Study information

Programme Specification for the 2020/1 academic year

JD JD (Juris Doctor) in Law (HKUST)

1. Programme Details

Programme nameJD JD (Juris Doctor) in Law (HKUST) Programme codePTU2LAWLAW01
Study mode(s)Full Time
 Academic year2020/1
Campus(es)Streatham (Exeter)
 NQF Level of the Final Award7 (Masters)

2. Description of the Programme

The JD (Juris Doctor) in Law (HKUST) is specifically for delivery with the Dual Award offered by Exeter University and HKUST. This programme is not available for direct entry or offered by any route other than the Exeter/KHKUST partnership. Students from HKUST will arrive in Exeter during their fourth year of study.

The JD (Juris Doctor) in Law (HKUST) is an enhanced undergraduate law degree. It is designed specifically for the partnership with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).  It will allow HKUST engineering students to undertake an accelerated programme of study which leads to a qualifying law degree in England & Wales. It progresses from undergraduate Honours level study to finish with a Master’s level dissertation. The programme is only open to HKUST students whose prior academic attainment makes an accelerated course of study suitable. These students will also be registered for an Engineering degree in Hong Kong.

As an English qualifying law degree, it fulfils the academic stage of training required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board to pass the Academic Stage of training that forms part of the professional qualification as a lawyer in England and Wales.  An English qualifying law degree is also a recognised step to accreditation in Hong Kong, although student completing this programme will need to undertake PCLL in order to qualify in Hong Kong.  The degree is vocation-facing, and most graduates will pursue further training and a career in law after graduation, often in another jurisdiction. The programme also provides for elective areas of study.

Students will also complete Engineering modules during their first year at Exeter, including an Engineering project. Depending on their academic background and interest and subject to having passed the necessary pre-requisite modules, they will be able to select 45 credits of stage 3 and stage 4 Engineering modules from one of the following programmes:

  • Civil Engineering,
  • Electronics Engineering, or
  • Mechanical Engineering,

and a 30-credit stage 3 individual (Engineering) project.

The degree is vocation-facing. The concentrated nature of study is only appropriate to graduate who have already acquired basic study skills through a previous degree programme.

3. Educational Aims of the Programme

Law:

  1. To provide you with a thorough knowledge of the foundation subjects of English and EU law which meets the requirements set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board for the academic stage of legal training, and to give you the opportunity to acquire and develop essential analytical, practice-facing and marketable transferable skills.
  2. To enable you to identify, locate and critically appraise legal materials.
  3. To enable you to apply the principles of law and legal rules to solve and analyse practical problems, and to advise what to do in practical situations.
  4. To enable you to understand some of the major theoretical foundations of law and to evaluate them.
  5. To enable you to understand law and its operation in its social, political, economic and legal practice contexts.
  6. To teach you how to reason logically, supporting the process with legal authority, academic commentary and by reference to other relevant materials.
  7. To provide you with a comprehensive and integrated legal education through study on individual modules and through the complementary interaction of modules across the programme.
  8. To provide you with the necessary personal and key skills to enable you to develop as an independent, autonomous and reflective individual and generally as a developing professional.
  9. Through the dissertation, to provide you with the opportunity to enhance and develop your writing skills, and to develop the necessary intellectual and practical legal skills to enable you independently to achieve an understanding of any branch of your chosen field of study even if you have not previously studied it.

Engineeering:

The programme also aims to provide knowledge of some specialised subjects in the chosen programme of Engineering.

The Individual Project module will enable you to put into practice your research, project management and engineering skills, engaging you in the development of your own real world solution to an engineering problem or challenge. From clearly articulating the rationale for your project, to scoping and refining the design and finished product, you will work individually to apply the knowledge gained from other modules in your degree programme. You will be expected to innovate, create and present your engineering solution, honing your entrepreneurial as well as academic and practical skills.  In this way, the module will enable you to develop valuable transferable skills for future employment in industry.

4. Programme Structure

5. Programme Modules

The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.

Contract Law (30 credits) will be completed during student’s second year at HKUST and prior to their arrival in Exeter. This module will be delivered on an intensive basis at HKUST, by a Faculty member from Exeter’s Law School. Students will need to have completed this module it in order to be accepted onto the programme at Exeter.

Students will arrive in Exeter during their fourth year of study of the Exeter-HKUST dual degree in Engineering and Law and will stay for two years.

Year 1 at Exeter (Year 4 of HKUST Dual Degree programme) – 75 credits of Engineering modules (chosen from available options) and 75 credits of compulsory Law Modules.

Year 2 at Exeter (Year 5 of KHUST Dual Degree programme) – 150 credits of compulsory Law Modules

Stage 1

Compulsory Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
LAW2103H European Union Law 15Yes
LAW2015H Law of Torts 30Yes
LAW2035H Constitutional and Administrative Law 30Yes
ECM3715 Directed Reading in Math Science 15Yes

Optional Modules

Plus Taught Engineering (45 Credits)

3 x 15 Credits from a selection of options.

Stage 2

Compulsory Modules

CodeModule Credits Non-condonable?
LAW3017H Land Law 15Yes
LAW3041H Trusts 30Yes
LAW3003H Criminal Law 30Yes
LAW3072H Aspects of Evidence 15Yes
LAW3161H Commercial Law 15Yes
LAW3083H Company Law Foundation 15Yes
LAWM137H Law Research Paper 30Yes

6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods

Intended Learning Outcomes
A: Specialised Subject Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:		Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

1. Demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of the essential theoretical, conceptual and practical features of the English legal system, its institutions and procedures.
2. Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the fundamental rules, theory, principles and conceptual framework of the seven foundation subjects of English and EU Law, and of those optional legal subjects selected for study, as well as related academic opinion.
3. Follow and understand current developments in English law in the subjects of study.
4. Research a legal question and demonstrate competence in applying legal knowledge in order to formulate and evaluate a response to it.
5. Demonstrate detailed and accurate understanding of some of the relevant legal practice, social, economic, political, historical, philosophical, ethical and cultural contexts within which the law operates
6. Demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of engineering principles and concepts.
7. Demonstrate competence in design and development of engineering processes, systems, services and products and in-depth understanding of sustainability and health and safety issues in engineering practice.
8. Demonstrate communication and interpersonal skills.

