Programme Aims

This programme prepares university graduates to become competent and confident teachers in secondary schools in Hong Kong. It provides opportunities for participants to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes required of fully qualified secondary school teachers, together with an understanding of the responsibilities and obligations expected of members of the teaching profession. In addition, the programme seeks to foster a commitment of the participants to their students and to lifelong professional development.

Programme Structure

This programme is delivered in two different modes: One-year Full-time (FT PGDE(S)) and Two-year Part-time (PT PGDE(S)). It is a modularised programme consisting of 30-33 credit points (cps). Participants of FT PGDE(S) are normally required to attend classes during the week (Monday to Saturday) with some evening sessions. Participants of PT PGDE(S) are normally required to attend two/three 3-hour/4-hour classes per week, on weekday evening(s) starting from 6:30 p.m. and Saturday morning and/or afternoon. Class will be held in Tai Po Campus/ Tseung Kwan O Study Centre/ North Point Study Centre/ Kowloon Tong Satellite Study Centre and/or Sports Centre as decided by the University. The programme comprises a programme orientation and the following components:

Programme Orientation

All participants must attend a programme orientation which includes information sessions about the curriculum, campus facilities and services.

Major Subject Studies – Subject Methods

Participants are required to take one subject as Major Subject Studies, which should normally be the major subject in their degree studies (please refer to the entrance requirements for details). Subject to sufficient demand, the following subjects may be offered in the 2024/25 academic year:

Major Subject Studies (MSS)

• 中文
• Design and Technology
• English
• History (for FT mode only)
• Home Economics / Technology and Living
• Information Technology (for PT mode only)
• Music ^Δ(will not be offered in 2024/25)
• Physical Education (for FT mode only)
• Science (for PT mode only)
• Visual Arts (for FT mode only)

^Δ Note: Music is offered at a two-year cycle beginning 2013/14. It will not be offered in 2024/25 and will be offered again in 2025/26.

Click here for the list of courses offered in 2024/25

Education Studies

This component provides participants with an understanding of foundational disciplines required of classroom teachers, i.e. psychology, sociology and philosophy of education, together with generic skills for planning, teaching and assessment. This interdisciplinary knowledge helps participants understand their own teaching, their own personal development, and culture and society at large. The participants can also evaluate current local curriculum and assessment issues. They are introduced to the implications for teaching and learning arising from the diverse range of learners' needs, the organisational culture of the school and the need to create and maintain a positive classroom climate.

The courses are: 

• Foundations and Processes of Learning
• Philosophical and Socio-cultural Issues in Education
• Teacher Leadership and Professionalism in Changing Contexts
• Curriculum and Assessment

Elective Studies – Core / General

The Elective Studies component covers two parts: Core and General. The Elective Core course enables participants to fulfill specific subject requirements while the Elective General is to allow participants to have choices in directing their own professional development. The majority of the participants have to study 1 Elective Core of their Major Subject and select 1 Elective General course. These Elective General courses are interdisciplinary in design in order to encourage participants to develop new areas of interest connected to their academic and education studies.

Field Experience

Field Experience provides opportunity for participants to engage and socialise in schools where they learn to teach, experience school life and work, and develop competence and readiness to enter the teaching profession. Participants on FT PGDE(S) will be arranged to undertake two blocks^# of teaching practice in local secondary schools to try out teaching while participants on PT PGDE(S), who are serving teachers in schools, undertake Field Experience to broaden their experience in classroom practice, reflect and improve their practice by testing out new ideas and applying pedagogical principles in classroom teaching. 

# except that FT PGDE(S) participants who have chosen English as their Major Subject Studies will take part in the compulsory immersion programme in Semester One. 

Important Note: The University will ask students of our full-time teacher education programmes to declare whether they have been convicted of or are being prosecuted for any sex-related offence in Hong Kong or elsewhere, and to provide relevant details prior to undertaking teaching practice. Such information may be released to their placement schools. The University reserves the right not to allow these students to attend the block teaching practice. If so, they won't be able to meet the graduation requirements of the programmes. 
 

Immersion Programme

To enhance the English proficiency of participants, a compulsory immersion programme will be arranged normally in Semester 1 for FT PGDE(S) participants who choose English as their MSS. Details of the immersion programme will be announced after the commencement of the full-time programme.

