Geneva is our international law survey program. Students can elect to enroll in all, one, or any combination of the week-long courses offered on this program. It's common for students who wish to spend the entire summer abroad to attend one of our early summer programs before attending our mid to late summer program in Geneva.
- Full Program - all 4 weeks: Sunday June 14, 2026 to Friday July 10, 2026
- Or pick any combination of weeks:
- Week 1: Public International Law: Sunday June 14, 2026 to Friday, June 19, 2026
- Week 2: International Human Rights Law: Monday June 22, 2026 to Friday, June 26, 2026
- Week 3: International Intellectual Property Law: Monday June 29, 2026 to Friday, July 3, 2026
- Week 4: International Humanitarian Law: Monday July 6, 2026 to Friday July 10, 2026
You can view last summer's itinerary at this link. Classes are typically held in the morning each day, with legal site visits occurring 1-2 afternoons per week.
Course Title and Units
Students may attend all or some portion of the four week academic program, depending upon their particular interest. Each week taken alone is worth 1 unit of credit; or for the entire 4 week program, 5 units of credit will be given.
- Full Program - all 4 weeks - 5 credits
- Or pick any combination of weeks:
- Week 1: Public International Law - 1 credit
- Week 2: International Human Rights Law - 1 credit
- Week 3: International Intellectual Property Law - 1 credit
- Week 4: International Humanitarian Law - 1 credit
Course Descriptions
The Geneva program provides a unique overview of public international law while focusing on three main areas of international practice: human rights law, humanitarian law, and international intellectual property law. Geneva is home to the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and many of the most important human rights NGOs. The program includes visits to, and briefings at, the key UN and international institutions located in Geneva. The seminars are taught in the mornings, and site visits are scheduled in the afternoons. Classes are held at Webster University, located in the residential lakeside commune of Bellevue.
International Human Rights Law (IHRL) This course covers a range of aspects of IHRL, such as International human rights treaties, the enforcement mechanisms and universal and regional systems of international human rights law (particularly the UN and the Inter-American System), as well as other monitoring, implementation and enforcement mechanisms.
Public International Law (PIL) covers the laws, rules, and principles of general application that deal with the conduct of nation states and international organizations among themselves as well as the relationships between nation states and international organizations with persons, whether natural or juridical. This course covers a range of aspects of PIL, such as, sources of PIL, international organizations and institutions, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and others.
International Intellectual Property (IIP) law deals with the rules for securing and enforcing legal rights to inventions, designs, and artistic works internationally. It has become an increasingly important and frequently litigated area, particularly in the patent, copyright, and trademark arenas. This course provides a basic foundation for thinking about intellectual property problems that arise in an international context, such as patent, copyright, trademark, and unfair competition issues. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with the key principles, agreements, and institutions that govern international intellectual property.
International Humanitarian Law (IHL) is the law that regulates the conduct of war. It is the branch of international law which seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict by protecting persons who are not participating in hostilities, and by restricting and regulating the means and methods of warfare available to combatants. This course covers a range of aspects of IHL, such as the sources of IHL, the treatment of prisoners of war, the prohibition of certain weapons and means of warfare, the prosecution of war crimes; and includes the study of case law and case studies.
Past legal site visits have included:
- United Nations Headquarters
- Palais Wilson
- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
- International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
- International Labor Organization (ILO)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- Geneva Call
Past cultural activities have included:
- Old town walking tour
- Group meals including fondue lunch
- Live music performances
- Soccer games
- Lake Geneva Boat Tour
Faculty Program Director: Taylor Dalton
Local Teaching Faculty: Edward Kwakwa, Pavle Kilibarda, Mina Radoncic, Claudia Josi
Our program in Geneva does not have any standing externship placements. Occasionally, students may be approved to engage in public interest legal externships in other locations around Europe. Contact LawStudyAbroad@scu.edu for more information.
Externship Dates & Commitment
Externships typically begin the Monday after your academic session ends and continue through late July, lasting 6–9 weeks. Expect to work full-time (approx. 40+ hours/week) and complete 200–300 total hours. You’ll earn academic credit and must also complete a required, zero-unit course (Law 706i: International Externship Workshop) to meet ABA experiential learning requirements.
What is an Externship?
Externships are for-credit legal internships. All placements are with law firms or legal non-profits abroad and supervised by licensed attorneys. On Santa Clara Law’s summer abroad programs, the placements are for credit and are unpaid.
