FAQ on the 6901 Bachelor of Science
On Curriculum
1. What are the features of 6901 BSc programme?
2. What are the choices of Science majors available for the programme?
3. How many and what courses I have to complete for the programme?
4. When do I have to declare my major?
5. Can I declare a major in a subject in which I have no background in my secondary school studies?
6. Is there any quota for each Science major?
7. If there is no quota, would there be possibilities that some majors have a large number of students, some not?
8. If that situation arises, would that degrade the quality of the teaching?
9. Can I change my declared major and minor?
10. Do I need to spend extra time if I change major?
11. Can I do double major or take major-minor in Science or non-Science discpline?
12. Do I have one degree or two if I do a second major in a non-Science discipline? Is it still going to be a BSc one?
13. What happens if I want to do specific double major but there are time-table clashes?
14. Is there any quota for a second major or minor in other Faculties?
15. Can I take advanced level courses in Year 1?
16. If I do the major-minor instead of a single major, will I be less employable by a specialty field or degraded the chance of furthering my study in a specialized subject?
17. How do companies know how specialized I am in a subject?
18. How do I get advice from the Faculty on course selection?
19. Are there undergraduate research opportunities?
20. How do you facilitate students in the 4-year curriculum to take courses across the faculties?
On Admission
21. What are the University entrance requirements and your Faculty entrance requirements?
22. Do I need to put the Programme in Band A choice?
23. How many places are available for the 6901 BSc programme? How many for 6729 BSc in Actuarial Science programme and for the new 6119 Bachelor of Education & Bachelor of Science (5-year Double degree) programme?
24. Do you interview students for admission? Any test?
More Questions on 4-year Curriculum
25. How many and what subjects are counted and considered for admission? Are Science subjects counted differently?
26. Will I be disadvantaged if I take only 2 electives?
27. Is extended module 1 or 2 of Mathematics counted as a subject?
28. Other universities are also adopting the common admission policy, how do they differ from the 6901 BSc programme?
On Curriculum
1. What are the features of 6901 BSc programme?
- one programme code with a choice of 15 science majors
- complete freedom in choosing any science major after admission
- no quota for each Science major
- easy to change majors
- second major and minor options are available in both Science or non-Science discipline
2. What are the choices of Science majors available for the programme?
15 Sciences majors are available:
|
3-year Curriculum |
4-year Curriculum |
|
Astronomy |
Astronomy |
*New majors from 2012
3. How many and what courses I have to complete for the programme?
|
3-year Curriculum |
4-year Curriculum |
|
To complete the BSc degree, a student has to pass at least 180 credits, equivalent to 30 6-credit courses, normally spread over 3 years of full-time study. The BSc curriculum typically comprises:
|
To complete the BSc degree curriculum, a student has to pass at least 240 credits, equivalent to 40 6-credit courses, normally spread over 4 years of full-time study. A BSc Curriculum typically comprises:
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4-year Curriculum Structure
|
component |
courses |
no. of credits |
% |
|
Compulsory |
Common Core English Chinese |
36 12 6 |
22.5% |
|
Specialization |
Science Major |
96 (including two Science Foundation coursesand a capstone course) |
40% |
|
Electives |
Electives, or courses leading to a minor or 2nd major |
90 |
37.5% |
|
Total |
|
240 |
100% |
4. When do I have to declare my major?
You are not required to declare your major in the first year. You may "shop around" in your first year and make the decision after the first year of study. For students in the 4-year curriculum, they can declare their major after their second year of study the latest.
5. Can I declare a major in a subject in which I have no background in my secondary school studies?
Yes, but you may have to study the preparatory courses first to decide whether you can follow the major.
6. Is there any quota for each Science major?
No. Students are free to choose any science major after admission.
7. If there is no quota, would there be possibilities that some majors have a large number of students, some not?
Yes, certainly. But first of all, the Faculty did some estimation and believes the number of students in each major will not fluctuate too widely from that of the past. Secondly, it is also natural for the number of students in different majors to go up and down according to demand. Thirdly the market will have a natural mechanism of adjustment.
8. If that situation arises, would that degrade the quality of the teaching?
Absolutely not. The Faculty will adjust teaching staff number to cope with changing number of students in a major.
9. Can I change my declared major and minor?
Yes, you can change majors during your study but each major has its own course requirements. You should seek advice from the Faculty’s adviser.
10. Do I need to spend extra time if I change major?
No if you can still meet the curriculum requirements within the years of studies. If not, you may have to spend an extra semester or a year, or even longer.
11. Can I do double major or take major-minor in Science or non-Science discpline?
Yes, in addition to the primary science major for the BSc degree, you may take a second major or a minor in both Science and non-Science (arts, business, social sciences, engineering, etc) disciplines. About 1/4 of BSc students take one major and one minor, and another 1/4 take two majors every year.
