Programmes

Master of Laws

Programme	Master of Laws 法學碩士
Award Title	Master of Laws in Chinese and Comparative Law Master of Laws in International Economic Law Master of Laws in Common Law Master of Laws in Intellectual Property and Technology Law Master of Laws in Corporate and Financial Law Master of Laws in Maritime and Transportation Law Master of Laws 法學碩士(中國法與比較法) 法學碩士(國際經濟法) 法學碩士(普通法) 法學碩士(知識產權與科技法) 法學碩士(公司與金融法) 法學碩士(海事法與運輸法) 法學碩士
Offering Academic Unit	School of Law
Mode of Study	Combined mode

Normal Period of Study

- 1 year (full-time)
- 2 years (part-time/combined mode)

Maximum Period of Study

- 2.5 years (full-time)
- 5 years (part-time/combined mode)

Credit Units Required for Graduation

24
Only applies to Maritime and Transportation Law Stream and Intellectual Property and Technology Law Stream students:
Without Foundation Courses: 24
With Foundation Courses: 30

Programme Aims

This programme aims to:

provide and enhance a comprehensive education at the postgraduate degree level;
form a critical understanding of the law and legal institutions;
equip students with international and comparative legal knowledge so as to serve Hong Kong and beyond.

Programme Intended Learning Outcomes (PILOs)

Chinese and Comparative Law Stream

Upon successful completion of this Programme, students should be able to:

identify, analyse, evaluate and critically comment on Chinese legal issues from a comparative perspective;
demonstrate a comparative understanding and comprehension of the legal framework of China;
demonstrate their original knowledge and discover, identify, analyse and provide creative solutions to legal issues;
creatively use this knowledge for further research and / or professional development.

International Economic Law Stream

Upon successful completion of this Programme, students should be able to:

identify, analyse, evaluate and critically comment on the international legal issues concerning business transactions with particular emphasis on problems relating to different jurisdictions;
demonstrate a comparative understanding and comprehension of the legal issues in business transactions in different jurisdictions;
demonstrate their original knowledge and discover, identify, analyse and provide creative solutions to legal issues;
creatively use this knowledge for further research and / or professional development.

Common Law Stream

Upon successful completion of this Programme, students should be able to:

demonstrate a critical understanding of the origins, practices, values, principles and theories of common law;
identify, analyse, evaluate, compare and critically comment on common and civil law systems and methods;
demonstrate their original knowledge and discover, identify, analyse and provide creative solutions to legal issues;
creatively use this knowledge for further research and / or professional development.

Intellectual Property and Technology Law Stream

Upon successful completion of this Programme, students should be able to:

identify, analyse, evaluate and critically comment on legal issues concerning intellectual property law with particular emphasis on problems relating to different jurisdictions;
demonstrate a comparative understanding and comprehension of the legal issues in intellectual property law;
demonstrate their original knowledge and discover, identify, analyse and provide creative solutions to legal issues;
creatively use this knowledge for further research and / or professional development.

Corporate and Financial Law Stream

Upon successful completion of this Programme, students should be able to:

identify, analyse, evaluate and critically comment on legal issues concerning corporate and financial law;
demonstrate a comparative understanding and comprehension of the legal issues in corporate and financial law;
demonstrate their original knowledge and discover, identify, analyse and provide creative solutions to legal issues;
creatively use this knowledge for further research and / or professional development.

Maritime and Transportation Law Stream

Upon successful completion of this Programme, students should be able to:

describe the origins, practices, values and principles of maritime law;
discuss the role of international regulation in the maritime business and the way this is implemented in Hong Kong and common law systems;
discuss the legal framework for transportation and the way it supports the commercial interests;
apply the acquired legal knowledge to maritime law disputes.

General Stream

Upon successful completion of this Programme, students should be able to:

identify, analyse, evaluate and critically comment on legal issues contained therein;
demonstrate a critical and reflective understanding of the subject;
demonstrate self motivation towards pursuing the academic or professional distinction in their area of expertise;
creatively use this knowledge for further research and / or professional development.

Programme Requirements

Chinese and Comparative Law Stream

English Module:

1. 4 Required Electives (12 credit units)

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units
LW6115E	Selected Issues on Chinese IP Law	3
LW6121E	Constitutional and Administrative Law of China	3
LW6129E	Chinese and Comparative Environmental Law	3
LW6132E	Theory and Practice of Comparative Law	3
LW6134E	Chinese and Comparative Company Law	3
LW6138E	Chinese and Comparative Contract Law	3
LW6141E	Chinese Foreign Trade and Investment Law	3
LW6150E	Chinese and Comparative Trade Secrets Law	3
LW6153E	International Economic Dispute Resolution: Law and Politics	3
LW6161E	Comparative Competition Law: China, HKSAR and the US	3
LW6172E	Law and Society in China	3
LW566B	China’s State-Owned Enterprises: Governance, Regulation and Global Implications	1.5

2. Electives (12 credit units)
Select 12 credit units from the offered LLM courses of which the course codes end with "E" and/or designated courses from the JD and LLMArbDR Programmes of the respective academic year (please refer to section 7 of Additional Information).

