Master of Laws in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution [LLM(Arb&DR)]

Hong Kong is a world-leading international dispute resolution venue standing at the conjunction point between East and West, ideally situated to resolve disputes in the greater China and Asian region. The University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Law is a world-class Faculty ranked amongst the top 21 law schools in the world according to Times Higher Education, with a global network of partners and a strong reputation in international dispute resolution.

Founded in 2007, the LLM(Arb&DR) programme has been internationally recognized as a leading provider of dispute resolution teaching and research. Graduates obtain professional accreditation with HKMAAL, CIARb and HKIA upon fulfilling course prerequisites. In addition, leading arbitration thinkers, practitioners, specialists and alumni contribute to a dynamic array of teaching and seminars throughout the year.

We welcome you to learn about our full-time and part-time programme and join our diverse student body, which includes leading practitioners from the business and financial community, specialists in the construction and engineering fields, mediation and arbitration practitioners, government officials, legislators, judges and members of international organizations specializing in dispute resolution.

What our Peers say:

"...in many aspects, the LLM programme exceeds international standards…[it provides] opportunities for global activities, excellent instructors … and many internationally focused course offerings."

-- Professor Carrie Menkel-Meadow, External Program Examiner

For more information on the programme and related activities, please visit LLM(Arb&DR) website.

• Candidates are required to complete 72 credits, including the required compulsory courses and a capstone experience in accordance with the regulations for this degree and the syllabus as set out in either for candidates with a degree in law or not. In addition to the three compulsory courses and one capstone course, candidates must choose at least two designated electives. Candidates may choose up to two other electives from courses not listed on the Course List, but listed as Electives on the Course List for the General LLM programme.

• In relation to candidates with a degree in a discipline other than law to whom Course List B. below applies, in addition to the six compulsory courses and one capstone course, candidates must choose one designated elective.

• Students should also pass all assessments with a Cumulative GPA of at least 1.50 in order to be recommended for graduation.

Please refer to the Regulations and Syllabus of your respective intake for more details.

Remark: Not all courses will be offered in any given year. You may also refer to the course schedule per academic year for actual classes available.

Applicants must comply with the General Regulations, the Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Curricula, and fulfil at least one of requirements (1) to (3) below AND (if applicable) 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 of 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; and if applicable:

(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 recognised English tests*:

- IELTS (Academic): An overall band of 7.0 or above
- TOEFL (Internet-based Test): A score of 100 or above

*For admissions purposes, please note:
- IELTS and TOEFL tests must be taken within two years prior to September 1 of each admissions year; and
- Scores from "IELTS One Skill Retake", “IELTS Indicator” and “TOEFL iBT Home Edition” will not be accepted.

Upon completion of LLM(Arb&DR) programme, graduates are eligible to apply for the following professional accreditations:

• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (headquartered in London) - Membership (MCIArb)

• 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)

The Continuing Education Fund (CEF) subsidises adults with learning aspirations to pursue continuing education and training courses. Eligible applicants may refer to https://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/cef for further details and application.

The following five courses of the LLM(Arb&DR) programme have been included in the list of reimbursable courses for the HKSAR Government Continuing Education Fund (CEF) purposes:

• Arbitration Law (CEF Course Code: 39Z139995)
• Arbitration Practice, Procedure and Drafting (CEF Course Code: 39Z140004)
• Contract Law (CEF Course Code: 39Z140012)
• Mediation (CEF Course Code: 39Z140020)
• Negotiation: Settlement & Advocacy (CEF Course Code: 39Z140039)
 
According to the regulation of the CEF, applicants may submit an application for opening an account together with the application for the first reimbursement claim after the successful completion of the applicant’s first CEF course. There is no limit for the number of CEF claim submissions, and the subsidy ceiling is HK$25,000 per applicant.
 
Note: Students are required to submit their reimbursement claims within one year.

For September 2026 Intake
TBC

Video Recording for the September 2025 Intake:

For 2026-2027 Intake

Main Round:
• December 12, 2025 (Friday), 12:00 PM (GMT+8)
 
Clearing Round:
• February 27, 2026 (Friday), 12:00 PM (GMT+8)
 
Interested applicants should submit their application at https://admissions.hku.hk/tpg/programme-list.

Admission offers may be made on a rolling basis, and hence early applications are strongly encouraged.
 
Please click here for details on the application instructions and required supporting documents.



Programme-related Enquiries

✉ lawpgs@hku.hk