Tsinghua University Law School, located in Beijing, China, was founded in 1929 and is considered one of the top four leading law schools in China.  Georgetown Law is happy to announce that up to 5 Georgetown students will have the opportunity to spend a semester abroad at Tsinghua University Law School in fall 2008.

The campus of Tsinghua University is located in northwest Beijing, in the Haidian district which has been designated for universities for over half a century. It is next to the campus of Peking University and close to most of the other major universities in Beijing.  Line 13 of the Beijing subway stops right next to the campus at Wudaokou, surrounded by a student-friendly neighborhood of small restaurants, bookstores and Internet cafes.  Wudaokou is also known for its large number of international students, especially Asian overseas students. Wudaokou's popularity as an international student area is reflected in its large number of bars and nightclubs as well.

Tsinghua University’s campus is located on the former site of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) royal gardens and retains some Chinese-style landscaping as well as some traditional buildings, but many of its buildings are in a Western-style reflecting the American influence in its history. It is known throughout China for having one of the most beautiful campuses.

Among Chinese universities, Tsinghua is perpetually ranked as number one or two; it is China’s leading technological and scientific research center, similar in reputation and influence to MIT and CalTech in the U.S.  Tsinghua is the Chinese university where Vice President Al Gore lectured in China during his documentary movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Viewers can see the university lecture hall, with its well-known purple seats, as well as a residence hall. The banner on the ceiling, recapitulating Tsinghua’s university motto, encourages students to study and have strong character.

Georgetown students will be participating in the LL.M program in Chinese Law while at Tsinghua.  It is the first of its kind in China and is taught entirely in English.  Georgetown students will take classes with other foreign law students and legal professionals. 

Students will be able to earn up to 12 credits through coursework completed at Tsinghua.  Students interested in earning 14 credits for the Fall 2008 semester may complete a 2 credit supervised research paper with Professor James Feinerman.  The 2 credit supervised research will be graded.  Pass/fail is not an option.  Students opting to do the supervised research must complete the supervised research form available at the Office of the Registrar.  

2008 Academic Calendar:

August 29, 2008	Orientation for LLM Students
September 1, 2008	Classes Begin
October 1 - October 8, 2008	National Day Vacation
December 12 - December 19, 2008	Classes End and Exams Begin

Available Courses Fall 2008:

Chinese Society and Chinese Law- 2 credits

Chinese Constitutional and Administrative Law- 2 credits

Chinese Civil Law- 3 credits

Chinese Foreign Trade and Investment Law- 3 credits

Chinese Intellectual Property Law- 2 credits

Housing

Georgetown students planning to study at Tsinghua are eligible for housing in University dormitories.  Dormitories are on Tsinghua’s large, park-like campus and located a short walk from the law faculty building and classrooms.

There are two options for dormitory space.  Students can reserve a space in a double room (shared) for RMB 40-45 ¥ ($5 - $6) per day.  The double room is equipped with air conditioning, telephone, color television and Internet access.  There is a common bathroom on each floor.  Students can also reserve a single room (private) for RMB 65-85 ¥ ($8 - $11) per day.  The single rooms also come with air conditioning, telephone, color television, Internet access, and private bathrooms. 

To live off campus, students must rent residential housing legally available to foreign residents and both the student and the landlord must register with the local police within 24 hours of a student moving into the residence. 

Application Time Line

Deadline to submit the Georgetown Law Center Semester Abroad Application to the OITP	March 13, 2008
Deadline for OITP to notify applicants if their Semester Abroad application for Tsinghua has been approved	March 19, 2008
Deadline for approved students to submit the following to OITP: Application form (fill out, print and submit to OITP) Resume Transcript Letter of Reference from the Law Center	March 31, 2008
Deadline for Tsinghua to notify approved students if they have been admitted to the LLM program	April 22, 2008

For more information on the Tsinghua LLM in Chinese Law Program, please visit their website at http://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/docsn/fxy/english/llmPrgm.htm

After considering the material here and on the websites, any student interested in the Semester Abroad Program at Tsinghua University should seek the advice of Professor James Feinerman, the Semester in Tsinghua faculty advisor.  His telephone number is 202-662-9474 and his email is feinerma@law.georgetown.edu.

Students who are admitted to the program should consult with Professor James Feinerman before choosing courses.

Click here to read reports from Fall 2007 students.