Top 10 LL.M. Programs in China and Hong Kong

The University of Hong Kong is ranked as the world’s 18th best law school by QS for 2019. It is also featured in the LLM Guide’s top lists for both Intellectual Property Law and Technology Law. The school runs five LL.M.s, all taught in English. In addition to a general law degree, these include the LL.M. in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution, LL.M. in Corporate and Financial Law, LL.M. in Chinese Law, and LL.M. in Compliance and Regulation. 

Tsinghua University in Beijing was last year rated as a top-50 law school by Times Higher Education, the highest in mainland China. Since being founded in 1929, Tsinghua University Law School has graduated many famous legal scholars, judges and lawyers, such as those of the Supreme People’s Court, the highest court in China. The prestigious school runs two full-time LL.M.s in Chinese Law and International Arbitration and Dispute Settlement. 

Peking University is another prestigious Chinese institution. The oldest law school in China is generally considered to be one of the best in Asia and elsewhere: QS ranked it 23rd in the world this year, the highest among Chinese schools. Peking University Law School runs a full-time LL.M. in Chinese Law that is designed specifically for international students who want an intensive instruction in Chinese law. Being based in Beijing is a perk, since the students visit top law firms and legal institutions in the Chinese capital city. 

CUHK Law is ranked 39th globally by QS. The highly-rated school runs four LL.M. programs from a state-of-the-art campus in the heart of Hong Kong’s legal and business district. These are the LL.M. in Chinese Business Law, the LL.M. in Common Law, the LL.M. in Energy and Environmental Law and the LL.M. in International Economic Law. The education focuses on merging Chinese and Western practices, and students are encouraged to look beyond the law to the values and purposes that underpin legal systems. So students get top-notch education delivered by one of the world’s leading law schools, in one of Asia’s most exciting cities. 

The KoGuan Law School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University is one of China’s leading and oldest law schools. It is located on the university’s Xuhui campus in the center of Shanghai, China’s business and financial capital. That gives students access to many leading law firms, corporations and government institutions. KoGuan Law School runs one full-time LL.M. program in Chinese Law, which is aimed at foreign lawyers. 

Fudan University’s Law School in 2010 launched an English-language LL.M. program in Chinese Business Law that targets overseas legal professionals and executives who need to get clued up on Chinese business and finance. The course covers legal Mandarin, foreign trade law, investment law and Chinese securities, contract, civil law and more. Fudan Law School is one of the most revered in the country, with a strong history of legal education stretching back for more than a century.  

Renmin University of China Law School, formerly Renmin University of China Department of Law, was founded in 1950 as the first law school after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The Beijing-based institution has come along leaps and bounds since then, being consistently ranked among the best Chinese law schools and garnering a reputation for educating quality legal scholars and practitioners. Renmin runs a general LL.M. course that is taught in Chinese and an English-language LL.M. program in Chinese Law. 

The School of Law, at Wuhan University in the eponymous Chinese city, is often referred to as one of China’s “Four Famous Law Schools” alongside Peking, Renmin and Jilin Universities. Wuhan is known for taking a leading role in environmental and resources law in China. The school is also known for having a beautiful campus, next to the East Lake. Wuhan offers an LL.M. program in International Law that is taught in English over two years. The course aims to provide interdisciplinary education and an understanding of Chinese culture. 

Zhejiang University is one of China’s leading law educators and is one of the country’s oldest universities; it traces its roots to 1897. Based in the picturesque city of Hangzhou, the university has been referred to as the “Cambridge of the East”. It’s Guanghua Law School runs LL.M. programs in Chinese Law that are taught in English or Chinese, giving participants the in-depth knowledge of China’s legal system and cultural norms, which they need to work in the country. 

The China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) is located in Bejing, which means that students have close access to some of the country's most important judicial organs. The school offers an LL.M Program in Comparative Law, as well as a Master's in Chinese Law, both offered in English.