Studies & Degrees in Business Law
Business Law Study Programs
Business law is the body of law that governs how companies are set up, financed, run and wound up, and how they deal with one another, with their employees and with the state. It is also called commercial, corporate or company law; in Spain, derecho de empresa or derecho mercantil. The core subjects are company law, contracts, international commercial contracts and competition law, usually joined by tax, employment law, insolvency and the settlement of disputes through litigation or arbitration.
The subject is studied in two ways. Law students take it as a specialisation, during or after a law degree. Business and economics students meet it as a set of courses on the legal framework of the company, without training to practise as lawyers.
Qualifications and levels
- Bachelor's level. Business law is normally part of a law degree. In Spain the bachelor's degree in Law (grado en Derecho) has 240 ECTS credits and takes four years; the one at the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona is an example. Double degrees add the business side: the Doble Grado en Derecho y Administración y Dirección de Empresas of Universidad Nebrija in Madrid has 360 ECTS credits over five academic years and is taught in Spanish and English.
- Official master's degrees in Spain. Master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The Máster Universitario en Derecho de Empresa of the Universidad de Navarra is an official degree of 60 ECTS credits and 12 months, taught on campus in Madrid in Spanish and English, with 60 places. It can be combined in a double master's with the Máster Universitario en Acceso a la Abogacía y la Procura.
- Schools' own programmes. The Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía (ISDE) offers a Máster en Derecho de los Negocios, Arbitraje y ADR in Madrid, taught in Spanish from September, in two modules of 150 hours each. ISDE states that its programmes have a professional orientation and, unless stated otherwise, lead to the school's own qualification (título propio de ISDE), not to an official degree.
- United Kingdom. The usual postgraduate route is a one-year LLM. The LLM Commercial Law and International Trade of the University of Sunderland lasts one year full-time, with modules that total 180 credits; the university usually asks for at least a 2:2 honours degree in a relevant area.
- Italy. Bocconi University in Milan teaches its integrated law degree (Giurisprudenza) in Italian, and in English a bachelor's programme in Global Law, a master's programme in Global Law for Organizations, Business Enterprises and Institutions and an LLM in European Business and Social Law.
A degree is not a licence to practise
A master's degree in business law does not by itself allow anyone to act as a lawyer. In Spain, the professional title of lawyer requires a degree in Law, a specialised training course of 60 credits plus external work placements, and a state assessment. In England and Wales, the Solicitors Regulation Authority requires a degree in any subject or an equivalent qualification, passes in both parts of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1 and SQE2), two years of full-time work experience or the equivalent, and suitability checks. In the United States, lawyers typically need a law degree and a state licence, which usually requires passing a bar examination. Check the rules of the country where you plan to work.
Where to study it
SpainExchange lists 36 active schools for business law. Seventeen are in Spain, six in the United States and four in the United Kingdom; Italy, Ireland, Slovenia, Ukraine, Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, Nigeria and Vietnam have one each. In Spain the list includes the Universidad de Navarra, the Universidad de Deusto in Bilbao, Universidad Nebrija, the Universidad de León and ISDE in Barcelona. Abroad it includes London Metropolitan University, the University of Sunderland, Bocconi University, New York University, Hofstra University and the Universidad de Montevideo.
Law is national, so most programmes teach the law of their own country in its language.
Careers
Graduates work in the commercial departments of law firms, in the legal departments of companies and banks, in compliance, and in public bodies that regulate markets. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes corporate counsels as lawyers who work for a single organization and advise its executives on legal issues related to its business activities, such as patents, contracts with other companies, taxes and collective-bargaining agreements with unions. It projects employment of lawyers in the United States to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a law degree to study business law?
For a master's degree aimed at future lawyers, usually yes. Business and economics degrees include business law courses without that requirement.
Can I practise as a lawyer with a master's in business law?
Not on that basis alone. In Spain you also need a degree in Law, the specialised training course for access to the profession and the state assessment; other countries have their own exams and licences.
How long does a master's in business law take?
Usually one year. The official master's degree of the Universidad de Navarra has 60 ECTS credits over 12 months, and the LLM at the University of Sunderland lasts one year full-time.
Can I study business law in English?
Yes. Schools in the United Kingdom, the United States and Ireland teach in English, Bocconi University offers several law programmes in English, and the master's degree of the Universidad de Navarra is taught in Spanish and English.