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With growing demand worldwide for lawyers qualified in more than one jurisdiction, this programme gives students the opportunity to acquire detailed knowledge of English & Welsh law & Hong Kong law
Overview
UCAS course code: M103
You should review the information provided below in conjunction with the UCL Prospectus page for this degree programme.
This four-year programme teaches students from across the globe the skills to reflect critically on your understanding of the law, how the law works and how and if it can be changed. Involving two years of study at UCL and two years of study in Hong Kong at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), this programme leads to the award of both a Bachelor of Laws Honours qualifying law degree from UCL and a Bachelor of Laws degree from HKU.
As a UCL Laws student, your modules will be taught through weekly lectures combined with a bi-weekly tutorial or in seminars. During lectures, seminars and tutorials, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the principles of law, and to understand its role in governing the relations between the individual, the state, and society.
Through discussion and debate with your classmates and tutors, written assignments and presentations, you will develop your ability to communicate in a clear and effective way, sharpen your powers of reasoning, and gain the technical expertise to solve legal problems.
Applicants are only permitted to apply to HKU or UCL using their relevant admissions processes for this programme of study. If applicants apply to both universities for this programme in the same admissions cycle, their application will be disqualified.
Please note, if you wish to apply to this programme you will need to provide an additional statement as to why you would like to apply to this programme specifically. This should be sent to laws-admissions@ucl.ac.uk clearly stating your UCAS ID number. The statement should not exceed 500 words.
Student visa
Students on this programme will only be issued a visa for the duration of their studies in the UK, this means the visa will only be valid for the two years studied at UCL. Therefore, students on this programme will not be eligible for a graduate visa. UCL's dedicated Student Immigration Advice team can advise you on any alternative visa options that may be available to you.
NOTE: Students enrolled on this programme will only be permitted to transfer to the three-year LLB degree in exceptional circumstances.
Programme structure
Years 1 and 2 of the LLB at UCL will be largely identical to Years 1 and 2 of the LLB Law programme, except students on the UCL-HKU dual degree programme must take an additional compulsory extra-curricular placement in the UCL Centre for Access to Justice in Year 1 at UCL. Years 3 and 4 are spent at HKU. As part of the HKU element of the programme, you will undertake a vocational placement.
The Access to Justice placement, organised and overseen by the UCL Centre for Access to Justice, forms an important part of your UCL-HKU dual degree programme. The placement must be completed whilst at UCL but accounts for 12 HKU credits. It is an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about the principles of access to justice underpinning the role of law in society. You will also develop skills in becoming reflective practitioners as you begin to put your newly acquired legal knowledge to practical use in the community. You will attend a series of online seminars about access to justice issues as well as participate in placement projects.
The projects may vary each year, but recent projects include volunteering at the UCL Legal Advice Clinic and teaching students in local schools about human rights. You will complete the placement activity and attend seminars and project training, carry out independent reading and complete reflective academic journal entries. The perspective of the course is both analytical and practical.
The last two years of study are mainly to complete professional requirements for the award of an LLB degree at HKU.
Modules
- Year 1
Prior to the start of teaching, you will be required to complete some pre-course reading for the Laws’ Connections induction course (approximately 15 hours). This will be sent to you prior to the start of the academic year. You may also be asked to complete some pre-course reading for some of the year 1 modules. When you join UCL laws, you will start with a two-week induction programme: Laws' Connections: Legal Doctrine and Contemporary Challenges.
Laws' Connections is designed to be an inspiring introduction to the study of law here at UCL Laws, and to the role of law in addressing social challenges. It has two elements:
- Introduction to the Study of Law
- Case Studies
The case studies cover topics such as climate change, homelessness, the global financial crisis, fake news and falsehoods, and the family home. You will be encouraged to think hard about the role of lawyers and the law in addressing significant social problems and introduce some important legal ideas and concepts, and also some important legal skills. You shall also get to know the people you will be studying with for the coming years.
You will take the following compulsory modules in Year 1:
- Contract Law
- Criminal Law
- Property Law I
- Public Law
During the first year, you will also undertake a compulsory extra-curricular placement at the UCL Centre for Access to Justice (accounting for 12 HKU credits).
- Year 2
During Year 2 of the programme, you will take four compulsory modules:
- European Union Law
- Jurisprudence and Legal Theory
- Property Law II
- Tort Law
- Year 3 & 4
Years 3 and 4 are spent at HKU, studying towards their LLB in accordance with the host university’s requirements for the degree programme. During this time, students will be registered as full-time undergraduates of HKU. You will need to pay the relevant fees directly to HKU.
During the two years of study at HKU, you will study 168 credits (84 credits in each academic year). You will undertake the HKU Legal Internship and a dissertation over the two years.
Students who intend to do the PCLL course after their degree must take Land Law III, Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure and Evidence (24 credits in total) as part of their disciplinary electives.
You can find a more detailed programme breakdown for Years 3 & 4 on HKU’s webpage.
Assessment
At UCL, students will be assessed by a variety of summative assessments (e.g. written examinations, take-home papers, coursework essays, presentations or through a combination of methods of assessment).
You will also submit and receive feedback on formative assessments throughout each academic year.
You will be assessed according to the regulations of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in Years 3 and 4.
Accreditation
All of our programmes are compliant with the QAA subject benchmark statement for law and contain the "Foundations of Legal Knowledge" subjects as well as the skills associated with graduate legal work such as legal research.
This programme leads to the award of both a Bachelor of Laws Honours qualifying law degree from UCL and a Bachelor of Laws degree from HKU.