For students who obtained their LLB from a non-common law jurisdiction:
Core Course (3 credit units)

Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts.

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units	Remarks
LW6102E	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology	3

Chinese Module:

1. Required Electives** (15 credit units)

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units
LW6121C	Constitutional and Administrative Law of China	3
LW6122C	Chinese and Comparative Financial Law	3
LW6129C	Chinese and Comparative Environmental Law	3
LW6136C	Property Rights in China: Legal, Economic, and Policy Analysis	3
LW6138C	Chinese Law of Obligations	3
LW6161C	Chinese and Comparative Competition Law	3

** Students may be required to take the course(s) in the English Module depending upon staff availability

2. Electives (9 credit units)

Select 9 credit units from the offered LLM courses of which the course codes end with “C”. Students may be required to take the course(s) in the English Module depending upon staff availability.

International Economic Law Stream

English Module:

1. 4 Required Electives (12 credit units)

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units
LW6108E	International Finance: Law and Regulation	3
LW6142E	International Investment Law	3
LW6143E	International Tax Law	3
LW6144E	World Trade Law	3
LW6145E	Legal Problems of Economic Globalisation	3
LW6153E	International Economic Dispute Resolution: Law and Politics	3
LW6160E	Investor-State Dispute Settlement	3
LW6167E	International Economic Law and Relations	3
LW6173E	Private International Law: Basic Principles and Advanced Application in the Digital Economy	3
LW6207E	Comparative Arbitration in Asia	3
LW566X	The EU and the Digital Single Market: Governance and Implications for the EU-China Relations	1.5

2. Electives (12 credit units)
Select 12 credit units from the offered LLM courses of which the course codes end with “E” and/or designated courses from the JD and LLMArbDR Programmes of the respective academic year (please refer to section 7 of Additional Information).

For students who obtained their LLB from a non-common law jurisdiction:

Core Course (3 credit units)

Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts.

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units	Remarks
LW6102E	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology	3

Chinese Module:

1. Core Courses (6 credit units)

Students may be required to take the course(s) in the English Module depending upon staff availability.

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units
LW6143C	International Investment Law	3
LW6144C	International Trade Law	3

2. Electives (18 credit units)
Select 18 credit units from the offered LLM courses with at least 6 credit units from the following courses (which will be offered depending upon demand and available expertise):

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units
LW6131C	Legal Systems in South East Asia	3
LW6146C	Transnational Corporate Law	3
LW6160C	Advanced Study of Antidumping and Countervailing Measures	3
LW6173C	Private International Law	3

Common Law Stream

English Module:

1. 4 Required Electives (12 Credit units)

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units
LW6119E	Constitutional Law	3
LW6164E	Law of Contract	3
LW6165E	Law of Tort	3

Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts.

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units	Remarks
LW6102E	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology	3

2. Electives (12 credit units)
Select at least 12 credit units from:
(i) the offered LLM courses of which the course codes end with “E”, or

(ii) designated courses from the JD and LLMArbDR Programmes of the respective academic year (please refer to section 7 of Additional Information) except:

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units
LW5601	Hong Kong Legal System	3
LW5602A	Law of Contract I	3
LW5602B	Law of Contract II	3
LW5603A	Law of Tort I	3
LW5603B	Law of Tort II	3
LW5606A	Criminal Law I	3
LW5606B	Criminal Law II	3
LW5607A	Land Law I	3
LW5607B	Land Law II	3
LW5608	Constitutional Law	3
LW5617	Family Law in Hong Kong	3
LW5622	Legal Methods, Research and Writing	3
LW5623	Jurisprudence and Legal Theory	3
LW5630A	Equity and Trusts I	3
LW5630B	Equity and Trusts II	3
LW5634	Public International Law	3
LW5641	Intellectual Property: Theory, Copyright and Design	3
LW5647	Law of Wills (Succession)	3
LW5664	European Competition Law and Policy	3
LW5670	International Human Rights Law	3
LW5671	Consumer Law	3

Intellectual Property and Technology Law Stream

English Module:

1. 4 Required Electives (12 credit units)

