Q1. Before submitting the formal application (Create an account and fill in the info. and submit the application fee), do I have to contact the potential professor who I target to supervise my project in advance to discuss my research planning and let him/her to check with the proposal first?
A1: You are strongly advised to find a qualified teacher (with title equivalent to Assistant Professor or above) of similar research interest from the School as your proposed primary supervisor before your application esp. if you'd like to apply for Postgraduate Studentship (PGS) for your postgraduate studies. The recommendation of your proposed supervisor will enhance your chance of obtaining PGS.
You may send your personal CV and previous academic publications for reference during your email contact with your proposed supervisor to see if he/she still have quota of RPg supervision in the coming academic year and consult with him/her about your research proposal as well if he/she accepts your application.
For details of the list of teachers of our School, please refer to the following webpage:
https://web.chinese.hku.hk/en/people/academic_staff/
Q2. Do all admitted postgraduate students have the monthly PGS or it may be a self-funded programme?
A2: Since the quota for PGS is decided by the University on a very limited basis and is varied each year, the admission to our postgraduate programme will NOT guarantee the award of PGS. Your application for PGS will be discussed by our Departmental Research Postgraduate Committee (DRPC) based on your previous academic records (e.g. GPA of your undergraduate studies), the value of your research topic and quality of your research proposal and recommendation of your proposed supervisor (if any). If your application for PGS is accepted by DRPC, the recommendation will be further submitted to Faculty Higher Degrees Committee (FHDC) for determination. A very limited number of full-time/part-time self-funded places have been offered by the School since 2023/24 if no PGS is available.
Q3. If I cannot obtain PGS, is there any other lawful income that could support my living expenses during the study? I have heard of the post "part-time demonstrator", does it work for me as well?
A3: The payment by hour-rate of a part-time demonstrator at our School is HKD162.00/hour for 150 hours/year. You have to be recommended by your primary supervisor to obtain the opportunity to take the job under the approval of DRPC.
Q4. Could I submit my research proposal in Chinese only?
A4: Since not all the committee members of Faculty Higher Degrees Committee (FHDC) understand Chinese, the English version of your research proposal is compulsory while a separated version of Chinese is accepted to be included as a supplementary document to your English version.
You may write a detailed research proposal in English ONLY and upload to the online application system. Or, you may submit a detailed research proposal in Chinese (up to approx. 8 pages) together with a summarized English version covering the major parts (e.g. research topic, purpose, methodology, research questions, etc.) of your research proposal. The two versions could be submitted either in one file or separately.
For PhD Applicants:
Form: No standardized form
Length: usually 4-5 pages (max. 10 pages)
Format: Double-spaced
Instruction: It should outline a clearly-considered and defined research topic, with an account of research questions and methodology proposed, an explanation of the value and originality of the research, and a bibliography.
For MPhil Applicants:
Form: No standardized form
Length: usually 3 to 4 pages (max. 8 pages)
Format: Double-spaced
Instruction: It should include a brief account of the applicant's academic history (including what he/she studied and what in particular has interested him/her; also, where relevant, the reason why he/she wants to undertake research at HKU). The proposal should set out the area of study he/she proposes to work in, and the research he/she intends to do in it. It should show that the applicant knows something about the field, has started on the relevant reading, and has a sense of the interesting research questions and problems likely to be faced, of the methodology proposed and, if relevant, the resources required. The applicant should append a preliminary bibliography.
Note: If your research proposal in Chinese is detailed enough, the English version could be a summarized version with no need of translation of your full list of bibliography from Chinese to English.
Q5. Do I need to translate my previous publications into English?
A5: The publications are supplementary documents of your application which does not require "officially certified translation". You may upload an abstract in English as a reference to your publications written in Chinese.
Q6. I have not been interviewed by my proposed supervisor. Does it indicate that I fail to be admitted to your School? When will I know my application result?
A6: Interview with the applicants is optional at our School (i.e. each individual School teacher has the right to decide whether to conduct interview with a certain applicant or not). Without interview does not necessarily stands for your failure of admission.
You will be formally informed of your application result by official email notification (Offer/Conditional Offer Letter/Waiting list/Rejection) issued by the Graduate School in about three to four months after the closing date of application. You may also check the result at http://www.hku.hk/gradsch/status.
For the sake of fairness of the RPg admission process of our University, the department will not release the application result before the official announcement by the Graduate School.
For further inquiries about the admission procedure, you may contact the Graduate School:
Tel: (852) 2857 3470
Fax: (852) 2857 3543
Email: gradsch@hku.hk