This thesis studies the way criminal law and procedure were taught in the Kingdom of France, different Italian States and the Kingdom of Corsica during the XVIII century.Inspiration for the topic comes from Diderot’s assessment that the deficiency of criminal justice in France could be explained by the lack of instruction in criminal law to future judges during their studies;The preliminary section provides a panoramic summary of criminal law and procedure in the different States. The following section presents an inventory of criminal law and procedure instruction at several French and Italian universities as well as at the University of Corsica during its brief existence (1764-1769). The textbooks designed to initiate students to the subject are also mentioned. The closing section is devoted to a comparative study of the contents and methods of academic instruction in procedural law.This thesis reveals the differences in the importance accorded to criminal law in universities and above all, the inferiority of French universities in this regard.