Master of Laws (LLM)

Aims | Streams | Award Titles | Medium of Instruction and Assessment | Mode of Programme and Class Schedule | Programme Structure | Courses | Courses offered in 2020/21

Cooperation with the Supreme People’s Court of the PRC | Cooperation with Overseas Universities

Entrance Requirements | Tuition Fee | Scholarships for 2021/22 | Student Testimony | Accommodation | How to Apply | Admission Enquiries | Contact

 

Aims

The Master of Laws (LLM) Programme is dynamic in meeting the society and the world’s needs. It provides students the opportunities to learn the professional skills and legal knowledge necessary to serve the need of the modern society. The programme design allows students to choose stream focus and tailor their course selection  for their own career goals.  The streams that CityU Law offers include the International Economic Law Stream, Corporate and Commercial Law Stream, Intellectual Property and Technology Law Stream, Common Law Stream, Chinese and Comparative Law Stream, and General Stream.

Streams

• International Economic Law Stream deals with international legal issues concerning business transactions and economic development with a particular emphasis on problems relating to different jurisdictions.
• Corporate and Commercial Law Stream focuses on legal issues concerning corporations, finance and business with practical importance in the regional and international markets.
• Intellectual Property and Technology Law Stream explores cutting-edge issues relating to copyright, patent, trademark, design, trade secret and cyberspace.
• Common Law Stream provides students with an opportunity to study the origins, practices, values, principles and theories of common law, and equips students with legal skills of comparing common and civil law systems and methods.
• Chinese and Comparative Law Stream focuses on a comparative understanding of the legal framework of China.
• General Stream provides students with an opportunity to study any topics in which they may be interested.

 

Award Titles

English Title	Chinese Title
Master of Laws in International Economic Law	法學碩士(國際經濟法)
Master of Laws in Corporate and Commercial Law	法學碩士(公司與商事法)
Master of Laws in Intellectual Property and Technology Law	法學碩士(知識產權與科技法)
Master of Laws in Common Law	法學碩士(普通法)
Master of Laws in Chinese and Comparative Law	法學碩士(中國法與比較法)
Master of Laws	法學碩士

 

Medium of Instruction and Assessment

In 2021/22 academic year, only English module will be offered for the following streams:

• International Economic Law
• Corporate and Commercial Law
• Intellectual Property and Technology Law
• Common Law
• Chinese and Comparative Law
• General

For Chinese module in 2021/22, it will not be offered.

 

Mode of Programme and Class Schedule

Combined mode: Local students taking programmes in combined mode can attend full-time (12-18 credit units per semester) or part-time (no more than 11 credit units per semester) study in different semesters without seeking approval from the University. For non-local students, they will be admitted to these programmes for either full-time or part-time studies. Non-local students must maintain the required credit load for their full-time or part-time studies and any changes will require approval from the University.

Classes are held during daytime. Classes may be offered in weekday evenings / Saturdays in special cases. The School of Law does not guarantee to offer weekday-evening or weekend classes to LLM students enrolled in the combined mode or part-time mode.

[Important Note] All students with their LLB obtained from non-common law jurisdictions admitted to any of the above streams are required to attend an intensive course LW6102E "Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology" in the latter half of August 2021. Students have to apply for their student visa and exit permit, if applicable, in advance so that they will be able to attend the course at CityU. LLM students who are not undertaking a full year of study at CityU can be exempted from taking the course subject to the LLM Programme Director’s approval. Meanwhile, those who cannot attend the course due to exceptional circumstances will need to take LW6181E "Common Law System, Reasoning and Methodology" which will be offered in Semester A of 2021/22 as a replacement course to fulfill the LLM programme requirement, subject to approval by School of Law.

 

Entrance Requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the General Entrance Requirements and the following programme-specific entrance requirements: *

• holding an honours degree in law or equivalent qualification; or
• having been admitted for professional practice of law in Hong Kong or other jurisdictions; or
• having obtained either a Common Professional Examination (CPE) of the United Kingdom or Hong Kong with satisfactory results, provided that a second class honours degree has also been obtained; or
• having obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Hong Kong Law or Master of Arts/Laws in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution;
  
  AND

• being proficient in English.

For applicants whose entrance qualification is obtained from an institution where the medium of instruction is not English, the minimum English language proficiency requirement is as follows: ^

• a minimum total score of 595 (paper-based test); or 97 (internet-based test); or 70 (revised paper-delivered test; sum of Reading, Listening and Writing section scores) in TOEFL; or
• an overall band score of 6.5 in IELTS; or
• a score of 520 in the Mainland China’s College English Test (CET) Band 6; or
• other equivalent qualifications.

