FAQ

General

Aligning with HSUHK’s “Liberal + Professional” education model, the Common Core Curriculum (CCC) is one of the key parts of undergraduate education. It advances not only intellectual and practical skills that are essential for student learning but also offers students broad knowledge beyond the focus of the major, as well as exposure to the rich diversity of human experience.

There are two components of CCC, namely Generic Competency (Language, Quantitative Methods and IT Skills) and General Education.

All students are required to meet the requirements of CCC before their graduation.

GE Credit Transfer policy

Students admitted to Year 2 or Year 3 may be granted with credits transfer. The application will be reviewed and approved by the respective Programme Director of the major programme enrolled by a student. The policy of credit transfer is stipulated in the Academic Regulations for Undergraduate Programmes.

In addition to the policy on credit transfer, senior-year entrants also need to comply with the prevailing policy governing credit transfer for the Common Core General Education Curriculum approved by the University.

Types of Requirements (No. of Modules)DescriptionsGE requirement for students admitted to Year 2 (Students who transfer from an undergraduate programme at a recognized institution in Hong Kong or overseas)GE requirement for students admitted to Year 2 (Graduates of Higher Diploma or Associate Degree)GE requirement for students admitted to Year 3
GE-Foundation
(1 module)
GEN1000 Perspectives on General Education3Credit Transfer (3)*Credit Transfer (3)*
GE-Cluster
(4 modules)
Students are required to pass at least ONE module from each of the following four academic clusters:
Cluster 1: Humanities
Cluster 2: Social Sciences
Cluster 3: Science and Technology
Cluster 4: Moral Reasoning
121212
GE-Elective
(2 modules)
Option 1: Students may choose any TWO GE modules in any cluster
OR
Option 2: Students may choose any one of the GE modules in any cluster plus GEN4001 Capstone Project on General Education as the second GE elective
3 + Credit Transfer (3)*Credit Transfer (6)*Credit Transfer (6)*
Total: 18 credits
(6 modules)
Total: 12 credits
(4 modules)
Total: 12 credits
(4 modules)

*Credit Transfer: Students are NOT required to study another module to replace the 3 credits of GEN1000 and 3 or 6 credits of GE electives.

You can choose any GE Electives ONLY from the module list of GE modules offering in the coming semester while you can choose any Free Electives from ANY areas of study with your own choice.

Your academic advisor can help you understand the best options for completing your degree. Getting modules pre-approved by them ensures that the credits you earn will apply to your degree programme and will eliminate the possibility of duplicating a course you have already completed.

You may find your academic advisor at here.

GE Module Registration

Since there is a quota system for GE cluster module registration for Year 2 to Year 4 students. Different quotas are allocated to different GE clusters based on the demand of different years of students.

After the Main Round of Module Registration period, there is still a Clearance Round of Module Registration just before the commencement of each Semester for students to make final adjustment on their timetable on the Module Registration System and the Module Add/Drop period in the first two weeks of each Semester (first week in the Summer Term). You may wait until the Module Add/Drop period to see if you can register the GE module.

If you are a Year 4 student and the unsuccessful registration may lead to postponement of your graduation, please seek advice from your Programme Office immediately. Special arrangement will be made upon Department’s request.

Any module can fulfil your free elective requirements, but not every module can fulfil your study plan and general education requirements. You should ensure you can meet the required modules you need to graduate BEFORE you take any electives. Please consult your academic advisor if you have any questions on your study plan.

Outbound Exchange Programme

The University encourages its students to take part in recognized outbound exchange programmes during their study period. Credit transfer/Module exemption may be granted for modules completed successfully in a partner institution of the University, i.e. institutions which have signed an agreement with HSUHK.

Credit transfer/Module exemption pertinent to outbound exchange programme will not be counted towards the limit applicable to senior-year entrants as stipulated in S3.8.

Application for credit transfer/module exemption pertinent to outbound exchange programme can be made at the Registry. However, students are advised to discuss their study plans with the Academic Advisor for Students of respective academic departments and provide relevant course outlines or syllabus as detailed as possible to facilitate the discussion before submitting credit transfer/module exemption applications. Pre-approval may be given by the Programme Director (or his/her designate) for credit transfer/module exemption.

Official transcripts issued by the partner institutions certifying completion of modules and grades attained will also need to be forwarded to the Registry within the first month upon resumption of study at the University for final approval of credit transfer/module exemption by respective Programme Director or his/her designate.

All transferred credits will be counted towards the graduation requirements but not the calculation of the cumulative GPA of the student and have no bearing on the classification of honours to be awarded to the student.

Each exempted module should be replaced by a module of the same credit value. The exempted module will be excluded from the calculation of the student’s cGPA.

The exchange period that outbound exchange students spent in the partner institutions will be regarded as study leave and the students concerned are required to submit the application for study leave. The study leave period is counted as part of the period of study.

For application for credit transfer/module exemption in relation to participation in outbound exchange programme, students should obtain pre-approval by submitting the application form (REG Form 03a) with module outline/description of the intended module(s) to the Registry at least two weeks before departure to the partner institution. Upon completion of the exchange programme, students are required to seek for final approval by submitting the same application form with relevant module outline/description and official transcript issued by the partner institution to the Registry within one month upon resumption of study at the University.

Retaking Modules

If a student received a Fail grade, i.e. Grade F, in a module, s/he may retake that module.

Students can retake a module that they have passed with a grade “C” or below when his/her cGPA falls below 2.0 in order to fulfill the graduation requirement or to improve his/her cGPA.

A student (including those on outbound exchange/internship) has to pay for the retaken modules if the total number of credits taken in a semester exceeds 18credits (or 3 credits in the Summer Term), or the modules are taken beyond the normative study period.

Students are not allowed to retake a module that s/he has completed with Grade C+ or above even if s/he is willing to pay for the retake.

Students will NOT have priority in registering for the modules that they are going to retake. Departments/Schools will try to accommodate the demand for retaking modules but there is no guarantee that such demand can be met.

All the grades, including the Fail grade, attained for the same module that the student attempted will be shown on the academic transcript but only the grade attained at the last attempt will be used in the calculation of cGPA.

Students may retake a module to attain a higher grade to fulfill the requirements of professional bodies. Retaking a module under such circumstances will have to be approved by the Registrar. If approval is granted, students will have to pay for retaking the module, irrespective of the credits taken or the time of retake. The grade obtained as a result will not be counted towards the student’s cGPA and a separate academic transcript will be issued to certify the grade achieved for the module.