The University of Hong Kong is a public research university located in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. Founded in 1911, its origins can be traced back to the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese which was founded in 1887, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. It is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in whole Asia.

Program Aims and Features

The BSc Surveying Programme was the first fully integrated undergraduate surveying course world-wide and as such has led the way in terms of surveying education. It covers the full spectrum of real estate and construction business, including land and property development, construction management, real estate finance and investment, facility management, and urban renewal. A significant difference between this and more conventional courses is the greater emphasis on a comprehensive academic underpinning and perspective required by all real estate and construction professionals.

The program has two major components: the lecture courses and surveying studios. The lecture courses define the academic core of the program whilst the studios provide an environment within which the interdisciplinary nature of the program can be more fully explored and boundaries tested through extensive use of real-life case studies and student-centered project work.

The BSc Surveying Programme allows students in their Third Year of Studies to select one of the following two credit-bearing Discipline Electives: 1) Cities and Urban Development, which promotes international outreach and requires students to set and execute their own learning plans that culminate in an overseas field trip to explore the real estate and construction business in different socio-economic environments, and 2) Professional Practice which requires students to gain professional experience during their internship in companies related to the real estate and construction business. These two Discipline Electives provide an experiential learning platform for students to enhance their personal, academic and professional development.

Professional Recognition

BSc(Surv) is recognized by the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), and Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS). Graduates have complete flexibility to choose a surveying specialism from five HKIS divisions, namely General Practice Surveying, Quantity Surveying, Building Surveying, Planning and Development, and Property and Facility Management, along with a broad range of RICS pathways.

Full professional status is gained after an appropriate length of approved practical experience and passing the professional assessment required by the corresponding professional bodies (e.g. HKIS, RICS, CIOB, or PAQS). Members of the HKIS are eligible to register as "Registered Professional Surveyor (RPS)" under the Surveyors Registration Ordinance (Cap.417); members of the RICS can use the designation "Chartered Surveyor"; and members of the CIOB can use the designation "Chartered Builder" or "Chartered Construction Manager".

Career Prospects

The program qualifies graduates for a wide range of employment opportunities in both the private and public sectors. Private-sector employers include developers, consultancy firms, property-investment companies, property management companies, financial institutions, and building contractors. In addition, there is an increasing trend for large non-real-estate businesses such as retail chains, hotel groups, and even international courier companies to employ graduates from this program to manage their real estate assets. Public-sector employers include the Lands Department, Buildings Department, Rating and Valuation Department, Architectural Services Department, Housing Department, Hong Kong Housing Society, and Urban Renewal Authority. Graduates who choose to pursue a professional career as a surveyor normally take on one or more of the followings:

• Building surveyors – concerned with project management and the supervision of both new developments and the redevelopment of existing property; life-cycle and maintenance management; and surveying existing buildings. They are also involved in the statutory control of the real estate and infrastructural developments.
• General practice surveyors – concerned with management, development, and valuation of land and real estate; the financial, economic and managerial aspects of real-estate investment; and the sale and lease of various types of property.
• Quantity surveyors – concerned with cost planning, cost control and financial management of construction projects. They are involved in cost estimation, tendering, procurement, claims, and dispute resolution.
• Planning and development surveyors – concerned with the planning and development of real-estate development projects. They are involved in a variety of town-planning and land-use issues, project evaluation and economic feasibility, and development monitoring, mainly in the private sector.
• Property and facilities management surveyors – concerned with the management of property assets under investment; the strategic use of corporate real estate; project management; and managing real-estate developments involving both landlords and tenants.

Studio courses (6 credits):
RECO1202 Urban Development Studio
RECO2025 Surveying Studio 1
RECO2026 Surveying Studio 2
RECO3025 Surveying Studio 3
RECO3026 Surveying Studio 4
RECO4002 Surveying Studio 5

Management courses (6 credits)
RECO2028 Planning and Development
RECO3035 Construction Project Management 1
RECO4007 Real Estate and Facility Management Practice (pre-requisite: Construction Project Management 1)
RECO4010 Construction Project Management 2 (pre-requisite: Construction Project Management 1)

Law courses (6 credits):
RECO2032 Introduction to Law
RECO3027 Land Law and Conveyancing Law
RECO4008 Development Control and Alternative Disputes Resolution
RECO4009 Construction Law