^    TOEFL and IELTS scores are considered valid for two years. Applicants are required to provide their TOEFL / IELTS test results obtained within the two years preceding the commencement of the University’s application period. For CET-6 scores, the validity period is three years.

*    An applicant who holds a legal qualification from a common law jurisdiction will not be eligible to enrol in the Common Law Stream.

 

Programme Structure

Students who complete the required courses and electives and achieve a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.0 or above will receive the degree of Master of Laws (LLM).

Each LLM course is worth 3 credit units except Dissertation (6 credit units), Intensive Seminar (1 or 2 credit units), Research Seminars, and Judgment-writing: Principles and Practice (1 credit unit).

International Economic Law Stream

4 Required Electives (12 credit units)

1	LW6108E	International Finance: Law and Regulation
2	LW6142E	International Investment Law
3	LW6143E^	International Taxation
4	LW6144E^^	World Trade Law
5	LW6145E	Transnational Legal Problems
6	LW6160E^^	Investor-State Dispute Settlement
7	LW6167E^^	International Economic Law and Relations
8	LW6173E	Private International Law

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.

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

1	LW6102E or	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology
2	LW6181E	Common Law System, Reasoning and Methodology

# Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts. In case students cannot take LW6102E due to visa problem, they are required to take LW6181E in Semester A.

^ new course subject to approval
^^ new course title subject to approval

Corporate  and Commercial Law Stream

4 Required Electives (12 credit units)

1	LW6103E	Company Law
2	LW6105E	Cross-Border Restructuring and Insolvency
3	LW6106E	Comparative Corporate Governance
4	LW6107E	Capital and Securities Market Regulation
5	LW6108E	International Finance: Law and Regulation
6	LW6109E	Banking Law
7	LW6110E	Commercial Law
8	LW6111E	Insurance Law
9	LW6112E	Human Rights Responsibilities of Business
10	LW6134E	Chinese and Comparative Company Law

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.

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

1	LW6102E or	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology
2	LW6181E	Common Law System, Reasoning and Methodology

# Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts. In case students cannot take LW6102E due to visa problem, they are required to take LW6181E in Semester A.

Intellectual Property and Technology Law Stream

4 Required Electives (12 credit units)

1	LW6113E	Law and Technology
2	LW6115E	Selected Issues on Chinese IP Law
3	LW6118E	Entertainment Law
4	LW6131E^	Computer Coding for Lawyers
5	LW6195E	International and Comparative Law of Copyright, Designs and Allied Rights
6	LW6196E	International and Comparative Law of Trade Marks and Patents
7	LW6198E	Intellectual Property: Law, Practice and Procedure
8	LW6199E	Business Intellectual Property

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.

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

1	LW6102E or	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology
2	LW6181E	Common Law System, Reasoning and Methodology

# Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts. In case students cannot take LW6102E due to visa problem, they are required to take LW6181E in Semester A.

^ new course subject to approval

Common Law Stream

Required Courses (12 credit units)

1	LW6119E	Constitutional Law
2	LW6164E	Law of Contract
3	LW6165E	Law of Tort
4	LW6102E or	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology
5	LW6181E	Common Law System, Reasoning and Methodology

# Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts. In case students cannot take LW6102E due to visa problem, they are required to take LW6181E in Semester A.

Electives (12 credit units)
Select at least 12 credit units from:

1. the offered LLM courses of which the course codes end with “E”, or
2. designated courses from the JD and LLMArbDR Programmes of the respective academic year except:

Course Code	Course Title
LW5601	Hong Kong Legal System
LW5602A	Law of Contract I
LW5602B	Law of Contract II
LW5603A	Law of Tort I
LW5603B	Law of Tort II
LW5606A	Criminal Law I
LW5606B	Criminal Law II
LW5607A	Land Law I
LW5607B	Land Law II
LW5608	Constitutional Law
LW5617	Family Law in Hong Kong
LW5618	Law and Gender
LW5622	Legal Methods, Research and Writing
LW5623	Jurisprudence
LW5630A	Equity & Trusts I
LW5630B	Equity & Trusts II
LW5634	Public International Law
LW5641	Intellectual Property: Theory, Copyright and Design
LW5647	Law of Wills
LW5664	European Competition Law and Policy
LW5670	International Human Rights Law
LW5671	Consumer Law
LW5673	Animal Law and Welfare

Chinese and Comparative Law Stream

4 Required Electives (12 credit units)

LW6115E	Selected Issues on Chinese IP Law
LW6121E	Constitutional and Administrative Law of China
LW6129E	Chinese and Comparative Environmental Law
LW6134E	Chinese and Comparative Company Law
LW6138E	Chinese Law of Obligations
LW6141E	Chinese Foreign Trade and Investment Law
LW6161E	Chinese and Comparative Competition Law
LW6172E	Law and Society in China

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.

