The Bachelor of Laws (LLB) offers an education in fundamental legal concepts and subjects, as well as a wider liberal-arts education.  The four-year LLB provides students with greater opportunities to address the following challenges:
Acquiring a solid foundation in legal knowledge, transferable critical and analytical skills, and broadening of intellectual horizons

• Acquiring a solid foundation in legal knowledge, transferable critical and analytical skills, and broadening of intellectual horizons
• Developing a high level of language proficiency
• Preparing for vocational training in the new skill-based PCLL
• Understanding globalisation and the changing international scene
• Understanding the close interaction between the systems of China and Hong Kong
• Developing maturity

The programme comprises a professional core and elective courses that allows students to declare a minor programme in a non-law area, or to obtain specialization in a specific area of law.  Students will establish a solid foundation of legal knowledge and gain exposure to the broader context in which the law operates. 
 
In addition to our 4-year LLB, students may also consider applying to study on one of the following related programmes: 

• a 5-year Integrated Double Degree Programme that is jointly offered with the Faculty of Arts, the HKU Business School, the Faculty of Social Sciences or the Faculty of Science (subject to approval); or 
• the 4-year and 5-year Dual Degree Programme jointly offered with UCL and PKU respectively, which will enable graduates to obtain two LLBs from two top-ranking law schools in the world (HKULLB and UCLLLB / PKULLB), and open paths to legal qualifications in both jurisdictions.  

The JD is a full-time, two-year law degree that provides comprehensive and in-depth legal education to students without prior background in the law. The emphasis of the programme is not on rote learning of legal rules, but on critical appreciation and assessment of the underpinnings of these rules. The programme distinguishes itself by its small class size. JD students will be taught as a separate group of about 50-60 students. We believe that an intimate environment will facilitate interaction and enhance the learning experience.

The programme will provide students with a solid foundation in traditional common law subjects, which are the bedrock of the Hong Kong legal system. In addition, the programme will introduce students to new ways of thinking about the law. Courses on interdisciplinary and theoretical approaches to the law are a required component of the programme. These courses will challenge students not only to understand what the law is, but also to contemplate what the law should be. The programme also includes a broad range of electives, which will allow students to explore their academic interests and to develop a specialty. Such exploration and specialization will culminate in an optional dissertation, in which students are expected to engage with and advance the scholarship on cutting-edge areas of law.

The JD programme offers all the courses required for admission to the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws programme (PCLL). Graduates who have taken these courses will be eligible to apply for admission to the PCLL and eventually to practise either as a barrister or a solicitor in Hong Kong.

Learning in the JD programme will not be confined to the classroom. The Faculty of Law is a serious community of research and scholarship. As a leading centre of legal research in Asia, our Faculty offers students a chance to benefit from the constant stream of visiting academics from around the world. Recent visitors included eminent academics from institutions such as the University of Oxford, Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, to name but a few. The Faculty hosts frequent talks and workshops, and participates in numerous international mooting competitions, which are excellent opportunities for students to hone their research, writing, and advocacy skills.

The Master of Laws programme at the University of Hong Kong is a highly competitive course for those who already received outstanding results while studying for their first law degree at top universities throughout the world.

Many come to the programme already with exceptional legal experience and postgraduate degrees. All are fluent in English, and many are fluent in other languages.

The programme provides students with a maximum amount of flexibility in developing their legal interests and expertise in a friendly, engaging and international environment.

The HKU PCLL programme is a leading professional legal education programme devoted to the training of students who intend to practice as lawyers in Hong Kong. The programme is mainly aimed at future solicitors and barristers in Hong Kong who have completed their Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or equivalent legal studies either in Hong Kong or other common law jurisdictions, or have passed the Common Professional Examinations or equivalent.

The HKU PCLL programme instills and strengthens core competences of legal skills required of solicitors and barristers practising in Hong Kong. These skills include legal research and writing, document drafting and analysis, problem-solving and advocacy. Moreover, our students will learn professional ethics and analysis of company accounts. Our curriculum covers certain core subjects and students also choose three elective subjects.

