Faculty of Law of the University of Graz
Public law school in Graz, Austria
The Faculty of Law of the University of Graz (REWI Uni Graz) was established in 1778 as the third faculty of the University of Graz.
Overview
Its curricula include, besides the classical Diploma (Mag.iur.) and Doctoral Program in Law (Dr.iur.), the Bachelor Program in Business Law for Technical Professions (LL.B.oec.), the Master's Program in Law, Business, Economics and Society (LL.M.) or the PhD Program in Law and Politics (PhD). Specialized research areas, at both the national and international levels, include Human Rights, Democracy, Diversity and Gender, Law and Economics, Southeastern Europe, and Environmental and Energy Law. The Faculty of Law participates in the university's Fields of Excellence Smart Regulation, Climate Change as well as Dimensions of Europeanization.
Structure
The Faculty of Law is divided into ten departments:
Civil Law, Foreign Private Law and Private International Law
Civil Procedure and Insolvency Law
Corporate and International Commercial Law
Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law and Criminology
European Law
International Law and International Relations
Labour Law and Social Security Law
Public Law and Political Science
Tax and Fiscal Law
Foundations of Law
In addition, the Faculty of Law is home to the following centers:
Center for Austrian and European Higher Education Law and Governance
Centre for East European Law and Eurasian Studies (CEELES) - Центр восточно-европейского права
Centre of European Private Law (CEPL)
European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy of the University of Graz (UNI-ETC)
Research Center for Climate Law (ClimLaw: Graz)
Graz Jurisprudence
Cross-faculty Centre for Southeast European Studies (CSEES)
History
1 January 1585 is considered the founding date of the University of Graz. Charles II Francis of Austria, Archduke of Inner Austria, established it as a Jesuit university and entrusted it to the Societas Jesu. At that time, only the faculties of Theology and Philosophy existed: attempts to establish a Faculty of Law failed because of the Jesuits, that until the abolition of their order in 1773, successfully prevented the creation of new faculties, most notably the faculty of law and medicine. Their concerns were not only of a financial nature, but rather about a potential loss of status of the faculties of Theology and Philosophy within the university.
Law teaching in Styria can be traced back to 1566: law was taught in the Protestant Agricultural Schools until 1598. At the beginning of the 17th century, discussions arose on adding a faculty of law to the University of Graz.
“Faculty of Law of the University of Graz” enters the record as public law school in Graz, Austria. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Faculty, University and Graz can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Contemporary correspondence, administrative files and participant testimony can test how later narratives organized the event or institution. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q71147627. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1778, 1585, 1773 and 1566.
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