SDF (Full-time)
SDP (Part-time)
1 year (Full-time) with summer term
2 years (Part-time) with summer terms
30
3 for local students
6 for non-local students
HK$5,050 per credit for local students
HK$6,200 per credit for non-local students
Dr Kaxton Yu-kwan Siu
PhD (Sociology), MPhil (Social Sciences), BSc (Mathematics)
Programme Aims
The MA in Social Policy and Social Development programme aims to prepare students to develop the necessary core professional and personal competence required to work in the field of social policy and to engage in professional practices in social development. This involves gaining critical knowledge and skills in analysing and appreciating local and global policy issues and the ability to formulate and assess policy options that ensure effective, appropriate and sustainable outcomes, uphold social justice and improve social well-being. To these ends, the programme is designed to bring together theory and practice that enables participants in the programme to meet challenges in social development ethically and imaginatively.
Characteristics
Unlike most other postgraduate programmes in social policy, this MASPSD is designed for those who are either thinking to embark on a career in Social Policy or Social Development or those who are already mid-career practitioners seeking to improve their knowledge about public and non-government sectors specialising in social policy and planning for social development. It is structured to offer rigorous, interdisciplinary and hands-on training across a number of academic, managerial and professional disciplines that prepare participants to translate knowledge into action to bring about social development, especially through responsible policy analysis, formulation, impact assessment and evaluation.
The programme provides students with a solid foundation in social policy analysis that can be adapted and applied to many fields of human service provision and practice in social development. Graduates are expected to gain the competence necessary to participate effectively in social policy processes, conduct needs assessments, evaluate policy impacts and develop appropriate and relevant policy options that respond responsibly to new challenges in social development.
Graduates of this programme with relevant work experience may apply for membership of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA).
Programme Structure
To be eligible for the award, students are required to take 30 credits (6 Required Subjects including the Integrative Project and 4 Elective Subjects).
Students who have successfully completed 21 credits (4 Required Subjects and 3 Elective Subjects) can exit the programme with a Postgraduate Diploma.
Core Areas of Study
Required Subjects
Elective Subjects
Information on the subjects offered can be obtained at www.polyu.edu.hk/apss.
If you are not a native speaker of English, and your Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification is awarded by institutions where the medium of instruction is not English, you are expected to fulfil the University’s minimum English language requirement for admission purpose. Please refer to the "Admission Requirements" section for details.
Prospective Career Pathways
There are four possible major career paths for graduates of this programme:
Graduates can also work for local think tanks whose number and importance are expected to grow during the next few years as the Hong Kong government's plan to implement a public vote for the office of the Chief Executive is gathering pace. These positions and employment opportunities reflect a growing need for training and education in social policy and social development, particularly with a professional outlook and at a postgraduate level to meet the increasing demands for policy personnel with appropriate knowledge and competence.
Merit Award
Tang Kwong Leung Memorial Merit Award is to give recognition to the outstanding graduates from the MASPSD programme. The award is based on a holistic review of students’ academic performance. Two one-off prize of HK$5,000 are granted to the best two graduates in each academic year.
International Exchange Programme
Winter Institute
The Winter Institute is an exchange programme that provides an opportunity for postgraduate students to participate in a 2-week intensive workshop to be recognised as part of the assessment components in their future integrative project.
This programme is sponsored by the Collaborative Exchange Programme among The Department of Applied Social Sciences (APSS) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration (SSA) and The Department of Sociology, Peking University (PKU).
The aim of the programme is to provide students with an intensive introduction to how poverty and migration are viewed and responded in China and the United States via lectures, seminars discussion, and site visits. By interrogating and comparing these dynamics internationally, it provides the opportunity for regional comparison within China (Hong Kong, Guangdong and Yunnan), including a focus on rural-to-urban and west-to-east migration.
Collaborative Study Programme
The PolyU - Washington University in St. Louis Collaborative Study Programme provides an opportunity for MASPSD graduates to complete a second Master's degree in 1 year full-time. Graduates of this programme who are admitted to the Master of Social Policy (MSP) programme at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and are granted a maximum transfer of 12 credits can complete the MSP programme in 1 year.
For further information on admission matters, please contact:
Ms Emily Siu (tel: (852) 2766 5742);
or Ms Angel Shing (email: sspg@polyu.edu.hk).
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