The programme aims to provide an intensive study of issues and practices relating to Chinese and Comparative Law, International Economic Law, Common Law, Maritime and Transportation Law, Intellectual Property and Technology Law, and Corporate and Commercial Law. Students may also choose to follow a general course of study.  Participants with a pre-entry background in law will be provided with an opportunity to enhance their professional competence, specialist knowledge and career focus.

Our Master of Laws (LLM) Programme offers a unique blend of comprehensive legal information, innovative skill-based training, opportunities for independent research, the flexibility to study in any of a variety of streams and international study opportunities.

Students are able to obtain their LLM degrees in any of the following streams:

1. Chinese and Comparative Law Stream focuses on a comparative understanding of the legal framework of China.
2. 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.
3. 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. All students admitted to the Common Law stream are required to attend a 10-day intensive course “Common Law System” (2 credits) which will commence on 20 August 2018. 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.
4. Maritime and Transportation Law Stream deals with legal issues concerning maritime and transportation law at both regional and international levels. Students of the Maritime and Transportation Law Stream who do not have a law degree are required to take two foundation courses on top of the stipulated curriculum for students with a law degree to keep up their study progress. Extra tuition fee for the two foundation courses will be charged. Such students will need to take 6 more credits next to the 24 credits normal curriculum -- i.e. 30 credits in total, in order to graduate from the programme.
5. Intellectual Property and Technology Law Stream explores cutting-edge issues relating to copyright, patent, trademark, design, trade secret and cyberspace.
6. Corporate and Commercial Law Stream focuses on legal issues concerning corporations, finance and business with practical importance in the regional and international markets.
7. General Stream provides students with an opportunity to study any topics in which they may be interested.

For more details on our programme structure, please refer to the LLM programme website.

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; or
• (applicable to applicants for Maritime and Transportation Law Stream) holding an honours degree in maritime or logistics studies, or related disciplines, or holding an honours degree in any discipline with 3-year or above working experience relating to Maritime or Logistics industry; #

AND

• being proficient in English if they are applying for the English Module; or being proficient in English and Chinese (Putonghua) if they are applying for the Chinese Module.

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 TOEFL score of 595 (paper-based test) or 97 (internet-based test); or
• an overall band score of 7 in IELTS; or
• a score of 500 in the Mainland China's College English Test (CET) Band 6; or
• other equivalent qualifications.

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

# Foundation Courses:
Students of the LLM Maritime and Transportation Law stream who do not have a degree in law are required to take two foundation law courses -- LW6164E Law of Contract and LW6181E Common Law System, Reasoning and Methodology -- on top of the stipulated curriculum for students with a law degree to keep up their study progress.  Foundation courses serve as foundation for all other non-foundational law courses. Given the nature of these two courses, the School of Law offers both in Semester A of each academic year and students will need to take the foundation courses before or at the same time of taking other non-foundation law courses in the first semester of their study.

^ The School of Law has stipulated a validity period of three years for results of the above tests. Applicants are required to provide their English test results obtained within the three years preceding the commencement of the University's application period.

In the 2018-19 academic year, only English module will be offered for the following streams:

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

CityU School of Law operates collaborative programmes with Europe-Asia Research Institute of Aix-Marseille University and University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. 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 both institutions are successfully discharged.  For further details, please visit http://www6.cityu.edu.hk/slw/academic/global_gateway.html.

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 Hong Kong courts. 

CityU School of Law is home to the Centre for Chinese and Comparative Law, Hong Kong Centre for Maritime and Transportation Law and Centre for Judicial Education and Research. Also the Asia Pacific Law Review, an internationally reputable peer-review law journal published by LexisNexis, has its editorial home in the School of Law.

Local LLM students may concurrently apply for the LLM programme of the Renmin University of China (taught in Putonghua) which is offered through City University of Hong Kong. They will be exempt from a maximum of four courses of the Renmin University LLM programme should they have completed the designated City University LLM courses.

After completing certain LLM courses, students are eligible to apply for CPD points from the Law Society of Hong Kong's Continuing Professional Development programme.

Course Descriptions
School of Law