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Undergraduate Programmes
Cecilia K.W. Chun
by Professor

Former Associate Dean - Undergraduate Studies

The Faculty of Education (formerly known as The The Faculty offers a Bachelor of Science education programmes we offer have identified and graduates with flexibility in their career choices
School of Education) of The Chinese University of programme and will offer a Bachelor of Art incorporated the different knowledge bases teachers and makes transition between sectors possible, an
Hong Kong (CUHK) launched its first ever Bachelor programme in Early Childhood Education in 2016. need. In addition, field experience opportunities allow advantage when demand for teachers fluctuates.
of Education programme in 1988. This part-time student teachers to integrate theory and practice.
programme, which was the first of its kind in Hong We have extended our contribution to the
Kong, aimed to enhance the competence and kindergarten sector by offering a part-time B. Ed. Among the different knowledge bases, subject Venture into non-teacher education
capabilities of in-service primary school teachers (Early Childhood Education). knowledge is of great importance in a pre-service areas
not holding a bachelor degree. The programme Our undergraduate teacher education programmes undergraduate programme. Our faculty has
was considered a breakthrough in local teacher cover a range of teaching subjects including the capitalised on the strength of a comprehensive In addition to offering teacher education
education, providing an alternative path to obtaining four core subjects in the New Senior Secondary university in its programme design by drawing on programmes, the Faculty has extended its
a graduate teaching qualification . The impact of curriculum (Chinese, English, Mathematics and expertise from different departments. For example, contribution to society by offering a two-year full-
graduates of the programme has been far reaching Liberal Studies). students of Chinese language education, English time top-up Bachelor of Science degree programme
and many graduates have become prominent language education and Mathematics education in 2012 to enhance the capabilities of Associate
practitioners in the primary sector. For the first time in the history of CUHK, the programmes are required to take courses from the Degree / Higher Diploma holders in the area of
Faculty collaborated with an external organisation respective departments. This ensures that our students exercise science and physical education. In 2016, a
In subsequent years, the Faculty of Education has by offering a double degree (B.A. and B.Ed.) are on par with students majoring in these subjects. new B.A. Programme on Early Childhood Education
developed significantly in pre-service teacher programme jointly with Hong Kong Institute of will be offered to enhance the capabilities of teachers
education at the undergraduate level and over Education to train teachers of English. The collaboration has extended to a tertiary institute working in the early education contexts.
the years, 2,663 students have graduated from its beyond CUHK. After the signing of the Deep
undergraduate programmes (Figure 1). In 2015, the Through providing pre-service undergraduate Collaboration Agreement between CUHK and Hong
Faculty is offering five teacher education programmes programmes in teacher education, the Faculty of Kong Institute of Education, the first joint effort of the Accomplished students and alumni
and one Bachelor of Science programme which Education has provided secondary school graduates two institutes was to offer a 4-year undergraduate The Faculty of Education is proud to witness the
admit a total 146 students each year. In terms of interested in becoming teachers with an alternative programme on English Language Education. The
student numbers, undergraduate students constitute route to becoming professional teachers in addition programme was launched in 2006 with an annual achievements of its students and graduates. Most of
22% of the entire student population of the Faculty to the PGDE path. Compared with the one-year full- intake of 40. Students of this programme spent two the graduates are serving as school teachers and
(Figure 2). time PGDE programme, the 4- or 5- year pre-service years taking courses at CUHK offered by the Faculty their performance is highly rated by their schools.
undergraduate teacher education programmes allow of Education and Department of English. This is the Every year, over 50% of the Year 1 students admitted
Since the launch of its first part-time B.Ed. a longer period for student teachers to assimilate first and only undergraduate programme CUHK to the B.A. (English Studies) and B.Ed. (English
programme in primary education in 1988, the into the teaching profession and to develop their offered jointly with another local tertiary institute. Language Education) programmes are awarded
Faculty of Education has extended and expanded its professional identities. the Scholarships for Prospective Teachers of English
undergraduate programmes in a number of ways. set up by the Hong Kong SAR government. A few
Our undergraduate programmes share a number of graduates have been awarded scholarships to
The number of programmes we have offered has features in curriculum design and implementation. Spearheading the offer of cross- pursue higher degree studies in overseas universities
grown from one to fourteen. sectoral teacher education like the University of Oxford and the University of
Cambridge. Recently a graduate from the double
We offer single degree (B.Ed.) programmes and Collaboration within and beyond programmes degree programme in English Language Education
two double degree (B.A. and B.Ed.) programmes. CUHK in programme design and Pre-service teacher education programmes, whether has been awarded the government’s Hong Kong
course offering offered at the PGDE or UG levels, are usually aimed Scholarship for Excellence to support her pursuit
Beyond preparing graduates to teach in primary at preparing teachers to work in one sector, e.g. of a Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge. Another
through the B.Ed. (Primary Education) programme, Education is multidisciplinary in nature and so either primary or secondary. The UG programmes graduate from the same programme has been
we provide cross-sectoral programmes, qualifying offered by the Faculty of Education are the first local offered the Jardine Foundation Scholarship for his
graduates to teach in both primary and secondary is teacher education. Teachers draw on many Ph.D. study at the University of Cambridge.
schools. knowledge systems and orchestrate a series of programmes which are cross-sectoral. Since their
pedagogical skills when planning and teaching in inception, the two language education programmes
their classroom contexts. To adequately prepare have been designed to prepare their graduates to be
graduates to become teachers, the teacher both primary and secondary teachers. This provides