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Curriculum Structure and Award Classification

Curriculum Structure of Bachelor's Degree Programmes

Depending on their entry qualifications, applicants may be admitted to first-year studies or with advanced standing. Students have the flexibility to enrich their studies by taking double degrees/majors or minors to prepare for challenges in the globalised community.

The curriculum structure of a four-year degree programme is as follows.

  Credit Requirements
First-year Entrants Advanced Standing I Entrants Advanced Standing II Entrants
(available to local students only)
Gateway Education 30 credit units 21 credit units 12 credit units
College/School and Major Requirements
The major requirement, plus any college/school requirement, should fall within the range of 54 – 72 credit units; and the major should not be less than 27 credit units. However, the college/school may propose a higher limit to meet the requirements of professional accreditation, or for a degree with a normal study duration longer than 4 years, subject to Senate’s approval. Please refer to the respective majors webpages for details.
Minor (optional) 15-18 credit units
Free Electives Taken to fulfil the remaining credit requirements for graduation, if necessary
Minimum Credit Units for Graduation 120 credit units, depending on major 90 credit units, depending on major 60 credit units, depending on major


Notes:

  1. Students are also required to fulfil English language and Chinese language requirements, and may be required to take additional language courses depending on their entry qualifications in English/Chinese. 
  2. Students admitted with Advanced Standing I or II will not be entitled to additional credit transfer on the basis of qualifications attained prior to admission to the University. Instead, students may apply for course exemption based on their prior study. Credit units are not earned for exempted courses.

Award Classification System

The University has introduced a new degree award system starting from 2020/21. Under the new system, the top 15% of departmental/school graduates (based on CGPA ranking) will be recognised under three award categories: summa cum laude (Highest Distinction), magna cum laude (High Distinction) and cum laude (Distinction). Click here for details.