Research Postgraduate

The Faculty aspires to attract talented young postgraduates for training to be scholars, outstanding researchers, and leading academics in Hong Kong, China and overseas. The Faculty provides opportunities for them to join research teams and work on novel research projects. They are encouraged to communicate their ideas and findings with peers, academics of the University, as well as with overseas researchers and scholars. Departments each year admit a number of students to the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and PhD degree programmes. Currently, there are 270 research students. Many of their research findings contribute to international publications and to the formulation of public policies in promoting the well-being of the community.

Faculty Research Areas

Department of Geography
	Climate change and paleoclimate studies
	Climate-man relationship and environmental issues
	Climate change, geomorphology and quaternary science
	Cultural heritage management; urban planning and environmental management
	Environmental/ecological economics; urban forestry and urban ecology; environmental management
	Environmental science and management
	Geographical information systems and cartography
	Globalisation, economic development and spatial transformation in China
	Hydrology and sediment studies
	Soil science and biogeography
	Spatial analysis-statistics, geographic information science and population geography
	Tourism and recreation geography
	Transport, e-technologies and society
	Transportation geography and container port systems
	Urban and regional development in China, and economic geography

Department of Politics and Public Administration
	Comparative politics
	International relations
	Political theory
	Public administration and public policy

Department of Psychology
	Clinical psychology
	Cognition and perception
	Educational psychology
	Social psychology

Department of Social Work and Social Administration
	Ageing and gerontology
	Families and children
	Gender and sexuality
	Health and mental health
	Health and welfare in China
	Population studies
	Social policy, planning and community building
	Others
	- Dance-movement therapy; psychoneuroimmunology; newly arrived immigrants; social work education including IT development; psycho-autopsy study.

Department of Sociology
	Asian societies and globalisation
	Criminology
	Media and culture

Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (inc. the Centre of Asian Studies)
	Inter-Asian connections
	Science, technology and medicine in Asian societies
	Hubs, mobilities and the Asian urban
	Spirituality and religion in Asia

Centre on Behavioral Health

The Centre on Behavioral Health organizes systematic clinical research in the areas of chronic illness, mental health and behavioral problems. Research students interested in psychosocial aspects of health and illness, grief and loss, resilience and post-traumatic growth, integrative east-west medical and psychosocial case are welcome to contact staff of the Centre.

Centre for Civil Society and Governance
	Civil society development in Hong Kong
	The legal and regulatory framework of civil society
	NGO legitimacy, accountability, and corporate governance
	Philanthropy and community foundation
	Social cohesion in Hong Kong

Centre for Criminology
	Crime prevention
	Drug addiction
	Organized crime
	Crime victimication
	Forensics
	Crime prevalence studies
	Crimes against women
	Business crime
	Internet crime

Policy for Sustainability Lab
	Environmental policy studies in Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region
	Sustainability assessment methods
	Corporate environmental governance and business-environment issues
	Planning sustainable communities
	Sustainable development
	Sustainable energy
	Environmental education and community engagement
	Water Governance

International Center for China Development Studies
	Globalization and China's spatial economic development
	Global cities network and super service hub and financial centers development, including New York, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing studies
	Regional cooperation and integration, particularly in Hong Kong-PRD region
	China's manufacturing competitiveness and industrial transformation
	China's urbanization and urban and regional transformation
	Environment and infrastructure development
	Public policy and social development

Journalism and Media Studies Centre
	Media law and ethics
	Digital media
	Literary journalism
	Journalism in Greater China
	International journalism
	Public health journalism
	Environmental journalism
	Cultural studies of journalism and the media
	Public culture
	Business and financial journalism
	Journalism education

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention
	Evaluation of suicide prevention strategies and population health areas
	Monitoring trends in attempted suicide and suicide
	Psychological autopsy studies to identify the psychiatric and social causes of suicide
	Studies of suicide attempters, including survivors of serious suicide attempts, to identify the psychological, social and biological causes and correlates of suicidal behaviour
	Investigation of the extent and causes of suicidal behaviour in the community, including individuals who do not come to medical attention;
	Examination of media influences on suicidal behaviour
	Development and evaluation of specific treatments for suicide attempters
	Systematic reviews of the worldwide literature on clinical studies relevant to suicide prevention
	A geographical information system (GIS) of suicide and other major public health interests

Sau Po Centre on Ageing
	Long-term care policy and program, social security and pension policy
	Chronic illness management, ageing with disabilities
	Community care
	End-of-life care
	Active and productive ageing
	Elderly housing
	Aging in place
	Elder abuse prevention and intervention, dementia care, and informal caregiving

Social Sciences Research Centre
	Computerized survey data collection
	Internet and world-wide web policy
	Telephone survey methodology
	Longitudinal surveys
	Opinion and electoral polls
	Bayesian statistics
	Social and medial statistics
	Privacy and data protection
	Compositional data analysis

HKU Strategic Research Area and Themes (Faculty Involvement Areas )

	Biomedicine: Healthy Ageing
	Community: Law,Policy and Development
	China: Contemporary China
	Environment: Sustainable Environment

Courses offered by the Graduate School

Courses offered by our Departments