General Coursework Requirement

Introduction

In addition to the traditional one-to-one mode of supervision, the incorporation of coursework into the MPhil/4-year PhD programmes serves to provide a form of structural supervision. The Graduate School courses aim to provide students from all faculties some basic knowledge on thesis writing and research skills and methods. They do not aim to provide students with the discipline-specific knowledge that the faculty/school/departmental courses will provide.

(A) Compulsory Coursework Component for MPhil and 4-year PhD Students

The coursework component is compulsory for all MPhil students registered on or after September 1, 1999 and 4-Year PhD students registered on or after September 1, 2001 unless exemption is granted by the Board of Graduate Studies under exceptional circumstances. The coursework component includes:

(i) Graduate School Core Course I * (24 hours):
- GRSC6001 Introduction to Thesis Writing; or
- GRSC6020 Introduction to Thesis Writing (The Humanities & Related Disciplines); or
- GRSC6021 Introduction to Thesis Writing (The Sciences & Related Discipline)

* Students from the Faculty of Arts may take ENGL6070 'Introduction to Thesis Writing in English Studies' or HIST6011 'Introduction to History Thesis Writing' in lieu of the Graduate School Core Course I.

(ii) Graduate School Core Course II Basic Research Skills and Methods (24 hours) consisting of:
For students enrolled in or after September 2009
(a) one 12- hour compulsory module:
- GRSC6009 Research Ethics for Graduate Students; and
Please note that the course is divided into 4 subclasses specifically developed for students in different disciplines. Students are required to select the subclass in accordance to their Faculties. Please click here and refer to the course description for further details.

For any students who would like to enroll in a subclass not in accordance to their Faculties, please download the form here and submit the duly completed form to Graduate School for approval.

(b) one 12-hour elective module chosen from the list below** :
- GRSC6002 Making Your Writing Clear
- GRSC6003 Reporting on Other Researchers’ Work
- GRSC6004 Effective Academic Presentations
(Students have to pass an assessment test conducted by the Centre for Applied English Studies to confirm a place on this module. Please click here for detailed information.)
- GRSC6007 Data Analysis
(Pre-requisite: GRSC6024/6025 Intermediate Quantitative Research Methods)
- GRSC6008 Transferable Skills
- GRSC6010 Logic, Critical Thinking, and Creativity
- GRSC6014 How to Publish Your Research (The Humanities & Related Disciplines)
(Pre-requisite: GRSC6001/6020/6021 Introduction to Thesis Writing)
- GRSC6015 How to Publish Your Research (The Sciences & Related Disciplines)
(Pre-requisite: GRSC6001/6020/6021 Introduction to Thesis Writing)
- GRSC6018 Qualitative Research Methods
- GRSC6022 Basic Quantitative Research Methods (The Humanities & Related Disciplines)
- GRSC6023 Basic Quantitative Research Methods (The Sciences & Related Disciplines)
- GRSC6024 Intermediate Quantitative Research Methods (The Humanities & Related Disciplines)
(Pre-requisite: GRSC6022/6023 Basic Quantitative Research Methods)
- GRSC6025 Intermediate Quantitative Research Methods (The Sciences & Related Disciplines)
(Pre-requisite: GRSC6022/6023 Basic Quantitative Research Methods)
- GRSC6026 Computer-Assisted Analysis of Qualitative Data
(Pre-requisite: Students must have their own set of research data for analyzing.)
- GRSC6028 Biological Safety

For students enrolled before September 2009
- two 12-hour elective modules chosen from (b) above

(Note: In the academic year 2009-10, GRSC6010, GRSC6018, GRSC6025 and GRSC6028 are only offered in Semester 1 while GRSC6007, GRSC6024 and GRSC6026 will only be offered in Semester 2. Other modules are planned to be offered in both Semester 1 and Semester 2.)

** Students from the Faculty of Arts may take ENGL6068 'Foundations of Euro-American Critical Theory' or ENGL6071 'Foundations in Language and Human Communication' in lieu of the elective module of the Graduate School Core Course II 'Basic Research Skills and Methods'.

Students in the Faculty of Education may choose to take one of the following Faculty courses in lieu of the elective module of the Graduate School Core Course II:
EDUR7050 Measurement in Educational Research
EDUR7051 Design-based Research
EDUR7052 Questionnaire Development and Validation
EDUR7053 Making Your Research More Effective through Technology
EDUR7060 The Use of Qualitative Data in Educational Research
EDUR7061 Critical Discourse Analysis in Educational Research
EDUR7062 Doing Fieldwork in Educational Settings
EDUR7063 Introducing Critical Qualitative Research

(iii) 3 to 13 faculty/school/departmental courses

*For Faculty of Education (all Divisions other than Division of Speech & Hearing Science): Students admitted in or after April 2008 are required to take 3 elective courses, of which not more than two should be courses offered by the Faculty’s Taught Master's Degree programmes, and at least one should be chosen from the Faculty’s Courses on Primary Disciplines offered especially to Research Higher Degrees Students.

