Transition to Law School (Bar Exam)
If you transfer into the state examination program in law, the legal coursework you have already completed as part of the LL.B. program can be credited toward your degree, making it possible to graduate within four semesters if you progress successfully.
Outstanding services and content during the transition
To obtain the first state law examination, students must complete a university major and pass the state compulsory subject examination administered by the State Examination Office.
According to § 8 JAG NRW, certain requirements must be met for admission to the state compulsory subject examination. Most of the required coursework has already been completed as part of the LL.B. program and can be credited.
In addition to the mandatory requirements for registering for the state compulsory subject examination, it is essential to attend any remaining lectures in the core law curriculum to ensure you are also prepared for the content of the state compulsory subject examination.
For the specialized field of study, legal economics and law courses completed as part of the LL.B. program can be credited (see below).
To ensure a smooth transition into the law program, it is recommended that you complete as many courses as possible in the required elective area of legal economics so that the specialization program is already completed by the time of the transition. Alternatively, you may also choose the required elective area of law, thereby taking several courses from the core law curriculum early on and completing the remaining specialization requirements later.
If you are following the study plan on the right, you are missing the courses listed below to complete your major or to register for the state-mandated compulsory subject examination.
For more information on planning your course of study, click here
Further information on the recognition of courses of the "Schwerpunktbereichsstudium"
In general, you are free to choose your area of specialization as part of your law degree (decision of the Law Examination Board dated October 28, 2015). In total, the Department of Law offers ten different areas of specialization.
To complete the specialized area of study in law, you must, according to the 2023 Specialized Area Examination Regulations, have taken at least one course from the core area of the specialization and at least two courses from the elective area. In total, you may take up to six exams, some of which may be failed and will not be included in the final grade. Depending on the credits you have already earned in the LL.B. program and the specialization track you choose, a varying number of your previously earned credits may be recognized.
Anyone who needs a placement recommendation for the transition to the law program must submit a supplementary binding declaration stating which specialization track they are choosing, so that the correct credits can be applied toward the placement.
Applicants applying for the first semester of law school who are already offered a spot through this process do not initially need a placement recommendation for enrollment. However, this is required for subsequent advancement to a higher level and must then be submitted to the Law School Examinations Office (pruefungsamt@jura.uni-bonn.de) during the course of the first semester of law school.
You may be eligible for particularly extensive credit transfer if you switch to Specialization Area III and have previously completed a significant number of courses in the required-elective area of Law and Economics. All courses completed in the required-elective area of Law and Economics may be credited toward Specialization Area III.
The major area of study is already fully completed if you have taken the following courses from the required-elective area of Law and Economics:
- Antitrust Law and Economics – Core Area SPB VI
- At least two other courses from the required-elective area of Law and Economics – Elective Area SPB VI
- Corporate Law and Economics
- Corporate Law and Economics
- Civil Law and Economics
- Consumer Protection and Economics
- Comparative Competition Law
For the core area of SPB VI, Antitrust Law II and Data Protection Law from the required-elective area of Law in the LL.B. program may also be used.
