General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | JDOC1011 |
| Course name: | Dissertation |
| Programme offered under: | JD Programme |
| Semester: | Full year |
| Prerequisites / Co-requisites: | No |
| Credit point value: | 6 credits |
1.2 Course description
This course involves an individual research project on an approved legal topic, conducted under the supervision of a dissertation supervisor. The dissertation shall comprise a paper with required length not exceeding 8,000 words (excluding tables of cases and statutes, notes, appendices and bibliographies. Footnotes or endnotes should not exceed 1,000 words). While comparative perspectives are permitted, the topic must be primarily on common law and/or HK legal issues.
1.3 Instructions and Important Dates
Candidates are advised to begin by reviewing the research interests of faculty members listed on the Faculty’s website. It is the responsibility of each candidate to identify and secure a full-time member of the academic staff to act as their dissertation supervisor. Faculty members may have varying considerations and requirements when deciding whether to supervise a candidate. Typically, it is expected that candidates should approach the faculty member with a reasonably viable research topic or proposal that aligns with the faculty member’s research or teaching interests.
Instructions on the principles of legal writing and legal research methodology will be given by the dissertation supervisor. In addition, candidates are encouraged to enrol in JDOC6022 Advanced Research Methodology to assist in development of advanced legal research skills, but this is not compulsory.
Please take note of the following important dates for the dissertation course.
| To do list and deadline | JDOC1011 Dissertation |
| Full-year course | |
| Add-drop deadline (See also Note 2 below) | Sep 22, 2025 |
| Declare dissertation title and name of supervisor (via Moodle) | Feb 13, 2026 |
| In-class presentations (Compulsory) | Feb 25 & Mar 4, 2026 (Wed) at 2:00-5:00pm (Additional sessions may be scheduled as necessary) |
| Submit request to change the dissertation title (See also Note 3 below) | Mar 31, 2026 |
| Submission of final dissertation (via Moodle) | Jul 1, 2026 |
| Release of assessment result | mid-Sep, 2026 |
Important Note
- Candidates intending to enrol in JDOC1011 Dissertation may do so only during the add/drop period of the 1st semester. The study load of the JDOC1011 Dissertation is evenly distributed, with 3-credits allocated to each of the 1st and 2nd semesters. Candidates are reminded to reserve sufficient credit load to enrol in this course.
- Candidates who are unable to secure a dissertation supervisor by the first week of the add/drop period in the 1st semester are strongly advised to drop the dissertation course and select an alternative capstone course during this period. Request to late-drop the dissertation course after the add/drop period of the 1st semester will normally NOT be considered, except in cases with strong justification and valid supporting documentation. If a late-drop request is approved, the transcript will reflect the course enrolment with a grade of “NC” (Not complete). If the candidate remains enrolled in the dissertation course, failure to submit the final dissertation will result in a fail grade.
- Candidates are reminded to retain their approval records in a written and neat format, as such documentation will be required for submission to the course Moodle during the declaration process.x
- The dissertation title will be printed on the official transcript. Once declared, changes will not be accepted, except in cases where a request, recommended by the dissertation supervisor and supported by valid documentation, is submitted by the stipulated deadline. Late requests will not be considered.
Important note for non-local candidates:
Final year candidates who intend to apply for a new visa or entry permit for study purposes, or for a work / IANG visa upon completion of the JD programme, should note that all applications to the Hong Kong Immigration Department (HKIMMD) must be accompanied by appropriate proof of programme completion, such as a final transcript or a certificate of graduation issued by the HKU Registry.
Assessment results for 2nd semester courses will only be released by the end of June or early July each year, while assessment results for June semester courses (including the dissertation course) will only be released after mid-September. As the HKIMMD generally requires 8-12 weeks to process visa applications, non–local candidates should complete ALL of the curriculum requirements, including submission of the final dissertation, by the stipulated deadline, to prevent any delays in new visa issuance and / or graduation.
1.4 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Stefan Lo | stefanlo@hku.hk | CCT 301A | By email |
1.5 Course outline
| Please click the link here for the course outline (HKU Portal login required). |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Formulated and developed a thesis under the supervision of a member of the faculty’s academic staff (the supervisor);
CLO 2 Undertaken a sustained piece of legal research on the thesis topic under the guidance of the supervisor;
CLO 3 Developed and refined skills in legal research;
CLO 4 Refined their abilities in legal writing, including the ability to write in a logical, coherent and persuasive manner appropriate for the target audience;
CLO 5 Developed their capacity to engage in legal scholarship, including abilities in critical analysis of law and policy in their social, cultural, economic and political context; and
CLO 6 Completed a substantial written paper that aims to be of publishable standard.
2.2 JD Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link: https://course.law.hku.hk/jd-plo/
2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course
| PLO A | PLO B | PLO C | PLO D | PLO E | PLO F | |
| CLO 1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 6 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Classwork | 10% | 2, 3, 5 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Dissertation | 90% | 2, 3 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| *Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher) | |
| 1 | A general course report to be disseminated through Moodle |
| 2 | Individual feedback to be disseminated by email / through Moodle |
| 3 | Individual review meeting upon appointment |
| 4 | Group review meeting |
| 5 | In-class verbal feedback |
3.2 Assessment Detail
To be advised by the dissertation supervisor.
3.3 Grading Criteria
Please refer to the following link: https://www.law.hku.hk/_files/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf
Learning Activities
4.1 Learning Activity Plan
| Seminars | 1 meeting in Semester 1 and 2 meetings in Semester 2 |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hour(s) / week for 12 teaching weeks in each of Semesters 1 and 2 |
Remarks: the normative student study load per credit unit is 25 ± 5 hours (ie. 150 ± 30 hours for a 6-credit course), which includes all learning activities and experiences within and outside of classroom, and any assessment task and examinations and associated preparations.
4.2 Details of Learning Activities
To be advised by the dissertation supervisor.
Learning Resources
5.1 Resources
| Reading materials: | The reading guide and selected reading materials will be posted on Moodle |
The Graduate School has a number of publications which you may find useful during the preparation phase:
5.2 Links
Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/