You have completed your first degree in law, the natural sciences, technology, economics, political science or engineering, and have earned some — or a lot of — professional experience. Now, you’re looking to start or enhance your career in the multifaceted and fascinating fields of intellectual property (IP), competition, and data law.
What better way to begin your foray into the establishment and protection of intellectual creations than a master’s degree from the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC)?
MIPLC is a collaborative project of four institutions: Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, the George Washington University Law School, the University Augsburg, and the Technical University of Munich. The latter two universities confer the LLM degree. “What sets us apart from any other LLM in Europe is that when we need a lecturer for a specific topic, we put together a wishlist, and I’ve never gotten past number two on the list,” says Seth Ericsson, program director.
Many MIPLC students come from technology, natural sciences, economics, and political science backgrounds, as well as creative avenues. Source: Munich Intellectual Property Law Center
Commencing in October each year, the one-year, full-time LLM program provides multifaceted, broad, and comprehensive training on various fields of IP and competition law. This means you can specialize in European and American law while also gaining a global perspective of other jurisdictions.
The program transforms students into the next generation of experts working at the interface of law, markets, and innovative technology. As such, it is not only law students who are welcome. Many MIPLC students come from technology, natural sciences, economics, and political science backgrounds, as well as other creative avenues. “For us, it is enormously important that we don’t only accept lawyers but also students with a different background, especially those with a natural science background,” says Prof. Dr. Josef Drexl, who teaches the “Introduction to Innovation and Competition Law” course and is Chair of the MIPLC Project Board. “I believe that diversity translates into independent ideas.”
At MIPLC, you will be part of an international and talented student body that is both vibrant and collaborative. Everyone is eager to offer insights, support and help. With experts and researchers as your lecturers, every class is set to have its share of rich debates and discussions. “We are hearing from the professors whose articles we are reading,” says student Jyotsna Shankar. “Sometimes you go into class thinking, ‘Wow, I get to hear from this person directly’.”
Source: Munich Intellectual Property Law Center
Good facilities and services — a perk of the center’s partnership with three renowned universities — let students make the most of their time here. You will have access to one-to-one sessions with administrative staff, MPI’s well-stocked library and team of researchers working in various fields of IP and competition, and the extensive Career Services of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Center for Professional Development and Career Strategy office of The George Washington University Law School. The program provides individual career counselling while tutors help students prepare for exams and living in Munich, among other things.
As the program is located at the MPI at the center of Munich (often called the IP capital of Europe), this affords graduates the exciting opportunity to become a researcher at MPI with the chance of earning a MIPLC-funded PhD, which is exclusively open to MIPLC graduates. You could continue your research at the MPI and study at other universities in Germany.
This career preparation starts long before you graduate. The center supports students in their search for placements. Students also have the opportunity to use their newfound knowledge outside of the classroom through internships, networking, and other professional opportunities. This includes MIPLC’s Alumni Conference, alumni network meet-ups, and Lecture Series. With an alumni network that is over 500-strong from all over the world, you will be well-connected to people capable of charting the next course of your career. “MIPLC alumni are located in a lot of different industries,” says alum Preston Richard, who is currently a European Patent Attorney at Bardehle Pagenberg. “They are decision-makers and they are just an email away.”
Click here to apply to Munich Intellectual Property Law Center now.
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