Compulsory Coursework for Research Postgraduate Students
The coursework component, comprising the Graduate School courses and Faculty/departmental courses, aims to aid research postgraduate students’ research work and prepare them for writing their thesis. 4-year PhD and MPhil students are required to complete both the Graduate School and Faculty/departmental coursework requirements. 3-year PhD students are required to complete Module 4 Responsible Conduct of Research and Module 5 Stream-based Responsible Conduct of Research of the Graduate School coursework requirements. Some Faculties/departments also require 3-year PhD students to complete Faculty/departmental courses. Students may also discuss with their supervisors and take additional courses relevant to their research. Upon enrolment, the assessment result, whether pass or fail, will be recorded on the transcript.
Students should have passed all Graduate School compulsory courses and at least 50% of the Faculty/departmental courses by the end of the probationary period. All coursework requirement must be completed before thesis submission. Failure to do so may lead to discontinuation or termination of candidature.
- Coursework Requirements - Graduate School Courses
- Coursework Requirements - Faculty/Departmental Courses
- Coursework Requirements by Faculty/Department
Compulsory English Enhancement Course for Selected Students
With reference to the TOFEL or IELTS scores submitted upon admission, some students will be required to complete the English enhancement course, GRSC6027 Intensive English for Postgraduate Students prior to taking Module 3 Thesis Writing of the Graduate School coursework requirements. Students who are required to take the course will be notified individually by the Graduate School generally before the start of the course enrolment period of each semester, i.e. by August (for Semester 1 enrolment) or December (for Semester 2 enrolment) of their first year of study.
Course Assessment
Starting from the 2024/25 academic year, coursework shall be graded by letter grades unless prior approval is obtained from the Graduate School (for Graduate School courses) or the Faculty (for Faculty/departmental courses) for the courses to be assessed on a pass/fail basis. Upon obtaining approval from the Graduate School (for Graduate School courses) or the Faculty Higher Degrees Committee (FHDC) (for Faculty/departmental courses), the Faculty Office shall arrange to release course results to students via HKU Portal.
Students who fail a course at the first attempt may be required to undergo re-examination in the failed courses, retake the course or take an alternative course as determined by the Graduate School (for Graduate School courses) or the FHDC (for Faculty/departmental courses). Students who have not satisfied the examiners in a course (which, for this purpose, covers the re-examination of the same course and the alternative course) in the second attempt may be recommended for discontinuation or termination of candidature.
Course Exemption
Students who have successfully completed a required course or its equivalent, either from HKU or a comparable institution, may apply for course exemption. The requirements and application procedures for exemption from the Graduate School courses are available here.