Eight Faculties of CUHK: An Overview and In-Depth Profiles

It is often said that all eight faculties of CUHK were "founded in 1963," but according to the University Gallery's milestones, only the Faculties of Arts, Science and Social Science are truly as old as the University itself; Business Administration, Medicine, Engineering and Law were added later — after ten, twenty or even forty years. This article opens with a quick-reference table covering the founding year, Dean and positioning of each faculty plus the Graduate School, then unfolds into an in-depth profile of each faculty — folding in their disciplinary firsts, historical evolution and landmark origins (from Hong Kong's first MBA, the territory's first computer science department to SenseTime and NIPT) in the corresponding sections. For a full list of departments see departments.md; for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes see programs.md; for the academic system, general education and grading see academic-system.md; for the Faculty of Medicine's teaching hospitals and research milestones see deepdive-medicine.md; for cross-faculty special departments such as Translation, Music, Architecture and Chinese Medicine see special-departments.md. Accounts of University administration involving the current leadership refer to people by title only, without naming individuals; neutral and positive facts about Deans, department heads and retired Vice-Chancellors are recorded by name.

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# 1. The Eight Faculties and the Graduate School at a Glance

According to the official formulation on the University Gallery's "Milestones through the Decades" page, the founding years of the faculties and the current Deans are as follows (University Gallery Zone A)^※:

A quick cross-faculty scan:

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# 2. Faculty of Arts (1963)

# 2.1 Structure and scale

• Current Dean: Prof. Max Xiaobing Tang^※.
• Scope and structure: according to the Faculty's website, it comprises 11 departments, 1 centre and 2 teaching units^※, offering 16 undergraduate major programmes and 19 taught master's (MA) programmes, with MPhil and PhD research degrees also available in each department.
• The 11 departments: Anthropology; Chinese Language and Literature; Cultural and Religious Studies; English; Fine Arts; History; Japanese Studies; Linguistics and Modern Languages; Music; Philosophy; and Translation. The 1 centre: Centre for China Studies. The 2 teaching units: English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) and the Yale-China Chinese Language Academy.

# 2.2 Disciplinary firsts and features

• Department of Translation (1972): the first translation department in Asia; together with the Research Centre for Translation (1971) and the English-language journal Renditions (1973), it formed a major hub for translation studies in the Chinese-speaking world (see special-departments.md).
• Department of Anthropology: the undergraduate programme focuses on sociocultural anthropology and archaeology, with distinctive training in fieldwork and cultural heritage studies (Department of Anthropology)^※.
• Department of Cultural and Religious Studies: houses units in cultural studies, religious studies and theology.
• Department of Music: one of Hong Kong's longest-established academic units for postgraduate training in music, and among the largest by postgraduate intake (see special-departments.md).

# 2.3 The Yale-China Chinese Language Academy and the New Asia humanistic tradition

According to the Academy's "History" page, its predecessor was the "New Asia–Yale-China Chinese Language Centre," jointly established in 1963 by New Asia College and the Yale-China Association to teach Cantonese and Putonghua; it was absorbed into CUHK in 1974 and placed under the Faculty of Arts in 2009 (Yale-China Chinese Language Academy History)^※. In 2024 the Academy came under the Centre for China Studies and was renamed in English as the Yale-China Chinese Language Academy (CLA), with the Chinese name unchanged (Yale-China Chinese Language Academy History)^※.

The Faculty of Arts shares a lineage with New Asia College, carrying on the humanistic tradition of the College's founding scholars; the departments of Chinese Language and Literature, History and Philosophy are especially closely tied to that tradition (for the college system, see Module 10).

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# 3. Faculty of Science (1963)

• Current Dean: Prof. Song Chunshan^※, in office since mid-2020; Chair Professor of Chemistry, formerly Professor of Fuel Science at Pennsylvania State University.
• Teaching units (6): Department of Chemistry; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences; School of Life Sciences; Department of Mathematics; Department of Physics; Department of Statistics and Data Science^※; the Zhizhen School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences is also attached.
• Disciplinary scope: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences, statistics and data science.
• Nobel connections: Charles K. Kao, Nobel laureate in Physics and "father of fibre optics," served as the University's third Vice-Chancellor (1987–1996); Nobel laureate in Physics Chen-Ning Yang was a long-serving Wei Lun Visiting Professor at CUHK. Both men's association with the University was at the level of the Vice-Chancellorship or a visiting professorship — neither won the prize while serving as a Faculty of Science professor. This article follows public records precisely and does not overstate the connection.

