Section A The Present Landscape of Higher Education in Hong Kong
Chapter 1 : Undergraduate Courses

(cf Chapter 10 of "Higher Education in Hong Kong" (1996))

1.1	Of the approximately 44,000 students on full time first degree courses in 1997-98, 12,000 were reading business or business-related studies, of whom 2,800 were studying accountancy. 6,100 students were following science courses (excluding computer science), with 4,100 of them taking physical science (including mathematics) and 2,000 biological subjects. 6,200 read arts, including performing arts and design, and 4,000 took economics and social science subjects. 7,800 students followed engineering/technology courses, 3,200 of them in electrical and electronic specialisms. 3,600 students read medicine, dentistry and related subjects. 2,400 students were studying computer science and another 1,800 the built environment, including architecture. The remaining 1,200 were in law and education studies.
1.2	It is worth examining the larger areas in a little more detail. Within business studies, which is followed by nearly one-quarter of full-time undergraduates, the most popular subject is accountancy, with 6% of all students, as we have already noted. No other specialism attracts this sort of number, although finance and marketing options are popular. Many students favour generalised business courses leading to the Bachelor of Business Administration.
1.3	Arts (including performing arts and design) and science (excluding computer science) each attract about 15% of students. Within arts, Chinese language and literature is popular, as are English and History. Science divides two-thirds to physical science (including Mathematics) and one-third to biological science. Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics remain the major groupings within physical science and biological science is largely undifferentiated; there has only been small development as yet in modern combinations such as environmental science and biotechnology. Not included in the science numbers are the 6% of full time undergraduates reading computer science.
1.4	Engineering/technology also takes 18% of students, of whom, as we have noted, 40% are reading electrical or electronic subjects. Most courses are associated with traditional departmental specialisms - civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical - although industrial engineering and computer engineering are also represented. There are no engineering science courses of the type favoured in some universities outside Hong Kong, but there has been some bridging of the disciplines with degrees in systems engineering and mechatronics.
1.5	10% of full-time undergraduates read economics and social sciences, of whom the largest groups are the 2% of all students studying economics and the 2% studying social work. Courses in public administration are also popular. There are medical schools at two institutions (HKU and CUHK) where the numbers on the five-year courses amount to 4% of full-time undergraduates. The dental school at HKU takes 0.5% and subjects allied to medicine (mostly at PolyU) another 4%.
1.6	Part-time undergraduate courses satisfy a variety of needs, including improved standing for those in employment by "topping-up" an existing qualification or providing one from the beginning, or offering a second chance to those who missed out on degree course places as school leavers. A part-time degree may also be taken because of leisure interest in the subject, rather than with career advancement as the objective. We shall discuss part-time numbers in terms of their full time equivalent (fte), although the conversion factors from headcount can be controversial. There are about 2,500 fte students taking part-time undergraduate courses which are funded by the UGC. However, all part-time degree courses in the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK), and a number in the UGC institutions, are self-financing. So, of course, are those leading to qualifications of institutions outside Hong Kong. Of the 9,900 fte higher education students in the OUHK most are on undergraduate courses. There are a further 1,300 fte students on self-financing courses in UGC institutions which lead to a Hong Kong bachelor's degree and another 4,000 fte in those institutions, or engaged in private study, for a degree awarded by an overseas provider. In total, then, we have about 17,000 fte part-time undergraduates.