Department of Law

The predecessor of the Law program at Harbin Institute of Technology was the Department of Law within the Social Sciences Division of Harbin Institute of Architecture, established in 1998 with approval from Ministry of National Construction (initially named the Economic Law program). Following the merger of Harbin Institute of Technology and Harbin Institute of Architecture in 2000, the Law program became part of the Department of Law and Political Science under the School of Humanities at HIT. In October 2005, the School of Law was officially founded, making the Law program the university’s sole undergraduate major within the law school. In January 2006, the program was granted authorization to offer a master’s program in International Law as a level two discipline, and it began formally enrolling graduate students in 2007. By September 2023, the Law program had been transferred to the newly established School of Humanities and Social Sciences, where it also launched a minor program open to all students on campus. In 2024, the program expanded its offerings by introducing a second bachelor’s degree option, initially available in select provinces across China. Additionally, the Law program has recently been approved to establish a distinctive doctoral program focused on “International Economic Law and Social Governance (with a Global Compliance Emphasis)” as a level two discipline.

As a provincial-level first-class undergraduate program, the Law major leverages Harbin Institute of Technology’s interdisciplinary strengths to proactively support national strategies such as “Rule of Law China,” “National Security,” “Cyber Sovereignty,” and the “Belt and Road Initiative.” By aligning with world-class standards and optimizing its academic structure, the program is forging new pathways that cater to diversified talent development and foster cross-disciplinary integration. Starting from 2023, the Law undergraduate program has been integrated into the broader enrollment category of the Experimental Class in Economics and Management, placing particular emphasis on the institution’s distinctive educational philosophy: “strong foundational knowledge, robust practical skills, and global perspectives.”

The School of Law currently has 16 full-time faculty members, including 3 professors, 8 associate professors, and 5 lecturers. Among them, twelve serve as master’s thesis supervisors, and 1 is a doctoral supervisor. Over 80% of the faculty hold doctoral degrees, and more than half have studied or pursued advanced training abroad. Notable institutions where they earned their highest degrees include Peking University, University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Renmin University of China, China University of Political Science and Law, Jilin University, the University of Helsinki in Finland, the University of Milan in Italy, and Kazakh National University, among others. Many faculty members also hold leadership positions on national or provincial law research associations—specifically, one serves as the Vice President of the Academic Research Association under the China Law Society. Additionally, several faculty members concurrently serve as legal advisors to the Heilongjiang Provincial Government or the Harbin Municipal Government, as well as arbitrators at the Harbin Arbitration Commission.

Law faculty members primarily engage in academic research focusing on areas such as outer space law, global compliance, national security law, cybersecurity law, data sovereignty law, financial services law, international criminal law, and WTO law. They have established a relatively stable academic team in these specialized fields, with faculty members producing significant research and teaching achievements. To date, law professors have published over 400 research papers in SSCI-indexed journals, more than 30 pedagogical articles in CSSCI-listed law journals, and numerous contributions to other scholarly publications. Additionally, they have led over 40 research and teaching projects at various levels, including national-level initiatives, Ministry of Education humanities and social sciences projects, China’s Ministry of Justice-funded projects, China Law Society-sponsored programs, provincial-level social science planning projects, key provincial economic and social science research projects, and provincial higher education reform projects—among which are three General Projects and one Major Project funded by the National Social Science Foundation. Furthermore, faculty members have received more than 20 prestigious awards for outstanding social science research and teaching achievements, such as provincial-level awards for excellent social science research outcomes, provincial university awards for outstanding humanities and social science research, and provincial higher education teaching achievement awards. They have also authored or edited over 30 specialized books and monographs.

The Law program has implemented a comprehensive and robust internationalization strategy, placing great emphasis on fostering academic exchanges and collaborations with renowned universities both domestically and abroad. We have repeatedly invited distinguished professors from prestigious institutions such as the University of Milan in Italy, University of Marburg in Germany, the University of Manchester in the UK, Leiden University in the Netherlands, the University of Tokyo in Japan, Seoul National University in South Korea, St Petersburg State University in Russia, Kazakh National University, and the Faculty of Law at the University of Lapland in Finland, to deliver lectures or engage in academic exchange activities at our university.

Law faculty members actively participate in major international and domestic academic conferences within their respective fields, while also playing an active role in drafting national laws and regulations, as well as contributing to legal reviews conducted by provincial and municipal governments.

Law students, meanwhile, can take advantage of the university’s international exchange programs to study at renowned institutions around the world—including those in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and other regions—through our exchange partnerships. Additionally, students can leverage the C9 University Alliance’s exchange platform to pursue study opportunities at one of the prestigious C9 universities in China.

Since 2017, when our university hosted the annual conference of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), the Law program has maintained a strong and fruitful partnership with this global organization, becoming one of the founding members of the APSCO University Consortium. As part of our university’s internship program, our department is able to send several interns to APSCO each year.

Among law undergraduate graduates, 20% have the opportunity to directly pursue a master’s degree without taking an entrance exam, while approximately half of these students go on to study for their master’s degrees—both domestically and abroad.

Domestic institutions offering advanced studies include Peking University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Nanjing University, Renmin University of China, Wuhan University, Tongji University, Jilin University, Sichuan University, China University of Political Science and Law, and Harbin Institute of Technology, among others.  

Internationally, students can choose from prestigious universities such as University College London in the UK, the University of Manchester, King's College London, the University of Alberta in Canada, the University of Cologne in Germany, Leiden University in the Netherlands, the University of Melbourne in Australia, Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University in Russia, Kazakh National University, the University of Queensland, and Korea University in South Korea.

Law graduates consistently achieve high pass rates on the national bar exam and enjoy strong employment prospects, with career paths primarily leading to government agencies, large corporations and public institutions, as well as legal practice.

Firms and organizations include the Central Party School of the CPC (National Academy of Administration), the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, provincial and municipal people's courts and procuratorates, the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of State Security, the Harbin Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Harbin Municipal Bureau of Justice and Public Security, State Grid Corporation of China, Sinopec, Huawei, BYD, China Southern Airlines, Jin Tiancheng Law Firm and many others.