Calendar 2011–12

The University 5 Part 1 Academic Structure and Policy The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a growing university offering a wide range of full-time and part-time programmes which lead to bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctorates. There are eight Faculties (Arts, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Science, and Social Science), and 58 departments offering 60 major programmes and 64 minor programmes for full-time undergraduate students, and one part-time undergraduate programme for part-time students. Postgraduate programmes including 35 MPhil–PhD programmes, 33 doctoral programmes, 162 master’s programmes, 26 postgraduate diploma programmes, and 1 postgraduate certificate programme are offered by the Graduate School through its 57 graduate divisions. The Senate regulates instruction, education and research. The Faculties advise the Senate through the faculty boards on the programmes of study recommended by the departments, which deliver disciplinary teaching. The Colleges, in turn, support the broader development of students as whole persons in addition to the provision of residential accomodation. All teaching staff and full-time undergraduate students, with a few exception of teachers belonging to research institutes or centres, belong to both a Faculty and to a College. Undergraduate Studies n n At its inception the University’s undergraduate curriculum was based on a combination of the credit unit system and the degree examination system. After a comprehensive review in the mid-1980s, the University decided to adopt a pure credit-unit-based curriculum structure. From 1991–92 onwards, greater flexibility was introduced into students’ selection of courses and pace of study. Full-time Undergraduate Studies Throughout the years the University has endeavoured to provide a wide variety of programmes to meet the changing needs of society. In 2011–12, a minor programme, biomedical engineering under the Faculty of Engineering, is introduced. Part-time Undergraduate Studies The Part-time Degree Programmes were first launched in 1981–82 with classes conducted in the evening. One part-time degree programme in early childhood education is currently offered.