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 on weekdays from 8:30am to 9:20pm and/or Saturdays from 8:30am to 6:20pm. Participants of PT PGDE(S) are normally required to attend classes on several weekday evenings from 6:30pm to 9:20pm and/or Saturdays from 8:30am to 6:20pm. Classes in the same or different semester(s) will be held in the Tai Po Campus and/or Tseung Kwan O Study Centre/ North Point Study Centre/ Kowloon Tong Satellite Study Centre / Sports Centre / other locations as decided by the University. Participants must thoroughly consider their travel arrangements and time back to the campus/centres to attend face-to-face classes punctually. Combined classes for part-time and full-time participants would be arranged where necessary. Different modes of delivery (including face-to-face classes), teaching and learning activities as well as assessment methods will be adopted as deemed appropriate.

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 2025/26 academic year:

Major Subject Studies (MSS)

• 中文
• Design and Technology
• English
• History
• Home Economics / Technology and Living
• Information Technology (for PT mode only)
• Mathematics (for PT mode only)
• Music
• Physical Education
• Science (for PT mode only)
• Visual Arts

Click here for the list of courses offered in 2025/26

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, and advocate the professional ethics and values for implementing different types of curricula and assessment strategies in schools. 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

The Elective Studies component covers: Core, Subject Methods Relevant and General. The Elective Core and Subject Methods Relevant courses 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 full-time participants have to study 1 Elective Core and 1 Subject Methods Relevant of their Major Subject. For the majority of part-time participants, they 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 requires students of our full-time teacher education programmes to declare all records of conviction and prosecution of sex-related offence in Hong Kong or elsewhere, and report on whether they are involved in any ongoing criminal proceedings or investigations, and to provide relevant details prior to undertaking teaching practice. The University reserves the right to deny students with records of conviction or prosecution of sex-related offence attendance or access to the block teaching practice whereby their graduation requirements of the programmes will not be met.
 

Immersion Programme (For full-time only)

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 (Cantonese) 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. Chinese major participants of FT PGDE(S) are required to take one course through the medium of Putonghua.

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 or mainland-based secondary schools catering to Hong Kong pupils and offering the Hong Kong curriculum (內地設立港人子弟學校) in the Greater Bay Area (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 depending on the policy of the schools. 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 secondary schools. Block practice for local participants will be conducted in local secondary schools. Non-local participants^## may conduct their block practice at local secondary schools or secondary schools outside Hong Kong, such as mainland-based schools catering to Hong Kong pupils and offering the Hong Kong curriculum. Non-local participants teaching in mainland-based schools may also be required to possess a proficient level of Putonghua to enable them to perform the duties during Field Experience.

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.

## Notes for Non-local Applicants: As a prominent feature of our teacher education programmes, participants are required to conduct and pass the Field Experience which lasts for around 12 weeks during their studies in the programmes. This is a requirement for participants’ graduation and final registration as a Registered Teacher in Hong Kong, subject to the approval of the Education Bureau. Non-local participants may be arranged to conduct their Field Experience at local schools or schools outside Hong Kong, such as schools for Hong Kong children on the Mainland (內地港人子弟學校) which are teaching Hong Kong curriculum, according to the placement allocation policy and subject to the availability of such placement. Non-local participants are required to bear the respective costs of the Field Experience at schools outside Hong Kong, including travel expenses, accommodation fees and other living costs such as meal expenses, personal entertainment, etc. The final decision on the allocation of Field Experience will rest with the School Partnership and Field Experience Office and/or the relevant Faculties. For placement details, please refer to the websites of particular programmes.

For Part-time PGDE(S) Participants

The part-time programme is primarily designed for serving teachers. Participants should conduct Field Experience at local secondary schools or mainland-based secondary schools catering to Hong Kong pupils and offering the Hong Kong curriculum (內地設立港人子弟學校) in the Greater Bay Area. 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}.

Note 1: It refers to local secondary schools adopting local secondary school curriculum or mainland-based secondary schools catering to Hong Kong pupils and offering the Hong Kong curriculum (內地設立港人子弟學校) in the Greater Bay Area.
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.