Clement Jiang had a top job with microchip firm Intel in the US and a first degree plus a master's in electrical engineering under his belt. But in September, he gave it up and went back to university to study law.
The 33-year-old joined the Juris Doctor Asia (JDA) programme launched by Chinese University at its new multi-million dollar Graduate Law School in the Bank of America tower at Admiralty.
The HK$187,200 JDA is targeted at high-achieving graduates of other disciplines and aims to give them a solid grounding in law and entry into the final stages of legal training. The JDA programme at CUHK can be completed in two years through full-time study or from 36 to 42 weeks part-time.
It follows the opening of Hong Kong's first Juris Doctor (JD) course at City University in 2004. That course costs HK$149,100 and is offered either full-time over two years or part time.
Mr Jiang is typical of the CityU programme's high-flying 30-somethings, including graduates with careers in banking, medicine, dentistry and the police. More than 40 per cent have a first-class honours degree or higher degree and for many it serves as an alternative to the MBA. 'After taking the JD, I believe I will be a better leader. It gives me the chance to throw myself into legal matters and see whether or not I want to become a lawyer,' he said.
CUHK's JDA co-ordinator, Professor Stephen Hall - who previously launched the JD programme at CityU - said the qualification was spreading outwards from the US, where legal education was exclusively postgraduate.
