Duke credential p.53

1. 53
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h6p://gradschool.duke.edu/documents/admissions/Creden=als.pdf
HONG KONG
Area: 1,092 sq. km. (678 sq. mi.)
Population: 7.1 million
Cities: Hong Kong comprises Hong Kong Island, the New Territories,
and numerous small islands.
Languages of instruction: Chinese, English
Education: Years compulsory-9
Literacy: 93.5% (89.6% female, 96.9% male)
Academic year: September – June
System of Education
Like most institutions in Hong Kong, the colleges and uni-versities
kept most of their distinctiveness after Hong Kong
passed from its status as a British Colony to its new status as
a Special Administrative Region of China in 1997. Hong
Kong has a high-quality education system based on the Brit-ish
model: six years of primary school and up to seven years
of secondary school. After the fifth year of secondary
school, students can qualify for the Hong Kong Certificate
of Education Examination. Successful applicants can then
go on to do the two-year Hong Kong Advance Level Exami-nation
required for admission into local universities.
Degree Significance
x Bachelor’s degree: three or four years of study beyond
the 13 years of secondary education depending on the
university.
x Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery: five
years of study after high school.
x Master of Engineering: four years of study beyond sec-ondary
school.
x Master’s degree and the Master of Philosophy (MPhil):
awarded after one or two years of study beyond the
bachelor’s degree.
x Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.): awarded after two or
three years of study beyond the master’s degree and
includes a thesis and special examination.
x Doctor of Medicine (MD): awarded after five years of
study beyond the first university.
Key Universities
University of Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong University of Science Technology
The Hong Kong Baptist University
City University of Hong Kong
Open University of Hong Kong
Grading System
The grading system differs according to the institution,
with many institutions utilizing some variation of the U.S.
letter grading system. While it is customary for students
to receive grades, they are not published on transcripts.
Transcripts tend to only show if a student has passed from
one year to another. After final examinations, students are
ranked into one of the following five divisions (based on
exams and course work):
Transcript Grade US Equivalent
First-class honors A
Second-class honors upper A-Second-
class honors lower B+
Third-class honors B
Pass C
Recommendations and Comments
Levels of English fluency have declined as Mandarin Chi-nese
becomes more prominent with the Chinese takeover.
An Honors Bachelor is required for graduate admission.
Honors refers to depth of study in a particular discipline,
rather than quality of study. Documents may be issued in
English.
From the beginning of 2012, many courses will be ex-tended
to four years,
East Asia