What is Economics?
Economic activities play a predominant role in our society. Examples include production, consumption, asset transactions, international trade, transport, housing, and education.
These activities interact with each other in such a complex manner that laymen would find them difficult to fully understand. Economics provides for us a systematic and scientific analytical framework to understand and analyze these activities.
Our Advantage
Highly Ranked Globally
The Chinese University of Hong Kong ranks 8th in Asia and 48th in the world in the field of Economics and Econometrics (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021).
Distinguished Alumni
Over decades, the CUHK Department of Economics has nurtured many distinguished alumni, who have contributed in different sectors of the community. They include Mr. Vincent Cheng, the first Chinese Chairman of HSBC; Mr. Kwok Kwok Chuen, former Government Economist at HKSAR Government.
Research Excellence
The Department of Economics is renowned for its strength in research in the Chinese economy, economic theory and labour economics.
Feature of Curriculum
The objectives of the Economics curriculum at The Chinese University of Hong Kong are to offer our students an analytical framework, to stimulate them to think about economic issues, and to enhance their abilities to analyze them independently.
To meet these objectives, the curriculum is designed to be balanced. Our students receive a solid foundation in such analytical tools as economic theory, mathematics and statistics. They are also required to apply economic theory to analyze a broad range of economic problems. Our curriculum stresses both theory and application. The Department offers a wide range of courses for undergraduate students to choose from, from qualitative subjects such as economic history to quantitative subjects such as econometrics. The motivated students may also choose courses in the graduate division. Special subjects are also offered to introduce students to the issues of Hong Kong.
Besides the undergraduate programme, the Department also runs MPhil. and Ph.D. programmes. The Department stresses research activities. The faculty members in the Department have very broad research interests, with particular emphasis in theory and economic issues arising in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and the Asia Pacific. They are collaborating with major institutions in China and overseas in various research projects. The Department publishes a discussion paper series to disseminate research findings and to facilitate intellectual exchange with other institutions.
The Department provides rigorous training in analytical thinking to prepare our students to engage in many different careers. Most of our graduates entered the banking, finance and business sectors. Others entered the Government and education sectors. A sizable number of graduates went overseas to further their studies. Their performances on the job have always been impressive.