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

1	LW6102E or	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology
2	LW6181E	Common Law System, Reasoning and Methodology

# Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts. In case students cannot take LW6102E due to visa problem, they are required to take LW6181E in Semester A.

General Stream

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.

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

1	LW6102E or	Introduction to Common Law System and Methodology
2	LW6181E	Common Law System, Reasoning and Methodology

# Students should take LW6102E before Semester A starts. In case students cannot take LW6102E due to visa problem, they are required to take LW6181E in Semester A.

For all students:

1. LLM students will not receive credit nor be allowed to enroll in co-taught JD/ LLB courses under any circumstances (for 2020 cohort and thereafter);
2. if a student requests to take a course under the 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;
3. a list of JD and/or LLMArbDR courses that are open to LLM students will be announced at the beginning of a semester;
4. the grades obtained in the approved JD and/or LLMArbDR courses will be counted in determining students’ LLM award classifications.

For the information on each course, please click HERE.

 

Tuition Fee

The tuition fee for academic year 2021/22 is HK$6,200 per credit. The minimum number of credits required to complete the programme is 24.

 

Scholarships for 2021/22

LLM Admission Scholarships

A maximum of 3 scholarships, each to the value of 12-credit tuition fees, which equals HK$74,400.

The number of scholarships and the allocation of scholarships each year are left entirely at the discretion of the Law School.

Further details of the LLM Admission Scholarships are available at
https://www.cityu.edu.hk/slw/current_students/finance.html

UGC Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships Scheme

The Master of Laws in Corporate and Commercial Law has successfully obtained fellowships from the UGC Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships Scheme (Second Cohort) for 2021/22 intake. The fellowship recipients are required to pay a minimum tuition fee of HK$42,100 and the differences will be subsidized by the fellowships subject to a cap of HK$120,000 for each student regardless of the actual study period of their programme.

Three Fellowship awards are available for local students admitted to this programme under the Fellowship Scheme supported by the HKSAR Government. Local students admitted to the programme in full-time, part-time, or combined study mode will be invited to submit applications for the fellowships. 

 

Cooperation with Overseas Universities

CityU School of Law operates collaborative programmes with Europe-Asia Research Institute of Aix-Marseille University, University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in France, and Université de Fribourg in Switzerland. Selected students will study at these partner universities and obtain one postgraduate degree from CityU and one from the partner university, where the designated study-loads at the institutions are successfully discharged. For further details, please visit https://www.cityu.edu.hk/slw/academic/global_gateway.html.

 

Cooperation with the Supreme People’s Court of the PRC

CityU School of Law also collaborates with the National Judges College and the Supreme People’s Court of the PRC to provide advanced legal education to Chinese judges. A number of Chinese judges are selected to study in the LLM programme at CityU. During their study at CityU, they will have an opportunity to undertake internships at the Hong Kong courts.

 

 

Accommodation

Students should be prepared to arrange their own accommodation, as on-campus accommodation is usually not available due to limited space. For assistance in locating information on off-campus accommodation, see “Off-campus Accommodation” at https://www.cityu.edu.hk/sro/htm/e_off-campus.htm

 

How to Apply

Before submitting your application, please visit https://www.cityu.edu.hk/pg/taught-postgraduate-programmes/apply-now for “Notes for Applicants”.

Application Deadlines for 2021 Entry
14 May 2021 (Non-Local)
30 Jun 2021 (Local)

 

Admission Enquiries

Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies
Telephone: (852) 3442 5588
Fax: (852) 3442 0187
Email: tpadmit@cityu.edu.hk
Website://www.cityu.edu.hk/sgs

 

Contacts

Further information about the programme is obtainable from:

Dr LIN Lauren Yu-Hsin Associate Professor LLM Programme Director School of Law City University of Hong Kong 83 Tat Chee Avenue Kowloon Hong Kong Tel: (852) 3442 7672 Fax: (852) 3442 0190 E-mail: yuhlin@cityu.edu.hk	General Office, School of Law City University of Hong Kong 83 Tat Chee Avenue Kowloon Hong Kong Tel: (852) 3442 8008 Fax: (852) 3442 0190 E-mail: lwllm@cityu.edu.hk Website: //www.cityu.edu.hk/slw