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# 4. Faculty of Social Science (1965)

# 4.1 Current Dean and structure

• Current Dean: Prof. Anthony Fung Ying-him, appointed with effect from 11 November 2024 for a term of five years^※; Fung joined CUHK in 2001 and previously served as Director of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies.
• Structure (8 units, including 3 schools): according to the Faculty's website, it oversees the School of Architecture, the School of Governance and Policy Science, and the School of Journalism and Communication, plus the Departments of Economics; Geography and Resource Management; Psychology; Social Work; and Sociology (CUHK Faculty of Social Science)^※.

# 4.2 School of Journalism and Communication

According to the School's website, journalism and communication education at CUHK began in 1965, making it Hong Kong's oldest unit for communication education and research, and the first institution in Hong Kong devoted to the field (School of Journalism and Communication About)^※; it grew from a department into a School and has long trained talent for the local media industry.

# 4.3 School of Architecture (department in 1991, School in 2009)

Architecture was established as a department at CUHK in 1991, with an inaugural intake of 50 students, initially housed temporarily on the top floor of Chung Chi College Library (Communications and Public Relations Office: CUHK School of Architecture celebrates 25 years)^※; in 2009 it was elevated to a School within the Faculty of Social Science. Details of the founding Head, degrees and facilities are given in special-departments.md.

# 4.4 School of Governance and Policy Science (reorganised 2024)

Under a reorganisation approved by the University Council, the former Department of Government and Public Administration (founded 1970) was merged in August 2024 into the newly established School of Governance and Policy Science (SGPS) (SGPS undergraduate programmes)^※. The new School consolidates the former strands of government and public administration, Global Studies, and data science and policy studies; at the undergraduate level it continues to offer the BSSc in Government and Public Administration. This article records only the academic-structure facts of the reorganisation; governance and political questions are reserved for Module 13.

# 4.5 The remaining departments at a glance

Most Faculty of Social Science majors admit on a broad-based basis: students begin with a common first year before choosing a major, reducing the pressure of early specialisation (credit rules in academic-system.md).

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# 5. Faculty of Education (School in 1965, Faculty in 1991)

# 5.1 From "School" to Hong Kong's teacher-training powerhouse

CUHK was founded in 1963; two years later, in 1965, the University established the School of Education — according to the University Gallery, the first School at CUHK devoted to professional training, predating Business Administration (1974), Medicine (1981) and Engineering (1991) (University Gallery Zone A)^※. It initially ran a one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Education. After some twenty-five years of development, in 1991 it was formally elevated to a Faculty (University Gallery Zone A)^※, gaining full institutional independence in education research, teacher training and academic administration. In November 2025 the Faculty held a 60th-anniversary celebration (Faculty of Education website)^※.

• Current Dean: Prof. Alan Cheung Chi-keung, appointed with effect from 6 January 2026 for five years^※; he has long served as Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Educational Administration and Policy, and was concurrently appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor (External Affairs) — a marker of the Faculty's entry into the University's core leadership.

# 5.2 The division of labour: four departments and one unit

The Faculty of Education currently comprises 4 departments and 1 Physical Education Unit (CUHK website)^※:

According to a 2024 Stanford University listing, 13 Faculty members were named among the world's top 2% of scientists^※; in May 2026 the Faculty announced that 57 of its papers rank among the world's top 0.1% and top 1%^※. The Faculty has over 2,600 students^※ (2024 figures).

# 5.3 PGDE: Hong Kong's main provider of teacher training

The Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) is the professional teaching qualification recognised by Hong Kong's Education Bureau; only its holders may register as qualified teachers in Hong Kong. CUHK is one of the territory's longest-running providers of the PGDE, which now offers three streams by stage of education (Faculty of Education PGDE website)^※:

The PGDE curriculum comprises four parts: Subject Curriculum and Teaching (SCT), general education, professional development courses and teaching practicum (PGDE course list)^※. PGDE tuition for 2026/27 (per the official website^※): local students HK$47,000 full-time / HK$23,500 part-time; non-local students HK$214,000 full-time / HK$107,000 part-time; the application window is 17 November – 16 December 2025^※.

# 5.4 Undergraduate and postgraduate programmes

Beyond the PGDE, the Faculty also offers several undergraduate degree programmes (mainly through JUPAS):

Graduates of the JS4343 double degree receive both a BA and a BEd, the latter of which "is recognised as equivalent to a Postgraduate Diploma in Education," directly satisfying the Education Bureau's requirements for registered teachers(JUPAS JS4343)^※; the JS4329 BEd in Physical Education requires 147 credits in total (104 units in the major)^※. At the postgraduate level, per the Graduate School's education page^※, the Faculty offers research degrees (EdD, PhD in Education) and several taught master's programmes (MA in Chinese Language Education, MA in English Language Teaching, MA in TESOL, MEd, School Improvement and Leadership, and others).

