Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Studies and Digital Communication

The BA(ESDC) programme aims to cultivate a new generation of English studies students with strong digital literacy skills through a digitally enriched curriculum. The programme provides a wide range of courses to build a solid foundation in English language, linguistics and digital literacy, consolidated by hands-on experience in using digital tools for language applications. Students will be empowered to develop digital contents for the learning and teaching of languages, to publish in digital media and to support and critically evaluate digital communication solutions. A combination of humanities and digital communication technology will allow students to further contribute to the transformation of education, media, and publishing in the digital age.

General Requirements

GCE AL / IAL with
Grade D or above in 3 AL subjects; or
Grade D in 2 AL plus 2 Advanced Supplementary Level (ASL) subjects. (Not including Chinese / Mandarin / English Language subjects. The same subject cannot be counted at both the AL and ASL).

International Baccalaureate Diploma
Applicant should request the IB organization to send scores to the University (Institution Code: 004307).

SAT Reasoning Test
A minimum total score of 1,190 (out of 1,600) in the new SAT Reasoning Test (including Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Mathematics) / 1,650 (out of 2,400) in the old SAT Reasoning Test (including Critical Reading, Writing, and Mathematics) in one sitting.

English Language Requirements

TOEFL
(MyBestTM Score is not accepted) Internet-based: 80; or
Paper-based (prior to July 2017): 550; or
Paper-delivered Test: Minimum score at the intermediate level in each section (Reading, Listening and Writing)
* Passing the TOEFL ITP does not satisfy the English language requirement.

IELTS Academic
Overall Band: 6

GCE System
Grade E or above in GCE AS-level or A-level English; or
Grade C / Grade 4 or above in IGCSE / GCE O-level English; or
Grade C / Grade 4 or above in GCSE English or English Literature

IB
English A: Language and Literature (Higher or Standard Level) – Grade 4; or
English A: Literature (Higher or Standard Level) – Grade 4; or
English B (Higher Level) – Grade 4; or
English B (Standard Level) – Grade 5; or
English Literature and Performance (Standard Level) – Grade 4; or
English Text and Performance (Standard Level) – Grade 4

SAT
A sub-score of 8 in Essay Writing in old SAT; or
590 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing in new SAT

Others
Other English language qualifications deemed acceptable by the University.

Programme Structure 

Note:
(1) Classes will be held in Tai Po Campus and Tseung Kwan O Study Centre / North Point Study Centre / Sports Centre as decided by the University.
(2) Any aspect of the courses (including, without limitation, the content of the Course and the manner in which the Course is taught) may be subject to change at any time at the sole discretion of the University. Without limiting the right of the University to amend the course, it is envisaged that changes may be required due to factors such as staffing, enrolment levels, logistical arrangements and curriculum changes.
(3) Students admitted into this programme starting from the 2024/25 cohort are required to visit the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and/or other parts of Mainland China. Programmes may also require students to participate in other non-local learning experience for completion of the programme. While the visits are heavily subsidised, students are still required to contribute part of the estimated cost of the visits ("student contribution"), whereas personal entertainment, meals expenses, travel document fee and personal insurance costs will not be supported. The estimated cost of the visits for students admitted to the 2024/25 cohort is not available yet as it is subject to a variety of factors such as changes to the cost of the visits as a result of inflation, trip duration, traveling expenses, the exchange rate, etc. The exact amount of student contribution is thus not available.

Major

The Major study domain consists of four components: (a) Major Core, (b) Major Electives, (c) Major Interdisciplinary Course, (d) Cross-faculty Core Course, and (e) Internship.  Students are required to complete the Major Core courses that cover the basics of English Studies and essential level of digital literacy. Apart from the Major Core, students are expected to take a 3-cp Major Interdisciplinary Course and a 3-cp Cross-faculty Core Course.

List of Major Courses

Internship

Students are required to participate in a compulsory internship (3 cps) in the summer after Year 3. The Internship aims to enable students to integrate and apply in real-life settings the knowledge and skills gained in their studies. The Internship also prepares students to handle challenges they may encounter in real work situations, and provides opportunities for them to consider their future career directions.

Final Year Project

The Final Year Project comprises two 3-credit point courses:

• Honours Project I/Capstone Project I: Introduction of Research Methods and Proposal
• Honours Project II/Capstone Project II: A one-year project to be conducted in the final year. Students will complete an individual project under a supervisor.

Electives

On top of the major courses, electives provide greater flexibility and multiple learning pathways for undergraduate students to develop their interests and explore their career aspirations. Students may also use the cps under this domain to study towards prescribed Minors or Second Majors offered by FHM and other Faculties.

Language Enhancement

In this domain, first-year-first-degree students are required to take English and Chinese enhancement courses offered by the Department of English Language Education and Centre for Language in Education to meet the Language Exit Requirements for English and Putonghua of the University.

Senior year entrants will be exempted from the Language Enhancement Courses and Language Exit requirements.

General Education

The EdUHK’s General Education courses prepare students to be active agents of change, by broadening their intellectual horizons, helping them make connections among different areas of knowledge and between their formal studies and life outside the classroom, and strengthening their capacity for sound thinking and good judgement. It offers a varied but balanced mix of individual courses across a range of subject areas and disciplines, set within an integrated structure of (i) General Education Foundation Course, (ii) Experiential Learning (including an Experimental Learning Course on Entrepreneurship and Innovation), (iii) General Education Breadth Courses, and (iv) University ePortfolio, with a total of 22 credit points (cps) (4-year programme).

Senior year entrants are required to take a 3-cp University ePortfolio, a 3-cp Experiential Learning Course on Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and 3 cps of General Education Breadth Course or Language Enahncement Course.

Information Technology Competency Requirements in Education (ITCE)

To demonstrate the attainment of ITCE, students are required to complete at least one of the following:

• The IT e-Portfolio Checking and a reflective statement
• The Student Teacher Education Programme (STEP) and a reflective statement
• The Artificial Ingelligence Literacy (AIL) programme and a reflective statement

Career Prospects/Professional Qualifications

The BA(ESDC) programme provides excellent background for job opportunities in education, media, journalism, publishing, and communication. These fields have become highly data-intensive and require talents who can acquire and utilise information from the international English-speaking world at an unprecedented speed. The analytical training provided by English linguistics courses plays an essential role in all aspects of integration of the use of English in the digital world.

Graduates will be able to transfer their multidisciplinary knowledge and their digital and intercultural awareness to participate in future development of digital learning. They will also be well-prepared to work for international technological enterprises or any other business with technology-driven innovation in which good English communication skills, a high level of digital flexibility and English proficiency are required.