Faculty of Social Sciences

Master of Social Sciences (Contemporary China Studies)

Programme Director: Prof Chow Kai Wing

The Master of Social Sciences (Contemporary China Studies) is a multidisciplinary postgraduate coursework degree programme designed to meet the professional and practical needs of employees of government, non-profit organizations and private companies, as well as the educational needs of those new university graduates including local and international students who want to pursue postgraduate work in China studies or related fields. It may be pursued either as an end in itself or in preparation for further studies. The curriculum is designed to accomplish the following objectives:

1.	To provide students with a critical understanding of contemporary China from political, historical, economic, geographical and sociological perspectives;
2.	To sharpen students’ awareness of the complex relationships of historical, economic, geographical, political and sociological factors in China through a multi-disciplinary approach; and
3.	To enhance students’ understanding of the processes of change which will shape the future relation between Hong Kong, the rest of China and the world.

Most courses are taught by a combination of lecture-discussions and seminars held on weekday evenings and/or Saturday mornings. Students have to complete an independent project under the guidance of their supervisors.

The structure of the curriculum is as follows:

I)	Core Course	3 units
II)	Concentration/Field Courses	21 units
III)	Project	3 units
		───────
		27 units

Requirements

In order to graduate, students must complete 27 units, of which 24 units from coursework (1 core course, 3 courses from one major Concentration/Field and 4 courses from the others) and 3 units from completing an independent project within the duration of the programme, and obtain:

1.	Grade C- or above in all courses, and
2.	A cumulative GPA of 2.50 or above.

I.	Core Course			3 units
	POLS	7010	Advanced China Studies	3 units

II.	Concentration/Field Courses			21 units
	Economic Development and Reform:
	ECON	7100*	Research Workshops & Seminars	3 units
	ECON	7140*	Applied Econometric Analysis	3 units
	ECON	7240*	Economic Development & Growth	3 units
	ECON	7310*	Economic Institutions in China	3 units
	ECON	7320*	Public Finance & Monetary Economics in China	3 units
	ECON	7340*	Productivity Analysis of the Chinese Economy	3 units
	ECON	7510	China's Economic Development & Reform	3 units
	ECON	7520	China's Foreign Trade & Investment	3 units
	ECON	7540	Graduate Workshops on China's Economy	3 units
	History and Culture:
	HIST	7510	South China Studies	3 units
	HIST	7520	Chinese Culture in Transformation	3 units
	HIST	7530	Graduate Seminar on Contemporary Chinese History	3 units
	HIST	7540*	Contemporary Chinese Political Thought	3 units
	HIST	7550*	History of Taiwan	3 units
	HIST	7560*	Chinese Women & Politics in the 20th Century China	3 units
	HIST	7570*	China & Asia in the Twentieth Century	3 units
	Society and Community:
	SOC	7510	Social Networks in the Contemporary Chinese Society	3 units
	SOC	7530	Graduate Seminar on Contemporary Social Issues in China	3 units
	SOC	7540	Chinese Social Demography	3 units
	SOC	7550*	Population of China	3 units
	SOC	7560*	Sociological Issues in Urban & Rural Development	3 units
	SOC	7570*	Chinese Family & Kinship	3 units
	SOC	7580*	Women in China	3 units
	Urban Development and Environmental Management:
	GEOG	7510	Resource & Environmental Management in China	3 units
	GEOG	7520	Urban & Regional Development of China	3 units
	GEOG	7530	Graduate Seminar on Geography of China	3 units
	GEOG	7540*	Energy Development in China	3 units
	GEOG	7550*	Resource Management in China	3 units
	GEOG	7560*	Rural & Agricultural Development in China	3 units
	GEOG	7570*	Urban Development in China	3 units

III.	Project			3 units
	SOSC	7510	Project	3 units
				──────
				27 units

Normally, one-year full-time students should complete the programme in one calendar year while two-year part-time students in two calendar years. With special permission a student may extend his or her study by one year.

*	Students can take no more than one course from this group of elective courses which are normally offered in the daytime.