Information for applicants

The Department of Philosophy offers two higher degrees by research, the M.Phil. and the Ph.D., and can arrange for supervision over a wide range of philosophical topics. We welcome both international and local students to apply. Qualified candidates may obtain financial assistance through studentships administered by the University (see below).

If you have any questions, please contact the Postgraduate Coordinator:
Professor Justin Tiwald – jtiwald@hku.hk

1. Application

  • You must apply through the HKU Graduate School. For more information, please go to http://www.hku.hk/gradsch .
  • Information about possible research areas and guidelines for writing your research proposal.
  • IMPORTANT: Since the postgraduate programme is a research degree programme, you should contact members of the Department before applying to find a potential supervisor and discuss your research proposal. Research proposals that do not align with the research interests of at least one staff member will not be considered. Please see this page for a list of our faculty members and their research interests.

2. Financial assistance

  • Studentships administered by the University include tuition support and a stipend for living expenses.
  • Please note that the University requires studentship holders to pay an annual Composition Fee.
  • Erik Kvan Postgraduate Scholarship: This scholarship is awarded to a student reading for the degree of M.Phil. or Ph.D. in the Department of Philosophy or Psychology who has (a) satisfactorily completed at least one year of study in the philosophy of mind or related areas in philosophy, or any of the following areas in psychology: perception, personality, cognitive psychology, social psychology; and (b) resided in Hong Kong for at least five years prior admission as a M. Phil. or Ph.D. student of this University. Please visit http://www.hku.hk/intranet/student for information pertaining to this scholarship application.

3. Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme

The Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC) introduced a competitive Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme in 2010/11. The aim is to attract outstanding students from Hong Kong or overseas. For details, see:

4. Postgraduate courses

5. Information for current students

  • Probation – By the end of the probationary period, MPhil/PhD candidates must demonstrate capability in research, submit a detailed scheme of research, and complete the required proportion of coursework (for MPhil and 4-year PhD only). Please see the Arts Faculty guidelines for the pre-confirmation research proposal: http://arts.hku.hk/PGprogrammes/rpg/guidelines.html
  • Teaching – Studentship holders may be asked to tutor for departmental courses (see below). For this reason, all RPGs registered after 2010-11 must obtain the University’s ‘Certificate of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’. Please see this link for further information: http://www.cetl.hku.hk/certificate-courses. In addition, see this web site for useful information about teaching techniques: http://www.teachphilosophy101.org/
  • Responsibilities – Funded research postgraduate students (RPGs) should contribute to life in the Philosophy Department. They are expected to attend the fall semester Senior Seminar and the spring semester Graduate Seminar each year. RPGs are also supposed to attend the weekly department seminars. The Department may ask RPGs to invigilate examinations, mark exam scripts, and/or assist with Open Day. The Department also expects RPGs to obtain the ‘Certificate of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’ and to work as teaching assistants at some point during their studies.
  • Current postgraduate students.

6. Prizes

Prizes for outstanding theses

7. Placement

Placement records

8. Theses

List of philosophy theses.