Entry Requirements
The University does not have any academic entry requirements for most of its distance learning programmes. Admission is open to anyone in Hong Kong over the age of 17. For students who are in confinement (local) or students with special education needs, please click here.
You should note, however, that some programmes, especially those in the areas of education and nursing, are designed for people already holding certain qualifications. Besides, each programme in postgraduate level stipulates its own programme-specific entry requirements. For details, please click here.
Level of Course / Languages of Instruction
Each course code carries a ‘subject’ to indicate the area of ‘academic discipline’, ‘offering school’, ‘course level’ and ‘medium of instruction’. Please see the examples below.
| Component | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| Subject | ACT represents the subject Accounting. |
| Number (one letter and three numbers) | The letter indicates the School offering the course:
|
| 1st number | Signifies the level of the subject:
|
| 2nd & 3rd numbers | Serial numbers assigned to the course, which may be different from the current course code. |
| Example | In ACT B415, B represents the offering School is Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, and the first number, 4, indicates that the course is a Higher (Honours) level course. |
| Component | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| Subject | ACT represents the subject Accounting. |
| Number (one letter and three numbers) | The letter indicates the School offering the course:
|
| 1st number | Signifies the level of the subject:
|
| 2nd & 3rd numbers | Serial numbers assigned to the course, which may be different from the current course code. |
| Example | In ACT B415, B represents the offering School is Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, and the first number, 4, indicates that the course is a Higher (Honours) level course. |
A course code with a suffix ‘C’ indicates that Chinese is used as the medium of instruction; a suffix ‘B’ indicates that the course is bilingual; all others (i.e. those without a suffix ‘C’ or ‘B’) are in English. A suffix ‘F’ indicates that the course is delivered mainly in the face-to-face mode; a suffix ‘W’ indicates that the course is delivered in e-learning mode.
*Some courses may have no credit value attached to them. The course code of these courses also starts with ‘0’.
| Component | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| Subject | BUS represents the subject Business. |
| First four-digit number — course level | Signifies the level of the course:
|
| 5th letter — offering School | Indicates the School offering the course:
|
| 6th letter — medium of instruction |
|
| 7th letter — mode |
|
| Example | In BUS 1000BED, the four-digit number 1000 indicates a 1000-level course; B (5th letter) shows the offering School is Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration; E (6th letter) shows the medium of instruction is English; and D (7th letter) shows the mode is Distance Learning. |
Study Load
New students, or students entering distance learning postgraduate programmes for the first time, can register for courses with a total maximum registration value of 15 (under the 5-credit system) or 12 (under the 3-credit-unit system). For continuing students, the maximum registration value is 30 and 24 respectively.
The registration value of a course is the credit value of the course divided by the number of terms it takes to complete. It is an indication of a student’s study load. For example, under the 5-credit system, a 20-credit course of two terms’ duration has a registration value of 10, while a 5-credit course of one term’s duration has a registration value of 5; under the 3-credit-unit system, an 18-credit-unit course of two terms’ duration has a registration value of 9, while a 3-credit-unit course of one term’s duration has a registration value of 3.
Prior approval is required from the Dean of the School concerned in order to exceed these limits.
Advanced Standing / Credit Transfer
One important thing to remember when you apply for your first course is that you may be able to get credit for your previous studies. Credit exemption — known as advanced standing at the University — is available for many students who have completed tertiary level studies elsewhere. These transferred credits can count towards the requirements for most of our qualifications. If you have transferable credits from other educational institutions, you may be able to considerably shorten the time you need to complete your programme at the University.
The University has also set up entry pathways for various Bachelor’s Degree programmes and Master’s Degree programmes. The programme credit requirements are reduced for students admitted via entry pathways; in other words, students are given an exemption without the need to go through the advanced standing process. However, students must satisfy the entry requirements specified for admission to the pathway programmes. Holders of relevant qualifications are advised to apply for admission via these pathways if they satisfy the entry requirements. For details, please click here.
The Registry’s Advanced Standing & Graduation Team (Tel: 2768 6624) can provide more information.
Excluded Combination
Sometimes two different courses contain such a high proportion of common material that they form an excluded combination. Normally, you should not take courses that form an excluded combination, as you are not allowed to count both courses in the excluded combination towards a single award. However, if you are pursuing more than one programme, you may register on courses that form an excluded combination if you need to, provided that they do not fall under the category of ‘Courses not allowed to be taken again’. Click here to see the list of courses which form an ‘excluded combination’.
Courses Not to Be Taken Again
A course may be replaced by a revised version but still contain very similar materials. Students who have successfully completed the phased-out courses in a particular group will not be allowed to register for the corresponding replacement course. If a change in course level is involved, the revised level will be used towards the classification of award.
Students of Bachelor of Business (BBUS/BBUS1) and Associate of General Studies (AGST) (in collaboration with Ethics College of the Correctional Services Department) programmes, who have successfully completed the mirror course, are not allowed to register for the corresponding mirrored course.
Click here to see a list of the phased-out courses and mirror courses.