REGULATIONS FOR FIRST DEGREE CURRICULA¹

(See also General Regulations)

UG 1 Definitions:

For the purpose of regulations and syllabuses for all first degree curricula unless otherwise defined

An 'academic year' comprises two semesters, the first semester to commence in September and end in December, and the second semester to commence in January and end in June, on dates as prescribed by the Senate. It includes, normally at the end of each semester, a period during which candidates are assessed. For some curricula, a 'summer semester' may be organized in addition to the normal two semesters.

'Course' means a course of study, normally with a credit value (expressed as a number of units, known also as credit-units or credits) as defined in the syllabuses for a degree curriculum.

'Core course' means any of the courses that are mainly offered to candidates following the degree curriculum concerned and must be completed by them in order to fulfil the curriculum requirements.

'Elective course ' or 'elective' means any of the courses other than core courses that can be taken by candidates in order to complete the degree curriculum.

'Syllabus' means courses or a combination of courses taught by departments, centres, schools and programmes, offered under a degree curriculum.

'Prerequisite' means a course or a group of courses which candidates must have taken and/or completed successfully or a requirement which candidates must have fulfilled before being permitted to take the course in question.

'Corequisite' means a course which candidates must take in conjunction with the course in question.

'Credits' or 'credit-units' means the weight assigned to each course relative to the total study load under a degree curriculum. The number of credits is normally indicative of the contact hours, study time and/or candidate workload associated with the course. Candidates who satisfactorily complete courses with a credit value earn the credits of these courses.

'Grade Point Average' or 'GPA' is the combined grade average of all courses, including failed courses (unless otherwise specified in the degree regulations) taken by a candidate, where each course is given a weight, normally equal to its credit-unit value. It is an indicator of the candidate's overall performance.

'Semester GPA' is the combined grade average of all courses taken by a candidate during a given semester.

'Cumulative GPA' is the combined grade average of all courses taken by a candidate at the time of calculation.

'Weighted GPA' is the combined grade average of all courses taken by a candidate weighted by factors (such as the level of the courses) defined by the Board of the Faculty. ²

A 'transcript' is a transcript of the record of study of a candidate, issued by the Registry of the University.

¹ These regulations are applicable to candidates admitted to the first year of first degree curricula in or after 1998-99, except those in the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and the Bachelor of Nursing curricula.

² For the purposes of these regulations, 'Board of the Faculty' includes the Board of Studies of the School of Business.

UG 2 Advanced standing:

Advanced standing may be granted to candidates in recognition of studies completed successfully elsewhere. The amount of advanced credits to be granted shall be determined by the Board of a Faculty, in accordance with the following principles:

Advanced credits granted shall not normally be included in the calculation of the cumulative GPA, but, if so decided by the Board of Faculty, may be recorded on the transcript of the candidate.

UG 3 Requirements for graduation:

To be eligible for admission to the degree, candidates shall fulfil the following requirements in addition to requirements prescribed in the regulations and syllabuses governing the degree curricula:

¹ Candidates who have not studied Chinese language during their secondary education may be exempted from this requirement, see Regulation UG 4.

UG 4 Exemption:

Candidates may be exempted, with or without special conditions attached, from any of the requirements in UG 3 by the Senate in exceptional circumstances.

UG 5 Grading system :

The grades, their standards and the grade points for assessment shall be as follows: ²

² UG 5 is not applicable to the BDS curriculum.