Welcome to the Department of Psychology!

The field of psychology is dedicated to the scientific study of human behaviour, thoughts, feelings and actions from social, developmental and biological perspectives. Its teaching at the university dates back to before 1950 when it was conducted in a joint Philosophy/Psychology department. In 1968, psychology became a founding department of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Since that time, the Department has contributed to developing the discipline both locally and internationally through dedicated teaching and research work often in collaboration with colleagues from different parts of the world. According to the 2020 QS World University Rankings by subject, Psychology at the HKU ranks 31 in the world,  and ranks first in Asia according to the 2021 Times Higher Education Word University Rankings.

Psychology at HKU is represented by 19 faculty members with different areas of expertise, including clinical psychology/neuropsychology, cognitive psychology/neuroscience, educational and developmental psychology, experimental psychopathology, as well as social/health psychology. In each area, faculty members apply scientific methods in laboratories or field settings. They conduct world-class research in a variety of areas, and the Department is recognized as a leader in research for the region. Students benefit from being taught by leading scholars in their fields, and from having opportunities to be involved with cutting edge research.

The goal of engaged and dedicated professors is to create and instill knowledge in psychology. The Department offers a broad range of programmes and is committed to designing the most appropriate learning experiences that suit students’ needs, sharing with them the exciting developments in psychology, and helping them achieve the required level of academic competence. The undergraduate programmes prepare students for a career in business, management or education; sales and marketing; or for graduate study in any area of psychology (including training to be a clinical or educational psychologist). The Master of Social Sciences in the field of Psychology programme provides university graduates in fields other than psychology with an opportunity to acquire a solid foundation in psychology with a strong understanding of psychological theories and research methods, and an ability to apply them in real life. The two professional programmes, i.e. Master of Social Sciences in the field of Clinical Psychology and Master of Social Sciences in the field of Educational Psychology are designed to train professional clinical psychologists and educational psychologists to serve local communities in Hong Kong.

At graduate level there are also opportunities for professional doctorate study in the areas of Clinical Psychology and Educational Psychology, as well as for MPhil and PhD research in the areas of Cognition and perception, Clinical psychology, Educational psychology, Social psychology and the History of psychology.

The below chorology shows the development of the Department of Psychology from 1968 onwards up to the recent years.