The Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program in Chinese Law
An Overview of the LL.M. Program
The Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program in Chinese Law is a Graduate Law program offered by Peking University Law School. It has a focus on Chinese Civil and Commercial Law and the language of instruction is English.
Peking University is a pre-eminent university in China, being well-known for her long history, rich culture, distinguished alumni, enlightened education policies and exciting campus life. Established in 1904, her Law School has become a leading institution for legal education and a potent force for legal development in China. The Law school frequently partners with the government, with law firms and with the business community in the development of cutting edge legal, social and commercial policy. The Law School also has many international links and partnership programs with leading universities and legal institutions around the world.
With China's rapid economic growth and growing presence on the world stage, the knowledge of Chinese law has become an essential resource for international students and legal professionals engaged with China. Peking University Law School has established the LL.M. Program in Chinese Law to address the needs of an international community seeking a comprehensive and systematic understanding of Chinese law from a first-rate legal institution.
This program provides an intensive instruction in Chinese law. Leading faculty members will offer Chinese law courses specially designed for international students. Teaching will comprise of both lectures and small-group seminars. Additionally, Peking University regularly attracts top scholars and practitioners in Chinese law and students will have first-hand access to such distinguished presenters. There are also optional subjects in non-law areas such as politics, economy and society to facilitate students' understanding of China's culture.
The LL.M. Program offers valuable internship opportunities to work in the top law firms and other legal institutions in China to help the students to get a better comprehension of the Chinese legal system and its cultural underpinnings. Through the program, students can establish a solid foundation for their career development in China.
The duration of the program is 2 years (4 semesters). The first year is full time course-work with class attendance. The second year is set aside for thesis writing, legal practice and internship. Students are required to enrol in a minimum of 36 credits and write a master's thesis. They have the option to stay in China or return to their own residence in the second academic year, but they must attend the thesis defence before the end of the 4th semester.
This degree is an equivalent of Master of Laws degree offered to Chinese students. No more than 30 students will be admitted into this program in the year .
Academic advisors will be assigned to each student for his/her study and thesis. Chinese students in Peking University Law School are also available to offer personal counselling.
Course List
Chinese Civil Law (Credit Unit: 3)
Chinese Contract Law (Credit Unit: 2)
Chinese Company Law (Credit Unit: 3)
Chinese Economic Law (Credit Unit: 3)
Chinese Foreign Investment Law (Credit Unit: 3)
Chinese Intellectual Property Law (Credit Unit: 3)
Chinese Civil Procedure and Arbitration Law (Credit Unit: 3)
Chinese Constitutional and Administrative Law (Credit Unit: 3)
Chinese Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure (Credit Unit: 3)
Chinese Judicial System (Credit Unit: 2)
International Law as Applied in China: Theory and Practice (Credit Unit: 2)
Chinese Family Law (Credit Unit: 2)
Legal Chinese (Credit Unit: 2)
General Information of China (Credit Unit: 2)
Fieldwork (Credit Unit: 2)
Elementary Chinese (Credit Unit: 4)
Teaching Staff
Bai Guimei
Professor; LL.M., Dalhousie University; Ph.D., Peking University
Visiting Scholar at Dalhousie University Law School, University of Ottawa and New York University School of Law
Chen Duanhong
Professor; Postgraduate doctor, London University; Ph.D., China Academy of Social Science
Chen Ruoying
Assistant Professor; LL.B., Peking University (1999); M.Juris, Oxford University (2000); LL.M (2005) and J.S.D. (2010), The University of Chicago Law School.
She was a lecturer in law and John M. Olin Fellow of the Law and Economics Program of the University of Chicago Law School (2005-2006), Chevening Scholar and Shell Centenary Scholar (1999-2000). Before she joined this faculty in the fall of 2010, she taught at the University of Chicago Law School as a visiting assistant professor, and was an associate at the global law firm of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Her main research interests include commercial regulations and dispute resolutions, property and environmental protection.
