Curricula and Admissions

Programme Introduction
In collaboration with the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Geneva (Geneva), the Faculty offers a concurrent degree “Bachelor of Social Sciences + Master of Arts (Anthropology and Sociology, or International Economics, or International History and Politics, or International Law, or International Relations/Political Science, or International and Development Studies)” to Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSocSc) students. BSocSc students will complete 3 years of study at HKU and apply to Geneva for admission to one of their designated MA programmes.

On admission, students will complete their HKU 4^th year of study in Geneva taking graduate-level courses at the Graduate Institute, the credits for which will be transferred back to HKU. After successfully completing their 4^thyear of study in Geneva, students may obtain the Bachelor degree of Social Sciences (Bachelor of Social Sciences) from HKU and stay on for an additional year to obtain an MA degree from Geneva. The learning experience at the Graduate Institute, which will include an optional internship in one of the 40 international organisations based in Geneva, can facilitate graduates to pursue careers in one of these organisations such as various UN Offices, WTO, and organisations in labor, telecommunications, human rights, HIV/AIDS etc.

Admission Criteria
The admission criteria are as follows:

1. Students in their third year of study in the 2022/2023 academic year. Please note that students should have completed at least 180 credits at HKU including the Capstone project and have fulfilled the Social Innovation requirement as well as UG5 of the Regulation for First Degree Curricula by the end of Year III.
2. The cGPA should be 3.5 or above.

(Students with a lower cGPA would also be considered based on other achievements, and academic performance in courses related to the applied discipline.)

Moreover, the following MA programmes would have special entry requirements:
MA in International Economics: GRE test score and foundation knowledge in economics
MA in International Law: Foundation knowledge in law

Application Details
Students who are interested in applying for this dual degree should submit the application together with the following documents usually by October 28, 2022:

• Letter of motivation describing why you wish to join the programme (a maximum of 800 words);
• Academic transcript; and
• Two Academic References

Please note that the quota for this dual degree is a maximum of 3. Students with a non-French background will be requested to undertake French classes during their studies at Geneva. Yet, French proficiency level is not an admission requirement for the master programmes.

Students will be invited for interview. Results will be announced in mid-December. All successful candidates will be required to complete an online application with an application fee of CHF100 (approx. HK$800) made payable to Geneva through their online payment system (i.e. Paypal) at the time of submitting the online application form.

Further information on the 5-year concurrent programme can be viewed at https://graduateinstitute.ch/programmes/partner-programmes/5-year-concurrent-bama-programme.

A list of frequently asked questions can be found here.

Should you have any questions and need further information, please feel free to contact the Faculty of Social Sciences at socscug@hku.hk.

Teacher and Student’s Sharing

	I was very happy to welcome one of the first participants of our concurrent degree programme with the University of Hong Kong… performed very well in all aspects of the course – oral and written presentations and discussions… I can say that our BA-MA programme is off to a flying start. Professor Jussi Hanhimäki International History The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Geneva
	The first surprise came when I realised the range of opportunities available in the field of international politics in Geneva was vast… After I had started to engage in the diverse and multicultural student body and the broader Geneva community, I realised how narrow-minded I was… The joint programme enables one to open his or her eyes to other parts of the world and in the process, to explore and re-invent one’s personal and career goals. Mr Lee Chi Him Master in International Affairs (2018-19)
	The nature of the disciplinary courses is that the smaller class sizes allow for more natural and cohesive in-class debates among professors and students… I observed the ways historians think and learn to approach my previous knowledge in ways I never would have imagined before… The change to history opened up so much of the world for me… This experience would not have been possible without the help of professors who are very willing to give advices. Miss Hung Yasmine Yun Yin Master in International History (2018-19)
	Currently I am working on a capstone project, which study the push factors of illicit financial flow in resources-rich countries; it is definitely an intellectually challenging and enriching experience… I encourage those who are interested especially in international governance or development to take this opportunity to come to international Geneva, you will find that there are plenty of options to explore beyond academic courses. Miss Mak Lai Man Master in Development Studies (2018-19)

“2+2” Dual Bachelor Degree: HKU – University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

Successful study on the four-year dual degree programme will give students two Bachelor’s degrees from two highly respected international universities – one from U.S.A. – UC Berkeley – and one from Asia – The University of Hong Kong (HKU).  Students will spend the first two years at HKU and the third and fourth years at UC Berkeley. Students will complete much of the compulsory courses of the major at HKU and they will have some credits of disciplinary electives to complete and to pursue a second major or minor, or free electives at UC Berkeley. Credits gained overseas will be transferred towards the student’s HKU degree. Students will earn a Bachelor of Social Sciences from HKU, and a Bachelor of Arts from UC Berkeley.

Details on the curriculum can be obtained at http://hku.berkeley.edu/