Programme Structure

Students who opt for the Dissertation must complete 7 subjects, including 5 Compulsory Core Subjects and the Core Subject:  Research Methods for Construction & Real Estate, plus an MSc Dissertation (equivalent to 3 subjects).

Students who opt not to do a Dissertation must complete 10 subjects, including 5 Compulsory Core Subjects and Construction Law Project (3 credits) and Dispute Resolution Project (3 credits) and/or Mediation Training (3 credits).

Core Areas of Study

Students can follow the suggested progression pattern shown below. The Core Subjects that are marked with an asterisk (*) are compulsory. There are no pre-requisite or co-requisite requirements unless specially noted in the syllabus for individual subjects.

Year One

• Principles & Practice of Law* (lawyer candidates are required to study an approved construction technology/management (non-legal) subject selected from the Core Subject list instead)
• Statutory Framework for Construction Practice*
• Construction Law*
• Select one Non-Compulsory Subject from the Core Subject List.

Year Two

• Dispute Management & Law for International Projects*
• Arbitration Law & Practice*
• Dispute Resolution Project
• Mediation Training or select 1 non-compulsory subject from the Core Subject list.

MSc candidates can commence part of their Year Three study in Semester 2 (see alternative approaches below). Mediation Training is normally held in Semester 2.

Year Three

• The additional 9 credits that MSc students require for their awards may be gained by following one of the two approaches.

Alternative 1

• Dissertation (9 credits)

Alternative 2

• Construction Law Project (3 credits) + Dispute Resolution Project (3 credits) or Mediation Training (3 credits) + one non-compulsory Core Subject (3 credits) from the list shown below.

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Corollaries to the progression pattern: as an alternative to the Dispute Resolution Project, students can opt for Mediation Training, which involves 42 hours of mediation practice training run by approved trainers, for which students are required to pay an extra fee. Students can also undertake both Mediation Training and the Dispute Resolution Project.

Core Subjects of the Programme

• Property Law
• Mediation Training⁺
• Legislative Aspects of Fire Safety Management
• Construction Law*
• Dispute Management & Law for International Project*
• Statutory Framework for Construction Practice*
• Arbitration Law & Practice*⁺
• Principles & Practices of Law^
• Principles of Project Management^@
• Construction Practice in China^@+
• International Construction Projects^@
• Construction Technology^@
• Construction Law Project**
• Dispute Resolution Project**
• Research Methods for Construction & Real Estate^#

* Compulsory Core Subject
^ Compulsory Core Subject (limited to and compulsory for non-lawyer candidates)
^@ Available for lawyer candidates as a replacement for Principles & Practices of Law 
** Compulsory for MSc students who opt not to do the Dissertation
^# Compulsory for MSc students who opt to do the Dissertation
⁺ These subjects are included on the Continuing Education Fund (CEF) list of reimbursable courses

Information on the subjects offered can be obtained at www.bre.polyu.edu.hk/teachingnlearning/teachingnlearning-02.html.