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HKU and King's College London (King's) -
Sign First-of-its-kind Dual Degree Programme in Law and PhD Student Exchange Programme
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and King's College London (King's) yesterday (Monday, May 11, 2009) jointly announced the signing of two significant collaboration agreements which will further strengthen the roles of both HKU and King's as leading internationally networked institutions in Asia and the UK.
HKU has consistently been ranked as the top university in Hong Kong and one of the leading universities in Asia, and King's is one of England's oldest and most prestigious universities.
Dual Degree Programme in Law
The HKU-King's Dual Degree Programme in Law is a 5-year programme leading to the award of two degrees - the HKU LLB and King's LLB in English Law and Hong Kong Law - and marks the beginning of a deep strategic collaboration between two of the most renowned law schools in the world.
For the first time, students can study for two concurrent qualifying law degrees in both key jurisdictions of the UK and Hong Kong. Students will spend 2 years at King's followed by 3 years at HKU.
The programme is aimed at the best students from Hong Kong, the Asia Pacific region, the UK and beyond who wish to study in two of the world's most important global financial centres, London and Hong Kong.
International legal practice is increasingly requiring lawyers who are appropriately qualified in more than one jurisdiction, and individuals trained through this joint programme will be highly valued by international law firms and multinational companies.
Professor Johannes Chan, Dean of the Faculty of Law at HKU said, "We are excited as it allows us to match the enormous strengths of two complementary but distinct common law jurisdictions. We bring to each other the richness of western legal tradition and an emerging, Chinese jurisprudence."
Professor Timothy Macklem, Head of King's Law School, said, "This collaboration offers students a unique opportunity to study law at two of the best law schools in the world, and in fantastic locations in two major global business hubs - London and Hong Kong. We expect graduates of this programme to have a unique skill set that will set them apart in the world of law and jurisprudence, and open up a variety of professional opportunities."
PhD Student Exchange Programme
HKU and King’s intend that designated Ph.D. students of each University are offered the opportunity of completing part of their study at the other University by way of a specified placement at that University. The exchange programme will be monitored by a Joint Management Board which will be set up by the two universities and will reflect a coherent programme of postgraduate education.
"We are delighted to deepen our research collaborations with King's, one of the world's leading research institutions", said Professor Paul Tam, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President of Research at HKU.
"Our areas of research excellence have much in common with those of King's, and we would expect huge competition for the places on this programme, given the significant benefits that can accrue from working with leading professors from our two institutions", he added.
King's College London
King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher Education 2008) and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has more than 21,000 students from nearly 140 countries, and more than 5,700 employees. King's is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.
King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly £450 million.
King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe; no university has more Medical Research Council Centres.
For more information about King's College London visit www.kcl.ac.uk.
King's Law School
Law at King's has enjoyed a tradition of excellence for over 175 years and is recognised globally as one of the UK's top five Law schools (The Times Good University Guide 2009). Internationally renowned and research-led, the School scored the highest student satisfaction rating for Law within the Russell group, a group consisting of the top 20 British universities, in the 2008 National Student Survey. As one of the UK's largest law schools it offers you the opportunity to study an incredibly varied range of degree programmes and modules, taught by internationally respected leading academics through to visiting lecturers from city law firms.
For more information about King's Law School visit http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/law.
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Information Session on
HKU-KCL Dual Degree Programme in Law
*Click here to read Powerpoint file*
