Bachelor in Law

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Sciences Po

Program Overview

Sciences Po's Bachelor in Law offers a world-class education that goes beyond traditional legal training by combining rigorous legal principles with a multidisciplinary, comparative approach. This programme is perfect for ambitious students who want to understand how law shapes society and are ready to engage with contemporary global challenges through both French and international perspectives.

Curriculum Structure

First Year: Building Your Foundation

Your journey begins with core courses across law, economics, history, political science, and sociology, ensuring you develop a well-rounded perspective on how legal systems interact with society. The cornerstone course, *Institutions politiques*, explores how political and legislative powers are structured from both historical and international viewpoints, giving you the methodological and analytical tools to think critically about governance. You'll also take introductory courses that establish the fundamental principles you'll need throughout your legal education.

Second Year: Deepening Your Expertise

In your second year, you'll choose Law as one of your two majors and dive deeper into specialized legal fields. You'll undertake *How Legal Thinkers Think*, which introduces you to the methodologies and analytical frameworks that define legal practice, alongside seminars and workshops covering areas like public and administrative law, business law, and contract law. This year is designed to sharpen your critical thinking, legal analysis, and argumentation skills while allowing you to tailor your studies to your interests.

Third Year: Global Perspective and Specialization

Your final year is devoted entirely to international mobility, where you'll study abroad at one of Sciences Po's 480 partner universities. This immersive experience allows you to deepen your understanding of law through different legal systems and cultural contexts while potentially completing a semester-long internship to gain practical professional experience.

Focus Areas

Law is embedded within a broader humanities and social sciences curriculum with emphasis on the relationship between law, governance, and societal transformation—providing you with the ability to address real-world issues through multiple analytical lenses.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion, you'll have acquired a solid foundation in legal principles, methodologies, and interdisciplinary approaches that opens doors to advanced study. You'll be trained in French and international law, contemporary legal theories, and the critical analysis of complex legal issues.

Professional Alignment

Sciences Po's Law School educates high-calibre legal professionals with the skills to adapt and flourish in constantly changing professional environments. Graduates have opportunities to join the Bar, work in business, pursue roles in economic regulation agencies, or enter the judiciary.

Reputation & Employability

Sciences Po consistently ranks among Europe's leading institutions for law and social sciences education, recognized for its rigorous, multidisciplinary training and world-class academic excellence.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At Sciences Po, our Bachelor in Law program immerses you in practical, hands-on learning right from the start, building real-world legal skills through interactive methods like case studies, small-group problem-solving, and dialogue-driven seminars that mimic professional legal practice. You'll tackle concrete issues in public law, constitutional law, contract law, and more, developing critical thinking, argumentation, and adaptability without needing prior legal experience—our approach trains you to think like a jurist in just two years. With facilities like hybrid teaching rooms, project spaces, and innovation hubs designed for collaborative work, you'll have everything you need to turn theory into expertise on our Paris campus in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Here are some standout ways experiential learning comes alive in the program:
- Seminars and workshops on topics like public/administrative law, business law, and contract law, where you analyze real cases and hone legal argumentation in small groups.
- Group-based projects and case-solving in courses like "How Legal Thinkers Think" (year 2), emphasizing interaction and initiative to address societal issues collaboratively.
- Third-year abroad opportunities at 480 partner universities, often paired with semester-long internships to apply law majors (e.g., Contemporary Constitutional Law in Politics and Government) in professional settings worldwide.
- Hybrid teaching rooms (19 available) and project spaces at 1 Saint Thomas for group work and simulations, plus an Innovation Pavilion from the Institute for Skills and Innovation focused on educational tools and presentations.
- Libraries including one at 1 Saint Thomas with 200+ seats and 23,500 books, supporting legal research alongside general campus libraries.
- Research facilities like 150 PhD workspaces, five seminar/conference rooms, and proximity to research centers fostering links between law studies and ongoing projects.

Progression & Future Opportunities

At Sciences Po's Bachelor in Law programme—delivered as a core discipline within our multidisciplinary Undergraduate Bachelor's in Humanities and Social Sciences—you'll dive into practical legal skills right from year one, with courses like Institutions politiques and How Legal Thinkers Think that build real-world analysis, argumentation, and critical thinking for law in governance and society. You'll apply this through hands-on elements like the Civic Learning Programme, where you conduct fieldwork with vulnerable communities, and cap it off with a Capstone Project linking your experiences to classroom knowledge. In your second year, deepen it via the Law major in Politics and Government, tackling Contemporary Constitutional Law and History of State Law through seminars and workshops on public law, business law, and contracts. Plus, your third year abroad at one of 480 partner universities often includes a semester-long internship for direct professional exposure.

This experiential edge is powered by top-notch facilities across our Paris campus (home to the main programme) and seven French campuses, fostering collaboration between teaching, research, and innovation: here's what you'll access

- Hybrid teaching rooms and project spaces (19 on the 1 Saint Thomas site alone) for group projects, seminars, and workshops in legal analysis and argumentation
- Large lecture halls for events and interactive sessions on topics like constitutional and administrative law
- Research facilities including five seminar/conference rooms, 150 PhD workspaces, and proximity to research offices and graduate schools for interdisciplinary legal research
- Libraries like the 200-seat one at 1 Saint Thomas with 23,500 books, plus campus-specific ones (e.g., Menton and Reims) stocked for law and social sciences
- Innovation Pavilion by the Institute for Skills and Innovation, focused on educational tools and skill-building for legal practice
- Civic Learning Programme fieldwork and Capstone Project for community-based legal application
- Third-year internships abroad alongside studies at partner universities
- Field trips such as visits to European institutions in Vienna or Brussels from the Nancy campus (relevant for law-governance focus)