Eligibility
These top-up degree programmes are specially designed for applicants holding a Certificate in Education, Higher Diploma, Associate Degree or equivalent qualification who wish to upgrade their professional knowledge and qualification to the degree level. For the entrance requirements, please refer to individual programme information.
Applicants should normally hold a recognised teacher's qualification, i.e. Certificate in Education / Teacher's Certificate. However, applicants without initial teacher training but with relevant teaching or working experience and post-secondary qualification will also be considered for BEd (Special Needs) and BEd (Professional and Vocational Education) Programmes. Or else, applicants should apply for the full-time BEd programmes. Please refer to individual programme information for the detailed entrance requirements.
If you possess a Higher Diploma / Associate Degree or equivalent qualification, you are welcome to apply as the University will also consider your work experience in the special school or relevant setting. However, you may be required to take 6 additional credit points of studies.
This programme will not enable a graduate to become a practising nurse in Hong Kong. However, graduates of the programme will have a wide range of employment opportunities, and will be able to compete for high-level positions. They will be qualified for professions like health promotion officers in elderly centers, community health educators, or wellness coordinators in outpatient departments / clinics, etc.
The University accepts applicants holding non-local qualification provided that they are at a level equivalent to a recognised local qualification required for admission to the programme. Applicants may be required to provide the “Report for Qualifications Assessment” issued by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) in support of their applications. The University will assess applicants' non-local qualifications on an individual basis.
Programme Details/ Study Content
All three programmes will take qualified early childhood educators to the next level as highly competent, innovative, and ethical professionals in the development of quality programmes for young children and their families in Hong Kong.
Graduates of these programmes will obtain degree-level professional qualifications that are in high demand in the early childhood education sector and meet the professional qualifications as kindergarten principals in Hong Kong.
The two 4-year BEd (Early Childhood Education) in Leadership programmes provide more focused trainings to emerging leaders and management personnel working in kindergartens who serve different groups, namely, non-Chinese speaking children and children with special needs.
For this reason, the two 4-year BEd (Early Childhood Education) in Leadership programmes have different specialised studies catering for the respective needs of early childhood educators: 4-year BEd (Honours) (Early Childhood Education) in Leadership and Non-Chinese Speaking Children Programme for educators who are interested in working with non-Chinese speaking children; and 4-year BEd (Honours) (Early Childhood Education) in Leadership and Special Needs Programme for educators who are interested in working with children with special needs.
Please refer to individual programme information for more details.
The 4-year Part-time BEd (Early Childhood Education) in Leadership and Special Needs Programme aims to equip early childhood education practitioners with leadership and managerial skills / knowledge within preschools who can support the learning of children with special needs within preschool settings, while the 3-year Part-time BEd (Special Needs) programme aims to provide specialist training for serving teachers or professionals to work effectively with students with special needs in diverse educational settings such as secondary / primary / kindergarten / special / international schools.
Please refer to individual programme information for more details.
The medium of instruction for part-time Bachelor of Education programmes is primarily Chinese except for the 3-year Part-time of BEd (Early Childhood Education) programme, which also offers a class in English. English or Putonghua is adopted as the language of instruction for relevant courses.
Students are expected to be able to read educational literature in both English and Chinese and have high proficiency in spoken and written Chinese. For the Bachelor of Health Education programme, the medium of instruction is English. Chinese or Putonghua may be adopted as the medium of instruction for some courses, where appropriate.
Application Process
Shortlisted applicants may be required to attend interviews / tests to assess their suitability for admission to the programme, they will receive individual notification by email. However, an applicant who has not been invited to an interview / test shall not assume that he / she is not being considered for admission. Some applicants may receive a direct offer without admission interview / test.
In general, the main round offer will be announced by the end of May. At the same time, early admission offers may be given to highly qualified applicants. Successful applicants will receive individual notifications by e-mail.
Applicants who are not offered early admission shall not assume that they are not being considered for admission. The selection process is normally completed by the end of August. Applicants who have not been admitted by August may assume their applications to be unsuccessful. No individual notifications will be sent to unsuccessful applicants or applicants on the waitlist.
If you receive more than one admission offer, you have to indicate your choice of acceptance for only one programme.
Enrollment
Students of our part-time top-up degree programmes are normally required to attend classes in evenings (usually twice a week) and on Saturdays. Duration of each class ranges from two to three hours.
Our top-up degree programmes normally start in early September. You will receive your personal timetable during the programme orientation in July/August. Please contact individual programme offices if you have not received the details by end of August.
