• To provide students with an understanding of the nature of Chinese language and its use for academic and professional purposes;

• To broaden students' vision on the impact and significance of Chinese culture on Chinese for academic and professional purposes;

• To familiarize students with the literary tradition of China and its applications in modern society;

• To enable students to utilise the in-depth knowledge of Chinese language and literature acquired from the courses for educational purposes and prepares them to use Putonghua for teaching Chinese subjects;

• To meet the increasing demand for more advanced competency in Chinese for professional writing in both the public and private sectors in Hong Kong.

To be eligible for admission, you must:

• hold a degree from one of the tertiary educational institutions of Hong Kong funded by the University Grants Committee; or
• hold a degree of a level equivalent to (a) above from a local or non-local institution recognized for this purpose by the University; or
• have satisfied the academic requirements for corporate membership of a professional institution recognized for this purpose by the University; or
• have obtained an equivalent qualification, or provided evidence of academic and professional attainments, acceptable for this purpose to the university.

In addition to the University General Entrance Requirements, applicants are expected to meet the following specific Chinese language requirement:

(a)   have satisfactorily completed at least one tertiary level Chinese course of 30-hour or more which includes substantial written Chinese elements ; or

(b)  have obtained a grade D or above in HKALE AS-level Chinese Language and Culture, or equivalent.

Applicants who cannot produce documentary evidence of (a) or (b) will be required to take an admission test in Chinese language writing and reading and attain a standard comparable to that set for (b).  They must pass this admission test to satisfy the above specific requirement.

The medium of instruction is mainly Chinese (Cantonese and/or Putonghua). Applicant's proficiency in both Cantonese and Putonghua would be an advantage as there are no Cantonese and Putonghua training courses in the programme.

Priority will be given to those with one or more years relevant work experience.

Applicants whose entrance qualification is obtained from an institution where the medium of instruction is not English should also fulfill the following minimum English proficiency requirement:

• TOEFL score 550 (paper-based test) or 79 (internet-based test); or
• Overall band 6.5 in International English Language Testing System (IELTS); or
• Score 450 in the new College English Test (CET-6) of Chinese mainland or a pass in the old CET-6 test; or
• Other equivalent qualifications.

The medium of instruction is Chinese (Cantonese and/or Putonghua) unless otherwise specified. The specific spoken language to be used will be indicated in the University's Master Class Schedule before the start of a semester/term. 

Required Courses

Common Core Courses (6 credits) 

• Essential Concepts in Chinese Language
• Essential Concepts in Chinese Culture

Stream Core Courses (15 credits)

Stream A: Chinese Language and Literature (15 credits) 

• Topics in Classical Chinese Literature
• Topics in Chinese Ancient Classics
• Topics in Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature
• Topics in History of Chinese Literary Criticism
• Topics in Classical Chinese Philology

Stream B: Chinese for Educational and Professional Purposes (15 credits)

(Select 5 courses out of 6; the remaining 1 course can be taken as Programme Elective)

• Selected Readings in Chinese Language and Literature
• Teaching Chinese in Putonghua: Theory and Methodology
• Teaching Chinese as a Second Language: Theory and Methodology
• Chinese Practical Writing in the Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan
• Chinese for the Media
• Chinese Creative Writing

Programme Electives(1)(2)(3)(9 credits) 

• Chinese Linguistic Structures
• Cantonese Linguistics
• Selected Readings in Sinology*
• Great Works of Chinese Literature, History and Philosophy
• Chinese for Government and Public Administration
• Special Topics in Chinese for Government and Public Administration
• Business Chinese
• Special Topics in Business Chinese
• Special Topics in Chinese for the Media
• Special Topics in Chinese Creative Writing
• Writing Workshop in Chinese Couplet, Classical Chinese Prose and Verse
• Contrastive Studies of Cantonese and Putonghua
• Special Topics in Chinese Language and Literature
• Professional Internship#
• Master's Project
• Seminar on Chinese for Professional Purposes
• Advanced Topics in Chinese for Professional Purposes

1.        Programme Electives are open to all students.

2.        Students must take 9 credits from Programme Electives.

3a.     Stream A students can select Stream B Core Courses as Programme Electives;

3b.     Stream B students can select Stream A Core Courses and one Stream B Core Course as Programme Electives;

*The medium of instruction is English/Chinese.

#The on-campus language of instruction is English. The off-campus language of instruction will depend on the predominant language used in the off-campus setting. 

PGC students can take any 4 courses (except CAH6507 Master's Project).

PGD students must take 2 Common Core Courses and 5 designated stream Core Courses plus 3 credit units from Programme Electives.

MA students must take 2 Common Core Courses and 5 designated stream Core Courses plus 9 credit units from Programme Electives.

† MA in Chinese (Chinese Language and Literature) has been approved by the Vetting Committee of the Education Bureau (EDB) to be included on the list of language major degrees for the purpose of meeting the requirements of the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR).

Course Descriptions
Department of Chinese and History
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences