Deep Archive: Faculty of Science × Faculty of Architecture × Faculty of Education

Module: 01 Academics · Deep Profile Last updated: 15 June 2026 This deep profile examines three HKU faculties: the Faculty of Science (1939), the Faculty of Architecture (Department 1950 / elevated 1984), and the Faculty of Education (Department 1917 / elevated 1984). For faculty-level overviews, see faculties.md; for all departments, see departments.md.

# Part 1 · Faculty of Science (1939)

# I. History and recent reorganisation

According to HKU Faculty of Science^※, the Faculty of Science was formally established in 1939, making it the University's fourth faculty before the Second World War. In recent years, the Faculty has undergone the most intense bout of reorganisation anywhere at HKU:

Sources differ slightly on the academic home of the School of Innovation (the Science Faculty page lists it among affiliated units; other sources describe it as attached to Architecture or Business and Economics). The Museum's note: the affiliation of recently created cross-faculty units is still evolving—refer to the official faculty page as authoritative.

# II. Current departmental structure

Per HKU Faculty of Science — Departments^※, the Faculty's core units are:

The Faculty page also lists CDS, the School of Biomedical Engineering, and the School of Innovation as affiliated units. The former Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science now resides under CDS (for the BSc in Actuarial Science and other programmes, see programs.md).

# III. Nobel laureates join the Faculty

The Faculty of Science has chalked up notable successes in recruiting top-tier scholars in recent years. According to an HKU press release^※ and public records, Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart, recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was appointed Chair Professor in the Department of Chemistry at HKU in 2023. That same year, Professor Ferenc Krausz, recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics, also joined the Faculty as Chair Professor of Laser Physics, applying his research to improving global medical diagnostics; Professor Krausz was subsequently elected an International Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Housing two Nobel laureates on its teaching staff is a rarity for HKU—and indeed for any university in Hong Kong—and stands as a concrete outcome of the Faculty's recent strategy for international talent acquisition.

In terms of subject rankings, according to the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject^※, HKU fields connected to the Faculty of Science—including Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, Biological Sciences, Earth and Marine Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences and Medicine, Materials Science, and Mathematics—all rank within the global top 60, reflecting the University's overall strength in the natural sciences.

# Part 2 · Faculty of Architecture (Department 1950 / elevated 1984)

# I. History

Per HKU Faculty of Architecture — History^※:

Around the time of the 1984 elevation, the Faculty's historical records note that a fire broke out on the third and fourth floors of the Knowles Building. The Faculty was elevated on schedule regardless.

# II. Current departments and programmes

Per HKU Faculty of Architecture — Departments and Divisions^※, the Faculty comprises four units:

The flagship undergraduate programme is the Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies (BA(AS))—described by HKU Faculty of Architecture — History^※ as an intensive four-year curriculum that feeds into the Master of Architecture for professional qualification. The Faculty also offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in real estate, urban planning, and landscape architecture. The BASc(Design+) is led by the Faculty of Architecture (see programs.md).

# Part 3 · Faculty of Education (Department 1917 / elevated 1984)

# I. History: teacher training out of the Faculty of Arts

Per HKU Faculty of Education — Our History^※:

The Faculty of Education shares roots with the Faculty of Arts—teacher training at HKU began as part of the Arts Faculty (see deepdive-arts-socsci.md).

# II. Current academic units (post-2024 reorganisation)

Per HKU Faculty of Education — Our History^※, following the 2024 reorganisation the Faculty comprises four academic units:

# III. Programme highlights

• Teacher preparation (mostly five-year BEd dual degrees, e.g., BA&BEd in Language Education) and educational psychology.
• Speech and Hearing Sciences and Information Management are signature undergraduate offerings housed within the Faculty.
• The BASc in Social Data Science is led by the Faculty of Education (see programs.md).

# IV. Gaps and queries

• Affiliation of the School of Innovation: sources disagree; this profile presents both accounts and notes "refer to the official page as authoritative."
• Exhaustive list of Faculty of Education undergraduate programmes: not fully published on the official site; the description above follows the known framework and notes "awaiting a definitive list."
• QS subject rankings by faculty: collated in Module 03; rankings are not reproduced here.