City University of Hong Kong

About CityU

City University of Hong Kong (Abbreviation: CityU; Chinese: 香港城市大學) is a public research university in Kowloon Tong,Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1984 as City Polytechnic of Hong Kong and became a fully accredited university in 1994. It is one of eight government-funded degree-granting tertiary institutions.

City University of Hong Kong is organised into three colleges and four schools, including the College of Business, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, College of Science and Engineering, School of Creative Media, School of Energy and Environment, School of Law, and School of Veterinary Medicine. 

CityU offers professional education that prepares its students for the challenges and exciting opportunities opening up in Hong Kong, the Asia-Pacific region and throughout the world in business, science and engineering, energy and environment, law, creative media and social sciences. Through its extensive links with relevant industries, CityU provides real-life opportunities for students to work with and learn from professionals in the workplace, from bachelor degrees and postgraduate studies to associate degrees and continuing education.

At CityU, we strive to nurture well-rounded graduates who are competent professionals, critical thinkers and life-long learners equipped to cope with a globalised work environment and positioned to capitalise on our extensive links to mainland China and beyond. Our approach to education is heavily influenced by the philosophy of “whole-person development”, a contemporary theory about learning and development that strongly resembles traditional Chinese educational philosophy. Subject to particular focus are the spiritual, intellectual, physical, social and aesthetic elements of education, coupled with the special attention paid to the emotional and career development aspects typical to Western educational philosophies.

Our teachers are recruited from around the world, each an expert in their profession. Employing interactive, IT-based teaching methodologies, students acquire a first-rate grounding in their chosen subjects and the life-long learning skills needed for the real world.

CityU offers state-of-the-art learning, teaching and research facilities in a high-technology environment to create an ambiance that encourages intellectual curiosity, social interaction, self-expression and mutual support.

CityU has achieved phenomenal growth since its establishment as a University in 1994. To date, it has a student population of more than 20,000 enrolled in more than 130 programmes at the associate degree, undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

• College of Business

  We are a globally-oriented business school at the centre of a thriving region in Hong Kong, China. We offer world class teaching and research facilities at our main Kowloon campus, conveniently placed in the heart of Hong Kong. We are a leading Business Education Hub, working in China for the world. We aspire to deliver leadership in applied business research and education which reflects the region's longstanding strengths in international finance, management and manufacturing.

  The College of Business has been consistently ranked as a world top tier business schools in recent years, putting us along with other prestigious universities such as Harvard Business School, London Business School, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, MIT Sloan School of Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Columbia Business School, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley. We aim to sustain our outstanding performance and competitiveness through delivering innovative research that impact positively on business and society, and offering of high quality programmes.

• College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

  CLASS emphasizes research-led learning, practical knowledge, multicultural competence, and global awareness and offers students opportunities to develop cultural, social and political understanding as well as critical and creative thinking. Students study with committed teachers who encourage intellectual inquiry, develop knowledge in their discipline area, and acquire skills for professional careers. We aim to help students develop their full potential and serve the community after they graduate. We are developing partnerships with top universities in the world including Columbia University and Georgia State University, promoting opportunities for international collaboration, for student exchange, and eventually for joint degree programs in specific fields at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students participating in the joint degree programs will receive a degree from City University of Hong Kong and another from our partner university.

• College of Science and Engineering

  The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) benefits from an exceptional combination of integrated science and engineering facilities that enables it to bring innovative skills to teaching, learning and research.

  Through the full cooperation of the various science and engineering units, the CSE achieves and maintains an interdisciplinary world that facilitates a high-standard learning environment.

  The CSE is proud of the quality of its faculty, featuring local and overseas professors from all parts of the world. Numbered among the best available in terms of their qualifications and experience, these professors are dedicated to moulding a bright future for their students.

• School of Creative Media

  The region’s first such institution, the School of Creative Media was founded to nurture a new generation of interdisciplinary artists and creative media professionals, and to develop new ideas and technologies for the creative industries in Hong Kong, mainland China, and abroad. Now over a decade later we continue to espouse and advance these aims as the clear leader in our field.

  Our students are trained across disciplines spanning computer science, fine arts, visual design, creative writing, cultural studies and digital technology. We bridge the boundaries between art and science and integrate traditional and new media. We value applied creativity, cultural awareness, and critical thinking as much as business sense and entrepreneurial success.

  Our internationally recruited faculty members are amongst the foremost artists and researchers in the field, and they have brought a global perspective and forged many institutional partnerships for the School. Our graduates have consistently demonstrated high employability, with over 90% of those who graduated now working as independent artists and professionals in the creative industries, film, television, advertising, publishing, and media production. Many have won prestigious international and local awards for creative and technical innovation.

