fundamental legal and social values, as well as the development of practical and professional skills. Workshops and laboratory activities—such as simulated trials, drafting legal documents, and preparing legal opinions—provide hands-on experience that supports students' transition into professional practice.

While maintaining a strong foundation in core legal disciplines, students may tailor their studies by selecting one of the three specialization tracks: Traditional, Environment, Territory, and Innovation, or European and International.

Career Opportunities

Graduates may access the School of Specialization for Legal Professions and, upon completion of the required traineeships, are eligible to:

• Sit for the State Bar Examination to qualify as lawyers.
• Take the Notary Public Examination.
• Participate in judicial competitions for positions within the Italian judiciary.

The programme also prepares graduates for careers in public administration, private enterprises, international organizations, and other sectors requiring advanced legal expertise.

To be admitted to the final examination, students must have successfully completed all required courses and earned the necessary CFU credits (equivalent to ECTS credits). Final examinations are held in public sessions.

The Master's Degree in Law is awarded upon successful completion of the final examination, which includes the discussion of an original written thesis prepared by the student. The thesis must address a topic related to the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the programme and demonstrate the student's ability to conduct systematic, critical, and well-structured legal analysis under the guidance of a faculty advisor.

Detailed information regarding thesis assignment procedures, deadlines, and administrative requirements is published on the Department's website.

The final examination is evaluated by an examining committee, which awards a grade on a scale of 0–100. The committee may unanimously confer honours (cum laude) to candidates achieving the highest level of excellence. The minimum passing grade is 66 out of 100.

The thesis topic is selected in consultation with a professor and must fall within one of the programme's core, characterizing, or related disciplinary areas, or otherwise be consistent with the educational objectives of the degree. Thesis preparation and evaluation follow the procedures outlined in the Degree Examination Regulations, available on the Faculty of Law website.

The majority of exams are taught in Italian. From the third year, students, regardless of the specific path they choose to follow, can choose from a variety of exams that are taught in English. These exams are often part of the European and International path, as well as the Environment, Territory and Innovation one.

Master degree in Law