FAQ
I. Professional Accreditation
1. Is the Master of Laws in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Programme recognised by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)?
Yes. The Programme is a CIArb Recognised Course Provider.
2. Am I qualified to apply for membership with the relevant professional institutions after completion of the Programme?
Upon completion of this LL.M. programme, graduates are eligible to apply for the following professional accreditations:
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (headquartered in London) - Membership (MCIArb) or Fellowship (FCIArb**)
Hong Kong Mediation Accreditation Association Limited - Accredited General Mediator (subject to completing Stage 2 and Stage 3 requirements as stipulated by the HKMAAL Mediation Accreditation Committee)
Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators - Associateship (AHKIArb) or Fellowship (FHKIArb)
**Subject to achieving a minimum 55% (grade D+ from 2012-2013) in the LLM Arbitration Practice, Procedure & Drafting course (LLAW6157) and a minimum 70% (grade B- from 2012-2013) in the LLM Arbitration Award Writing course (LLAW6241); and a successful CIArb Peer Interview.
II. Admission and Applications
3. Am I eligible for admission to the Programme?
Applicants must comply with the General Regulations and fulfil at least one of requirements (1) to (3) below AND requirement (4)
(1) hold a degree of Bachelor of Laws with at least second class honours or an equivalent qualification accepted by the University for this purpose; or
(2) hold a degree in a discipline other than law with at least second class honours accepted by the University for this purpose and have at least two years relevant experience and professional qualifications; or
(3) have obtained either the Common Professional Examination of England and Wales or the Common Professional Examination Certificate of this University, provided that in either case a second class honours degree or a qualification of equivalent standard of this University or another comparable institution accepted for this purpose has also been obtained.
(4) for a candidate who is seeking admission on the basis of a qualification from a university or comparable institution outside Hong Kong of which the language of teaching and/or examination is not English, shall satisfy the Faculty English language requirement with one of the following recognized English tests:
(i) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): A score of 593 or above (paper-based test) or 97 or above (internet-based test)
(ii) International English Language Testing System (IELTS): An overall band score of 7 or above with no subtest below 6.5
4. I do not have a legal background. Will my application be treated less favorably than applicants with a legal background?
No, we will consider each application on their merits if they have fulfilled the above-mentioned application requirements. The Programme is open to both lawyers and non-lawyers and is targeted at a broad range of prospective students, including legal practitioners, corporate counsel, bankers, educators, financiers, engineers, contractors, project developers, contract administrators, project managers, quantity surveyors, town planners, social workers, police inspectors, psychologists, business owners, management consultants and government and other public policy officials.
5. How many intakes does the Faculty have for the LLM (Arb&DR) and when is the deadline for application?
There is only one intake in every September. The admissions period usually begin from early December of the previous calendar year to the end of February of the same calendar year.
6. How to apply?
Applicants must apply through the online application system and submit their supporting documents to the Faculty office by post shortly after completing the online application. Your application number should be marked on the supporting documents.
7. Can I apply for admission to more than one Master of Laws programme?
Yes. Please submit an online application form through the online application system for each programme and pay the application fees for each application.
8. Can I apply for September intake if I will be completing my undergraduate or postgraduate study by July of the same calendar year?
Yes. Please send us the most up-to-date transcript together with other supporting documents for assessment shortly after submitting an online application. An official transcript containing the final examination results for the award of the degree must be sent to us as soon as it is made available for the purpose of facilitating the application process.
9. How many copies of transcripts and supporting documents are required if I have made more than one application?Each application must come with a set of supporting documents, including a copy of your transcript, certified true copy of certificates (and where appropriate certified translations in English) for the consideration of the respective Programme Panel. If you have already completed your degree, you are required to submit at least one official or certified true copy of transcript to us.
10. Do I need to submit an official/certified true copy of academic transcripts?
Yes, except for the qualifications you obtained from HKU. However, we also accept copies of academic transcripts for preliminary references if they are yet to be made available at the time of submission. A certified true copy of a transcript/diploma must have been duly declared or have been certified as true copies before a notary public (e.g. a Commissioner for Oaths at a City District Office in Hong Kong) or by the appropriate officials of your home institute.
Copies of documents must be certified true by the appropriate officials of your home institute with an official stamp if you are an overseas applicant.
11. Does HKU accept digital transcript as supporting documents? What should I do if my university only provides digital transcripts?
An official statement from your Institution/University certifying the issuance of digital transcript is the only transcript issued to students must be provided to us, or alternatively, a certified true copy of a digital transcript with the official signature of the institution representative and the official stamp is acceptable.
12. Will I be granted advanced standing for similar credits/courses taken and passed at another university or comparable institution accepted by the University?
Subject to application and approval, a student may be granted advanced standing for up to 9 credits in accordance with the degree regulations, for studies completed successfully no more than 5 years before admissions to the LLM programme.
