Master of Laws in Human Rights [LLM(HR)]

The Master of Laws in Human Rights [LLM(HR)] Programme was established in 1999 in response to the growing demand for knowledge about human rights in the Asia-Pacific region. We offer full and partial competitive scholarships and have attracted students from a broad range of backgrounds.
Our students include legal practitioners, judges, advocates working for national human rights institutions and civil society organisations, journalists, doctors, scholars, government officials, and many others. This diversity has enriched the learning experience and contributed to a vibrant international alumni network.

The Programme focuses on human rights issues of global concern, including in the Asia-Pacific region, and aims to foster an active learning environment. The diverse range of courses enables students to 1) understand the international human rights legal framework, 2) reflect on key human rights challenges from global, regional, and domestic perspectives, and 3) apply their knowledge to advocate for real change. The curriculum covers human rights law but draws on other disciplines such as history, politics, philosophy, and sociology to ensure the law is understood in context. It also has a clinical Capstone option so students can apply what they learn in practice. Teachers include renowned experts in the field from around the world including eminent scholars, judges, United Nations human rights mandate holders, and heads of non-governmental organisations.

The Programme is offered on a one-year full-time or two-year part-time basis.

Candidates are required to complete 72 credits, including two 9-credit compulsory courses and a capstone experience in accordance with the regulations for this degree and the syllabus. Candidates may also choose courses from the course outlines of individual areas of law, and courses from any of the specialist programmes, but in any event no more than two courses from other LLM specialist programmes.

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.

To be eligible for admission to the programme, applicants shall:

(a) comply with the General Regulations and the Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Curricula; and

(b)(i) hold the degree of Bachelor of Laws with at least second class honours of this University, or a qualification of equivalent standard from this University or another comparable institution accepted for this purpose; or

(b)(ii) hold the degree in a discipline other than law with at least second class honours of this University, or a qualification of equivalent standard from this University or another comparable institution accepted for this purpose; and have at least two years of relevant experience and/or professional qualifications; or

(b)(iii) 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, the candidate has also obtained a degree with at least second class honours of this University, or a qualification of equivalent standard from this University, or another comparable institution accepted for this purpose; and

(c) for a candidate seeking admission based on 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 University English language requirement applicable to higher degrees as prescribed under General Regulation G2(b).

The Faculty has its specific requirements concerning IELTS and TOEFL:
- IELTS (Academic): An overall band of 7.0 or above with no subtest below 6.5
- TOEFL (Paper-based Test): A score of 593 or above
- TOEFL (Internet-based Test): A score of 97 or above

*The Faculty accepts the TOEFL/IELTS score report as valid when obtained within two years of the application deadline.

The Faculty of Law is pleased to offer the following scholarships opportunities to outstanding full-time and part-time students:-
- Pam Baker Scholarships in Human Rights - for local applicants; and
- Wong Family Scholarships – for applicants from jurisdictions outside of Hong Kong, especially within the Asian region.

Full or partial scholarships will be awarded to a limited number of qualified students enrolled in the LLM(HR) Programme. In any year when candidates are judged to be of insufficient merit, no awards shall be made.

For 2024-2025 Intake
Details will be provided in due course.

For 2024-2025 Intake
- Main Round: 12:00 PM (GMT+8), 5 January 2024 (Friday)
- Clearing Round: 12:00 PM (GMT+8), 29 February 2024 (Thursday)
- Interested applicants should submit their application at https://admissions.hku.hk/tpg/programme-list
- Applications maybe processed on a rolling basis, and hence early applications are strongly encouraged.

Programme-related Enquiries
✉ lawpgs@hku.hk