Entry Requirements for MPhil in Chinese Studies

In order to apply for MPhil programme, applicants must have completed the following:

• Graduated from a recognized university and obtained a Bachelor's degree in an area related to Chinese Studies, normally with honours not lower than Second Class; or
• Graduated from an honours programme of a recognized university with a Bachelor's degree in an area related to Chinese Studies, normally achieving an average grade of not lower than "B" (80 out of 100); or
• Completed a course of study in a tertiary educational institution, and obtained professional or similar qualifications equivalent to an honours degree.

Entry Requirements for PhD in Chinese Studies

In order to qualify for admission into the PhD programme, applicants must have completed the following:

• Graduated from a recognized university and obtained a Master's degree in an area related to Chinese Studies; or
• Have a Bachelor's degree - normally with Second Class Honours in the upper division or above - and have been registered in a course of study for a Master's degree at this University for at least one year and have demonstrated research ability; or
• Have been registered in a course of study for a doctoral degree at a recognized university for at least one year, and have been approved for admission by the Graduate Council.

Language Requirements for MPhil and PhD in Chinese Studies

Proficiency in Chinese: Applicants should have a good result in the Chinese language paper in Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (AS Level), Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination, GCSE, A-level GCE, SAT 1, SAT AP, HSK, STAMP or equivalent examinations. Alternatively, applicants can submit a sample paper of at least 5 pages in length written in Chinese in order to demonstrate proficiency in Chinese to work on Chinese materials as needed for the thesis research. Applicants who have taken a degree programme of which the medium of instruction was Chinese do not need to provide the aforementioned public examination results or sample paper.

Proficiency in English: Applicants must fulfill the English Language Proficiency Requirement prescribed by the CUHK Graduate School:

• Possess a passing grade in English in one of the following examinations:
  • Hong Kong Advanced Level Exam (including AS Level);
  • Hong Kong Higher Level Exam;
  • CUHK Matriculation Exam;
  • General Certificate of Education Examination (GCE) Advanced Level (A-Level)/ Advanced Subsidiary Level (AS-Level); or
• Achieve Level 4 or above in the English Language subject of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination; or
• Have a degree from a university in Hong Kong¹ or taken a degree programme of which the medium of instruction was English; or
• Submit one of the following original score reports/certificates for assessment by the programmes concerned:
  • TOEFL (normally not lower than 550 Paper-based; 79 internet-based)*;
  • IELTS (Academic) (normally not lower than Band 6.5)*;
  • GMAT (Verbal, normally not lower than 21)*; or
• Have obtained a recognized professional qualification, provided that the examination was conducted in English.

1. As instructed by the CUHK Graduate School, this is based on the understanding that English is the medium of instruction of degree programmes offered by universities in Hong Kong. Moreover, graduates from universities in Hong Kong should have fulfilled the English language requirements of the institution concerned when they were admitted to the degree programmes.

* TOEFL and IELTS are considered valid for two years form the test date. GMAT is considered valid for five years from the test date.

Eligibility to Study in Hong Kong

All non-local students must be eligible to study in Hong Kong. In order to study in Hong Kong, they must obtain a student visa and a Hong Kong Identity Card within 30 days after their arrival. Please visit The Hong Kong Immigration Department website for details fo obtaining Student Visa and Hong Kong Identity Card.