An Overview of the Ten Faculties of The University of Hong Kong

Module: 01 Academics · Sub-file: Faculty Overview Last Updated: 2026-06-15 The University of Hong Kong (HKU) was founded in 1911 and formally commenced teaching in 1912, making it the oldest university in Hong Kong. Its academic departments are organised into 10 faculties, alongside an interdisciplinary Graduate School. According to the HKU Annual Report 2024 'University Profile'^※ (for the 2023–24 academic year), the university has 10 faculties offering approximately 145 undergraduate programmes, 215 taught postgraduate programmes, and 89 research postgraduate programmes, with a full-time academic staff of about 1,677.

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# I. Table of the Ten Faculties

The establishment order of HKU's ten faculties mirrors the history of higher education expansion in Hong Kong. According to HKU History — 'The Early Years'^※, when formal teaching began in 1912, the university comprised Arts, Engineering, and Medicine. A Faculty of Science was added before the Second World War, with Social Sciences, Law, Dentistry, Architecture, Education, and Business and Economics following after the war. As of mid-2026, the ten faculties are profiled below.

Note: Faculty dean appointments are typically for 5-year terms. The table above reflects those in office or newly announced as of mid-2026. The current Dean of Medicine also holds university-level health affairs positions; this article refers to them by the title "the current Dean of Medicine" per faculty governance convention. In-depth medical content is in Module 11.

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# II. The Three Founding Faculties (established together, commencing in 1912)

HKU was incorporated in 1911 under the University of Hong Kong Ordinance and formally commenced teaching in March 1912. Based on existing foundations, the three inaugural faculties were Arts, Engineering, and Medicine, as documented in HKU History^※.

# 1. Faculty of Arts (1912)

• Founded: 1912, one of the three founding faculties. As noted by Wikipedia page for HKU Faculty of Arts^※, Arts, Engineering, and Medicine are HKU's oldest faculties.
• Current Dean: Professor David Pomfret^※ (from the Department of History).
• Sub-units: According to the Faculty's official site, it comprises four main schools: the School of Chinese, School of English, School of Humanities, and School of Modern Languages and Cultures, plus the Centre for Applied English Studies, the Centre for the Humanities and Medicine, and the Centre of Buddhist Studies, among others.
• Disciplinary Strengths: Covers Chinese, English, History, Philosophy, Comparative Literature, Art History, Linguistics, Translation, Buddhist Studies, Japanese Studies, Gender Studies, and more. See deepdive-arts-socsci.md for details.

# 2. Faculty of Engineering (1912)

• Founded: The faculty's history dates back to the university's founding in 1911 and the establishment of the first Chair of Engineering in 1912, as per the HKU Faculty of Engineering History^※. The first appointee and inaugural Dean of Engineering was Professor C. A. Middleton Smith (1912, a mechanical engineer who held the Taikoo Chair until his retirement in 1939).
• Current Dean: Professor David Srolovitz^※ (a Chair Professor of Materials Theory in Mechanical Engineering and a member of the US National Academy of Engineering).
• Departments (following the 2024 reorganisation, where Computer Science moved to the new School of Computing and Data Science): Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.
• Scale: According to the faculty history, an average annual intake of about 500 undergraduates and over 1,000 postgraduates. See deepdive-engineering.md for details.

# 3. Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine (1912, with roots to 1887)

• Origins: According to HKU History^※, the medical faculty's origins lie in the Hong Kong College of Medicine, founded in 1887, which famously counted Sun Yat-sen (often regarded as the founding father of modern China) among its alumni.
• Current Dean: The current Dean of Medicine (who also holds concurrent university-level health affairs roles; this article refers to the office by title).
• Teaching Hospital: Queen Mary Hospital, among others.
• Scope: One of only two medical schools in Hong Kong; named for a donation from Li Ka Shing. For clinical departments, hospital networks, and in-depth content, see Module 11, not duplicated here.

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# III. Faculty of Science (1939)

• Founded: According to HKU Faculty of Science^※, the faculty was formally established in 1939, making it HKU's fourth faculty, founded before WWII.
• Current Dean: Professor Qiang Zhou^※.
• Sub-units: According to the Faculty of Science departments page^※, these include the School of Biological Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Department of Mathematics, and Department of Physics, as well as closely related new entities like the School of Computing and Data Science, the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the School of Innovation.
• Disciplinary Strengths: Emphasises mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences alongside data science; restructured in recent years following the establishment of the School of Computing and Data Science (2024). See deepdive-science-architecture.md for details.

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# IV. Faculty of Social Sciences (1967)

• Founded: According to HKU Faculty of Social Sciences^※, the faculty was established in 1967.
• Current Dean: Professor Ming Wen^※ (appointed in 2023).
• Sub-units: The faculty's official site lists the Department of Geography, Department of Politics and Public Administration, Department of Psychology, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, and Department of Sociology, as well as the School of Governance and Policy and the School of Future Media, plus numerous research centres (e.g., the Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention).
• Disciplinary Strengths: Politics, social work, and journalism (the former Journalism and Media Studies Centre, now integrated into the School of Future Media) are particular strengths. See deepdive-arts-socsci.md for details.