• School of Law

  The School of Law was established in 1987 as the Department of Law. The inauguration of the Department of Professional Legal Education in 1992 and the Faculty of Law in March 1993 marked the dynamic commitment of City University of Hong Kong to legal education. The two departments merged into one new school that was renamed as School of Law in July of 1998.

  The principal objective of the School is to support and improve the provision of legal education and training in Hong Kong. The School seeks to achieve this objective through teaching, research, international publications, and specialist projects. Distinguished teachers and scholars from Hong Kong, the Mainland and abroad have been recruited over the years to achieve these goals.

  The School aims to become an internationally-renowned centre for research and teaching of law in the Asia-Pacific region. As part of that objective, close links have been developed with the legal profession in Hong Kong as well as agencies of the legal system and users of legal services. Additionally, the School of Law has developed close institutional links, through our GLOBAL GATEWAY® Programme and international exchange programmes, with a variety of overseas institutions.

• School of Energy and Environment

  Our School has been undertaking cutting-edge research and providing professional education in energy- and environment-related issues since its formation in July 2009. More than 150 students have gained their MSc degree with us and the first batch of graduates from the four-year BSc program will complete their studies in the coming academic year. This undergraduate degree is the first program of its kind in Hong Kong. Our students study the issues of providing energy to a growing population against the challenges this poses in maintaining the quality of our environment. This balancing act is especially important for Asia, which releases large quantities of carbon dioxide to fuel its economic growth. The development of technologies that can generate clean and sustainable energy as well as studies of the impact on the environment and global climate change from energy use and production are key elements to our research portfolio and pivotal to what we teach.

• School of Veterinary Medicine

  CityU’s School of Veterinary Medicine (The School) is the first veterinary school in Asia modelled on DVM lines. The vision is to establish a Centre of Excellence in Hong Kong that will raise the standard of animal health care and the teaching of the veterinary discipline in the region. The goal is "to be the premier provider of comprehensive, evidence-based veterinary training, research and service in Asia, with particular emphasis on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Food Safety, Animal Welfare and Aquatic Production."

  The School will offer a world-class veterinary education, advanced training, cutting-edge research in animal medicine, and first-rate veterinary services under the “One Health” concept. The latter recognizes the interconnectedness of human and animal health. It will enable Hong Kong and the region to improve the management and prevention of existing and new diseases originating from animals, thereby protecting health and wealth.

• Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies

  To provide a better focus for the further development of its postgraduate programmes, the University established the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) in 1994.  The School aims to provide better coordination and strategic direction to ensure the continued development of postgraduate studies at the University. The School is committed to providing an environment conducive to learning for postgraduate students. Its principal role is to facilitate the educational experience of its postgraduate students.

  The School received a generous donation from Dr Chow Yei Ching, and was named the "Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies" in 2006.

History of CityU

City University's origins lie in the calls for a "second polytechnic" in the years following the 1972 establishment of the Hong Kong Polytechnic. In 1982, Executive Council member Chung Sze-yuen spoke of a general consensus that "a second polytechnic of similar size to the first should be built as soon as possible." District administrators from Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan lobbied the government to build the new institution in their respective new towns. The government instead purchased temporary premises at the new Argyle Centre Tower II in Mong Kok, a property developed by the Mass Transit Railway Corporation in concert with the then-Argyle Station. The new school was called City Polytechnic of Hong Kong, a name chosen among nearly 300 suggestions made by members of the public.

The new polytechnic opened on 8 October 1984, welcoming 480 full-time and 680 part-time students. Founding director Dr. David Johns stated that the unique modular structure of the coursework offered "absolute parity of academic standards between full-time and part time students" and that provision for part-time students contributed to a huge demand for student places, with the quota being filled almost immediately. The polytechnic's planning committee sought to accommodate a student population of 8,000 by the end of the 1980s, and construction of the permanent campus in nearby Kowloon Tong began shortly thereafter.

The architectural contract to design the new campus was won by Percy Thomas Partnership in association with Alan Fitch and W.N. Chung. It was originally slated to open by October 1988. The first phase was officially opened by Governor Wilson on 15 January 1990, and boasted 14 lecture theatres and 1,500 computers. By 1991, the school had over 8,000 full-time students and approximately 3,000 part-time students. The second phase of the permanent campus opened 1993. The school achieved university status in 1994 and the name was changed accordingly.

