Doctor of Philosophy in Law

Program Introduction

  • Duration of Study

    The normal duration of this course is 3 year,and the maximum duration is 6 years.

  • Teaching Approach

    Face-to-face Teaching

  • Teaching Language

    Chinese/English

  • Academic Field

    Law

  • Course Introduction

    Admission Requirements: Master degree in Law(s) or related fields.


Study Plan

Table 1: Core courses (9 Credits)

Course Code

Course Title

Credits

DLLZ11

Philosophy of Law

3

DLLZ18

Legal Methodology

3

DLLZ19

Legal Classics Study

3

Table 2: Major core courses (6 Credits)

Course Code

Course Title

Credits

Major Core Legal Theory

DLLA11

Special Topic in Legal Theory (1)

3

DLLA12

Special Topic in Legal Theory (2)

3

History of Law

DLLB11

Special Topic in History of Law (1)

3

DLLB12

Special Topic in History of Law (2)

3

Constitutional and Administrative Law

DLLC11

Special Topic in Constitutional and Administrative Law (1)

3

DLLC12

Special Topic in Constitutional and Administrative Law (2)

3

Civil Law and Business Law

DLLD11

Special Topic in Civil Law and Business Law (1)

3

DLLD12

Special Topic in Civil Law and Business Law (2)

3

Criminal Law

DLLF11

Special Topic in Criminal Law (1)

3

DLLF12

Special Topic in Criminal Law (2)

3

Economic Law

DLLG11

Special Topic in Economic Law (1)

3

DLLG12

Special Topic in Economic Law (2)

3

International Law

DLLH11

Special Topic in International Law (1)

3

DLLH12

Special Topic in International Law (2)

3

Legal Procedure

DLLI11

Special Topic in Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Law (1)

3

DLLI12

Special Topic in Legal Procedure (2)

3

Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Law

DLLJ11

Special Topic in Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Law (1)

3

DLLJ12

Special Topic in Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Law (2)

3

Table 3: Elective courses (4 Credits)

Course Code

Course Title

Credits

DLLE11

Comparative Law

2

DLLE14

Frontiers of law

2

DLLE15

Law, Humanities and Social Science

2

Table 4: Other core courses (18 Credits)

Course Code

Course Title

Credits

DLLZ14

Reading Reports

3

DLLZ15

Published Articles

6

DLLZ16

Academic Activities

3

DLLZ17

Annual Papers

6

Table 5: Dissertation (10 Credits)

Course Code

Course Title

Credits

DLLZ10

Dissertation

10

Note: All curriculums and study plans are based on the newest announcement of the Boletim Oficial da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau.

※ In case of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.


Course Description

Philosophy of Law (3 credits)

The aim of this course is to enable the student to acquire legal worldview, legal thinking ability, improve the level of legal study and legal reasoning ability, and establish the theoretical legal foundation. The course covers theories of justice, norms, legal value, legal methodology, and legal justice.

Legal Methodology (3 credits)

This course aims to cultivate students' methods of legal application, with particular emphasis on cultivating students to learn the basic methods of legal interpretation by means of interpretation of meaning, system interpretation, historical interpretation and purpose interpretation. At the same time, students can learn to use the analogy of the application, the inverse of the inference, the purpose of limiting and expansion of the law to fill the loopholes in the law. On this basis, so that students can build a set of legal methodology.

Legal Classics Study (3 credits)

The main purpose of this course is to guide students to conduct in-depth study on legal classics. Meanwhile it carries out the classical education based on study, analysis, criticism, inheritance and innovation, and promotes the study approaches such as deliberating, reflecting, speculation, criticism and  inquiry. The course mainly covers the study on the the ancient, modern and contemporaty Chinese and foreign legal classics and the classics from the relevant disciplines with significant value. Therefrom students‘ abilities of academic reading, analysis and criticism for their professional research could be cultivated.

Comparative Law ( 2 credits)

The main purpose of  this course is to introduce the method and theory of comparative law, andthe formation, transition and influence of major legal systems and legal traditions in the world. Students can understand the application of comparative legal methodologies and jurisprudence in legal history, legal theory and legal study. This course mainly covers the history and current situation of comparative law research, the methodologies of comparative law and their application in academic research, the comparative study in legal culture, legal theory and legal institution among the main  legal systems in the the world.

Frontiers of law (2 credits)

This is an elective course for doctoral students in Faculty of Law. Through special topics teaching, students can understand discussing and original theory in the field of public law, private law, international law etc. to cultivate doctoral students pioneering and forward-looking thinking.

Law, Humanities and Social Science (2 credits)

This course aims to guide and cultivate the PhD students of law to go beyond the perspectives of classical legal methodolgoy, comparative law and philosophy of law, and to persue legal study from the emerging interdisciplinary perspectives, such as law and history, law and literature, Law and religion, law and critical theory, law and economics, law and sociology, law and anthropology or law and political science and other interdisciplinary researchs, so as to better meet the needs of professional academic research.

Special Topic in Legal Theory(I) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on advanced theory in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Legal Theory  (II) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on key study in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Legal History(I) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on advanced theory in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Legal Theory  (II) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on key study in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Constitutional and Administrative Law (I) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on advanced theory in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Constitutional and Administrative Law  (II) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on key study in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Civil Law and Business Law (I) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on advanced theory in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Civil Law and Commercial Law  (II) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on key study in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Criminal Law (I) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on advanced theory in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Criminal Law (II) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on key study in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Economic Law (I) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on advanced theory in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Economic Law  (II) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on key study in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in International Law(I) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on advanced theory in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in International Law  (II) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on key studyin the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Procedure Law (I) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on advanced theory in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Procedure Law   (II) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on key study in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Law (I) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on advanced theory in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

Special Topic in Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Law  (II) (3 credits)

This course will combine research interests of PhD students and training plan. The content of the course will focus on key study in the field. The course will be conducted by means of lecture, supervised reading, discussion and thesis writing, etc.

 

Degree Requirements

1. Students are required to complete 47 credits, including 3 core courses in Table 1 (9 credits), 2 major core courses in Table 2 (6 credits), 2 elective courses in Table 3 (4 credits), 4 other core courses in Table 4 (18 credits) and dissertation in Table 5 (10 credits). 2. Students’ performances will be graded according to their course discussions, reports and exam marks. 3. After completing required courses, students can start writing the thesis proposal. Students can continue their dissertation research and writing upon completion of thesis proposal defense. 4. Students are required to complete a research dissertation which is no less than 100,000 words and pass the dissertation oral defense.

Learning Time

1.The duration for taking all courses is 18 months and the duration for dissertation composition is 24 months. 2. In general, classes will be arranged from Monday to Friday night.

Qualifications of Graduation

Upon approval from the Senate of the University, a Doctoral Degree will be conferred on a student when he or she has: 1. Completed and met the requirements prescribed in the study plan of his or her program within the specific study period, and achieved a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or above (excluding dissertation). 2. Abided by the regulations of the University. 3. Cleared all fees and charges and returned all University’s property and equipment borrowed. Note: All curriculums and study plans are based on the newest announcement of the Boletim Oficial da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau. ※ In case of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.