The undergraduate BSc Program in Global China Studies was launched by the School of Humanities and Social Science (SHSS) in 2011. This ELITE program enables students to conduct research and critically analyze cutting-edge issues whilst situating China in a global, 21st-century context. Designed to broaden students’ horizons and help them develop a unique portfolio of knowledge about China through integrated multi- and inter-disciplinary training in the humanities and social sciences as well as in comparative and advanced research methods, the program will provide students with the resources they need to develop solutions to contemporary challenges. Reflecting the SHSS’s vision for the program, students will develop leadership skills and excel in verbal and written communication and critical thinking. The program will also enhance students’ understanding of their roles, rights, and obligations as citizens of Hong Kong and China and as members of the world community. The Global China Studies major will prepare our graduates to assume leadership positions in the academic, public and commercial spheres.

Our Minor programs are designed to equip students majoring in science, engineering and business with a broad base of knowledge of human culture and society, and to provide them with alternative resources, creativity and imagination. Our programs encourage students to study the social sciences through interdisciplinary approaches, thereby further strengthening their analytical and communication skills. Taking a minor in addition to the major will enhance students’ competitiveness and flexibility in their choice of career paths, and make them better able to meet life’s many challenges. Currently, the Division of Social Science offers three Minor Programs.

The Common Core Program at HKUST is designed to broaden students’ intellectual horizons and equip them with the capabilities they need to become productive members of the modern world. The objective of our general education courses is not only to transfer knowledge but also to develop critical, analytical and communication skills that are essential to civil society. More specifically, the program will enable students to deepen their knowledge of human cultures in a wide range of social, political and economic contexts. Through the training provided by our general education courses, students are expected to develop their reading and writing capacities, to be aware of concepts, ideas and systems of thought that underlie human activities, and to heighten their concern about human society as they come to see how the past constructs the present, and how modern science and technology affect human life.