Bachelor of Education (Honours) (History)

This programme aims to cultivate students with professional ethics and a global perspective for teaching the subject of history in secondary schools. To achieve this aim, graduates of the programme are expected to possess the relevant pedagogical and curriculum development skills as well as disciplinary knowledge with an emphasis on historical issues of modern times. Graduates will also possess critical thinking skills to solve problems in a logical and creative way; be able to communicate and interact effectively with others in social and professional contexts; and demonstrate global awareness with high standard of morality.

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

Notes:
(1) Classes will be held in Tai Po Campus and Tseung Kwan O Study Centre / Sports Centre as decided by the University.
(2) Field Experience, internship, overseas trips and immersion may be affected by the pandemic situation. Appropriate alternative arrangements will be made if outbound activities are suspended.
(3) Students admitted into this programme starting from the 2023/24 cohort are required to visit the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and/or other parts of Mainland China. Programme 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, including the History major courses, cross-faculty core course and major interdisciplinary courses, is designed to foster students’ knowledge in history across the broadly conceived areas – Foundation of Historical Studies, History of Modern Hong Kong, History of Modern China, History of Modern Southeast Asia and Japan, Conflicts and Peace in the Twentieth-Century World, Cooperation and Prosperity in the Twentieth-Century World and Advanced Historical Studies.

List of History Major Courses

• China: Reform and Revolution from Late Qing to 1949
• Introduction to Historical Ideas and Practices
• Life in the Ancient World
• Modern Hong Kong: From Opium War to Basic Law
• Modern Japan and its Neighbors since the mid-19th Century
• Origins of the Modern World
• Revolution and Modernity: History of the PRC
• The Cold War: Conflict and Cooperation
• The Making of Modern Asia: Decolonization and Independence
• Topics in Global History: United States History
• World War and World Peace

List of Major Interdisciplinary Courses

• Digital Humanities
• Language and the Human Footprint
• Language and Well-being

Education Studies

Education Studies gives students the chance to study teaching and learning from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will study early childhood/school education from psychological, sociological, philosophical, pedagogical and other perspectives. Students will develop a range of skills necessary for professional practice, such as problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, communication, social interaction, ethical decision making and global perspectives. Education Studies helps students appreciate the importance of professional excellence, ethical responsibility and innovation to the role of a teacher. We aim for our graduates to become teachers who are caring and competent, intellectually enthusiastic, socially committed, and globally aware.

List of Education Studies Core

• Basic Psychology for Educators: Useful Concepts from Educational and Positive Psychology
• Philosophical and Socio-cultural Issues in Education
• Effective Teaching and Positive Classroom Learning Environment
• Curriculum and Assessment
• School Guidance and Managing Diversity
• Teachers and Teaching in Context

List of Pedagogy for Major Courses

• History: Curriculum and Methods I
• History: Curriculum and Methods II

General Education

The EdUHK’s General Education programme prepares 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, (iii) General Education Breadth Courses, and (iv) University ePortfolio, with a total of 22 cps.

Final Year Project

The Final Year Project comprises of two 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.

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. The following options will be available for students’ choice in the Electives Domain of the curriculum:

• Free electives available in the Elective Course List and General Education or other elective courses recognised by the Programme;
• Second Major;
• one / two Minors;
• any combination of the above.

Field Experience

Students will be placed in schools which are important sites for learning to teach and where they will interpret, generate, interact and experiment with theory. Block Practice will be conducted in local schools where the medium of instruction may vary depending on the policy of the schools. Students should be able to demonstrate a proficient level of Cantonese/English/Putonghua to conduct Block Practice.

• Field Experience I - FE Foundation Course
• FE and Professional Learning Portfolio I
• FE and Professional Learning Portfolio II
• Field Experience II - Block Practice I
• Field Experience III - Block Practice II

Language Enhancement

The University is committed to nurturing graduates who will acquire trilingual proficiency in English, Putonghua and Chinese.

Career Prospects/Professional Qualifications

The programme aims to produce committed secondary school history teachers who are eligible to apply to become fully qualified and registered teachers in Hong Kong.  Graduates of the history programme should also be capable of taking up non-teaching positions in editing, journalism, or curatorship.