Top award for master’s programme Child Law
The master’s programme 'Jeugdrecht' (Child Law) at Leiden Law School has been awarded the gold medal by EW Beste Studies. It is the only degree programme at Leiden University to have earned this top award. Professor Mariëlle Bruning says, 'it’s the best compliment you could ever get in your career'.
Bruning says she’s extremely proud: 'We’ve been getting high ratings for a while now, but this just confirms that students think a lot of the programme. Receiving the gold medal means you’ve had the best rating among students for three consecutive years. It's the best compliment you could ever get in your career.'
Topical issues
Child law is a very topical area of law. Bruning is frequently contacted by the Dutch media for comment. 'I don’t actively seek them out, but I do feel a responsibility to share the right knowledge when I’m asked to.' Bruning recently appeared on NOS following a police report by former clients at a youth care centre in Friesland.
Asked whether this news could influence future ratings, Bruning responds, 'It shows students the relevance of the field of law. Our teaching covers very topical issues and really bridges the gap between knowledge and practice.' There’s a special part of the master's programme that Bruning calls the Practical module. 'Students are taught how to draw up court documents and we work closely with judges from the District Court of The Hague. The judges supply cases and come in to discuss them with our students.' Bruning says that students really value that collaboration: 'They say they learn a lot from the judges.'