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units
LW6113E	Law and Technology	3
LW6115E	Selected Issues on Chinese IP Law	3
LW6118E	Sports and Entertainment Law	3
LW6148E	Law and Technology: Theory and Application	3
LW6150E	Chinese and Comparative Trade Secrets Law	3
LW6152E	Cyber Governance and Law	3
LW6157E	Digital Money: Law, Finance, and Technology	3
LW6195E	International and Comparative Law of Copyright, Designs and Allied Rights	3
LW6196E	International and Comparative Law of Trade Marks and Patents	3
LW6198E	Intellectual Property: Law, Practice and Procedure	3
LW6199E	Commercialisation of Intellectual Property	3
LW6201E	The Governance and Regulation of Artificial Intelligence	1.5
LW6208E	Patent Drafting and Litigation	1.5
LW6209E	Patent Procedures	1.5
LW6213E	Law, Automation & Artificial Intelligence	3
LW6216E	China Patent Litigation and Adjudication Rules	1.5
LW6217E	Advanced Patent Theory and Contemporary Issues	3
LW566C	Artificial Intelligence and Robotics - Law and Governance	1.5
LW566D	Legal Tech and Corporate Practice: Practical Insights	1.5
LW566X	The EU and the Digital Single Market: Governance and Implications for the EU-China Relations	1.5
LW5663Y	Patent Law in Europe	1.5

For students who obtained their LLB from a non-common law jurisdiction:
Core Course (3 credit units)

Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts.

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units	Remarks
LW6102E	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology	3

For students who do not have a law degree are required to take two Foundation Courses:

(6 credit units)

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units	Remarks
LW6195E	International and Comparative Law of Copyright, Designs and Allied Rights	3
LW6196E	International and Comparative Law of Trade Marks and Patents	3

Corporate and Financial Law Stream

English Module:

1. 4 Required Electives (12 credit units)

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units
LW6103E	Company Law	3
LW6105E	Cross-Border Restructuring and Insolvency	3
LW6106E	Comparative Corporate Governance	3
LW6107E	Capital Markets and Securities Regulation	3
LW6108E	International Finance: Law and Regulation	3
LW6109E	Banking and Finance Law	3
LW6128E	Mergers and Acquisitions	3
LW6134E	Chinese and Comparative Company Law	3
LW6143E	International Tax Law	3
LW6157E	Digital Money: Law, Finance, and Technology	3
LW6161E	Comparative Competition Law: China, HKSAR and the US	3
LW6177E	Commercial Application of Equity and Trusts	3
LW566A	Financial Statement Analysis: Bridging Finance and Legal Insight	1.5
LW566B	China’s State-Owned Enterprises: Governance, Regulation and Global Implications	1.5
LW566D	Legal Tech and Corporate Practice: Practical Insights	1.5
LW566E	Law and Valuation	1.5

For students who obtained their LLB from a non-common law jurisdiction:

Core Course (3 credit units)

Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts.

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units	Remarks
LW6102E	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology	3

Maritime and Transportation Law Stream

English Module:

1. 5 Required Electives (15 credit units)

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units
LW6146E	Principles of Maritime Law and Governance for Sustainable Shipping	3
LW6147E	Carriage of Goods by Sea Law	3
LW6162E	Admiralty Law: Liability and Enforcement	3
LW6163E	International Commercial Law	3
LW6170E	Principles of Insurance Law (Marine and General)	3
LW6173E	Private International Law: Basic Principles and Advanced Application in the Digital Economy	3
LW6188E	Chinese and Comparative Maritime Law	3
LW6214E	Maritime Insurance Management	1.5
LW6215E	Ship Management: Practical Operations and Legal Framework under Ship Management Agreements	1.5
LW6405	Arbitration Law	3

2. Electives (9 credit units)

Select 9 credit units from the offered LLM courses of which the course codes end with “E” and/or designated courses from the JD and LLMArbDR Programmes of the respective academic year (please refer to section 7 of Additional Information).

For students who obtained their LLB from a non-common law jurisdiction:
Core Course (3 credit units)

Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts.

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units	Remarks
LW6102E	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology	3

For students who do not have a law degree are required to take two Foundation Courses:

(6 credit units)

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units	Remarks
LW5303	Commercial Contracts	3
LW5400	Legal Concepts	3

General Stream

English Module:

Select 24 credit units from the offered LLM courses of which the course codes end with “E” and/or designated courses from the JD and LLMArbDR Programmes of the respective academic year (please refer to section 7 of Additional Information).

For students who obtained their LLB from a non-common law jurisdiction:

Core Course (3 credit units)

Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts.

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Units	Remarks
LW6102E	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology	3

Chinese Module:

Select 24 credit units from the offered LLM courses.

