University Core Requirements

Applicable to students admitted in 2022-23 and thereafter

At CUHK, there is a long-established tradition for students to pursue not only a specialized or professional discipline, but also to gain an educational experience that will serve to enhance their capacity for life-long learning and competitiveness in the working life. The core skills and knowledge, comprising numeracy, critical thinking skills and digital literacy, as well as a high level of proficiency in Chinese and English, are developed through courses under the headings of Languages, Digital Literacy and Computational Thinking, General Education, Physical Education, Understanding China and Hong Kong in the Wider Constitutional Order. The following is a breakdown in terms of credit units:

Subject		No. of Units
Chinese Language		5
English Language		8
General Education	University GE: Foundation Courses (6 units)	19
	University GE: Four Areas (7 units)
	College GE (6 units)
Understanding China		1
Hong Kong in the Wider Constitutional Order		1
Digital Literacy and Computational Thinking		3
Physical Education		2
Total		39

Chinese Language

The 5-unit Chinese language requirements include one 3-unit course and one 2-unit course, which are CHLT1001 University Chinese I and CHLT1002 University Chinese II respectively, normally to be taken in Years 1 and 2. Programme Learning Outcomes can be found at the website of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature.

English Language

The 8-unit English language requirements include a 3-unit course in Year 1, a 3-unit course in Year 2 and a 2-unit course in Year 3. The Year 1 course, ELTU1001 Foundation English for University Studies, is a foundation course for all University students, while the Year 2 and Year 3 courses are faculty-based discipline-specific courses. Students can take alternative English language courses as substitutes of faculty-based discipline-specific courses. Programme Learning Outcomes can be found at the website of the English Language Teaching Unit.

Details of exemption by attainment can be found in the section “Exemption by Attainment from the University Chinese and English Language Requirements”.

General Education

The GE Programme comprises three components: 7 units under the Four Areas of University GE, 6 units under the GE Foundation Programme, which includes two required courses: In Dialogue with Humanity and In Dialogue with Nature, and 6 units under College GE.

Details of the GE Programme requirements can be found in the section “General Education Programme − Study Schemes and Course Lists”.

To learn more about the GE Programme, please refer to the following:

· Goals and objectives

· College GE

· Four Areas of University GE

· Learning outcomes of the GE Foundation courses

–	UGFH1000 In Dialogue with Humanity
–	UGFN1000 In Dialogue with Nature

Understanding China

The history of China is both rich and complex, as is its development in the modern era. The growing influence of China on the world stage, as one of the largest economies, a prominent player in international relations, and a major centre for knowledge creation, highlights the need for an integrated and multi-disciplinary understanding of its past and present. This course brings together several perspectives on China in addressing the following topics: cultural and intellectual roots, epochal events in history, modernisation and social change, economic development, and science and technology. This required 1-unit course (UGCP1001) is an online course. Please click here for the course information.

Hong Kong in the Wider Constitutional Order

This course views the overall development of Hong Kong from the perspectives of the nation and the wider constitutional order in China. It highlights the interlocking relations between law, national security and national development in the context of state capacity building in modern Chinese history, and introduces the fundamental constitutional principles underlying the One-Country-Two-Systems framework, the Basic Law of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong National Security Law. This required 1-unit course (UGCP1002) is an online course. It is recommended that students complete the online course UGCP1001 Understanding China before taking this course. Please click here for the course information.

Digital Literacy and Computational Thinking

The required 3-unit Digital Literacy and Computational Thinking course is an introductory level course covering basic information technology concepts and skills, simple data processing using spreadsheet, and computational thinking techniques for solving problems with data and quantitative reasoning. It also introduces basic statistics and data science concepts for working with data from digital sources.  Demonstration on machine learning algorithms for solving real-life problems and case studies in social media usage will be included to illustrate how to interpret data properly and identify false information.  The course focuses on hands-on practices using relevant software toolboxes.

Two versions (ENGG1003 and ENGG1004) of the course are offered with focus on digital/data literacy and quantitative reasoning respectively. Students are required to take the version as specified by their major programme in their first year of attendance according to the recommended course pattern.

Course information of ENGG1003 and ENGG1004 can be found on the website of the Office of Digital Literacy Education.

Physical Education

The 2-unit Physical Education requirement includes two different 1-unit courses, which should be taken in two different terms. Students are required to take the courses in their first year of attendance, according to the recommended course pattern.

The PE courses offered cover 18 sports items, such as swimming, basketball, handball, table-tennis and physical conditioning etc.

Details of the PE requirement and the Programme Learning Outcomes can be found at the website of the Physical Education Unit.

