Students spend their first semester at Leuphana University of Lüneburg, at the School of Public Affairs and School of Sustainability. Leuphana is a modern, innovative and growing university with a strong track record in international and European law, as well as sustainability science, political science and governance.

Interdisciplinarity is a cornerstone of Leuphana’s educational approach, allowing students to enrol in courses across various faculties and disciplines. Students will study the fundamentals of the ‘International Law of Security, Peace and Sustainable Development’, with a particular focus on sustainability. The School of Public Affairs, which hosts Leuphana Law School (LLS) and the Center for European and International Law (CEIL), will offer ILSPSD’s compulsory core disciplinary courses in international law, which will ensure that all students in the Programme, regardless of Study Track, will gain a good understanding of international law as well as key aspects of the ILSPSD’s subject areas. Moreover, students will profit from the inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability-related perspectives offered by the internationally leading School of Sustainability, which hosts the Institute of Sustainability Governance (INSUGO), and which will offer elective courses.

The programme directors, Prof. Dr. Valentin Schatz and Prof. Dr. Jelena Bäumler, are both also directors of the CEIL, associate members of the LLS and members of INSUGO, thereby representing the multidisciplinary approach of the ILSPSD. Students will also benefit from courses and activities that form part of the already existing joint LL.M. in International Economic Law with the University of Glasgow.

Leuphana University of Lüneburg is based in the Hanseatic City of Lüneburg, a vibrant and historic town with approximately 80,000 inhabitants and a substantial student population of around 10,000 students. The town is boasting with over 300 restaurants, bars, pubs and taverns making it one of the liveliest student towns in Germany and Europe. Lüneburg Heath Nature Park is not only one of Germany’s first natural parks but also one of its largest spanning over 107,000 hectares of heathland. This unique natural environment offers students opportunities for outdoor activities including hiking, cycling and rowing.

From Lüneburg Train Station, students can easily access Hamburg, Hannover and other important German cities. The proximity to Hamburg allows students the opportunity to participate in socio-cultural activities in both Lüneburg and Hamburg. This includes a regular visit to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). Hamburg also hosts the International Maritime Museum and Germany’s most important maritime port, a gateway to international trade, which is frequently affected by global security challenges such as the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. Visits may also include the Emigration Museum, which depicts the history of mi- and emigration across time.

In Lüneburg, students are actively involved in a variety of different initiatives, groups and organisations tackling global challenges, such as the International Non-Profit Network e.V., No Border Academy, or UNICEF student group. Annual events that take place on Campus such as the lunatic Festival and regular offers such the university cinema foster student community engagement.