Medium of Instruction

The medium of instruction is Chinese and/or English. Applicant's adequate proficiency in both Chinese and English is required. Participants will be required to take 25% (about 6 credit points) of the total programme credit points (excluding those for the Field Experience course) through the medium of English. English major participants are required to take all courses through the medium of English, if available.

Information Technology Competency in Education (ITCE)

Before graduation, participants are required to:

1. pass all the required courses in the programme to demonstrate the attainment of ITCE; and
2. complete and pass the IT e-Portfolio (ITeP) or Student Teacher Education Program (STEP) or Artificial Intelligence Literacy (AIL) program for graduation.

Entrance Requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants should normally: 

1. hold a recognised Bachelor's degree with a major in a discipline relevant to their chosen Major Subject Studies*, or equivalent;
2. have passed the admission interview/subject test(s) and/or language test(s), where required; and
3. be serving teachers in local secondary schools (for PT PGDE(S)).

1. Applicants for English who do not hold a degree majoring in English are also welcome to apply.
2. Applicants for Design and Technology should normally hold a degree in creative media and design / engineering / computer science / information technology or other related disciplines in design and technology. Other applicants who do not hold a degree majoring in any of the above may also be considered.
3. Applicants for Home Economics/Technology and Living should normally hold a degree in Food and Nutrition Science / Fashion, Clothing and Textiles / Health or other related disciplines in Home Economics/Technology and Living. Other applicants who do not hold a degree majoring in any of the above may also be considered.

(Note: For part-time applicants, it is at your discretion to invite your employer/principal to complete a recommendation form. Priority of admission will be given to applicants who are recommended by their employers/principals.)

Teaching Requirements for Field Experience

The medium of instruction in the vast majority of Hong Kong schools is Cantonese and/or English. Participants are required to possess a proficient level of language skills (oral, listening and written) to enable them to perform the duties during Field Experience.

For Full-time PGDE(S) Participants

Full-time participants will be arranged to undertake 4^# and 8 weeks of full-time block practice in Semester One and Two respectively in local secondary schools. The teaching load is normally 8-10 periods per week / per 5 to 7-day cycle in Semester One and 10-12 periods per week / per 5 to 7-day cycle in Semester Two.

# except that participants who have chosen English as their Major Subject Studies will take part in the compulsory immersion programme in Semester One.

For Part-time PGDE(S) Participants

The part-time programme is primarily designed for serving teachers. Participants in the programme are required to fulfill the following teaching requirements for Field Experience:

1. About teaching periods

1. For participants having a full-time teaching post in secondary schools ^{note 1}
   They are required to have a minimum of 4 periods ^{note 2} per week / per 5 to 7-day cycle for the chosen subject during the course of study in the programme.
    
2. For participants without a relevant teaching post
   They are required to make own arrangements to undertake 6 consecutive weeks of full-time block practice in secondary schools ^{note 1} during the FE supervision period ^{note 3} in each FE and teach at least 8 periods ^{note 2} per week / per 5 to 7-day cycle for the chosen subject throughout the block practice period.

2. About class setting and class size 

All participants are required to conduct teaching / teaching practice in regular class settings with a minimum of 10 pupils in a class ^{note 4}.

3. About teaching mode 

All participants are required to conduct teaching / teaching practice in simulated mode, virtual mode (synchronous and/or asynchronous modes) and authentic mode of classroom teaching as required by the programme / subject. In case of prolonged class suspension that the requirements of the authentic mode of classroom teaching cannot be fulfilled, an Extended School Attachment will need to be arranged.

Note 1: It refers to local secondary schools adopting local secondary school curriculum.
Note 2: Each period normally refers to a 30-40 minutes duration.
Note 3: FE Supervision period is normally from November to early May of the academic year.
Note 4: For special schools, the minimum number of pupils in a class is 8 according to the actual class size.

Other subject specific teaching requirements

• Science

1. Class level requirement
   Participants choosing Science as MSS are required to teach relevant Science subject at senior secondary level (i.e. S3 to S6 level) for at least half of the periods per week / per 5 to 7-day cycle in each FE.
2. Relevant senior secondary level subjects to teach for FE include:
   • Biology for Biology-focus participants
   • Physics for Physics-focus participants
   • Chemistry for Chemistry-focus participants
3. Relevant junior secondary level subject to teach for FE include:
   • Integrated Science

A summary of Field Experience Requirements for Part-time PGDE (Primary)/(Secondary) programmes is provided here for easy reference.