The Eight Faculties of The Chinese University of Hong Kong: A Comprehensive Overview and In-Depth Dossier

Popular accounts often give the impression that all eight of CUHK's faculties were founded together in 1963; but according to the University Gallery’s institutional milestones, only the Faculties of Arts, Science, and Social Science are truly its contemporaries. The business, medical, engineering, and law faculties came later—separated by one, two, or even four decades. This article begins with a quick-reference table covering the eight faculties plus the Graduate School, listing their founding years, current deans, and defining identities, then unfolds an in-depth dossier for each, folding into their respective sections the story of each faculty’s disciplinary firsts, historical evolution, and landmark origins—from Hong Kong’s first MBA and the first computer science department to SenseTime and NIPT. For the full departmental structure, 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 medical school’s teaching hospitals and research milestones, see deepdive-medicine.md; and for cross-faculty signature departments such as Translation, Music, Architecture, and Chinese Medicine, see special-departments.md. Narratives involving the University’s current senior leadership are referenced by title only, without names; deans, department heads, and former vice-chancellors are recorded factually by name where the record is neutral and positive.

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

According to the official "Milestones through the Decades" at the CUHK University Gallery, the founding year and current dean of each faculty are as follows (University Gallery, Zone A)^※:

A cross-faculty overview at a glance:

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# II. Faculty of Arts (1963)

# 2.1 Structure and Scale

• Current Dean: Prof. Max Xiaobing Tang（唐小兵）^※.
• Scale & Structure: According to its website, the Faculty encompasses 11 departments, 1 centre, and 2 teaching units^※, offering 16 undergraduate major programmes and 19 taught master's (MA) programmes, with each department also offering research postgraduate degrees (MPhil/PhD).
• 11 Departments: Anthropology; Chinese Language and Literature; Cultural and Religious Studies; English; Fine Arts; History; Japanese Studies; Linguistics and Modern Languages; Music; Philosophy; Translation. 1 Centre: Centre for China Studies. 2 Teaching Units: English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU); Yale-China Chinese Language Academy.

# 2.2 Disciplinary Firsts and Distinguishing Features

• Department of Translation (1972): Asia's first department of translation, which together with the Research Centre for Translation (1971) and the English-language journal Renditions (1973) constitutes a powerhouse for translation in the Chinese-speaking world (see special-departments.md for details).
• Department of Anthropology: Its undergraduate programme focuses on socio-cultural anthropology and archaeology, featuring distinctive training in fieldwork and cultural heritage studies (Department of Anthropology)^※.
• Department of Cultural and Religious Studies: Includes units for Cultural Studies, Religious Studies, and Theology.
• Department of Music: One of the longest-running and largest postgraduate music programmes in Hong Kong (see special-departments.md for details).

# 2.3 The Yale-China Chinese Language Academy and the New Asia Humanist Tradition

According to the Academy’s ‘History’ page, its forerunner was the New Asia–Yale-in-China Chinese Language Centre, jointly established by New Asia College and the Yale-China Association in 1963 to teach Cantonese and Putonghua; it was incorporated into CUHK in 1974 and placed under the Faculty of Arts in 2009 (Yale-China Chinese Language Academy, History)^※. In 2024, the unit was brought under the Centre for China Studies and its English name was changed to Yale-China Chinese Language Academy (CLA), while its Chinese name remained unchanged (Yale-China Chinese Language Academy, History)^※.

The Faculty of Arts shares deep intellectual roots with New Asia College, carrying forward its founding scholars’ humanist tradition; the departments of Chinese Language and Literature, History, and Philosophy are particularly closely tied to the New Asia legacy (the story of the college system belongs in Module 10).

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# III. Faculty of Science (1963)

• Current Dean: Prof. Song Chunshan（宋春山）^※, in post since mid-2020. A Chair Professor of Chemistry, he previously held a Chair Professorship in Fuel Science at the 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^※. It also hosts the Zhizhen School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences.
• Disciplinary Profile: Spans mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences, and statistics/data science.
• A Nobel Connection: Nobel laureate in Physics and "Father of Fibre Optics" Charles K. Kao（高錕） served as CUHK's third Vice-Chancellor (1987–1996); Nobel laureate in Physics Chen-Ning Yang（楊振寧） was a long-serving Distinguished Professor-at-Large at the University. Both masters' associations with CUHK were at the Vice-Chancellor or chair-professor level, rather than as serving Faculty of Science professors who won the prize during their tenure. This dossier sets the record precisely according to publicly available facts, without embellishment.

