The Master of Arts in Language Studies (MALS) program offers a flexible curriculum allowing students to tailor their studies with various specializations, including Chinese, linguistics, language & law, and translation & interpretation. This program replaces outdated master's degrees as funding changes, enabling exit points at different levels (PGC, PGD, MA) depending on credit units earned. The program caters to mature working adults, emphasizing language's role in a knowledge-based economy while providing recognized qualifications for language teachers.

1. MALS – Master of Arts in Language Studies [incorporating Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate] Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics (CTL)

2. MA in Language Studies: Full Title Master of Arts / Postgraduate Diploma / Postgraduate Certificate in Language Studies [with specialization in Chinese, Language & Law, Linguistics, or Translation & Interpretation]

3. MA in Language Studies Quite a mouthful, isn’t it? Is there a reason for this?

4. MA in Language Studies: A bit of history The department’s 3 existing MA programmes (MA in Language and Law, MA in Linguistics, and MA in Translation and Interpretation) are being phased out as the government withdraws its funding for all HK taught postgraduate programmes. MA in Language Studies is the phoenix born again with all the strengths of the old programmes and a new flexibility that allows students to tailor make their own study programmes.

5. MALS: Special Feature 1 You can graduate with a PGC after obtaining 12 credit units, or a PGD with 24 credit units, or an MA with 30 credit units. [3 exit points.] You can graduate first with a PGD, take a break of a semester, re-apply for admission into the MA programme (sure thing) and graduate with an MA after obtaining an additional 6 credit units (if you stay with the same specialization). You have 5 years to do all these.

6. MALS: Special Feature 2 A choice of 5 curricula (or 6, or 7 …) Specializing in Chinese Specializing in Language & Law Specializing in Linguistics Specializing in Translation & Interpretation Do not specialize, but choose and pick When you choose and pick, the possibilities are …

7. MALS: Special Feature 2 (continues) With our students being mature working adults, we believe they have the intelligence to tailor make their own programmes that suit their individual needs – their personal interest or their career imperative .

8. MALS: Special Feature 3 The Master’s Project is an elective. Students can choose to complete a Master’s Project if they are more academically inclined and welcome independent work, OR Students can pick electives that are class-room based and are more professional and vocational in nature.

9. Why Language Studies? Our new knowledge-based and service-based economy is situated in a discourse-rich society where language (and its products: discourses) permeates everything. What stories does President Bush tell? What stories do you tell?

10. Why Language Studies (continues) ? Others tell stories (and weave discourses) to impose their stories on us. [Like what I am doing here, and now.] Understand how language works, and be free of its power.

11. MALS: FAQ 1 For language teachers: PGDLS (Chinese / Linguistics) are recognized Subject Knowledge Postgraduate courses ; MALS (Chinese / Linguistics) are recognized Language Major courses . Both programmes are eligible for the EMB’s Professional Development Incentive Grant Scheme for Language Teachers. Please refer to SCOLAR’s website for ‘Notes to applicants’ and ‘Annex: Programme accepted for grants under the Professional Development Incentive Grant Scheme’: http://cd1.emb.hkedcity.net/cd/scolar/html/inew01_tw.htm

12. MALS: FAQ 1 (continues) Language teachers need to complete one of these to satisfy the government’s requirements regarding subject knowledge/relevant language degree. Please note that for exemption from the Language Proficiency Requirement, two criteria have to be met: a relevant degree (e.g., PGDLS or MALS) and relevant teacher training qualifications.

13. MALS: FAQ 2 MALS [with specialization in Language & Law] is one of the programmes recognized by the Law Society of Hong Kong for the purposes of compliance with the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements under the CPD Scheme.

14. MALS: FAQ 3 Teaching on weekday evenings (6:30-10:20 pm max.) and Saturday afternoons (very likely, 2:30-6:20 max.), intensive block teaching (could happen, but hasn’t been tried). Summer teaching (possible, though not preferred, weekday evenings and/or Saturday afternoons, over 7 weeks). Summer is not a regular teaching semester for the university. Normally one course, one evening; two courses, two evenings, and so on.

15. MALS: FAQ 4 Tuition fee: pay by credit unit, at present HK$2,100 per credit unit, so 30 credit units cost HK$63,000. If you fail a course and have to re-take, you also have to pay for it.

16. MALS: FAQ 5 Normally a course is offered once every two years , unless the student demand is great. Expect to be surveyed about the electives you would like to take

17. MALS: FAQ 6 Credit transfer is allowed and considered on a case by case basis. Factors considered include (a) overlap in course contents and number of credit units/contact hours, (b) courses be of the same level, (c) grade/mark earned, and (d) shelf life of credit units earned.

18. MALS: FAQ 7 All successful applicants are accepted into the MALS programme, but they can choose to leave with a PGD or PDC. Chinese/English language teachers who apply to the Government for funding their PGDLS study (Professional Development Incentive Grant Scheme for Language Teachers) can obtain a letter from the Department stating they have completed their PGD and can be refunded. They can then stay in the programme to complete their MA degree.

19. MALS: FAQ 8 Assessment methods vary from course to course. Assessment can include (a) continuous coursework assessment, and/or (b) a formal examination during a University’s designated examination week. Continuous coursework assessment can include, among other things, individual take-home assignments, group presentations, and in-class tests. In-class tests and examinations can be open-book or non open-book.

20. MALS: FAQ 9 The language of instruction and assessment normally is English for CityU. Please note that the language of instruction for the two courses required for the MA degree: CTL5901 Language, Cognition and Culture, and CTL5902 Language, Ideology and Society is English. The language of assessment however can be either English or Chinese. Special permission to teach and assess in Chinese has been obtained for the following Chinese courses: CTL5701, CTL5702, CTL5703, CTL5704, CTL5730, CTL5404, CTL5414, CTL5705, CTL5707, CTL5708, CTL5501, CTL5511, CTL5622, CTL6507.

21. MALS: FAQ 10 If a student decides not to register for any courses in a semester, s/he needs to apply to the Academic Regulations and Records Office for a leave of absence, and a continuation fee of HK$1,500 will be charged.

22. MALS: FAQ 11 Students who have exited from the programme at any one point, e.g., PGC or PGD, need to wait for one semester before they are allowed to be re-admitted into the programme. Re-admitted students who decide to switch specialization will only be allowed credit transfer up to half of the total number of units (i.e., 15 credit units) for that programme.

23. MALS: FAQ 12 For this programme, there is no provision for double specializations, i.e., at one seating, students cannot obtain two specializations even though all the relevant courses have been completed. At graduation, only one specialization can appear on the certificate.

24. MALS: FAQ end Your questions please! (E-mail for Matthew Leung: ctmleung@cityu.edu.hk)

25. MALS Website Check our website for details: http://www.ctl.cityu.edu.hk/Courses/Courses-programAims.asp?course=MALS Language teachers please go straight to : http://www.ctl.cityu.edu.hk/Courses/Courses-MALS-Teacher.asp Or just remember www.ctl.cityu.edu.hk

26. Programme leader and subject leaders Programme Leader : Mr Matthew LEUNG Subject Leaders : Chinese: Dr CHENG Che Bun Language & Law: Mr Matthew LEUNG Linguistics: Dr Cecilia CHAN Translation & Interpretation: Dr Richard SHEUNG