Remark:
Course codes ended with “C” denote courses in the Chinese Module and the medium of instruction and assessment is predominantly Chinese (Putonghua). Course codes ended with “E” denote courses in the English Module and the medium of instruction and assessment is English.

Additional Information

1.   Full Course List

The list of all courses under the programme is set out in Annex 1. Not all courses will be offered in any given year. The available courses will depend upon student interest and School resources.

2.   Intermediate Awards



English title Chinese title Credit Unit

Postgraduate Diploma in Chinese Law                           深造文憑 (中國法) 18

Postgraduate Diploma in International Economic Law    深造文憑 (國際經濟法) 18

Postgraduate Certificate in Chinese Law                                深造證書 (中國法) 9

Postgraduate Certificate in International Economic Law         深造證書 (國際經濟法) 9
Postgraduate Certificate in Patent Law   深造證書 (專利法) 12

3.   Programme of Study for Postgraduate Diploma Awards

Only English Module is available. Students should select 18 credit units from the electives in their Stream under their respective Module. The electives are shown in Annex 2.

There is no required course.

4.   Programme of Study for Postgraduate Certificate Awards

Only English Module is available. Students should select 9 or 12 credit units from the electives in their Stream under their respective Module. The electives are shown in Annex 2.

There is no required course.

5. Credit Transfer Arrangement for PGC/PGD Graduates who are Admitted to LLM

Credit transfer for a certain course in the student’s PGC/PGD study will be approved only if the student has obtained grade C or above.





Maximum number of credit units that can be transferred:

PGC/PGD graduates in

credit transfer to LLM

Chinese and Comparative Law

International Economic Law

Common Law

Intellectual Property and Technology Law

Corporate and Financial Law

General

Maritime and Transportation Law

Chinese Law

*

#

#

#

#

*

#

IEL

#

*

#

#

#

*

#

PL

#

#

#

*

#

*

#

      *    Between same stream of study:

Credit transfer will be limited to a maximum of 100% of the total credit units previously earned from the courses (with grade C or above) that count towards the PGC/PGD.

#    Between different streams of study:

    Credit transfer will be limited to a maximum of 30% of the total credit units for the LLM award being pursued and will be approved only for the courses (with grade C or above) counted towards the PGC/PGD.

     Grades from the transferred credit units WILL be counted in the calculation of a student’s GPA for the LLM being pursued.

    Validity period for credit transfer purposes: The validity period for courses recognized at the time of admission for credit transfer purposes is 8 years.

6. Number of Elective Courses to be Taken in the Other Language

      If an English Module student wishes to take an elective course(s) in the Chinese Module, he/she should submit an application to the School in writing with justification.

      Generally, students of the English Module will be allowed to take a maximum of 2 elective taught courses in the Chinese Module, but they will not be allowed to take the required courses of their respective stream, Dissertation or Independent Research in the Chinese Module. There will be no limitation on the number of English Module elective courses that a Chinese Module student is allowed to take.

      The School will make decision on the applications on a case-by-case basis.

7. Courses under the Juris Doctor (JD) and Master of Laws in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (LLMArbDR) Programmes



(i) the ceiling of JD and/or LLMArbDR courses that an LLM student is allowed to take is 9 credit units;

(ii) if the contents of a JD and/or LLMArbDR course and an LLM course are similar, students will be allowed to take the LLM course only;

(iii)   LLM students are allowed to enroll in no more than two JD courses, except for students enrolling in common law stream. LLM students from common law stream are allowed to take no more than four JD courses.

(iv)   if a student requests to take a course under JD and/or LLMArbDR programmes and he/she has previously completed a similar course in a common law jurisdiction, he/she will not be allowed to take the course;

(v) a list of JD and/or LLMArbDR courses that are open to LLM students will be announced at the beginning of a semester;

(vi) the grades obtained in the approved JD and/or LLMArbDR courses will be counted in determining students’ LLM award classifications.

8.   Additional Notes

(i)                For CA weighting ≥ 30%
To pass a course, students need to obtain an aggregate mark of 40% and a minimum of 40% in both the coursework and examination.

(ii)            For CA weighting ≤ 30%
The pass mark requirement for the Continuous Assessment (CA) component will be waived for courses with a CA component equal to or less than 30%. This means students only need to achieve the pass mark of 40% for the final exam component AND the overall mark of 40% to pass the course.

(iii) If a student has previously taken a course from another programme offered by the School of Law, e.g. JD programme, the student is not allowed to register for the same course or its equivalent course in the LLM programme. However, students may repeat a course, or an equivalent course, to recover a failure or to improve a course grade of C or below in accordance with the Academic Regulations.

Related Links

School of Law