The Department of Sports Science and Physical Education (SSPE) is the Faculty's most interdisciplinary department, with six research laboratory areas (cognitive motor development; sport psychology and motor learning; exercise physiology, fitness and health; physical literacy advocacy; sports biomechanics and injury prevention; sports nutrition and physical activity), offering a complete ladder from bachelor's to doctoral degrees (SSPE website)^※; the MSc in Sports Science and Physical Activity requires 24 credits^※, with 2026/27 tuition of HK$165,000 full-time and HK$151,000 part-time.

# 5.5 Hong Kong Institute of Educational Research (HKIER, 1993)

The Hong Kong Institute of Educational Research (HKIER) was established in 1993; according to its website, its founding endowment came from a HK$25 million donation from the Tin Ka Ping Foundation, of which HK$5 million was earmarked for the Institute's establishment (HKIER website)^※. HKIER houses four research centres and a flagship programme:

HKIER publishes the academic journal Education Journal: first published in 1968, a peer-reviewed biennial in bilingual Chinese-English format; since 2013 it has been indexed as a core journal in the Taiwan Social Science Citation Index (TSSCI) and since 2017 in the Chinese Social Science Citation Index (CSSCI) (Education Journal, Wikipedia)^※ (HKIER journal page)^※.

# 5.6 Global rankings

The Faculty of Education has performed strongly in international education rankings in recent years (Pan African Visions, August 2025 round-up)^※:

A note on methodology: THE and QS are composite subject rankings (drawing on teaching, research and citations, among other indicators); the U.S. News global ranking is based primarily on research-citation metrics. The three tables are not directly comparable. The rankings rest on concrete research outputs — for example, the robot-assisted behavioural intervention (RABI) project for autism led by Prof. Catherine So of the Department of Educational Psychology, launched in 2020, which by 2024 had served over 2,500 children with autism aged 3 to 18^※.

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# 6. Faculty of Business Administration (1974)

# 6.1 A history of Hong Kong firsts

Per the CUHK Business School "Milestones" official page(Business School Milestones)^※:

• Current Dean: Prof. Zhou Lin, in office since December 2019^※; Choh-Ming Li Professor of Economics; predecessor: Prof. Kalok Chan.

# 6.2 Structure, scale and accreditation

• Units (6): the School of Accountancy; the School of Hotel and Tourism Management; and the departments of Decisions, Operations and Technology; Finance; Management; and Marketing (CUHK Faculty of Business Administration)^※; the Asia-Pacific Institute of Business (APIB) is also attached.
• Student body: per CUHK MBA's official figures, the Business School has more than 5,000 full-time and part-time students (60th-anniversary report)^※.
• Alumni network: Hong Kong's largest business-school alumni network, with over 45,000 alumni across some 50 regions worldwide (60th-anniversary report)^※.
• Accreditation: holds AACSB and AMBA accreditation.

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# 7. Faculty of Engineering (1991)

# 7.1 Structure

• Current Dean: Prof. Tsang Hon-ki, appointed with effect from 1 May 2024 for five years^※.
• Departments (6): Biomedical Engineering; Computer Science and Engineering; Electronic Engineering; Information Engineering; Mechanical and Automation Engineering; Systems Engineering and Engineering Management^※. The Faculty of Engineering was established in 1991; the computing units that had belonged to the Faculty of Science were brought over at its founding.

# 7.2 Hong Kong's first computer science and information engineering departments

According to the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, it is Hong Kong's first computer science department (CSE website)^※: the Department of Computer Science was founded within the Faculty of Science in 1973/74; it was folded into the new Faculty of Engineering in 1991, offering the BEng in Computer Engineering as an undergraduate major; and was renamed the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) in 1995. The Department of Information Engineering was founded in 1989 and is, per the IE website, Hong Kong's first — and to this day only — information engineering department, established at the initiative of fibre-optic communications pioneer and former CUHK Vice-Chancellor Charles K. Kao (IE website)^※.

# 7.3 SenseTime's academic roots

According to the Department of Information Engineering's official memorial page and press reports: the Department's professor Tang Xiaoou (Sean Tang, 1968–2023) joined CUHK's Department of Information Engineering in 1998 and in 2001 founded the CUHK Multimedia Laboratory (IE memorial page)^※; in 2014, Tang and a group of computer scientists — including CUHK alumnus Xu Li, now Chief Executive Officer of SenseTime^※ — co-founded SenseTime, whose core technology grew out of his team's research in face recognition and computer vision. The Faculty of Engineering is thus regarded as one of Hong Kong's key sources of talent and technology for the AI industry.