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# IV. Faculty of Social Science (1965)

# 4.1 Current Dean and Structure

• Current Dean: Prof. Anthony Fung Ying-him（馮應謙）, appointed on 11 November 2024 for a five-year term^※. Prof. 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 encompasses three Schools—the School of Architecture, the School of Governance and Policy Science, and the School of Journalism and Communication—alongside five departments: Department of Economics, Department of Geography and Resource Management, Department of Psychology, Department of Social Work, and Department of Sociology (CUHK website, 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 the oldest unit for communication education and research in Hong Kong, and the first institution in the territory dedicated to this field (School of Journalism and Communication, About)^※. Evolving from a department into a School, it has long been a nursery for the local media profession.

# 4.3 School of Architecture (Established as Department in 1991, elevated in 2009)

The architecture programme was first set up as a department at CUHK in 1991, admitting an inaugural class of 50 students, initially housed on the top floor of the Chung Chi College library (CUHK Communications and Public Relations: School of Architecture 25th Anniversary)^※; it was elevated to a School of Architecture in 2009, remaining under the Faculty of Social Science. For its founding chair, academic degrees, and facilities, see special-departments.md.

# 4.4 School of Governance and Policy Science (Restructured in 2024)

Under a restructuring plan approved by the Council, the former Department of Government and Public Administration (founded in 1970) was merged in August 2024 into the newly created School of Governance and Policy Science (SGPS) (SGPS Undergraduate Programmes)^※. The new School integrates the former disciplinary streams of Government and Public Administration, Global Studies, and Data Science and Policy Studies, while continuing to offer the BSSc in Government and Public Administration. This dossier records only the academic-structural facts of this reorganisation; matters of university governance belong in Module 13.

# 4.5 An Overview of the Remaining Departments

Most majors in the Faculty of Social Science practise broad-based admissions: students take a common first year before declaring a major, to reduce premature specialisation (for credit rules, see academic-system.md).

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# V. Faculty of Education (1965 as School, Elevated in 1991)

# 5.1 From 'School' to a Major Hub for Teacher Education in Hong Kong

CUHK was founded in 1963. Two years later, in 1965, it established the School of Education—according to the University Gallery, this was the University's first school established exclusively for professional training, predating the business school (1974), medical school (1981), and engineering school (1991) (University Gallery, Zone A)^※. In its early days, it primarily offered a one-year Diploma in Education programme. After roughly twenty-five years of development, it was formally elevated to a Faculty in 1991 (University Gallery, Zone A)^※, giving educational research, teacher training, and academic administration full institutional independence. In November 2025, the Faculty will celebrate its 60th anniversary (Faculty of Education website)^※.

• Current Dean: Prof. Alan Cheung Chi-keung（張志強）, appointed on 6 January 2026 for a five-year term^※. A long-serving Chair Professor and Chairman of the Department of Educational Administration and Policy, he was concurrently appointed Associate Vice-President (External Affairs), signalling the Faculty’s entry into the University’s core senior leadership.

# 5.2 The Four Departments and One Unit

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

According to the 2024 Stanford University listing, the Faculty has 13 members ranked among the world's top 2% of scientists^※. In May 2026, the Faculty announced that a total of 57 of its research papers were ranked among the top 0.1% and top 1% globally^※. The Faculty has over 2,600 students^※ (as of 2024).

# 5.3 The PGDE: A Primary Provider of Teacher Training for Hong Kong

The Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) is the professional teaching qualification recognised by Hong Kong’s Education Bureau for registration as a qualified teacher. CUHK is one of the longest-standing providers of the PGDE in Hong Kong, currently offering three streams by educational level (Faculty of Education, PGDE website)^※:

The PGDE programme structure comprises four components: 'Subject Curriculum and Teaching (SCT)', 'General Education', 'Professional Development Courses', and Teaching Practice (PGDE Course List)^※. PGDE tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year (website^※): HK$47,000 for local full-time students / HK$23,500 for part-time; HK$214,000 for non-local full-time students / HK$107,000 for part-time. The application window runs from 17 November to 16 December 2025^※.

# 5.4 Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes

In addition to 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, with the BEd component 'recognised as equivalent to a Postgraduate Diploma in Education', directly satisfying the Education Bureau's requirements for teacher registration (JUPAS JS4343)^※. The JS4329 BEd in Physical Education requires 147 credits (104 in the major)^※. At the postgraduate level, the Graduate School's Education programmes page^※ lists research degrees (EdD, PhD in Education) and multiple taught master's programmes (MA in Chinese Language Education, English Language Teaching, TESOL, MEd, School Improvement and Leadership, etc.).

