Master in Law – Specialization in Social Law and Innovation
Lisbon, Portugal
DURATION
4 Semesters
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 6,200 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* 10.000€: total tuition fee for non-EU candidates
Introduction
Register here on the website.
The NOVA School of Law is at the forefront of higher education, characterized by its innovation. The importance of Social Law and Innovation are well recognized.
The fundamental goal of the course is to provide an integrated vision of a wide range of fields of study, such as Labour Law, Social Security Law, Migration Law, and Resolution of Conflict with its emergent legislation. The course is valued for its blend of traditional law with developments in the associated areas of Social and Innovation Law.
The course aims to provide law graduates with a balanced education in emerging areas of law and to equip them with the necessary tools for a specialized career in a range of professional fields. The interdisciplinary course structure facilitates strategies to deal with complex problem resolution inherent in Social and Innovation Law.
Ideal Students
The Master in Social and Innovation Law deepens the knowledge and skills acquired at bachelor's degree level. Holders of a bachelor’s law degree or equivalent will be given preference in admissions.
Program Outcome
Consolidate and deepen the knowledge acquired in the bachelor’s degree, especially with regard to Social and Innovation Law; Understand the structure, interconnection, and scope of different social laws; Develop skills in scientific research; Identify labor negotiation strategies and conflict resolution with regard to labor, procedure, migration, and social security; Knowledge of essential innovatory tools for a professional career in the field.
Curriculum
+ 2024/2025 & 2025/2026
In addition to the mandatory curricular unit, students must complete 32 ECTS in restricted-option courses from the list below and 22 ECTS in free-option courses that they can freely choose from any course taught at NOVA School of Law. Total ECTS for the teaching phase: 60 ECTS
From 2024/25, students will need to approve the curricular component with, at least 13,50 points out of 20 (13,5/20) to be able to enrol in the research phase (2nd year of the course).
Completion of the curricular component (60 ECTS), with any positive grade, grants the award of a Diploma in Postgraduate Studies in Law.
1st year – Taught Component
1st Semester
Restricted Optionals
- Introdução à Mediação**
- Constitutional Justice
- Corporate Governance
- Direito do Trabalho em Funções Públicas
- Direito das Organizações Internacionais
- Environmental Law
- International Humanitarian Law
- Direito do Desporto
- Emerging Technologies: Governance and Regulation
- Business, Human Rights and Sustainability
- Energy Law
- Insolvência
Free Option
- Comparative Equality Law
- Contratação Pública
- Regulação e Riscos de Saúde Pública
- Fundamentos Constitucionais da Atividade Administrativa
- Introdução ao Direito da União Europeia
2nd Semester
Mandatory
- Metodologia da Investigação Jurídica*
Restricted Option
- Mediação – Técnicas e Processo**
- Direito da Segurança Social
- Direitos Fundamentais Sociais
- Human Rights International Protection Systems
- Processo Penal Especial
- Direito Processual do Trabalho
- EU Asylum and Migration Law
- Direito Penal Económico
- Data Protection and Management Law***
- Direito da Família e da Criança
- Argumentação Jurídica
- Energy, Climate and the Just Transition
- Ethics and Regulation of Artificial Intelligence
Free Option
- E-Governance
- Direito das Contraordenações
- Auxílios de Estado, Subvenções e Fundos Estruturais
- Clinical Course in Cross-Border Child Protection Services****
*Students may choose to complete this subject in the Portuguese or the English class. They should enrol accordingly.
**The successful completion of both curricular units, fulfilling the minimum requirement of class attendance, represents certified training, giving access to the list of certified mediators of the Ministry of Justice.
***Data Protection and Management Law is a course offered by NOVA School of Law’s Jean Monnet Module on European Union Data Protection Law in Portugal (DataporEU).
****Limited to 10 students, with preference given to those enrolled in the EU Migration and Asylum Law curricular unit.
(The curricular units presented as free options are suggestions and may be changed. In free-option curricular units that are compulsory for other master’s programmes, enrolment and attendance depends on logistical and pedagogical possibilities).
2nd year – Research Phase
Mandatory
- Dissertation, internship at national or international institution or project work.
Admissions
Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
Merit Awards
Merit Awards are awarded to:
- Candidates whose final average admission to a 2nd study cycle at NOVA School of Law, according to assessment and ranking by the appropriate jury, is equal to or higher than 17 points (on a scale of 0/20) and who enroll and attend the same course, benefit from an award in cash corresponding to 50% of the tuition fee for the taught component of the Master’s degree.
- Candidates whose final average admission to a 2nd study cycle at NOVA School of Law, according to assessment and ranking by the appropriate jury, is equal to or higher than 16 points (on a scale of 0/20) and who enroll and attend the same course, benefit from an award in cash corresponding to 30% of the tuition fee for the taught component of the Master’s degree.
In the non-taught phase, three prizes for academic merit are awarded (by master’s degree or area of specialization, in the case of the Master’s Degree in Law). These awards assume the completion of the taught component within the stipulated time.
- The best student of the taught component of each study cycle or specialization area of a study cycle who continues and attends the non-taught phase benefits from an award in cash corresponding to 100% of the tuition fee for the non-taught phase of the Master’s degree;
- The second-best student of the taught component of each study cycle or specialization area of a study cycle who continues and attends the non-taught phase, benefits from an award in cash corresponding to 60% of the tuition fee, corresponding to the non-taught phase of the Master’s degree;
- The third-best student of the taught component of each study cycle or specialization area of a study cycle who continues and attends the non-taught phase of the Master’s degree.