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College requirement (for PIA)
(Applicable to Normative 4-year degree students and Advanced Standing I students admitted/transferred to the majors offered by the Department of Public and International Affairs (PIA) from 2016/17 to 2024/25)
Aim of the College Requirement
To enhance students’ sense of belonging to the College and to broaden students’ intellectual horizons in liberal arts and social sciences studies.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) of the College Requirement
Upon completion of the College Requirement, students will have acquired foundational knowledge in liberal arts and social sciences studies. Students will also have developed broader perspectives and enhanced critical thinking skills in their academic as well as intellectual pursuit. In addition, students will be able to demonstrate the attitude and/or ability to accomplish discovery and/or innovation.
Course Structure
Normative 4-year degree students and Advanced Standing I students admitted/transferred to the majors offered by PIA from 2016/17 onwards
Normative four-year students and Advanced Standing I students are required to take two College foundation courses (total 6 credit units) each from the liberal arts group and the social sciences group (3 credit units per course) for fulfilment of the College Requirement. Students should complete the two College foundation courses in their first-year of study. Students should not take the foundation course offered by their home department for fulfilment of the College Requirement in their first-year of study in CLASS. (see Table 1).
Table 1: College Foundation Courses for Normative 4-year degree students and Advanced Standing I admitted/transferred to the majors offered by PIA from 2016/17 to 2024/25
| College Requirement (6 credit units) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course code | Course title | Credit units |
| Select one course from liberal arts group: | ||
| CAH1603 | Great Works in the Humanities | 3 |
| EN2011 | English on the Move | 3 |
| LT1101 | Amazing Things about Language | 3 |
| Select one course from social sciences group: | ||
| COM1101 | Media and Communication in the Digital Age | 3 |
| PIA2801 | Social Change and Governance Challenges: A Critical Appreciation through Film | 3 |
| SS1600 | Discovering the Mystery of Applied Social Sciences | 3 |
- The College Requirement and the College-specified course requirement for students changed from other academic units to CLASS departments will follow the same arrangements for the Advanced Standing I students. If a student has already successfully completed a Discipline-specific GE English course required by his/her original home academic unit at the University, the student will not be required to take another Discipline-specific English course after transferring to CLASS departments.
- Students who have already successfully completed a College foundation course offered by their new home department are not required to take another College foundation course from the same group after change of major within CLASS departments applicable to students admitted/transferred to PIA from Semester A 2022/23 to Semester B 2024/25.
- Credit Transfer in relation to the College Requirement are not permissible.
Advanced Standing II students
Students entering the 4-year degree with Advanced Standing II will be given full exemption from College Requirement.
(Applicable to Normative 4-year degree students and Advanced Standing I students admitted/transferred to the majors offered by the Department of Public and International Affairs (PIA) from 2025/26 onwards)
Aim of the College Requirement
To equip students with essential skills for success in their academic and professional pursuits, where proficiency in digital literacy and computational thinking is key in many professions.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) of the College Requirement
Upon completion of the College Requirement, students will gain a set of skills that enhances their ability to engage effectively with technological tools in both routine work and decision-making, to communicate smoothly with private sectors and tech-partners, and to serve the public and promote social progress in a manner that keeps up with the times.
Course Structure
Normative 4-year degree students and Advanced Standing I students admitted/transferred to the majors offered by PIA from 2025/26 onwards
PIA normative four-year students and Advanced Standing I students are required to take two three-credit courses in either foreign language component (see Table 1) or computational language component (see Table 2) in their first year of study for fulfilment of the College Requirement.
Students opting for the foreign language component will have to take two three-credit courses (6 credit units) in one of the foreign languages offered by the Chan Feng Men-ling Chan Shuk-lin Language Centre (LC). As far as the foreign language is concerned, students are expected to pick up a language which they do not have prior knowledge and students are requested to declare this before course enrolment.
Table 1: List of courses for the foreign language component
| Foreign Language Component (6 credit units) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course code | Course title | Credit units |
| French Language | ||
| LC2401 | French 1 | 3 |
| LC2412 | French for Business | 3 |
| LC2406 | Intensive French 1 and 2# | 6 |
| German Language | ||
| LC2501 | German 1 | 3 |
| LC2512 | German for Business | 3 |
| LC2506 | Intensive German 1 and 2# | 6 |
| Japanese Language | ||
| LC2930 | Japanese Language – Level 1 | 3 |
| LC2931 | Japanese Language – Level 2 | 3 |
| Korean Language | ||
| LC2973 | Korean I | 3 |
| LC2974 | Korean II | 3 |
| Spanish Language | ||
| LC2601 | Spanish 1 | 3 |
| LC2612 | Spanish for Business | 3 |
| LC2606 | Intensive Spanish 1 and 2# | 6 |
# Students are strongly encouraged to follow the study plan to complete their college requirements in Semesters A and B of their first year. Under exceptional circumstances, students may enroll in an intensive European language course offered in the summer to fulfil the college requirement (language component). This option is subject to special approval from the PIA department and the availability of course offerings.
Table 2: List of courses for the computational language component
| Computational Language Component (6 credit units) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course code | Course title | Credit units |
| PIA2601 | Computational Language Course I | 3 |
| PIA2602 | Computational Language Course II | 3 |
- The College Requirement and the College-specified course requirement for students changed from other academic units to CLASS departments will follow the same arrangements for the Advanced Standing I students. If a student has already successfully completed a Discipline-specific GE English course required by his/her original home academic unit at the University, the student will not be required to take another Discipline-specific English course after transferring to CLASS departments.
- Upon admission to the University, students are requested to choose between the foreign language component and the computational language component. Those who opt for the foreign language component will then indicate their preferences for the specific languages offered by the LC. Students are expected to select a language in which they have no prior knowledge and must sign a declaration confirming that they truly have no prior knowledge of the language they select.
- In case students have completed one course in either language component and find that it does not align with their academic goals, they can apply to switch to another language component, subject to the approval of Head (PIA) or his/her delegate(s) via the endorsement of the major leader. The course completed in their previous language component will be considered as a free elective course.
- Students changing their home major to PIA may come from other academic units of either other Colleges/Schools or CLASS. Regardless of whether they are normative 4-year degree students or Advanced Standing I students, those transferring from other Colleges/Schools to PIA in 2025/26 and thereafter will be required to adopt this new College Requirement framework, while students changing their home major from another academic unit within CLASS to PIA will follow the existing (old) College Requirement framework.
- If students change their home major from PIA to other academic units within CLASS and have not fully completed the new College Requirement framework (Language Component), they should follow the existing (old) College Requirement framework to take two College foundation courses (total 6 credit units), each from the liberal arts group and the social sciences group (3 credit units per course) offered by CLASS departments for fulfilment of the College Requirement and the courses must not be offered by their home department. If these students have only completed a language course of the new College Requirement framework, that course will be considered as a free elective course.
- Credit Transfer in relation to the College Requirement are not permissible.
Advanced Standing II students
Students entering the 4-year degree with Advanced Standing II will be given full exemption from College Requirement.