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# 8. Faculty of Medicine (approved 1974, first intake 1981)

• Current Dean: Prof. Philip Chiu Wai-yan, in office since 1 February 2024^※; Professor of Digestive Surgery and Director of the Multi-Scale Medical Robotics Centre.
• Founding Dean: Prof. G. H. Choa (蔡永业), appointed founding Dean in 1977 (Faculty of Medicine Milestones)^※.
• Key milestones: 1974 government approval to establish the Faculty of Medicine; 1981 first intake of 60 medical students and completion of the Li Choh Ming Basic Medical Sciences Building; 1984 opening of the Prince of Wales Hospital as the main teaching hospital; 1986 first MBChB graduating class; 2001 establishment of the territory's first School of Public Health; 2013 the School of Chinese Medicine was merged into the Faculty (Faculty of Medicine Milestones)^※.
• Structure: 5 schools plus 14 clinical and basic-science departments. One of Hong Kong's two medical schools, with the Prince of Wales Hospital as its main teaching hospital. The teaching-hospital system and landmark research (NIPT, SARS, endoscopy and surgical robotics) are covered in depth in deepdive-medicine.md.

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# 9. Faculty of Law (School in 2004, Faculty in 2008)

# 9.1 Hong Kong's third law school: why 2004?

For a long time, only two institutions in Hong Kong offered law degrees — the University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Law (Department of Law founded 1969, elevated 1984) and City University of Hong Kong's School of Law (department 1987, elevated 1993)^※. CUHK submitted its 2005–08 academic development proposal^※ to the University Grants Committee (UGC), listing the establishment of a law school as a core project; the School of Law was accordingly formally approved in 2004^※, becoming Hong Kong's third and newest law school. This both responded to Hong Kong's need, as an international financial and dispute-resolution centre, for talent versed in the common law and in mainland China's legal system, and completed the disciplinary map of CUHK as a comprehensive research university.

# 9.2 From approval to elevation: the founding journey

After approval, the School of Law entered an intensive phase of preparation. As one early participant recalled, the founding team had little more than "eight offices around a building site"(Hong Kong Lawyer)^※. Classes began in September 2006^※, with the first intakes of LLB, JD and LLM students enrolling simultaneously; the Graduate Law Centre on the second floor of the Bank of America Tower in Central^※ opened at the same time; the official inauguration ceremony was held on 9 November 2006^※. The founding Director was Prof. Mike McConville, appointed Simon F.S. Li Professor of Law^※. On 1 August 2008 the School of Law was elevated to the Faculty of Law^※, gaining institutional status equal to that of the Faculties of Arts and Science; that same year it launched its first PCLL programme (September 2008)^※, becoming one of the three institutions in Hong Kong authorised to offer the PCLL.

Since its elevation, the Faculty has had four Deans(Wikipedia)^※:

2026 marks the Faculty's 20th anniversary^※, commemorated under the mark "CUHKLAW20." The Faculty operates as a single whole, without internal departments; the two entry routes of the LLB and JD, and the pathway to PCLL for practice, are detailed in programs.md.

# 9.3 Position in Hong Kong legal education

• International outlook: in 2018 THE ranked CUHK Law first in the world for "international outlook" among law schools^※; faculty members come from more than 20 jurisdictions; the Faculty also offers dual-degree LLB-JD programmes with the University of Exeter and King's College London.
• Research performance: ranked first in the Law panel of Hong Kong's 2014 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)^※; in the 2020 RAE, 83% of research outputs were rated "world leading" or "internationally excellent"^※; ranked 42nd globally in law in the 2015 QS subject ranking^※.
• Moot court: champion of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in 2016 and 2020^※; champion of the ICC moot court in 2016 and 2020^※; winner of the Hardy C. Dillard award at the 2010 Jessup International Law Moot^※.
• Two campuses: undergraduate programmes are housed in the Lee Shau Kee Building on the main Shatin campus^※ (which contains a moot court); postgraduate programmes and the PCLL are based at the Graduate Law Centre on the second floor of the Bank of America Tower in Central^※.

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# 10. Graduate School (1966)

• Status: founded in 1966 as Hong Kong's first graduate school (University Gallery Zone A)^※.
• Current Dean: Prof. Anthony So^※, of the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management.
• Initial scale: at its founding, the School offered five master's programmes — Chinese Language and Literature, Business Administration, Geography, History and Philosophy^※.
• Role and governance: coordinates postgraduate programmes across the eight faculties, awarding research degrees (MPhil, PhD) and taught degrees, as well as postgraduate diplomas and certificates; each programme belongs to a Graduate Division housed within its home Faculty, whose Director reports jointly to the Dean of the Graduate School and the Dean of the Faculty concerned (see programs.md).

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