Exemption by attainment/equivalence of courses

from the University Core Requirements

Students are required to apply for exemption by attainment or by equivalence of courses. When exemption from a particular course is recognized, students can only be exempted from the course but not the units. This means that the students will still be required to complete other courses to fulfill the overall requirements. Students can also take the exempted course(s) if they wish, which would amount to not seeking an exemption to which they are entitled.

Such approval for equivalence would have to be re-examined by the offering unit and the relevant committees, including the Senate Committee on Language Enhancement, Senate Committee on General Education, Senate Committee on Physical Education and Sub-Committee on Education Technologies of the IT Governance Committee, if the courses involved are revised. 

Course List

Course Code

Course Title

Unit(s)

(1) Chinese Language

CHLT1001

University Chinese I

3

CHLT1002

University Chinese II

2

(2) English Language

Year 1

ELTU1001

Foundation English for University Studies

3

ELTU1002

English Communication for University Studies

3

Year 2

ELTU2011 [Note 1]

English Through Literary Analysis

3

ELTU2012 [Note 2 & 3]

Business Communication I

3

ELTU2013 [Note 5]

English for Education Students I

3

ELTU2014 [Note 3, 4, 6, 7 & 8]

English for Engineering Students I

3

ELTU2015

English for Law Students

1

ELTU2016 [Note 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14]

Communication for Nursing Professionals

3

ELTU2017 [Note 13]

English for Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

3

ELTU2018 [Note 3, 4, 6, 15 & 16]

English for Science Students I – Effective Communication

3

ELTU2019 [Note 3, 4, 6, 15 & 16]

English for Science Students I – Science Research Writing

3

ELTU2020 [Note 4, 17 & 18]

English for Social Science Students I

3

ELTU2021 [Note 17]

English for Architecture Students I

3

ELTU2022 [Note 1]

Academic English for Linguistics

3

ELTU2023 [Note 10]

English for Chinese Medicine Students

3

ELTU2024 [Note 7]

English for Engineering Students I – Extensive Reading about Contemporary Issues

3

ELTU2026 [Note 11, 12 & 14]

English through Health Sciences

3

ELTU2406

Academic Writing for Contemporary China Studies

3

ELTU2411 [Note 18]

Professional Communications for Social Workers I

3

Year 3

ELTU3011

Professional Communication for Arts Students

2

ELTU3012 [Note 2 & 3]

Business Communication II

2

ELTU3013 [Note 5]

English for Education Students II

2

ELTU3014 [Note 3, 4, 6 & 8]

English for Engineering Students II

2

ELTU3016 [Note 19]

Medicine Across Cultures

2

ELTU3017

English for MBChB Programme: Medicine in the Humanities

2

ELTU3018 [Note 3, 4, 6 & 16]

English for Science Students II

2

ELTU3020 [Note 4, 17 & 18]

English for Social Science Students II

2

ELTU3021 [Note 17]

English for Architecture Students II

2

ELTU3412 [Note 18]

Professional Communications for Social Workers II

2

ELTU3415 [Note 19]

English through Food

2

Alternative courses

ELTU2004 [Note 20]

English through the Visual Arts

3

ELTU2005 [Note 21]

Speaking and Presenting like TED

3

ELTU2006 [Note 22]

English through Performing Arts

3

ELTU2007 [Note 23]

English Through Film, Television and Society

3

ELTU2412 [Note 24]

Academic Writing for Arts and Social Science Students

3

ELTU3024 [Note 25]

Communicating Engineering Research

2

ELTU3413 [Note 26]

Research Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences

2

ELTU3414 [Note 27]

Learn to Write Better! English Through Great Essays

2

ELTU3415 [Note 28]

English through Food

2

ELTU3502 [Note 27]

Essentials of Public Speaking

2

ELTU3503 [Note 27]

Intercultural Communication Through English

2

Explanatory Notes:

1.

Linguistics major students should take ELTU2022 instead of ELTU2011.

2.

Global Economics and Finance, and Quantitative Finance and Risk Management Science major students should fulfil the English language requirement of Faculty of Business Administration.

3.

Interdisciplinary Data Analytics and X Double Major Programme students should fulfil the English language requirement of the respective Faculty according to their second major:

Second major	Fulfill English language requirement of the respective Faculty
IBBA	Faculty of Business Administration
Information Engineering	Faculty of Engineering
Systems Engineering and Engineering Management	Faculty of Engineering
Mathematics	Faculty of Science
Statistics	Faculty of Science
Financial Engineering*	Faculty of Business Administration; or Faculty of Engineering; or Faculty of Science
Marketing and Communication*	Faculty of Business Administration
Computer Science and Engineering*	Faculty of Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering*	Faculty of Engineering
Mathematics and Applied Mathematics*	Faculty of Science
Statistics*	Faculty of Science

*Second major offered by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen.