Subject knowledge and skills are acquired through lectures, student syndicate meetings and tutor led seminars, library tuition, essays, legal skills workshops, formative work and reflective learning.

Subject knowledge and skills (1 – 5) are assessed through seen or unseen examinations; open/closed book examinations; assessed essays; dissertation; Projects, assessed group project; assessment of legal skills.

Intended Learning Outcomes
B: Academic Discipline Core Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:		Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

9. Identify, locate, retrieve and evaluate efficiently legal and other information in paper, electronic and on-line form, with minimum guidance.
10. Use theoretical legal knowledge to provide practical advice and imaginative solutions to particular problems, independently and effectively.
11. Work independently to synthesise information from a number of primary and secondary legal and other sources; to appreciate their relative value; and to separate the relevant from the peripheral.
12. Make an independent and effective critical judgement of the merits of particular arguments and make a reasoned choice between alternative solutions or arguments.
13. Communicate technical legal information and arguement effectively and concisely, orally and in writing, in a manner appropriate to the discipline and in task-specific ways.

Essays; dissertation; lectures; syndicate meetings, seminars, legal skills workshops and formative work.

Essay coursework and dissertation (9-13); legal skills workshops (9-13). Oral presentations required students to put across their arguments clearly and concisely (9-13).  Examinations (9-13) often contain a large element aimed at testing ability to separate the relevant from the irrelevant. 

Intended Learning Outcomes
C: Personal/Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
On successfully completing this programme you will be able to:		Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be...
...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class):...and evidenced by the following assessment methods:

14. Manage time effectively, plan activity and prioritise tasks by working to strict deadlines and demonstrating an ability to work under pressure.
15. Work and interact effectively and proactively in a group, share information and ideas, and manage related practical matters.
16. Work independently, managing your time and learning resources efficiently, and developing appropriate task-specific strategies.
17. Communicate clear and reasoned arguments, accurately and effectively, in both oral and written form.
18. Reflect on, evaluate and assess own learning and ability autonomously, and where necessary proactively seek and make effective use of advice and feedback.
19. Identify, retrieve and use, independently and efficiently, a range of library-based and electronic resources with minimum guidance.
20. Apply appropriate strategies for solving conceptual and practical problems, making critical judgements and choosing autonomously between alternative solutions and arguments Solve practical problems.

Key skills are an integral part of the degree programme. Particular aspects of the programme focus on personal and key skills development. Syndicate meetings and seminars encourage you to work independently and in groups with the aim of presenting and criticising materials in interesting and varied forms (skills 14-20). Essays and Dissertation particularly encourage skills 14, 16-20); lectures (14, 16, 17, 18, 20); legal skills seminars (e.g. advocacy and  negotiation) (14-20). Personal Development Planning and Personal Tutor meetings focus upon your development of all key skills and your ability to reflect upon this and in particular skill 18.

Examinations (skills 14-20); Assessed Essays and Dissertation (skills 14-20); Oral presentations (14-20)

7. Programme Regulations

Classification

Full details of assessment regulations for all taught programmes can be found in the TQA Manual, specifically in the Credit and Qualifications Framework, and the Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook. Additional information, including Generic Marking Criteria, can be found in the Learning and Teaching Support Handbook.

8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning

9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning

Please refer to the University Academic Policy and Standards guidelines regarding support for students and students' learning.

10. Admissions Criteria

Undergraduate applicants must satisfy the Undergraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.

Postgraduate applicants must satisfy the Postgraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.

Specific requirements required to enrol on this programme are available at the respective Undergraduate or Postgraduate Study Site webpages.

11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards

Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.

The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.

(http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/admin/staff/qualityassuranceandmonitoring/tqamanual/fullcontents/)

12. Indicators of Quality and Standards

The programme is not subject to accreditation and/ or review by professional and statutory regulatory bodies (PSRBs).

13. Methods for Evaluating and Improving Quality and Standards

The University and its constituent Colleges draw on a range of data to review the quality of educational provision. The College documents the performance in each of its taught programmes, against a range of criteria on an annual basis through the Annual Programme Monitoring cycle:

  • Admissions, progression and completion data
  • In Year Analysis data
  • Previous monitoring report
  • Monitoring of core (and optional) modules
  • External examiner's reports and University and College responses (reported to SSLC)
  • Any Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body/accrediting body or other external reports
  • Consultation with employers and former students
  • Staff evaluation
  • Student evaluation
  • Programme aims

Subject areas are reviewed every four years through a periodic subject review scheme that includes external contributions. (http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/Part%209/9JREVISEDPSRSCHEME.pdf)

14. Awarding Institution

University of Exeter

15. Lead College / Teaching Institution

College of Social Sciences and International Studies (CSSIS)

16. Partner College / Institution

Partner College(s)

College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences (CEMPS)

Not applicable to this programme

Partner Institution

Not applicable to this programme.

17. Programme Accredited / Validated by

0

18. Final Award

JD JD (Juris Doctor) in Law (HKUST)

19. UCAS Code

Not applicable to this programme.

20. NQF Level of Final Award

7 (Masters)

21. Credit

CATS credits

300

 ECTS credits

150

22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group

23. Dates

Origin Date

01/09/2018

 Date of last revision

01/09/2018