Application for advanced standing shall normally be made at the same time of application for admissions to the programme, and should be accompanied by copies of academic transcripts and the course descriptions to support the application.
Candidates will not be given any credits from course(s) where advanced standing has been granted.
13. When and how will the application result be announced?
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications in writing by end of May. If you have not heard from us by August 15, you may wish to contact the Faculty of Law Office to enquire about the results by email at lawpgs@hku.hk.
14. Does the University allow concurrent registration?
According to the University General Regulations, registration for more than one degree is NOT normally allowed.
15. How much is the tuition fee?
For information about the tuition fees for programmes offered by the Faculty of Law, please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/programmes/fees.html
III. Curriculum and Teaching
16. Is the part-time programme conducted in the evenings? What is the difference between the part-time programme and the full-time programme?
Classes are usually conducted in weekday evenings. Students of full-time / part-time mode of study will attend the same class if they have enrolled for that module. The difference is that a full-time student needs to complete 4 modules in each semester and thus all 8 required modules in one academic year of study. A part-time student has to complete 2 modules in each semester and all 8 required courses in two years of study.
17. What is the teaching mode for the Programme? Are there any online courses?
All the courses will be conducted in class. There is no online courses.
18. How many courses do I have to take in each semester?
To complete the curriculum, a full-time student shall satisfactorily complete a total of 8 modules in one academic year. A part-time student shall satisfactorily complete 4 modules in each of the two years of study.
A student who holds a degree in law is required to take four compulsory modules. The remaining four modules may be chosen from among the modules developed by the Department of Law for this programme or, with the approval of the University, up to 2 modules from modules/courses offered under the other LLM specialist programmes or by any other Department in the University or by any other approved Universities offering LLM programmes.
A candidate who holds a degree in a discipline other than law will be required to take seven compulsory modules. The remaining one module may be chosen from among the modules developed by the Faculty of Law for this programme.
19. How many hours of class do I have to attend each week? Is there any attendance requirement?
Most courses are taught on weekday evenings at HKU campus, a 3-hour class each week for 11-13 teaching weeks in a semester. Some courses will be conducted on intensive teaching mode for Thursday and Friday evenings plus 2 full days of Saturday and Sunday over 2 weeks. Thus, the class hours may range from 6 to 12 hours per week, subject to whether you have enrolled for any intensive course(s) or whether you are admitted to the programme as full-time or part-time. Students must satisfy the 70% attendance rule for each course before they are allowed to take the final assessment of that course.
For reference only, you can see the LLM teaching timetables regarding the teaching mode of various courses.
20. Can I apply for exemption from some courses in the Programme?
A student may be exempted, with or without special conditions attached, up to 9 credits (one course) in the requirement prescribed in the regulations and syllabuses governing the curriculum with the approval of the Board of the Faculty of Law, except in the case of a capstone experience. Candidates who are so exempted must replace the number of exempted credits with courses of the same credit value.
21. What are the requirements to qualify for the award of the degree of Master in Laws in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution? Is there any intermediate award?
To be eligible for the award of the degree of Master of Laws in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution, a candidate shall
(a) comply with the General Regulations; and
(b) complete the curriculum and satisfy the examiners in accordance with the regulations set out in the Law Faculty website.
There is no intermediate award.
IV. Student Matters
22. Does the Faculty of Law provide any scholarship or financial assistance?
The Faculty of Law does not currently have scholarships for candidates admitted to the Programme. Financial assistance is available for local full-time postgraduate students and enquiries should be made to the Student Financial Assistance Agency, 11/F Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon.
23. As a non-local student, am I eligible to apply for reimbursement for Continuing Education Fund (CEF) purposes?
Please check eligibility to apply for CEF from the website (http://www.sfaa.gov.hk/cef/eligibility.htm). If you have any further enquiries regarding your eligibility, please confirm the CEF Office directly by email at cef_sfo@wfsfaa.gov.hk or by telephone at 3142 2277.
24. I am staying in Hong Kong with a dependent/working visa. Am I a local or non-local student? Is there any constraint in studying with a dependent/working visa?
You are considered a local student if you are holding a dependent or working visa. Please note that working visa holders can only take up part-time study subject to the endorsement of your employer.
25. As a non-local student, can I study a part-time programme and work outside of my study?
Non-local students can only take up full-time study and are not permitted to take any employment, regardless of paid or unpaid, during their stay in Hong Kong unless the circumstances detailed in the Hong Kong Immigration Department website is met.
26. Does the University provide in-campus housing to taught postgraduate students?
The HKU Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS) provides residential halls for students, with priority given to undergraduate students. There is no guarantee of admission to a hall place for postgraduate students (except for limited scholarship awardees that have agreement with the Faculty of Law). For further information on residential halls, please visit CEDARS’ website.