FAQ

GE Foundation Courses

1. Can I take a General Education Foundation (GE Foundation) course in Year 1 Term 1?

Year 1 and Year 2 students can enrol in GE Foundation courses on CUSIS during the course selection period: All Year 1 students, except for the MBChB students admitted with Faculty Advanced Standing or students of the two-year programmes, are advised to take the GE Foundation courses starting from Term 2, but if they are available and wish to take a GE Foundation course in Term 1, they can also register a GE Foundation course on CUSIS. MBChB students admitted with Faculty Advanced Standing and students of the two-year programmes will be informed of the detailed enrolment arrangement for GE Foundation courses in Term 1 through their major programmes.

2. Can I take both of the GE Foundation courses, UGFH1000 "In Dialogue with Humanity" and UGFN1000 "In Dialogue with Nature" in the same term?

Yes, you can simply do so on CUSIS during course selection or add/drop period. However, as the quota is limited and both courses require a lot of reading, most students will only be able to take and handle one GE Foundation course in a term.

3. Can I delay taking the GE Foundation courses?

You should follow the University’s recommended study pattern as far as possible. The recommendation is that students should take their first GEF course in Year 1 Term 2 and their second GE Foundation course in Year 2 Term 1. As you cannot enrol in any course in the Four Areas of University GE before completing or enrolling in at least one of the two GEFcourses, delaying taking the GE Foundation courses will have an impact on your study plan.

Only Year 1 and Year 2 students can enrol GE Foundation course on CUSIS during the course selection period. Year 3 or above students who have not yet completed both GE Foundation courses according to the recommended course pattern should apply to the GE Foundation Programme to enrol the GEF course as soon as possible (Click here for the detailed enrolment arrangement). Please visit the RES website to check the teaching timetable, the language and the vacancy of the class before you submit the course-add application. The course-add applications for Year 3 or above students will be processed after the enrolment of Year 1 and 2 students. Course-add applications will be successful only if there are still vacancies in the class.

4. I enrolled in a GE Foundation class during the CUSIS selection period, but I would like to change to a different class now. Can I do this during the add/drop period?

Yes, during both the course selection and add/drop period, students can use “Swap” function to change the lecture class (e.g. change from UGFH1000A to UGFH1000B) and “Edit” function to change the tutorial group (e.g. change from UGFH1000AT01 to AT06 of the same lecture class UGFH1000A) on CUSIS. Applications submitted after the CUSIS add/drop period will normally NOT be accepted. Students who encounter problems with add/drop of UGE courses on CUSIS can approach Office of University General Education for assistance.

5. I enrolled in the waiting list of one of the GE Foundation classes during the course selection period, why was I not on the waiting list in the add/drop period?

The waiting list information under CUSIS will NOT be kept after the course selection period. Students who were on waiting list before must enrol again for the GE Foundation classes during the add/drop period.

6. If the medium of instruction of the GE Foundation class that I'm enrolled in is Cantonese/Putonghua, can I still submit my paper in English? Or, if the medium of instruction of my class is English, does it mean that I must submit my paper in English?

Student assignments should be submitted in the same language that the courses are delivered. This is CUHK policy.

7. Do I have to attend the first tutorial class?

Absolutely. The tutorials are essential for the GEF courses. Also, in the first week, teachers generally will introduce the requirements and expectations of the course and begin to discuss the first text.

8. I have not yet taken any GE Foundation courses. Can I first take an elective course that is double-coded as a University GE course, then apply to use it to fulfill GE requirement, once I have completed a GE Foundation course?

Such application will not be approved.

Four-Area Courses

1. Can I take more GE courses on top of the GE requirement?

Yes, subject to the prevailing course enrolment rules, you are free to enrol in more GE course even after fulfilment of the GE requirement. The extra credits earned will be treated as general electives.

2. I failed to select a UGE course even though the class quota was not yet filled. What was wrong?

Possible reasons are:

time clashes with other enrolled course;
entry of wrong course code;
breach of enrolment rules such as total credit ceiling, UGE course ceiling, exclusion of certain majors and course taken; and
failure to submit the course enrolment properly on “Chinese University Student Information System” (MyCUHK>CUSIS)

Please check your course selection carefully against the GE enrolment rules and your own timetable prior to submission for course enrolment.

3. Are GE course grades calculated in my grade point average (GPA) and degree classifications?

The grades will automatically work forwards your cumulative grade point average. Grade Points calculation and degree classifications are stipulated in Regulation 13 of the General Regulations Governing Full-time Undergraduate Studies.

4. If I change my major programme, is there anything I should pay attention to regarding GE?

You should check the student handbook of your admission year for the relevant course enrolment rules. If students of your newly adopted major programme are not allowed to enrol in a GE courses taken by you in the past, the credits earned from that course will not be counted towards GE and you should take another UGE courses to make up for the required units. Though not counted toward GE, the units earned can still be counted as general electives. You may also check with your major programme if the units can be used to fulfil any major requirements.

5. If I want to add/drop a UGE course, can I apply directly to the course teacher?

No, add/drop application of UGE courses in the Four Areas must be submitted through CUSIS within the official add/drop period stipulated by the Registration and Examination Section. Students who encounter problems with add/drop of UGE courses on CUSIS can approach Office of University General Education for assistance.

Please refer to Question 4 about GE Foundation Courses for details of course add/drop of UGFH1000/UGFN1000.

6. Can I use the credits earned from an elective course which is double-coded as a UGE course to fulfil the GE requirement?

If the elective course you took was double-coded with a UGE course in the year you took it and all the enrolment rules are duly observed, you can make an application to OUGE. Click here to download the application form and submit the application to the Office of University General Education by e-mail to uge-info@cuhk.edu.hk.

7. I've just changed my major programme this year. Last year, I took an elective course offered by my former major department which was double-coded as a GE course. Can I apply for converting the elective credits to GE credits?

Yes. Please check the relevant course enrolment rules stated in the student handbook of the year you took the course. If students of your new major programme are permitted to take the course, you can apply to OUGE to use the credits to fulfil GE requirements. Click here to download the application form.

8. What if I have completed a similar GE course at another institution? Can a waiver be granted?

The course taken should be at academic level comparable to the GE courses offered by CUHK. Application should be made via CUSIS together with an official transcript and detailed course description. Please visit the RES webpage for the detailed procedure.

9. I was told that students of Lee Woo Sing can choose courses from a specified list of UGE courses and have the units earned counted towards the Lee Woo Sing College GE requirements. How do I enrol in these courses?

Students of Lee Woo Sing College can enrol in the specified UGE courses through the normal course enrolment procedure on CUSIS and apply for re-designation of the units to College GE in the final year of studies. Please refer to the Student Handbook or the website of Lee Woo Sing College for the specified course list and application procedures. It is not applicable to students from other colleges.

For more information, please visit Registration & Examinations Section website.

10. How do I apply for a make-up examination if I was absent from a GE centralized course examination?

A student who for medical or other compelling reasons is unable to sit for any centralized course examination must apply for absence from examination in accordance with the University Regulations. For details, please refer to the RES website.

11. Can I take GE courses in the summer term?

You can take UGE courses offered in the two programmes in the summer term to fulfil GE requirements, namely “University Summer Session” and “International Summer School”. However, you cannot take more than two UGE courses in Summer Term. For details of the programme dates, courses and enrolment procedure of the International Summer School, please visit the website of International Summer School.