Administrative Law

Code:

D220

Acronym:

DA

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Legal Sciences

Instance: 2025/2026 - A (since 15-09-2025 to 22-05-2026)

Active?	Yes
Course/CS Responsible:	Law

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LDB	185	Novo Plano Oficial do ano letivo 2016	2	-	12	150

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Administrative Law  – a subject of the 2nd year of the degree in Law – studies the Administrative Law in general. The program develops the following major points: an approach to the notion of public administration, administrative law, administration systems, genesis and development of Administrative Law and administrative organization. 
The discipline has also to deal with the scope of administrative jurisdiction, the organization of administrative courts and how they operate and the respective legal procedure. Since this is a reform we are referring to, it is worthwhile and necessary to start with a dogmatic construction that sheds light on and increases understanding of the topics to be discussed. Special attention will be given to studying special administrative action and the string of new questions regarding the object of the administrative procedure, legitimacy and carrying out of sentences. Because administrative justice is guided by the principle of full and effective jurisdictional protection, it is extremely relevant to understand the role played by administrative judge, as well as the proof, namely in the provisional measures

Learning outcomes and competences

In line with the Program, it is a discipline essential for the formation of any lawyer, seeking to provide the necessary competencies, both theoretical frameworks, as the jurisprudential practice.

Working method

Presencial

Program

PART I - INTRODUCTION

TITLE I - FUNDAMENTAL NOTIONS ABOUT PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW

Chapter I - FUNDAMENTAL NOTIONS

1. Administrative law, public administration and public interest
2. Various meanings of the concept of Public Administration
3. Notion of administrative law
4. Administrative and other functions of the state

Chapter II - HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

1. Historical evolution of Public Administration

2. The systems of administration

TITLE II - PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND LAW

Chapter I - ADMINISTRATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW: THE PROBLEM OF DISCRETIONARY POWER

1. Concept of administrative discretion
2. Administrative discretion and imprecise normative concepts
3. Administrative discretion and evaluation prerogatives; nature and basis of discretion; legality vs. jurisdicity

Chapter II - ADMINISTRATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW (CONT.): THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY

1. Introduction
2. The general principles of administrative activity

Chapter III - Administration and Private Law

1 – Administrative activity and administration contracts

2 – Administration contracts and administrative law

3 – Concept of public contract

PART II - LAW OF ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION

TITLE I - NOTION AND ELEMENTS OF ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION

Chapter I - NOTION OF ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION

1. Introductory notions
2. The two levels of administration: state and autonomous administrations

Chapter II - Elements of Administrative Organization

1. Public legal persons, public bodies and services
2. Attributions, competences and legitimacy

TITLE II - THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEM BASED ON THEM

Chapter I - THE CENTRIFUGAL PRINCIPLES: DECENTRALIZATION, DECONCENTRATION, PARTICIPATION AND SUBSIDIARITY

1. The principle of decentralization
2. The principle of deconcentration
3. The principle of participation
4. The principle of subsidiarity

Chapter II - CENTRIPETAL PRINCIPLES: UNITY OF THE STATE-ADMINISTRATION AND IMPARTIALITY

1. The principle of unity of administration
2. The principle of impartiality as a principle also of administrative organization

TITLE III - PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONS

Chapter I - INTRODUCTION

1. Relations of supra-ordination and equiordination
2. Internal and external interorganic relations

Chapter II - THE ADMINISTRATIVE HIERARCHY

1. General notions
2. Powers of the hierarchical superior

Chapter II - THE DELEGATION OF POWERS

1. Introduction
2. The delegation of powers by administrative act
3. Delegation of powers by administrative contract

Chapter III - SUPERINTENDENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPERVISION

1. Introduction
2. Oversight relationship
3. Guardianship relationship

TITLE IV - SECTORS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND TYPOLOGY AND REGIME OF PUBLIC LEGAL PERSONS

Chapter I - GENERAL NOTIONS

Chapter II - State Administration

1. Direct state administration
2. Indirect State administration
3. Independent state administration

Chapter II - AUTONOMOUS ADMINISTRATION

1. Territorial autonomous administration: territorial public entities
2. Functional autonomous administration

PART III – ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY LAW: THE REGULATION AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE ACT

INTRODUCTION

TITLE I - THE ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION

Chapter I - CONCEPT AND FOUNDATION

Chapter II - TYPES OF REGULATIONS AND TYPES OF EXTERNAL GENERAL REGULATIONS

Chapter III - THE PROCEDURE AND FORM OF REGULATIONS

Chapter IV - LEGAL PRINCIPLES RELATING TO EXTERNAL REGULATORY ACTIVITY

Chapter V - THE RELATIONS BETWEEN EXTERNAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS

Chapter VI - The Invalidity of Regulations

TITLE II – THE ADMINISTRATIVE ACT

Chapter I – GENERAL NOTIONS

1. The concept of administrative act
2. Classification of administrative acts and other legal acts of the administration

Chapter II - THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE

Chapter III - THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE ACT

Chapter IV - THE EXECUTION OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE ACT

Chapter V - THE STABILIZING FUNCTION OF THE ACT AND THE FORCE OF A "DECIDED CASE" OR "RESOLVED CASE"

Chapter VI – VALIDITY AND INVALIDITY OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE ACT

1. Structure and requirements for the validity of the administrative act
2. The invalidity of the administrative act
3. The declaration of nullity and the annulment of the administrative annulment of administrative acts by the administration

PART IV – THE GUARANTEES OF INDIVIDUALS

TITLE I - ADMINISTRATIVE GUARANTEES

Chapter I – THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT

Chapter II – THE HIERARCHICAL APPEAL AND SPECIAL APPEALS

Chapter III – CONSTITUTIONAL PROBLEM OF NECESSARY ADMINISTRATIVE CHALLENGES

TITLE II – JUDICIAL GUARANTEES

Chapter I – NOTION AND SCOPE

Chapter II – THE ORGANIZATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDICTION

Chapter III – THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS

1. Administrative action as the only form of process
2. Urgent proceedings, precautionary proceedings, enforcement proceedings and judicial appeals

Mandatory literature

João Pacheco de Amorim; Direito Administrativo Geral - Introdução e Direito da Organização administrativa, Sebenta, 2017. ISBN: Sebenta
Andrade, José Carlos Vieira de ; Lições de Direito Administrativo, Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, 2017. ISBN: 978-989-26-1489-2
João Pacheco de Amorim; Introdução ao direito dos contratos públicos
João Pacheco de Amorim; Associações públicas e liberdade de associação
Pedro Costa Gonçalves; Manual de direito administrativo
J. M. Sérvulo Correia; Noções de direito administrativo
Juliana Ferraz Coutinho; O^público e o privado na organização administrativa. ISBN: 978-972-40-6798-8

Comments from the literature

Detailed bibliography will be registered in the summaries.

Teaching methods and learning activities

The material taught in the theoretical classes is designed to provide a basic understanding of the Administrative Law, with particular emphasis on the structuring principles of the Administrative Law, the basis of the administrative organization and activity.

 

 

 

 

keywords

Social sciences > Juridical sciences > Public law > Administrative law

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Teste	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	0,00
Frequência das aulas	0,00
Total:	0,00

Eligibility for exams

The marks the student must get have to be equal or higher than 10, in a scale of [0-20], in a final exam, without prejudicie to the provisions of articles 40.º, 41.º, 42.º e 43.º.

 

Calculation formula of final grade

Obtained as a result of rules enforced in FDUP.

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not aplicable.

Internship work/project

Not aplicable.

Classification improvement

See the rules enforced in FDUP - article 19.º.