Intellectual Property (with a Minor in Big Data) Program (2025)

1. Program Name (Specialization): Intellectual Property (with a Minor in Big Data)

2. Duration: 4 years

3. Degrees Awarded:  Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), Minor Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

4. Program Overview

      （1）Goals and Requirements

       As a Ministry of Education-accredited law program, Intellectual Property integrates legal studies with technological innovation. It adheres to the principles of fostering virtue and combining ethics with legal expertise, aiming to cultivate interdisciplinary applied talents with both liberal arts and scientific literacy. The program meets the demands of building an innovative nation and a socialist rule-of-law system with Chinese characteristics. By guiding students to minor in Big Data and other STEM fields, it equips them with the scientific knowledge and skills required for intellectual property work, producing professionals with both technological acumen and legal thinking.

      Rooted in law and supported by technology, the program focuses on cultivating applied IP specialists. Graduates will be prepared for careers in corporate legal affairs, IP management, law firms, patent and trademark agencies, judicial and administrative enforcement, and other practices aligned with the digital economy and IP industry.

      （2）Program Features and Advantages

      The Law and Business School (School of Intellectual Property) leverages the national-level flagship law program and the university’s strength in “Emerging Engineering” to develop a distinctive liberal arts profile within a technological university. The program emphasizes the integration of IP with STEM disciplines, balances theory and practice, and is supported by comprehensive teaching and research platforms.

      Wuhan Institute of Technology has achieved remarkable results in IP commercialization, talent cultivation, and discipline development. It houses an IP operation center, a national technology transfer demonstration institution, a national IP pilot university, and collaborates with the Hubei Intellectual Property Office to establish the Hubei Trademark Brand and Geographical Indication Research Institute. As the first IP program in Hubei deeply integrated with STEM disciplines, it provides a solid foundation for high-quality IP talent development in the province.

5. Core Courses

      Introduction to Xi Jinping Thought on Rule of Law, Jurisprudence, Constitutional Law, Civil Law, Criminal Law, Civil Procedure Law, Criminal Procedure Law, Administrative Law, Intellectual Property General Theory, Copyright Law, Patent Law, Trademark Law, Competition Law, IP Management, IP Literature Retrieval and Application, Python Programming, Introduction to Big Data, Web Crawling, Data Visualization, Data Analysis and Mining, Data Cleaning, Machine Learning, Computer Networks

6. Faculty Team

      The program has 37 full-time teachers, including 6 professors and 14 associate professors, with 70% holding doctoral degrees. Faculty members include national-level IP leaders, experts from the China National Intellectual Property Administration expert pool, and provincial-level high-level talents. Several teachers have overseas experience or international degrees. Over 30 practitioners (senior judges, prosecutors, patent agents, etc.) are invited as adjunct faculty.

7. Career Prospects

      Graduates receive a Bachelor of Laws degree, with an optional minor in Science. They are eligible to take the National Legal Profession Qualification Examination and the Patent Agent Qualification Examination. Career paths include:

      • IP judges, lawyers, prosecutors

      • IP administrators in government agencies

      • Professionals in law firms and IP agencies

      • Legal and IP management roles in high-tech enterprises