History Department - University of Hong Kong

Postrgraduate Programme >
Information for Prospective Postgraduates

Programme Requirements
Required Coursework
Application Requirements

Programme requirements

MPhil and four-year PhD candidates are required to take five departmental courses, in addition to the required courses of the Graduate School. Depending on individual student needs, the supervisor may recommend that a student replace one of these courses with a course in a cognate discipline or one offered by the Graduate School, on the condition that the choice of courses should be confined to those available within the MPhil curricula. All required coursework must be completed successfully within the first year of study for full-time students (and the equivalent for part-time students), who must also pass the Departmental Progress Review before confirmation of candidature. All MPhil and PhD students must maintain an average grade of high standing in their coursework.

Required Coursework

HIST6001: Philosophy of History (one-semester course)
This course introduces students to major interpretative, theoretical, and methodological approaches to the practice of history through readings under the guidance of a faculty advisor.
Assessment: 3,000-5,000-word essay.

HIST6002: Historical Documents (one-semester course)
This course helps students identify and analyse major documentary sources in their field of research.
Assessment: extended essay or other specified scholarly exercise.

HIST6003: Historical Research Seminar (normally over the course of the first year of study)
The Department holds a regular Research Seminar in which the latest research of staff, students, and visitors is shared with the wider academic and outside communities. All postgraduate students are required to attend these seminars, participate in discussions or colloquia, and make a formal presentation of their research. This is intended to broaden students' knowledge of current research in history and to prepare them to present their research to their peers.
Assessment: continuous assessment based on attendance, participation in discussions, and students' own presentations.

HIST6004: Advanced Readings in History (one-semester course)
This course enables students to develop an intensive reading programme in a specialized area with a faculty member. Students will develop a review of the literature and bibliographic materials in their field in consultation with their supervisor and/or another faculty member.
Assessment: continuous assessment and a 3000-5000 word essay.

HIST6011: Introduction to History Thesis Writing (one-semester course)
This course considers all aspects of writing a History MPhil or PhD thesis, from the overall content and organization of the dissertation to the concerns specific to each stage of writing: identifying a research topic, asking appropriate research questions and forming hypotheses, searching for evidence (emphasizing primary sources), developing an intellectual argument, presenting conclusions, properly acknowledging the research of others (including accepted citation and bibliographical formats), and using the English language elegantly to make the dissertation as clear and readable as possible. Some attention is also paid to writing abstracts and research proposals.
Assessment: written exercises (60%) and a portfolio (40%).

Application Requirements

In addition to the Graduate School requirements the Department also requires candidates to submit information, including a detailed research proposal, to be considered by the relevant committees involved in the admissions process. Successful applicants are admitted on the basis of their academic accomplishment and potential, as well as on the strength of their research proposal, which should include the following:

Title (which is tentative and may change later)

Overview of existing scholarship on the chosen field (indicating the relevant literature in the field, and why the topic proposed would constitute a new contribution to knowledge and would be worthy of funding)

Research methodology (highlighting the feasibility of the project and explaining how the necessary archival materials will be located and used, given that the student will be resident in Hong Kong for most of his or her candidature)

Outline of chapters (if possible, giving some indication of the areas to be covered)

Bibliography (indicating the most important published works and archives or other primary sources to be consulted)