The Department of Sports Science and Physical Education (SSPE) is the Faculty's most interdisciplinary department, housing six research laboratories (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) and offering a full ladder of programmes from bachelor's to doctoral degrees (SSPE website)^※. Among them, the MSc in Sports Science and Physical Activity requires 24 credits^※, with tuition for the 2026/27 academic year set at HK$165,000 for full-time study and HK$151,000 for part-time.

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

The Hong Kong Institute of Educational Research (HKIER) was founded in 1993. According to the HKIER website, its establishment was funded by a HK$25 million donation from the Tin Ka Ping Foundation, of which HK$5 million was specifically earmarked for the Institute's founding (HKIER website)^※. HKIER comprises four research centres and a flagship project:

HKIER publishes the academic journal 《教育學報》(Education Journal): founded in 1968, it is a semi-annual, peer-reviewed, bilingual publication. It was listed in the Taiwan Social Science Citation Index (TSSCI) as a core journal from 2013 and in the Chinese Social Science Citation Index (CSSCI) from 2017 (Education Journal, Wikipedia)^※ (HKIER, Journal Page)^※.

# 5.6 Global Rankings

The CUHK Faculty of Education has performed strongly in international education subject rankings in recent years (Pan African Visions, composite report, August 2025)^※:

A note on methodology: THE and QS are composite subject rankings (encompassing teaching, research, citations, and other indicators); the U.S. News global ranking is mainly based on academic research citation metrics. Each table’s methodology is different, and they should not be compared directly. Underpinning these rankings are concrete research outputs, such as the Robot for Autism Behavioural Intervention (RABI) project led by Prof. Catherine So（蘇詠芝） of the Department of Educational Psychology. Launched in 2020, by 2024 it had reached over 2,500 autistic children aged 3 to 18^※.

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# VI. Faculty of Business Administration (1974)

# 6.1 A History of 'Hong Kong Firsts'

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

• Current Dean: Prof. Zhou Lin（周林）, who assumed office in December 2019^※. He is the Li Choh-ming Professor of Economics. His predecessor was Prof. Kalok Chan.

# 6.2 Structure, Scale, and Accreditation

• Subsidiary 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 website, Faculty of Business Administration)^※. It also houses the Asia-Pacific Institute of Business (APIB).
• Student Body Size: According to CUHK MBA’s official sources, the Business School has over 5,000 full-time and part-time students (60th Anniversary Report)^※.
• Alumni Network: It boasts the largest business school alumni network in Hong Kong, with over 45,000 alumni spanning roughly 50 regions globally (60th Anniversary Report)^※.
• Accreditation: It holds both AACSB and AMBA accreditation.

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# VII. Faculty of Engineering (1991)

# 7.1 Structure

• Current Dean: Prof. Tsang Hon-ki（曾漢奇）, appointed on 1 May 2024 for a five-year term^※.
• Departments (6): Department of Biomedical Engineering; Department of Computer Science and Engineering; Department of Electronic Engineering; Department of Information Engineering; Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering; Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management^※. The Faculty of Engineering was established in 1991, with computing units previously under the Faculty of Science absorbed into the new Faculty at its founding.

# 7.2 Hong Kong’s First Computer Science Department and Information Engineering Department

According to the Department of Computer Science and Engineering’s website, it is Hong Kong's first computer science department (CSE website)^※: the department was founded within the Faculty of Science in 1973/74 and transferred to the newly formed Faculty of Engineering in 1991, where it launched an undergraduate major in Computer Engineering (BEng); in 1995 it was renamed the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE). The Department of Information Engineering was founded in 1989 and, according to its website, is Hong Kong's first and, to this day, only information engineering department. Its founding was championed by fibre-optic communications pioneer and former CUHK Vice-Chancellor Charles K. Kao (IE website)^※.

# 7.3 The Academic Roots of SenseTime

Per the CUHK Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services (ORKTS) and public reports: Prof. Sean Tang Xiaoou（湯曉鷗，1968–2023） of the Department of Information Engineering founded the Multimedia Laboratory at CUHK in 2001 (ORKTS, SenseTime)^※. In 2014, Prof. Tang and a group of computer scientists, including CUHK alumnus and current SenseTime CEO Xu Li, co-founded SenseTime, whose core technology originated in their team’s research on facial recognition and computer vision. The Faculty of Engineering is consequently regarded as an important wellspring of talent and technology for Hong Kong’s artificial intelligence industry.