Our student profile is highly international, with students coming from, for example, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore and the People's Republic of China. Most of our students have undertaken their undergraduate legal studies in prestigious law schools from common law jurisdictions around the world. Some of our mature students may be working or have worked in local law firms, others in the government and private sectors. We have a cosmopolitan mix of PCLL students from diverse backgrounds.

The MPhil degree is a postgraduate programme that focuses on research work.  The programme is available in all faculties and schools/departments, allowing candidates to select their field of study from a wide spectrum of subjects and specialise their research in distinct fields on offer. Students can register on either a full-time (2-year) or part-time (3-year) basis.  The programme offers an introductory experience to research studies and is suitable for those who wish to later pursue a PhD degree or become professionals in their specialised area.

MPhil students will receive ongoing advice and guidance from a dedicated academic or a team of academics in conducting research and thesis writing.  The programme also provides students with solid academic training and diverse educational experiences.  Coursework has been incorporated into the curriculum, introducing students to research techniques and also discipline-specific knowledge.  Students may take part in different workshops, conferences, and competitions to further develop their research skills and perspectives.  The award of the MPhil degree is based on satisfactorily completing courses, submitting a thesis that displays some originality and demonstrates a sound understanding of the field of study and the appropriate research methods, and satisfying the examiners in an oral examination, unless waived, (and any other examination if required) in matters relevant to the subject of the thesis.

Selected full-time MPhil students who have attained good academic qualifications will be provided financial assistance in the form of Postgraduate Scholarships.  Various scholarships and conference/travel support are also available to enrich students’ learning experience and promote professional and personal development.

The degree of Doctor of Legal Science is a doctoral research programme which comprises a research thesis with a coursework component. It is mainly intended for students who are interested in conducting research in the field of law and who would like to benefit from a more structured research programme to assist them in writing the doctoral thesis. It is modelled on new developments in Australian universities, which in turn were borrowed from US law schools. A student may in exceptional circumstances be permitted to take some courses from the undergraduate courses taught in the Faculty, or from courses offered in other faculties of the University. A factor in course selection must be preparation for the student’s area of research.

In the first instance, registration for this degree will be provisional. If the student obtains sufficiently high grades in his or her courses, registration for the degree will be confirmed. The student may then proceed to the dissertation, which is between 50,000 and 60,000 words long. This is shorter than normally expected for a doctorate degree by research alone, but is nonetheless required to be an original piece of research of publishable standard.

The PhD degree is a highly recognised advanced research postgraduate programme.  It is available in both full-time and part-time mode.  Candidates can select their field of study from a wide spectrum of subjects as the programme is available in all faculties and schools/departments.  The PhD programme is intellectually demanding, requiring strong analytical skills, critical thinking ability, and language proficiency for undertaking independent research to produce original ideas with significant impact.  It aims to cultivate competent researchers who would like to develop their career in research, academia, and other professional areas.  The 4-year PhD programme is available for candidates who have obtained a good bachelor’s degree with honours and/or a taught master’s degree, while the 3-year PhD programme is offered to those with a research master’s degree.

PhD study focuses on conducting independent research, under the supervision of a dedicated academic or a team of academics, leading to the final submission of a thesis.  In addition, the 4-year PhD programme has a compulsory coursework component, which encompasses advanced specialist knowledge and language and research skills to enhance students’ abilities in different stages of their research studies and prepare them for research work and thesis writing.  The award of the PhD degree is based on satisfactorily completing courses, where prescribed, submitting a thesis that should be an original contribution to knowledge and worthy of publication, and satisfying the examiners in an oral examination (and any other examination if required) in matters relevant to the subject of the thesis.

Selected full-time PhD students who have attained good academic qualifications will be provided financial assistance in the form of Postgraduate Scholarships.  Various scholarships, fellowships, and conference/travel support are also available to enrich students’ learning experience and promote professional and personal development.