UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION
P
roviding top quality undergraduate
education
for our 6,000 undergraduate
students is a core mission of HKUST. To deliver such
an education, the University has built up a portfolio
of 40 well designed programs of undergraduate
study and is also offering a multi-cultural campus
experience to students to complement their
academic studies.
HKUST attracts some of the best students in Hong
Kong, as well as top academic achievers from the
Mainland and overseas. Locally, HKUST is one of the
top choices for secondary school leavers. Most of
our new intakes are recruited based on the results of
their Hong Kong A-level examinations, while 20%
of our intake have other qualifications and about
10% are from outside of Hong Kong.
One of the main reasons HKUST is able to attract
top students is the high quality of our academic
programs and faculty members. Almost all of
our research-active faculty teach undergraduate
students, thus allowing our students to get a
first-hand introduction to the research frontier of
their chosen field. For those who are particularly
interested in research, the Undergraduate Research
Opportunities Program provides a chance to go into
the lab and work alongside their professors. On the
whole class size has remained small, with an average
class of only 40 students.
Not all students will go on to graduate school or
take up careers in research. HKUST is therefore
fully committed to developing students’ full range
of skills and personal attributes. The hours spent
in small-class tutorials for English and Chinese
languages have an important pay-off, with HKUST
students’ average scores in the International
English Language Testing System showing a steady
increase over the last five years from 6.44 to a
very creditable 6.72. The continuing improvement
is also due in part to the internationalization of
campus life.
New interdisciplinary programs
Maintaining the quality and momentum of the
three-year undergraduate programs during the lead-
up to the four-year degree is an important challenge
for the University. In February 2008, the University
presented its Academic Development Proposal to
the University Grants Committee for the 2009-2012
funding triennium. This proposal includes plans to
introduce three new programs in the three-year
format, prior to their implementation as four-year
degrees.
These programs include a BSc in Risk Management
and Business Intelligence, a BSc in Global China
Studies, and a BSc in Bioengineering. The hallmark
of these programs is their interdisciplinary quality
and the effort to mobilize and integrate the
strengths of all four Schools. They have the potential
to become signature programs characterized by
high intake quality and enhanced career prospects
or postgraduate studies opportunities.
Over the past 10 years, HKUST has taken full
advantage of its existing interdisciplinary research
strength and experience to create innovative
interdisciplinary programs that are well received by
students and industry. The Dual Degree Program in
Technology and Management is one of the many
successful examples, enabling the University to
produce multi-talented graduates to meet the needs
of the global job market.
To foster interdisciplinary education, HKUST
established the Interdisciplinary Programs Office
in February 2008 to facilitate the planning,
imp l ement a t i on and management of new
interdisciplinary undergraduate programs and the
existing Dual Degree Program in Technology and
Management.
The BSc in Global China Studies is an especially
welcome development, as it will provide our
School of Humanities and Social Science with an
opportunity to deliver its own undergraduate major
for students.
HKUST 2007-2008 Annual Report
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