Accreditation

Institutional Accreditation or Recognition - Education Bureau, Hong Kong SAR

Year of first Accreditation - 1984

Rankings

• No. 57 in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings (2015)
• No. 7 among the top universities in Asia in the QS Asian University Rankings (2016), which was followed by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
• No. 4 in the QS world’s under 50 years old universities (2015)
• In the Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2015), CityU is No. 27 in the field of Engineering/ Technology and Computer Sciences;
• No. 45 in the subject of computer science and No. 22 in the subject of mathematics.
• In the US News Best Global Universities for Engineering (2015), CityU is ranked Top 10 in the world and 1st in Hong Kong.
• According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject, linguistics has been ranked among the top 50 universities worldwide for six consecutive years (from 2011 to 2016), and is ranked No. 29 in 2016.
• The CityU College of Business is highly regarded in Hong Kong and internationally, and is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).
• In the US News Best Global Universities for Business (2015), CityU College of Business is ranked No. 2 in Asia and No. 57 in the world.
• In the UTD Top 100 Business School Research Ranking, the College of Business is ranked No. 2 in Asia and No. 33 in the world.
• According to the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) World University Rankings (2015), CityU is ranked at No. 192 in the world.

Student Life @ CityU

Work Hard, Play Hard

CityU has over 15 sports teams that take part in interschool sports competitions. All students are welcome to try out for the teams.

Student Residence

Living in the Student Residence is a good way to enhance self-management and interpersonal skills. Residence Masters, Residence Tutors and students live together as a community in the halls of residence.

Serving and Learning

The City-Youth Empowerment Project provides opportunities for students to engage in the local community through voluntary service and community immersion activities.

The English Language Centre (ELC) organizes various programmes and activities to help students polish their English. Native English speakers are invited to volunteer as peer English mentors and interact with students whose mother tongue is not English through lively and interesting English communication projects.

Cross-cultural Integration

Students can learn about traditional Chinese culture and immerse themselves in an ambiance rich in diversity through a variety of multicultural activities and celebrations held on campus every year.

Get Involved

City University of Hong Kong Students' Union (SU) - CityU has more than 60 student associations and societies under the umbrella of the Students' Union (SU), so it's easy to get involved on campus and meet people with similar interests. All students in full-time undergraduate programmes are full members of the SU. Exchange and other students are welcome to apply to the SU for associate membership.

City University Postgraduate Association (CUPA) - Both taught and research postgraduate students are members of CUPA, which aims to promote the interests of postgraduates at CityU. It also organizes academic and cultural activities for its members.

Services of CityU

Computer Services Centre

The Computing Services Centre (CSC) is responsible for the provision of central computing facilities and technical services to support various aspects of computing and networking within the University.

Library

The Run Run Shaw Library was established in 1984. In 1989, the Library moved to its current location in Academic 1 on the university campus in Kowloon Tong and the following year it was renamed Run Run Shaw Library in recognition of a generous donation by Sir Run Run Shaw.

Located on Level 3 of Academic 1, the library occupies a central location which is easily accessible to users. It has a total area of 17,244m2. The library has around 2,440 seats available during term time and 2,700 during the Revision and Examination Periods.

The library's collection includes more than 1,067,400 print books and over 2 million electronic books. The collection also comprises around 216,100 volumes of bound periodicals and around 2,690 print serial titles. The library maintains an expanding number of electronic resources including 370 electronic databases, around 75,100 e-journals, and around 68,200 media resources.

Sports facilities

Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre is a five-storey sports centre which houses a multi-purpose hall and four practice gymnasiums for badminton, basketball, volleyball, martial arts and dance, and other activities. There is a table-tennis room, six squash courts, an indoor sport-climbing wall, two physical fitness rooms and two golf driving rooms plus a golf simulation room. In May 2016, the 1,400 square metre roof of the Chan Tai Ho multi-purpose hall at the sports centre which had been covered with a living roof completed only two months previously suddenly collapsed, injuring three people.

CityU also has a 50-metre, Olympic-size swimming pool and a full-size outdoor basketball court. The off-campus Joint Sports Centre provides a variety of outdoor sports facilities, including an international standard 8-lane all-weather running track and field facilities, an 11-a-side natural grass football pitch, four tennis courts with a 200-seat spectator stand, a multi-purpose court and two-bay golf practice area. It is jointly owned and shared by City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Canteen and food services

• City Express: Amenities building, 5F
• City Chinese Restaurant: Amenities building, 8F
• City Top: Amenities building, 9F
• Maxim’s: Academic 2, 3F
• Delifrance: Academic 3, 3F
• Bistro: Academic3, 7F
• Garden Café (Grove Company Ltd): Academic Exchange building, GF
• Homey Kitchen: Multi-purpose hall B of Student Residence
• CMCafé (Grove Company Ltd): Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre, 3F