12. Do I have one degree or two if I do a second major in a non-Science discipline? Is it still going to be a BSc one?
You have only one degree — the BSc, as you are accepted to the Bachelor of Science degree when you are admitted. The degree always goes with the first major.
13. What happens if I want to do specific double major but there are time-table clashes?
You have to have a primary major in Science. The feasibility of the second major or minor does depend on timetable. The Faculty cannot make guarantee on feasibility of all combinations.
14. Is there any quota for a second major or minor in other Faculties?
There is no quota for Science majors, but for the majors and minors offered by other faculties, enrolment of courses may be restricted by quota, timetable clashes or certain requirements. There may be circumstances that you are not able to enroll in some of the popular courses offered by non-science departments, such as business courses.
15. Can I take advanced level courses in Year 1?
Yes, subject to the approval of the department that offers the courses.
16. If I do the major-minor instead of a single major, will I be less employable by a specialty field or degraded the chance of furthering my study in a specialized subject?
For those who intend to develop a career in a specialized area or further their study (MPhil/PhD), we would recommend them to specialize early on one subject and takes more than the minimum number of core courses required for the specialized subject.
17. How do companies know how specialized I am in a subject?
The courses you have taken and the major/minor will be shown on the transcript.
18. How do I get advice from the Faculty on course selection?
We understand that selection of major or course is a very important decision for students. Our Faculty academic advisers will advise students on the choice of major, course requirement and possible major-minor combination to suit their interests, career aspiration and ability. The Faculty, has also produced a booklet on "Tips for choosing your major".
19. Are there undergraduate research opportunities?
Yes, we encourage undergraduate students to engage in research early. Research projects, Summer Research Fellowships and Overseas Research Fellowships are available for students.
20. How do you facilitate students in the 4-year curriculum to take courses across the faculties?
The University is planning to introduce a central timetabling system from 2012 requiring all ug courses to adopt a standard timetable pattern and all time tables will be assigned centrally.
On Admission
21. What are the University entrance requirements and your Faculty entrance requirements?
|
3-year Curriculum |
4-year Curriculum |
* The University normally requires a grade D in Use of English but special consideration has been given to those students with a grade E in Use of English applying for this programme. # It is preferable for students taking AL/AS Economics to have also taken an AL/AS subject in Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics or Mathematics & Statistics HKCEE weighs about 25% in admission. |
Students who are not applying on the strength of HKDSE qualifications such as Associate Degree, Higher Diploma, GCE, IB, SAT or students from Mainland or overseas will be considered individually under the Non-JUPAS scheme. |
22. Do I need to put the Programme in Band A choice?
Over 98% of students admitted in the past years place Science programmes amongst their Band A choices. Past experience indicates that the higher the priority you put HKU Science programmes, the greater chance you will be admitted.
23. How many places are available for the 6901 BSc programme? How many for 6729 BSc in Actuarial Science programme and for the new 6119 Bachelor of Education & Bachelor of Science (5-year Double degree) programme?
6901: 355 student places for the 3-year programme and 358 places for the 4-year programme.
6729: 70 student places for the 3-year programme and 70 places for the 4-year programme.
6119: 25 places for the 5-year programme.
Student places for non-local students are separate.
24. Do you interview students for admission? Any test?
3-year: Interviews may be arranged for selected Band A students
4-year: Interviews may be arranged for principal nominees and students with outstanding performance in other areas such as extra-curricular activities, sports and leadership. Aptitude test may be arranged for students in the borderline with exactly the same HKDSE scores after the announcement of the HKDSE results in July.
More Questions on 4-year Curriculum
25. How many and what subjects are counted and considered for admission? Are Science subjects counted differently?
Six NSS subjects (4+2X) are counted for admission. For admission to 6901 BSc programme, one elective must be Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Combined Science or Integrated Science.
Yes, Science subjects (Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Combined Science and Integrated Science) are weighed slightly heavier.
26. Will I be disadvantaged if I take only 2 electives?
No, the best 2 elective subjects# are considered.
# one elective subject must be Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Combined Science or Integrated Science
27. Is extended module 1 or 2 of Mathematics counted as a subject?
No. Extended module 1 or 2 or Mathematics is not counted as a subject.
28. Other universities are also adopting the common admission policy, how do they differ from the 6901 BSc programme?
The common admission policy of the 6901 BSc programme may differ from other universities’ Science programmes in the following manner:
- HKU Science is the first university to implement this common admission since 2007;
- All the 15 Science majors offered by the Faculty of Science are under this common admission policy;
- There is no quota for any of the 15 Science majors. Students have complete freedom in choosing any Science major;
- Second majors and minors are available in both Science and non-Science disciplines. About 1/4 students take one major and one minor, and another 1/4 take two majors in the BSc degree curriculum each year.