4.

Aerospace Science and Earth Informatics & X Double Major Programme students should fulfil the English language requirement of the respective Faculty according to their second major:

Second major	Fulfill English language requirement of the respective Faculty
Energy and Environmental Engineering	Faculty of Engineering
Mechanical and Automation Engineering	Faculty of Engineering
Earth and Environmental Sciences	Faculty of Science
Physics	Faculty of Science
Geography and Resource Management	Faculty of Social Science
Data Science and Big Data Technology*	Faculty of Science
Urban Management*	Faculty of Social Science
Electrical and Computer Engineering*	Faculty of Engineering
New Energy Science and Engineering*	Faculty of Engineering
Physics*	Faculty of Science

*Second major offered by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen.

5.

Learning Design and Technology major students should fulfil the English language requirement of Faculty of Education.

6.

Mathematics and Information Engineering major students should fulfil the English language requirement of either Faculty of Engineering or Faculty of Science.

7.

Financial Technology major students should take ELTU2024 instead of ELTU2014.

8.

Computational Data Science major students should fulfil the English language requirement of Faculty of Engineering.

9.

The course title of ELTU2016 was “English for Medicine I (Excluding MBChB Programme)” since 2012-13 (for Year 2 students in the Faculty of Medicine).  It has been changed to “Communication for Medical Professionals” since 2022-23 (for Year 2 Nursing students).  It is further renamed “Communication for Nursing Professionals” with effect from 2024-25 (also for Year 2 Nursing students).

10.

Chinese Medicine major students should take ELTU2023 instead of ELTU2016, applicable to students admitted in 2016-17 and thereafter.

11.

Public Health major students should take ELTU2026 instead of ELTU2016, applicable to students admitted in 2015-16 and thereafter.

12.

Community Health Practice major students should take ELTU2026 instead of ELTU2016, applicable to students admitted in 2017-18 and thereafter.

13.

Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy major students should take ELTU2017 instead of ELTU2016, applicable to students admitted in 2021-22 and thereafter.

14.

Gerontology major students should take ELTU2026 instead of ELTU2016, applicable to students admitted in 2022-23 and thereafter.

15.

Students of the Faculty of Science should take either ELTU2018 or 2019.

16.

Biotechnology, Entrepreneurship and Healthcare Management major students should fulfil the English language requirement of Faculty of Science.

17.

Architecture major students should take ELTU2021 and 3021 instead of ELTU2020 and 3020.

18.

Social Work major students should take ELTU2411 and 3412 instead of ELTU2020 and 3020.

19.

Students of the Faculty of Medicine (excluding MBChB Programme) should take either ELTU3016 or 3415.

20.

ELTU2004 is an alternative course for ELTU2011.

21.

ELTU2005 is an alternative course for ELTU2011, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2020.

22.

ELTU2006 is an alternative course for ELTU2011.

23.

ELTU2007 is an alternative course for ELTU2011 and 2020.

24.

ELTU2412 is an alternative course for ELTU2011 and 2020.

25.

ELTU3024 is an alternative course for ELTU3014.

26.

ELTU3413 is an alternative course for ELTU3011, 3013 and 3020.

27.

ELTU3414, 3502 and 3503 are alternative courses for ELTU3011, 3013, 3014, 3016, 3018 and 3020.

28.

ELTU3415 is an alternative course for ELTU3011, 3013, 3014, 3018 and 3020.

(3) General Education

Please refer to “General Education Programme − Study Schemes and Course Lists”

(4) Understanding China

UGCP1001

Understanding China

1

(5) Hong Kong in the Wider Constitutional Order

UGCP1002

Hong Kong in the Wider Constitutional Order

1

(6) Digital Literacy and Computational Thinking

ENGG1003

Digital Literacy and Computational Thinking—P

3

ENGG1004

Digital Literacy and Computational Thinking—R

3

(7) Physical Education

PHED1010

Special Physical Education I

1

PHED1011/1012

Track and Field

1

PHED1015/1016/1020

Swimming

1

PHED1017/1018/1220

Physical Conditioning

1

PHED1021/1022

Basketball

1

PHED1023/1024

Volleyball

1

PHED1025/1026

Softball

1

PHED1027/1028

Team Handball

1

PHED1029/1038

Soccer

1

PHED1030

Special Physical Education II

1

PHED1031/1032/1170

Tennis

1

PHED1033/1034

Squash

1

PHED1040

Woodball

1

PHED1041/1042/1180

Badminton

1

PHED1043/1044/1140

Table Tennis

1

PHED1045/1046/1150

Yoga

1

PHED1122

Taekwondo

1

PHED1130

Modern Dance

1

PHED1210

Tai Chi

1