The Doctor of Psychology in the field of Educational Psychology programme  emphasizes  a scientist-practitioner model of education. In consequence, holders of this degree shall be equipped to function competently as professional educational psychologists in the areas of research, tertiary-level teaching, and professional services.

The curriculum shall extend over a minimum of twenty-four months of full-time study or thirty-six months of part-time study. A candidate shall complete satisfactorily the required courses and a thesis as set out below. The courses cover theoretical and applied aspects of educational psychology. Students may apply for exemption from courses, approval of which is granted only on an individual basis by the Programme Director and Head of Department for submission to Higher Social Sciences Degree Committee and Faculty Board for approval.

Doctoral candidates should attend all courses in List A and at least 1 course in List B:

List A
PSYC6021. – Supervised reading in specialty of educational psychology
PSYC6010. – Conceptual and methodological issues in psychological research I
PSYC6011. – Conceptual and methodological issues in psychological research II
PSYC6022. – Thesis
PSYC6023. – Practical training in specialty of educational psychology
PSYC6029. – Clinical seminars
GRSC6101 – Responsible conduct of research
GRSC6102 – Stream-based responsible conduct of research

List B
PSYC6024. – Research methods in applied educational psychology
PSYC8008. – Motivation and learning
PSYC6004. – Curriculum and instruction
PSYC8007. – Applied developmental psychology
PSYC6025. – Postgraduate seminar in scientific writing for psychology
PSYC7021. – Postgraduate seminar in cognitive psychology
PSYC7022. – Postgraduate seminar in social psychology
PSYC7023. – Postgraduate seminar in developmental psychology

For the course description of Educational Psychology programmes, please click here

To be eligible for admission to the programme, a candidate shall satisfy both the University admission requirement and the programme specific requirements as listed below:

• shall comply with the General Regulations;
• shall hold a Master of Social Sciences in Educational Psychology degree of this University, as appropriate; or a qualification of equivalent standard* from this University or another comparable institution accepted for this purpose;
• for a candidate who is seeking admission on the basis of a qualification from a university or comparable institution outside Hong Kong of which the language of teaching and/or examination is not English, shall satisfy the University English language requirement applicable to high degrees as prescribed under the General Regulation G2(b);
• shall satisfy the examiners in a qualifying examination if required; and
• preferably shall have working experience in the field of Educational Psychology, as appropriate.
• shall be eligible for membership in the Hong Kong Psychological Society, Division of Educational Psychology.

* see the website of Division of Educational Psychology, The Hong Kong Psychological Society for information about the required qualification:
https://www.dep.hkps.org.hk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/DEP_Membership_Criteria_2018_Mar.pdf

An application for exemption from the above requirements shall be considered on a case by case basis.

The curriculum shall extend over two academic years of full-time study or three academic years of part-time study.

Full-time: HK$184,350 p.a.
Part-time: HK$122,900 p.a.

For the details of composition fees for the taught postgraduate programmes, please visit https://handbook.hku.hk/tpg/2024/fee/fee.html

Financial assistance is available for full-time postgraduate students. Enquiries should be made to the Student Financial Assistance Agency, 11/F & 12/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon. (http://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/en/index.htm).

The Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in the field of Educational Psychology programme admits students every year.

Applications shall be made online at the TPg Admissions Website (only on-line applications are accepted).  Applicants are reminded to read carefully the Additional Information, Regulations and Syllabuses and Supporting Documents before submitting the application.  If you encounter any application difficulties, please first read the FAQ of the TPg admission website. For additional enquiries, please send an email to psyd@hku.hk and quote your full name in English, application number and the degree you are applying in the email.

Applications are now invited for admission in September 2025.  The closing date is 12:00 noon (GMT +8), 30 May 2025.  All applicants will be notified of the application results by July 31, 2025 at the latest.

Upon your submission of the online application, you will receive an email notification from the application system within 48 hours to upload the supporting document. Please upload all supporting document within one month starting from the date you receive the email notification, or by 23:59 on 30 May 2025, whichever is earlier. A checklist of the required supporting documents is available at https://portal.hku.hk/tpg-admissions/programme-listing.

[e-Form] Applicants are required to answer additional questions in this online form on or before 30 May 2025.

Each applicant is required to provide contact information of two referees (academic/ professional) during the online application.  The referees will then receive an email invitation to complete an online referee survey within 4 weeks, or before 30 May 2025, whichever is earlier. [Applicants should remind their referees for this important note]. Only referees with the provision of official university/company email/correspondence addresses are accepted. The University may approach referees and their affiliated university/company for verification.

Please note that applicants are NOT REQUIRED to submit original/certified true copies of documents to the University during the application stage. Should applicants be given a conditional offer by the University, applicants will be notified to submit the stipulated documents. However, applicants should take into account the processing time required for the issuance of original/certified true copies of documents and start preparing them at their earliest convenience upon receipt of offer.

For further information about programme admissions for September 2025 entry, please read through the materials in the below hyperlinks which are also available for viewing at the homepage of Taught Postgraduate Admissions of The University of Hong Kong.

• Additional Information
• Regulations & Syllabuses
• Supporting Documents

1. I am a final year student of Master of Social Science in
Counseling. I have completed my honours bachelor degree majoring in Psychology few years ago, am I eligible to apply for the Doctor of Psychology in Educational Psychology programme at your department?

No, the entry requirement of Doctor of Psychology in Educational Psychology requires a recognized master degree in educational psychology with professional training (i.e. with practicum).

2. Where can I obtain certified true copies of my transcripts and graduation certificates?

Applicants can have their documents duly declared as true copies before a notary public (e.g. a Commissioner for Oaths at District Offices of the Home Affairs Department.
(http://www.had.gov.hk/en/public_services/public_enquiry_services/provided.htm)
Copies of documents maybe certified by the appropriate officials of your home institute if you are an overseas applicant.

Application procedure and admission-related enquiries:
Mr. Robin LEE (General Office)
Tel: (852) 3917 5866
Email: psyd@hku.hk

Programme and professional-related enquires:
Prof. Terry Tin-yau WONG
Programme Director
E-mail:  terrytyw@hku.hk

Answers to frequently asked questions about admissions into postgraduate programmes at The University of Hong Kong can be found here as well as the FAQ webpage of the PsyD programme at the Department of Psychology. Please read through the materials in the above-mentioned webpages THOROUGHLY FIRST. Oftentimes, information requested can readily be found in these webpages.