Please refer to the Graduate School homepage for the detailed faculty/school/departmental coursework requirement. A full list of courses to be offered in the coming semester and their syllabuses are available (Click HERE) from December 2, 2009 onwards.

By the end of the probationary period, students are required to pass all Graduate School core courses, i.e. Core Course I, 1 compulsory and 1 elective module of Core Course II, and pass at least 50% of the faculty/school/departmental courses. ALL coursework requirements must be completed before thesis submission.

(B) Taking Courses from Other Local UGC-Funded Tertiary Institutions

In order to enhance the opportunities for postgraduate students to have access to courses and expertise at sister institutions in Hong Kong, the University has made an agreement with the other six UGC-funded tertiary institutions in HK to open up rpg courses to research postgraduate students of other institutions. Students who find the course(s) useful to their research may, with the endorsement from the supervisor and the Department Research Postgraduate Committee (DRPC), apply for taking the course(s). Please click here for the detailed application procedures. Please note that different universities have different deadlines for application and you should go to the above link for checking the relevant information and downloading the application form.

The result(s) of the course(s) taken from the other institutions will be included in the HKU official transcripts. MPhil and 4-year PhD students are allowed to take other institutions' courses in lieu of the faculty/school/departmental courses up to 50% of the faculty/school/departmental requirements.

(C) Courses Offered under the Joint Centre for Advanced Studies (JCAS)

The Joint Centre for Advanced Study (JCAS) is a joint effort among The University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in developing greater cooperation and deeper collaboration in response to the initiative of The University Grants Committee of Hong Kong in the development of strategic alliances and deep collaboration in higher education. The first initiative under this umbrella is the joint offering of courses for research postgraduate students.

Students may refer to the website of the JCAS (http://www.jcas.edu.hk) for the list of courses offered by each of the institutions. Interested students can select the course(s) via the on-line course registration system following the same course selection procedures as other departmental courses. Additionally, students should complete and return the student record form to the Graduate School. The student record form is downloadable from the Graduate School website (/gradsch/web/forms/student). The result(s) of the course(s) taken under the JCAS scheme will be included in the HKU official transcripts.

Students enrolled in courses under JCAS scheme and have to travel to campuses of other universities may be offered a traveling subsidy. The Graduate School will inform the relevant students of the application procedure in due course.

(D) 3-Year PhD Students

3-year PhD students are not required by the degree regulations and procedures to complete coursework component. However, some Faculties/Schools/Departments may have an internal policy to require 3-year PhD students to complete a number of courses as part of the degree requirement. Please consult the Faculty/School/Departmental Office for details.

3-year PhD students may take the courses offered to MPhil and 4-year PhD students if they find that the course(s) is/are relevant to their studies. Once they are officially enrolled in the course, they will be assessed like all other students in class and their results including failures will be printed on their transcripts.

(E) English Enhancement Opportunities

To provide more English enhancement opportunities for research postgraduate students, the course GRSC6027 Intensive English for Postgraduate Students will be offered starting from September 2009. Students admitted in the academic year 2009-10 will be identified of their need of English enhancement by their TOFEL or IELTS scores upon admission and those required to take the course will be notified individually by the Graduate School.

(F) Assessment

All courses/modules taken by research postgraduate students are assessed on a pass/fail basis. Students who fail a course at the first attempt may be re-examined in the same course or an alternative course as determined by the Faculty Higher Degrees Committees. A student who has not satisfied the examiners in any course (which, for this purpose, includes the alternative course) in a second attempt may be required to discontinue his or her studies.

(G) Application for Exemption

Students who have successfully completed the required course(s) or equivalent(s), either from HKU or a comparable institution, may apply for exemption from one or more course(s). Applications for exemption from any course(s) should be made in writing to your Faculty via the Chairman of your DRPC with the support of your supervisor within one month from your registration date. Students will need to produce documentary evidence of having attended and passed the relevant course(s) with an equivalent standing in HKU or other recognized academic institution. Exemption from courses is subject to the approval of the Board of Graduate Studies on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the individual circumstances.

(H) Cancellation Policy

The Graduate School reserves the right to cancel any course/module with insufficient enrollment number. The students concerned will be informed if a course/module they have enrolled is cancelled immediately after the Course Enrollment Period by email so that they have the opportunity to take another course/module during the On-line Add-drop Period.