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The Lok Yew Hall
The University's mission
Since its foundation in 1911, the University of Hong Kong has given unparalleled service to Hong Kong and the region, drawing on the great cultural traditions of China and the West. We shall strive to continue to offer the highest standards of teaching, research, and scholarship as practised in the wider, international academic community, in an environment conducive to creativity, to learning, and to freedom of thought, enquiry and expression.We shall continue to produce graduates who are equipped to contribute to the intellectual, social, political, moral and material development of the societies in which they are to live; and who recognize that the development of contemporary societies reflects diversity alongside consensus and acknowledgement of the past as well as concern for innovation. We shall continue to undertake research, consultancy and other forms of service to the local and regional communities which will enrich our teaching and advance our quest for wisdom and truth.
We shall make known our mission in Hong Kong and internationally.
The University's goals
To fulfill our mission we have six major goals. These goals guide our planning strategies, which we review and update annually. We do our utmost to achieve each goal by safeguarding our established freedom to create an environment of excellence in teaching and research and by maintaining our status as a leading institution of higher education in the region.
| * | To develop the best qualities of our students |
| * | To facilitate and maintain excellence in teaching |
| * | To advance knowledge through research and scholarly activity |
| * | To attract the most intellectually able staff and students |
| * | To secure and manage the resources to implement our goals |
| * | To disseminate knowledge to benefit and serve Hong Kong, China and the international community |
Academic organization
The University has 54 teaching departments organized in nine faculties: architecture, arts, dentistry, education, engineering, law, medicine, science and social sciences. Several centres and units outside the faculties also contribute to the teaching and research programmes.Most first-degree curricula take three years of full-time study but some, notably those leading to professional qualification, take four years (eg the BSc [Speech and Hearing Sciences]) or five years (in dentistry and medicine). Some programmes in the Faculty of Education are available by part-time study.
Students may enrol for higher degrees by research and coursework in any of the University's faculties and in the non-faculty centres. The research degrees of MPhil and PhD require a minimum of two and three years of full-time study respectively and may also be taken on a part-time basis. Coursework higher degrees usually take one or two years of full-time study or two or three years of part-time study.
Admission is to a curriculum and not to a department. Many curricula allow a choice of courses from different departments and faculties and there are many inter-disciplinary first-degree and taught postgraduate programmes.
Most degree programmes are subvented by the University Grants Committe of Hong Kong and the tuition fees are set in accordance with levels indicated by the Government. A small number of coursework postgraduate programmes are being introduced on a cost-recovery basis at a higher level of fee.
A corner inside the Lok Yew Hall
Planned student numbers
The student enrolment targets have been increased very substantially during the 1990s in line with government policy:
| Full-time equivalent enrolment targets | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | |
| UG | 6935 | 8783 | 9099 | 9158 |
| TPg | 1275 | 1441 | 1496 | 1552 |
| RPg | 555 | 1018 | 1102 | 1157 |
| Total | 8765 | 11242 | 11697 | 11867 |
Planning for the triennium 1998-2001 is taking place during the academic year 1995-96. It is likely that the enrolment targets will continue at about their planned 1997-98 levels.
Research and postgraduate studies
Research by academic staff is directed not only to the enrichment of teaching but also to the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake and, where opportunity offers, for direct application to the needs of the society to which the University looks for support.The University has a strong record in obtaining external research funding. The research programme has to respond to factors of increasing importance: the need for collaboration among disciplines and nations in the region; a more pluralistic approach to research grant funding; the development of contract research and technology transfer; the protection of intellectual property; and the use of research assessment to guide resource allocations to academic departments.
Postgraduate studies are being strongly developed to encourage more graduates to master research skills in a wide range of fields. The University enjoys a reputation as a centre for studies of local, regional and international relevance and excellence. It sees itself as carrying a special responsibility for higher degree studies in Hong Kong. As well as making internationally recognized contributions to scholarship, it trains future tertiary teachers and intellectual leaders, through the research degrees of MPhil and PhD, and through coursework masters degrees most of which contain a substantial research element.