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# VIII. Faculty of Medicine (Approved 1974, First Cohort 1981)

• Current Dean: Prof. Philip Chiu Wai-yan（趙偉仁）, appointed with effect from 1 February 2024^※. He is a specialist in upper gastrointestinal surgery and Director of the Multi-Scale Medical Robotics Centre.
• Founding Dean: Prof. G. H. Choa（蔡永業）, appointed as the founding dean in 1977 (Faculty of Medicine, Milestones)^※.
• Key Milestones: 1974: Government approval to establish a medical school; 1981: Inaugural intake of 60 medical students and the completion of the Li Choh-ming Basic Medical Sciences Building; 1984: The Prince of Wales Hospital opens as its main teaching hospital; 1986: First MBChB cohort graduates; 2001: Establishes Hong Kong's first School of Public Health; 2013: School of Chinese Medicine merges into the Faculty of Medicine (Faculty of Medicine, Milestones)^※.
• Structure: 5 Schools + 14 clinical and pre-clinical departments. One of Hong Kong's two medical schools, with the Prince of Wales Hospital as its main teaching hospital. For in-depth content on its teaching hospital network, landmark research (NIPT, SARS, endoscopy and surgical robotics), see deepdive-medicine.md.

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# IX. Faculty of Law (2004 as School, Elevated in 2008)

# 9.1 Hong Kong’s Third Law School: Why It Came into Being in 2004

For a long time, Hong Kong had only two institutions offering law degrees—the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong (Department of Law founded in 1969, elevated in 1984) and the School of Law at City University of Hong Kong (Department of Law founded in 1987, elevated in 1993) (Legal Education in Hong Kong, Wikipedia)^※. CUHK submitted its Academic Development Proposal for the 2005–08 triennium^※ to the University Grants Committee (UGC), making the establishment of a law school a core project. The School of Law was thus formally approved for establishment in 2004^※, becoming Hong Kong’s third, and at the time, newest, law school. This move answered Hong Kong’s need, as an international finance and dispute resolution centre, for talent well-versed in both common law and mainland China’s legal framework, while also filling a gap in CUHK’s disciplinary landscape as a comprehensive research university.

# 9.2 From Approval to Elevation: The Founding Journey

After gaining approval, the School of Law entered an intense period of building. A first-hand account from the period described the early team as working from only "eight offices around a construction site" (Hong Kong Lawyer)^※. Classes officially began in September 2006^※, with the first cohorts of LLB, JD, and LLM students entering simultaneously. The Graduate Law Centre, on the second floor of the Bank of America Tower in Central^※, opened at the same time. The official opening ceremony was held on 9 November 2006^※. The first head of the school, as Director, was Prof. Mike McConville, who was appointed the Simon F.S. Li Professor of Law^※. On 1 August 2008, the School of Law was elevated to a Faculty of Law^※, gaining institutional parity with the Faculties of Arts, Science, and others. That same year, it launched its first Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL) programme (September 2008)^※, becoming one of only three institutions in Hong Kong authorised to offer the PCLL.

The Faculty has had four deans since it was established (Wikipedia)^※:

The year 2026 marks the Faculty's 20th anniversary^※, commemorated under the official 'CUHKLAW20' banner. The Faculty operates as a unified whole without separate departments. For the LLB and JD admission pathways and the professional qualification system linking to the PCLL, see programs.md.

# 9.3 Position Within Hong Kong’s Legal Education Landscape

• International Orientation: THE ranked the CUHK Faculty of Law first in the world for "International Outlook" in its 2018 subject rankings^※. Its academic staff hail from more than 20 jurisdictions. It also offers double-degree programmes (LLB-JD) 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 its research output was rated "world-leading" or "internationally excellent"^※. It reached 42nd globally for Law in the 2015 QS rankings^※.
• Mooting Success: Champion of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in 2016 and 2020^※; Champion of the ICC Mediation Moot in 2016 and 2020^※; Winner of the Hardy C. Dillard Award at the 2010 Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition^※.
• Dual Campus: Undergraduate programmes are located 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, 2/F, Bank of America Tower, Central^※.

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# X. Graduate School (1966)

• Status: Founded in 1966, it is Hong Kong's first graduate school (University Gallery, Zone A)^※.
• Current Dean: Prof. Anthony So（蘇文藻）^※, a professor in the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management.
• Initial Scale: At its founding, the School offered five master's programmes—in Chinese Language and Literature, Business Administration, Geography, History, and Philosophy^※.
• Function and Governance: It coordinates postgraduate programmes across all eight faculties, awarding research degrees (MPhil, PhD), taught degrees, and postgraduate diplomas/certificates. Each programme is administered by a Graduate Division within its respective faculty, with the division head reporting both to the Dean of the Graduate School and to the relevant Faculty Dean (for details, see programs.md).

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