The professionally oriented Licentiate degree is aimed at lawyers working in the legal profession who have already gained experience and professional competence in their field. That competence will be enhanced by pursuing studies in a special field related to the student’s professional background. The students must have at least three years of work experience in their field of specialisation following the completion of their second-cycle degree. Work experience gained while pursuing the undergraduate degree may be taken into consideration for particularly compelling reasons, but this is the exception.
The professionally oriented Licentiate degree differs from postgraduate research degrees in that its focus is on enhancing professional competence rather than theoretical competence and research education. Therefore, the primary goal of the Licentiate thesis is to demonstrate that the student’s professional competence has improved in his or her field of specialisation. However, the degree also aims to enhance the student’s scientific and theoretical competence and hone his or her scientific research skills through.