Economics courses (6 credits):
RECO2029 Land Economics
RECO3029 Real Estate Investment and Finance (pre-requisite: Land Economics)
RECO4004 Economics of Property Rights
RECO4006 Advanced Valuation (pre-requisite: Land Economics)

Construction courses (6 credits):
RECO2022 Building Technology
RECO2030 Building Services for Health and Safety
RECO2031 Advanced Structures and Construction for Surveyors
RECO3030 Environmental Science in Buildings

Research Courses (6or 18 credits):
RECO3032 Research Methods
RECO4001 Dissertation (Pre-requisite: Research Methods)

Disciplinary Elective (6 credits):
RECO3031 Cities and Urban Development
RECO3033 Professional Practice
CONS2004 History of Urban Hong Kong & its Built Heritage

The University of Hong Kong was granted a shield and a motto by the College of Arms in 1913, and throughout its history, the University’s visual identity has been firmly based on their display, often coupled the University’s name. This is a distinction that resonates outside Hong Kong, particularly in the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth jurisdictions, and the United States. It is also a reminder of the University’s antiquity and a most dignified and effective corporate identity.

HKU continues to attract the best local students, along with many Mainland China and international students. The University’s academics have outstanding achievements in teaching and research, and about half of HKU’s faculty are from overseas.

HKU has been actively establishing strategic international alliances with universities and research institutions worldwide. The University is also committed to cultivating internationalism on campus and to supporting staff and student mobility projects and international programmes at all levels.

All ten faculties and their departments provide teaching and supervision for postgraduate-level research (MPhil and Ph.D.) students, with administration undertaken by the Graduate School.

Scholarships

• HKU Foundation Entrance Scholarships
• HeForShe IMPACT Champion Scholarships for female students from economically deprived nations with outstanding academic results (male students who have significantly contributed to achieving the goals of the HeForShe movement will also be considered)
• Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program for students from China, Japan, Korea, Macau, Taiwan
• Entrance Scholarships for Medallists of International/Asian Olympiads
• Entrance Scholarships for Students admitted to Undergraduate Dual Degree Programmes
• Vietnam Van Thinh Phat Scholarships for outstanding Vietnamese students
• Hong Kong Scholarship for “Belt & Road” Students for students from Indonesia and Malaysia
• Targeted Scholarship Scheme under the HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund for students from the following countries: ASEAN (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam), India, Korea

About Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. It is a place with multiple personalities as a result of being both Cantonese Chinese and having been under British colonization. Today, the former British colony is a major tourism destination for China’s increasingly affluent mainland population. It is an important hub in East Asia with global connections to many of the world’s cities. It is a unique destination that has absorbed people and cultural influences from places as diverse as Vietnam and Vancouver and proudly proclaims itself to be Asia’s World City.

Campus

The university’s main campus covers 160,000 square meters of land on Bonham Road and Pokfulam Road in the Mid-Levels of Hong Kong Island. HKU buildings are some of the few remaining examples of British Colonial architecture in Hong Kong. The university lends its name to HKU Station, the main public transport access to the campus opened in 2014.

Life on Campus

Student welfare is served by several units, including the Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS), which provides guidance for most areas of student life including career counseling, and the University Health Service, which provides health care, referrals, and preventive services.

On campus, there are fast food restaurants and cafes at convenient locations that offer a wide range of local delicacies, exotic cuisines, western food, Halal Food, coffee, pastries and healthy vegetarian food, where you can enjoy with your friends at a reasonable price. There are outposts and grab-and-go counters scattered around the main campus offering light meals, beverages, and snacks for those with a tight schedule or in a rush. Fast food restaurants situated at Jockey Club Student Villages I & II, Sassoon Road Campus, as well as snacks kiosks in sports center all, offer ranges of delicacies to meet the demands for food.

Two officially recognized student bodies, the Hong Kong University Students’ Union (HKUSU) and the Postgraduate Students Association (PGSA), give opportunities for students to participate in extracurricular activities.

HKUSU principally serves the undergraduate students. It offers more than a hundred clubs and associations for students. These organizations renowned amongst student activists, has been the main driving force behind evicting a chancellor in recent years. There was controversy when the head of the union, Ayo Chan, said that some of the protesters involved in the Tiananmen Square massacre had acted irrationally.[80] Many students thought his remarks were offensive and he was ousted by a vote in under one week. The Postgraduate Students Association represents the university’s postgraduate students.