Historical note: The Faculty of Law initially began as a Department of Law within this faculty in 1969 (see Section V).

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# V. Faculty of Law (as a department in 1969 / elevated in 1984)

• Founded: According to the HKU Law Faculty History^※, a Department of Law was established within the Faculty of Social Sciences in 1969, starting with three teachers and 40 students. It became a School of Law in 1978 and was elevated to an independent Faculty of Law in 1984. It is the oldest law school in Hong Kong.
• Current Dean: Professor Fu Hualing^※ (the Warren Chan Professor in Human Rights and Responsibilities; a second term was announced publicly, commencing 2025-11).
• Sub-units: The Department of Law and the Department of Professional Legal Education.
• Programmes: Offers a mix of LLB, JD, LLM, and PCLL programmes. According to the faculty history, its LLB and PCLL were the first local university qualifications recognised for direct admission to legal practice. See deepdive-law.md for details.

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# VI. Faculty of Dentistry (1982)

• Founded: According to the Wikipedia page for HKU Faculty of Dentistry^※, the faculty was established in 1982 and is the only institution in Hong Kong to offer undergraduate and postgraduate dental degrees. It is housed within the Prince Philip Dental Hospital in Sai Ying Pun.
• Current Dean: Professor Lijian Jin (according to public announcements, a new 5-year deanship starting from 2025-07-16).
• Programmes: A six-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), among others.
• Rankings: According to HKU News^※, the faculty has previously been ranked No. 1 globally for Dentistry in the QS subject rankings. For in-depth clinical/hospital content, see Module 11.

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# VII. Faculty of Architecture (as a department in 1950 / elevated in 1984)

• Founded: According to the HKU Faculty of Architecture History^※, a Department of Architecture was established in 1950 (first head: Professor R. Gordon Brown), and the first five-year BA in Architecture was awarded in 1955. A Faculty of Engineering and Architecture was formed in 1958. It later became a stand-alone School of Architecture and was elevated to an independent Faculty of Architecture in 1984, with Professor Eric Lye as the first Dean. The Department of Building (later the Department of Real Estate and Construction) was added that same year.
• Current Dean: Professor Yung Ho Chang (according to a public announcement, a 5-year deanship starting from 2025-01-20).
• Sub-units: Department of Architecture, Department of Real Estate and Construction, Department of Urban Planning and Design, and the Division of Landscape Architecture. See deepdive-science-architecture.md for details.

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# VIII. Faculty of Education (as a department in 1917 / elevated in 1984)

• Founded: According to the HKU Education Faculty History^※, a Department for the Training of Teachers was established within the Faculty of Arts in 1917. It became an independent School of Education in 1976 and was elevated to the Faculty of Education on 1 July 1984.
• Current Dean: Professor Yang Rui^※.
• Sub-units (following the 2024 reorganisation): Academic units include divisions for Language and Literacy Education; Human Communication, Learning, and Development; Mathematics, Science, and Technology; and Social Contexts and Policies of Education.
• Disciplinary Strengths: Teacher training, educational psychology, speech and hearing sciences, and information management. See deepdive-science-architecture.md for details.

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# IX. Faculty of Business and Economics (2001)

• Founded: According to HKU Business School Milestones^※, the faculty was formed on 1 January 2001 through the merger of the School of Business and the School of Economics and Finance. It is HKU's tenth and youngest faculty. Its founding dean later served in a senior university leadership role for an extended period (this article follows current leadership convention, referring to the office by title, not name). Its external-facing brand is HKU Business School.
• Current Dean: Professor Hongbin Cai^※ (a Chair Professor of Economics).
• Sub-units: As per the Business School Academic Areas page^※, it has six academic areas: Accounting and Law, Economics, Finance, Innovation and Information Management, Management and Strategy, and Marketing.
• Accreditations & Rankings: It received EQUIS accreditation in 2004 (according to its milestones page) and also holds AACSB and AMBA accreditations. See deepdive-business-economics.md for details.

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# X. The Graduate School and Inter-Faculty Structure

Beyond the ten faculties, HKU has a Graduate School that oversees research postgraduate (MPhil/PhD) affairs. There is also the School of Professional and Continuing Education, HKU SPACE, which operates outside the faculty structure. According to the HKU Annual Report 2024^※, research postgraduate enrolment in the 2023–24 academic year was about 4,134. For a programme overview, see programs.md.

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# XI. Unverified / To Be Supplemented

• Precise dean terms for some faculties: Some faculty official pages list only the incumbent without term dates. This article notes known start and end dates per public announcements; others are omitted.
• Recent internal restructuring: The frequency of internal reorganisation within faculties and their sub-units has been high in recent years (e.g., the founding of the School of Computing and Data Science in 2024, and two new schools within the Faculty of Social Sciences). This article is based on official web pages as of mid-2026; subsequent changes should be verified against official announcements.

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