Deng Feng
Associate Professor; Ph.D., Renmin University of China
Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School
Fu Yulin
Associate Professor; Ph.D., Renmin University of China
Visiting scholar at Tuebingen University in Germany and Northeastern University of America
Ge Yunsong
Associate Professor; LL.M. Peking University; LL.M. Yale University; Ph.D., Peking University
Guo Li
Associate Professor; LL.M., Harvard University; Ph. D., Peking University
Jin Jinping
Associate Professor; Ph. D., Peking University;
Vice Director of the Center for Real Estate Law and Assistant Director of the Center for Nonprofit Organizations Law at Peking University Law School
Visiting scholar at Yale Law School and Michigan Law School
Jiang Su
Postdoctoral Researcher, Peking University
Visiting Scholar, School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Postdoctoral Researcher, Max-Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law, Freiburg, Germany
Ling Bin
Associate Professor; LL.M., Yale Law School; Ph.D., Peking University
Liu Dongjin
Associate Professor; LL.M, Peking University; Visiting Scholar at the University of Minnesota Law School
Liu Yan
Professor; Ph.D., Peking University
Visiting Scholar at Leidon University and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London
Lou Jianbo
Associate Professor; LL.M., Peking University
Ph. D., Queen Mary College, University of London
Senior Lecturer in Chinese Commercial Law, University of Cambridge
Visiting Researcher at Centre for Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary, University of London
Peng Bing
Associate Professor; Ph.D., Peking University; Visiting Scholar at University of California, Berkeley School of Law
Shao Jingchun
Professor;
Ph.D., Peking University
Shen Kui
Associate Professor & Vice Dean of Peking University Law School.
B.A. of law, Peking University, 1992; Master of law, Peking University, 1995; Ph. D., Peking University, 1998; Visiting Scholar, Columbia Law School, April-June of 1998; Visiting Scholar, Georgetown Law Center, January-June of 2002.
Principal areas of publishing and teaching: Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Human Rights, Government Tort.
Wang Jiancheng
Professor & Vice Dean of Peking University Law School;
Ph. D., Renmin University of China
Visiting Scholar at Catholic University of Louvain
Wang Shizhou
Professor; LL.M., Peking University; LL.M., University of California, Berkeley
Alexsand-von-Humboldt Research Fellow in Max-Planck-Institute of Foreign and International Criminal Law in Freiburg and in the Augsburg University, Germany
Director of the Chinese Criminology Association
Wang Xixin
Professor & Vice Dean of Peking University Law School; Ph. D., Peking University
Visiting Scholar at Columbia University School of Law
Fellow of the China Law Center at Yale Law School
Wu Zhipan
Professor of Law; Ph. D., Peking University
Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School
Zhan Zhongle
Associate Professor; Ph. D., Peking University
Depute Director of Constitution and Administrative Law Research Center of Peking University (ministerial key research base of humanities and social science)
Director of Educational Law Research Center of Peking University
Zhang Ping
Yahoo!-Founder Endowed Chair Law Professor; LL.M., Peking University
Visiting Scholar at University of Washington-Seattle
Visiting Researcher at the Institute of Intellectual Property in Tokyo, Japan
Zhang Qi
Professor; Ph. D., Peking University
Executive Director of the Institute of Comparative Law and Legal Sociology, Peking University
Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School
Zhang Qianfan
Professor; Ph. D., Peking University
Executive Director of the Institute of Comparative Law and Legal Sociology, Peking University
Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School
Visiting Researcher at Heidelberg University Law School
Zhang Yali
Lecturer; LLM, Peking University
Zhang Yongle
Lecturer;
LLB, Peking University Law School
Ph. D., Dept. of Political Science of UCLA
Zhu Suli
Professor; Ph.D., Arizona State University
Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School and Yale Law School
Words from Program Students
Hugh Kam
LL.M. student, 2008
Studying the LLM Program at Beida was really full of exciting, fun and memorable experiences; here are three that you might like to know – one from the classroom, one from the court and one from the outside!
(1) In our Foreign Investment Law class, we not only learnt the laws but we applied them too: mock scenarios were given to us and the class split into two, with each half working as the claimant or defence team. Each week, we would engage in spirited battles to persuade judge (our beloved Prof Shao) why we just had to be right, why the other side just had to be wrong. And though some of us would inevitably lose, we always all came out of class as winners: the laws seemed to stick so much better in our heads and we felt like we'd just been real lawyers at court!
(2) The Program administrators did in fact kindly arrange for us to visit a real court – although it was a simple landlord and tenant case at a Basic Level Court, we were impressed by how thorough the parties were, how professional the judge was and how smooth the hearing went. And I had the privilege of being asked to translate the trial for my classmates – for someone who had never done simultaneous bilingual translation before let alone simultaneous bilingual legal translation at court, it was a real thrill!