A School of Research Studies has been established to promote research and postgraduate studies throughout the University and to serve as a focus for the affairs of postgraduate students. The School is an independent academic organization with its own Director (a senior member of the academic staff), supporting staff and accommodation. It strengthens the provision of postgraduate education by promoting and co-ordinating a range of courses and programmes (both vocational and generic in nature) designed to further the academic progress and personal development of students. Through the School's Newsletter research students are kept informed of all new developments affecting their careers. Through the encouragement of the Director a Graduate Student Association has been formed which brings graduate affairs into prominence.
The Faculty of Medicine has established a School of Postgraduate Medical Education and Training to co-operate with the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine in providing postgraduate and post-registration training.
The University has a number of well-established research centres including the Swire Institute of Marine Science, the Centre of Asian Studies, the Centre for Urban Planning and Environmental Management and the Institute of Molecular Biology. Recently a number of `virtual' centres have been established, either University-wide or assigned to a faculty, to encourage interdisciplinary research in subjects including neuroscience, biomedical engineering, comparative and public law, cleft lip and palate, cognitive science, materials science, regional and international education, English language education, cancer, and the study of business values.
Teaching
The University has well-established professional faculties, including architecture, dentistry, education, engineering, law and medicine, and a strong tradition of general degree teaching in the humanities, sciences and social sciences. English is generally used for teaching and examining but in the Department of Chinese the examinations are in Chinese as they are in some programmes in Education and Speech and Hearing Sciences. Modular programmes are being developed in some faculties.New first-degree programmes introduced recently include actuarial science, cognitive science, earth science, European studies, finance, Japanese studies, nursing studies and physical education and sports science. New and planned coursework masters programmes include analytical chemistry, applied linguistics, building science, English studies, landscape architecture, materials science, orthodontics, statistics and transport policy and planning.
Language enhancement
The University is strongly committed to English language teaching and to enabling its students to achieve proficiency in both Chinese and English as the languages for future business and international relations in Hong Kong. The English Centre was established in 1992 to develop English language enhancement programmes in co-operation with teachers in all the faculties. These programmes are now compulsory for all first-degree students. Optional Chinese language enhancement programmes are also being made available by stages for first-degree students in all faculties.
The Main Library
Supporting services
Teaching and research are well supported by academic and other facilities. The library is centrally located on the main campus with branches in the faculties of dentistry, education, law and medicine. There is on-line access to its catalogue and the catalogues of all the tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. The computer centre supports a campus-wide network and the University has achieved its aim of providing a desktop computer for every teacher. Staff have access to territory-wide computing facilities including a supercomputer.The University is developing the use of new technologies both to support its teaching and research and as an integral part of its academic programmes. The School of Research Studies, the Centre for Media Resources and the Centre for the Advancement of University Teaching are all working to encourage innovation in teaching, familiarity with information technology, and a critical appraisal of teaching and research programmes throughout the University.
Quality assurance
The University has in place many means of assisting staff to maintain and enhance standards in teaching, learning and research. These include a system of external examiners, student evaluation of teaching, and a system of regular comprehensive review of each teaching department. There are teaching quality committees at University and faculty levels to promote teaching of high quality throughout the University.
International links
Hong Kong's geopolitical location, its extraordinary commercial vigour and its high standard of living combine to promote an international outlook. Our neighbours have high expectations of Hong Kong and especially of its tertiary institutions in the areas of research and education. The University is outward looking and has developed a wide international network of links with universities worldwide and especially in Australia, China, Europe and North America. Within Hong Kong we collaborate with the other tertiary institutions by teaching and joint research projects.We intend to promote all of these links, particularly those with China. Many of our staff have close links with colleagues in universities in China and visit to conduct teaching and research there. Recent new agreements with Chinese institutions will lead to many more exchanges of postgraduate and undergraduate students in both directions, and greater involvement of mainland scholars in our own teaching and research. Our objectives here include facilitating the development of high technology industry in Hong Kong and China; backing the evolution of science base interactions with China; and promoting advances in total health care through our Faculties of Dentistry and Medicine for the benefit of the peoples of Hong Kong, China and the region.