ENG-1989 — Page 151

EDUCATION

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University of Hong Kong

The University of Hong Kong, situated on the slopes above the Western District of Hong Kong Island, is the oldest tertiary education institution in Hong Kong. Established in 1911 and originally housed in just one building, the university has grown to its present size of 9 124 students, and now occupies two additional sites: the Faculty of Medicine is situated in Pok Fu Lam, adjacent to its teaching hospital, Queen Mary Hospital, and the Faculty of Dentistry, housed in the Prince Philip Dental Hospital at Sai Ying Pun.

The structure of the degrees and the governance of the university are based mainly on the British system. The university has nine faculties: Arts, Architecture, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Science and Social Sciences. Each faculty teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Most undergraduate courses are of three years' duration. Exceptions are the curricula for the Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees, which last for five years, and the Bachelor of Science in Quantity Surveying and the Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences, both lasting for four years. All courses, apart from some in the Department of Chinese, are taught and examined in English. A total of 18 998 candidates competed for 1 999 first-year places in the university's 1989 admission exercise.

The university offers three kinds of higher degree, two of which, the Master of Philo- sophy and the Doctor of Philosophy, are awarded on the basis of original research. Another Master's degree is obtainable by coursework. In 1989, higher degree enrolment constituted about 17 per cent of total student registration. A number of postgraduate diploma and certificate courses are also offered.

Research at the university is active and ongoing, with almost every member of the academic staff engaged in research of some nature. Financial resources for the support of research are provided by the government, private benefactions and private companies. The government, through the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee, has allocated a total of $13.16 million earmarked research grant to support a variety of research projects. Other research activities, undertaken in co-operation with the commercial and industrial sectors of the community, and collaborative research and exchange at an international level, are encouraged and supported as far as possible.

The university has a number of specialist centres, many of which undertake inter- disciplinary studies. The Institute of Molecular Biology, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, started operation early in 1989 with the objective of providing the territory with the necessary basic and back-up research for its own biotechnology industry. The Swire Marine Laboratory at Cape d'Aguilar on Hong Kong Island, due to be opened formally in November 1990, will become the first centre in the South China Sea region providing facilities for studies in marine biology, particularly in the context of environmental problems in this part of the world. Other research centres include the Centre of Asian Studies, which serves as a focal point for research on China, Hong Kong, East Asia and South-east Asia; the Centre of Urban Studies and Urban Planning; the Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre, and the Social Sciences Research Centre.

Close links are maintained with universities abroad, through individuals and de- partments, as well as through the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the Association of South-east Asian Institutes of Higher Learning. Academic staff are recruited by international advertisements.

Degrees awarded by the University are recognised internationally, and for the professional disciplines, specialists from major bodies in the United Kingdom and other