(3) And throughout the year, I was engage deeply with mooting at Peking University. But what mattered was not so much the moots themselves, important though they were, but the truly wonderful opportunity, as the only foreign student on the Jessup and Vis teams, to get to know a group of the brightest local minds and get to know them well – in fact, I'm just about to have dinner with one in town next week!
Reinout van Malenstein
LL.M. student, 2008
The Peking University LL.M. Program in Chinese Law is a chance for you to indulge in Chinese law and culture. The excellent and open-minded professors, many of whom have graduated from Peking University and other prestigious foreign universities, provided very interesting classes and discussions. Furthermore, the active participation of many bright students from different legal cultures provides an international environment that equips you with the tools of dealing with different legal cultures and Chinese law. By studying hard, attending all the classes, going on very interesting fieldtrips, doing in-depth research, and studying Mandarin next to the LL.M. Program, my knowledge of Chinese law and culture has increased exponentially. The lasting friendships with the international and Chinese law students, the inspiring environment of Peking University and the vibrant city of Beijing, also makes the program a truly unforgettable experience. Furthermore, the program provides the students with excellent opportunities to do an internship with a Chinese law firm or a multinational corporation. Upon graduating from the LL.M. Program I will start working as an associate at an international law firm. Knowing I will benefit from my in-depth knowledge of Chinese law and culture, and being able to speak the language, this program has offered me a great opportunity to make China a lasting part of my life and my career.
Credit and Thesis Requirements
Students are required to enrol in a minimum of 36 credits including all required courses and pass all course examinations.
In order to obtain the LL.M. degree, students must complete the master's thesis relating to Chinese law and pass the thesis defence. A master's thesis between 12,000 and 20,000 words is recommended. The thesis should be written in Chinese or English. Thesis that is written in English should provide an abstract in Chinese.
After approved by Peking University Degree Committee, the students can receive the LL.M. Program's graduation certificate and degree diploma.
Tuition
The tuition for the whole program is 160,000 RMB.
Students should pay 80,000 RMB in the first fall semester before registration and the other 80,000 RMB in the second. The tuition should be paid in RMB.
Room and Board
Students should afford their own accommodation. Peking University Law School will assist the students to arrange their accommodation.
Scholarship
The program offers merit scholarships for 5 students, each of whom can receive 8,000 RMB.
Library and Internet
At Peking University, law students have ready access to the materials of legal research through library collection and networked electronic information sources. Databases like Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw are available in the law library.
Eligibility Requirements
The program is only designed for non-Chinese-nationality, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan applicants under the age of 40.
Applicants should comply with Chinese laws and Peking University's rules and respect the customs of Chinese people.
Applicants must have a first law degree (J.D., LL.B. or the equivalent) from a law school. Those who don't have any of the above-mentioned law degree but have a Bachelor's degree and substantial law-related working experience can also apply for this program.
All applicants who are not native English speakers or who did not have a postsecondary education entirely conducted in the English language must take the TOEFL or IELTS examination. The Program requires a minimum score of 92 in TOEFL IBT, or 6.5 in IELTS with 7.0 in IELTS writing.
A health certificate is required before registration.
Application Materials
An applicant should submit the following materials. All documents should be written in English. If the documents are not in English, they must be accompanied by a notarized English translation.
(1) Peking University Application Form for International Students (Master and Ph.D. Programs); you can visitwww.studyatpku.com to fill in the form and submit on the internet. You also should print it and stick your photo in order to send it to us with other materials.
(2) A personal statement (about 800 words);
(3) Official transcripts of postsecondary school training (original);
(4) An official certificate of your highest education (original) (Undergraduate students should provide an official letter stating expected graduation date.);
(5) Two letters of recommendation by professors or associate professors (original);
(6) One photocopy of results of TOEFL or IELTS examination;
(7) One photocopy of valid passport (Passport type must be ordinary);
Notice: make sure to send all the Application Materials to us before deadline.
Application Fee:
Amount: 800 RMB.
Directly pay in cash or pay by use of a Chinese bank issued Union Card. Foreign currencies and traveler's checks will not be accepted. Application fees are nonrefundable. Please include the application fee in the same mailing packet as that containing the application materials.
For more information, please contact:
Laura Xu
E-mail Address: llmpku@gmail.com
Tel: (8610) 62753816
Fax: (8610) 62756542