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Academics
Course Information
CUHK offers undergraduate and postgraduate level courses under the faculties of Arts, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Science, and Social Science. Many of these courses are open to exchange and study-abroad students.
Cantonese is the main spoken language in Hong Kong, but CUHK is a multilingual university, with English and Putonghua (Mandarin) used as the languages of instruction for many courses.
Helpful tip! Courses offered by the Faculty of Business Administration and the Faculty of Law are very popular. Consider second choices and make backup plans.
Independent Studies
Besides taking content courses, students may wish to undertake independent studies or group research in a topic of interest. Students interested in undertaking independent studies should identify a suitable supervisor and enroll in the course IASP4090 / IASP5090 Independent Research on International Studies (Research Proposal Form / Supervisor Approval Form).
Senior Seminar
To encourage international and local students to undertake group project and discuss current affairs, IASP4280 International Asian Studies Programme Senior Seminar provides a platform for students to conduct collaborative research on topics of interest in small groups. This allows the groups to analyze their topics from different perspectives and facilitate the integration of students from various backgrounds. Click here for course outline.
Chinese Language Courses
The Yale–China Chinese Language Centre (CLC) offers elementary, intermediate and advanced Chinese language courses in both Cantonese and Putonghua (Mandarin). The number of Chinese language courses you can register depends on the exchange or study-abroad programme you are on. Click here for more details. Some Chinese language courses are available for the online course pre-selection. Click here for more details. It is recommended that students take a placement test during the orientation week to ensure that they are placed at the right level.
MBA exchange students wishing to take Chinese language courses will need to pay additional fees. First-term MBA exchange students: Course Details / Course Fees Second and third-term MBA exchange students: Course Details and Fees
Course Load
At CUHK, one unit or credit is roughly equivalent to one hour of instruction per week. Most three-unit courses feature either three hours of lectures or two hours of lectures and one hour of tutorials per week. Students receive credits for all courses successfully completed, according to the academic standards of the department.
Undergraduate Students
All undergraduate exchange and study-abroad students should take a full load of courses, ie. between 9 and 18 units per term.
Postgraduate Students
Postgraduate exchange and study-abroad students, except those from programmes with a specific course-load requirement, can either take a full load of 9 to 18 units of courses, or conduct research by taking a minimum of three units per term.
Timetable and Course Description
Online Course Pre-selection
Once admitted into CUHK, all exchange students are provided with a list of courses for pre-selection before the term starts. This will allow you consider the courses with your home university for credit transfer back home. To start your course pre-selection, please Click here for instructions.
Course Registration
Exchange students register for courses during the course add/drop period, which is usually in September for the first term and January for the second. During this period, students may register for new courses or withdraw from courses. If you wish to register for senior level courses that have prerequisites, you may be required to submit an up-to-date official transcript and description of relevant courses you’ve taken in the past to the offering academic department for approval.
Helpful tip! Check your course enrolment records and make your final adjustments within the add/drop period. Late requests to add or drop courses will be approved only in exceptional circumstances.
Assessments
You will be assessed on all the courses you take at CUHK. Assessment criteria can include attendance, class work, written work, laboratory work, field work, research papers, tests and examinations. Some courses are held during a centralised examination period, which usually begins in mid-December in the first term and late April in the second term. You can find the examination timetable on the Registration and Examinations Section website. Other courses schedule examinations according to the teachers’ arrangement. Students should take note of the examination period when scheduling travel plans as rescheduling of examinations are not entertained.
Helpful tip! Talk to your advisor at the Office of Academic Links immediately after the examination timetable is released if you have any questions.
Credit Transfer
In most circumstances, your home institution will recognise credits earned at CUHK. You should consult your home institution to make sure that this is the case. At CUHK, one credit or unit is approximately equivalent to one hour of instruction per week. Most three-unit courses consist of three hours of lectures or two hours of lectures and one of tutorials each week.