Placement Process and Timeline
On Santa Clara Law’s summer abroad programs, students do not need to find their own placement or apply or interview for their placements. Instead, you apply to us, and we place you with one of our partner law firms / legal non-profit organizations. In the placement process, we consider your preferences (location, environment, and practice area), but placements and preferences are not guaranteed.
Externship Placement Timeline
After your application has been accepted, you will be prompted to commit to your program. You confirm your commitment by paying a non-refundable deposit (the deposit is a prepayment of a portion of tuition). Priority for externships placements is established based on the date of your deposit. While we maintain a large number of annual placements, we do not begin working on your actual placement or hold your spot as requesting a placement until you pay your deposit. Actual placements (e.g. exact law firm) are typically finalized between March and May, before the start of your core academic program. Rarely, we need additional time to verify the suitable placement.
Santa Clara Law’s summer abroad programs are individually approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and are eligible for transfer credit to all other ABA law schools. We actively welcome non-Santa Clara students on our programs and each year typically about 50% of our summer abroad students are from other law schools.
If you are not a Santa Clara Law student, you should contact your home school’s registrar or academic dean to understand your home school transfer policies and rules on which credits will transfer back to your home school. Typically to evaluate transfer credit your home school will want to see that Santa Clara Law’s abroad program is on the ABA approval list and they will want to review the “course description” listed above. If you have questions about transfer credit, enrolling as a visiting student, or need additional information such as a syllabus, please contact LawStudyAbroad@scu.edu
Here are answers to some of the most common questions we receive about our Summer Abroad Programs.
- Santa Clara Law Summer Abroad Programs are open to all students of American Bar Association (ABA) and California Bar Accredited Law Schools that are in good academic standing.
- The application process is not competitive - if you are in good standing, your application will be accepted.
- All classes are taught in English.
- All classes are fully accredited by American Bar Association (ABA) and transferable to your home institution for JD credit.
- October 1 - Applications Open
- January 31 - Priority Deadline and Abroad Ambassador Deadline
- March 1 - Deadline to Commit to Externship Placements
- April 1 - Deadline to Commit to Academic Programs
For most programs, the best time to apply is winter break. If you are interested in our programs in The Hague or Tokyo, we recommend submitting your application as soon as possible (as these two programs do typically fill up).
The Santa Clara Law Summer Abroad Application Process is:
- Discernment: Spend time considering which summer program and experience is right for you.
- Application: Submit an application for that program
- To apply for your program, navigate to the program specific website select the red "apply now" button.
- Santa Clara Law students, you will select "SCU Students, Faculty and Staff" and use your single sign on to access the application.
- Visiting law students, select "new user, create account" to create a new account and access the application.
- Acceptance: The application process is not competitive - if you are in good standing, and the program has space, your application will be accepted.
- Commitment: Once accepted, you must pay your deposit (which is a portion of tuition) to save your spot on the program.
The application for an academic program is very simple and takes most students less than 15 minutes to complete. If you would like to add an externship, the application requires you to submit an up- to- date resume and to answer some questions about your placement preferences, intercultural experiences, and goals for the externship.
Our applications aren’t competitive. If you want to go abroad and you're in good standing at your law school, you'll be accepted! That said, some programs and all externships do fill up. If you have a specific one in mind, it’s best to commit to the program earlier in the cycle.
We understand that cost is an important factor when considering study abroad. Below are some of the ways we work to make our programs more affordable and financially accessible for students.
- Reduced Tuition: Summer Abroad Tuition is $1,500 per credit, which is significantly lower than on-campus rates at most law schools. These tuition savings are intended to offset travel expenses and improve accessibility.
- No Application or Activity Fees: We only charge tuition. There are no application or activity fees. Tuition covers not only coursework but also program-related social, cultural, and networking events and International Emergency Medical and Travel Assistance.
- Financial Aid: All programs are eligible for federal financial aid. Santa Clara Law Dean’s Fellows may apply their academic scholarships. Other academic scholarships do not apply, since applying scholarships to the lower cost study abroad tuition would not fully leverage their intended value.
- For Santa Clara Students: Abroad Ambassador Program: This competitive program covers airfare for selected students who assist with program marketing.
- For Visiting Students - Group Discounts: If 5 or more students from your school attend any of our summer abroad programs, all students from your school get a 15% discount on tuition for the academic classes (this discount does not extend to externship credits). Our team is happy to help spread the word by sending brochures or presenting at an informational session.