Programme Brochure - Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong

Programme StructureBasic StructureThe JD programme can usually be finished in two years.There are two semesters in each academic year: the firstsemester, which lasts from September to December, andthe second semester, which lasts from January to May.There is also a one-month June semester in the second year.In order to complete the programme, students arerequired to take courses worth a total of 144 credits.A one-semester course in the JD programme is usuallyworth 6 credits, and a full-year course 12 credits. 84 ofthe required 144 credits comprise core courses, whichare listed below:Core Courses:• Commercial Law• Constitutional Law• Contracts I & II• Criminal Law I & II• Equity & Trusts I & II• Land Law I & II• Legal Research & Methods• Legal System• Torts I & IIStudents are also required to complete a 6-creditdissertation.The remaining 54 credits are devoted to electives.Students who wish to apply for the PCLL must take thefollowing 6-credit PCLL pre-requisite courses as theirelectives:• Civil Procedure• Company Law• Criminal Procedure• Evidence• Land Law III (Conveyancing)In the first year, students will take three one-year coursesin Contracts, Torts, and Criminal Law respectively.They will also take three one-semester courses in LegalSystem, Legal Research & Methods, and ConstitutionalLaw in the first semester, and two elective courses in thesecond semester.Legal System and Legal Research & Methods, whichintroduce students to the basics of legal study andprepare students for the substantive courses, willcommence earlier than other courses. They will start inthe Induction Period, which takes place in the last twoweeks of August before the start of the first semester ofthe first year. Legal Research & Methods will continueuntil the end of September, while Legal System willconclude at the end of the first semester.The second-year curriculum is primarily devoted toelectives to allow students to explore their academicinterests and to develop an area of focus. The onlycore courses remaining are the full-year Equity &Trusts and Land Law courses, and the one-semesterCommercial Law course, which takes place in the firstsemester. The Faculty of Law offers electives in a widevariety of cutting-edge areas of law, such as financiallaw, international arbitration, environmental law,competition law, intellectual property law, to namebut a few. There are no restrictions on the selectionof electives, except that students must choose at leastone elective from the “International, Comparative andTheoretical Perspectives of Law (“ICT”)” list of courses,and one elective from the “Chinese Law” list of courses.Students are also encouraged to take part in local andinternational mooting competitions.3