Pre-departure Briefing Session
2nd semester 2013-2014
20 November 2013
Pre-departure Briefing

ACADEMIC MATTERS
 Before Departure
 Leave of absence and credit transfer application
 NEW credit transfer policy
 NEW requirements for Deans’ Honours List


After Exchange
NON-ACADEMIC MATTERS
Academic Matters – Before Departure




Application for leave of absence and credit transfer
 Deadline: 31 December 2013
 Application form and guidelines are available on FBE Enrichment
Website
Amendments – add/drop a course during exchange
 Deadline: 31 March 2014
Without seeking prior approval from FBE Faculty office, credits
CANNOT be transferred even if you have successfully completed the
course during exchange.
Please type! No handwriting!
New Credit Transfer Policy

According to the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Policy approved by
the Senate (document 317/212), a new credit transfer policy has been
enforced.
New Credit Transfer Policy

Students shall take a FULL course load stipulated by the host
institution.
Examples University of Edinburgh – 3 courses per semester
 Bentley University – 5 courses per semester

Credit overload or underload during exchange is NOT advised.

Under special circumstances, Faculty approval is required for overload
or underload requests.

Please visit the host institutions’ websites for details or refer to their
factsheets.
New Credit Transfer Policy

Credit transfer is considered on the basis of:

course content equivalence

total learning time involved in a particular course (i.e., hours
include both in-class and outside classroom learning activities)

The normal study load of a 6-credit course: 120 hours – 180 hours of
learning activities.

For European Institutions: 1 ECTS credit = 1 HKU credit
New Credit Transfer Policy

1 semester of full time study load at host institution = 1 full semester’s
credit at HKU

Students taking a standard course load abroad will be awarded a full
course load of HKU credits, i.e., 30 credits per semester.
New Credit Transfer Policy

Example(i):
University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
(Normal workload per semester: 30 ECTS
credits)
Course
Credits
The University of Hong Kong
Course
Credits
FINA2802 Investments and
portfolio analysis
BUSI0028
Management
accounting II
6
6
FINA0301
6
Macroeconomics
6
6
International money
6
Total
30
ECON2102 Macroeconomic
theory
ECON0303
International
finance
Credits to be transferred
Courses to be transferred
5 exact courses
Investment
portfolio theory 1
Management
accounting
(intermediate)
Investment
portfolio theory 2
and
6
6
and
Derivatives
6
6
30 HKU credits
New Credit Transfer Policy

Example(ii):
University of Western Ontario, Canada
(Normal workload per semester: 2.5 credits)
Course
Credits
Course
Credits
Portfolio
management
0.5
FINA2802 Investments
and portfolio analysis
6
user
0.5
FINA0404 Spreadsheet
financial modelling
6
Raising capital in
the
financial
markets
Applied
corporate finance
0.5
FINA elective
6
0.5
FINA0303 Case studies
in corporate finance
6
International
Finance
0.5
ECON0302
International Finance
6
Total
2.5
Credits to be transferred
30 HKU credits
End
modelling
The University of Hong Kong
Courses
transferred
to
be (i) 4 exact courses
(ii) 1 FINA elective course
New Credit Transfer Policy

Example(iii):
BI Norwegian Business School, Norway
(Normal workload per semester: 30 ECTS credits)
Course
Credits
The University of Hong Kong
Course
Credits
Macroeconomics
7.5
ECON1002 Introduction
to economics
6
Corporate Finance
7.5
FINA1003
finance
Corporate
6
International Marketing
7.5
BUSI0022 International
marketing
6
Branding
7.5
BUSI3512 Development
marketing
competence
through branding
6
Total
30
Credits to be transferred
30 HKU credits
Courses to be transferred
(i)
(ii)
4 exact courses
1 free elective course (to
make up for the extra credits
obtained during exchange)
New Credit Transfer Policy

Example(iv):
Macquarie University, Australia
(Normal workload per semester: 12 credit points)
The University of Hong Kong
Course
Organisational
control
Credits
3
Course
BUSI0028 Management
accounting II
Credits
6
Business Law
3
BUSI1001 Business law
6
Operations research 1
3
6
Introduction to human resources
3
Total
12
BUSI0036
Quantitative
analysis
for
business
decisions I
BUSI0034
Human
resource:
theory
&
practice
Credits to be transferred
planning
and
Courses to be transferred
6
30 HKU credits
(i)
(ii)
4 exact courses
1 free elective course (to make
up for the extra credits
obtained during exchange)
New Credit Transfer Policy

Example(v):
Singapore Management University (Normal
workload per semester: 4 SMU credits)
Course
Credits
The University of Hong Kong
Course
Credits
Analysis of equity
investment
1
FINA elective
6
Analysis
of
derivative securities
1
FINA0301 Derivatives
6
Company law
1
BUSI0010 Company law
6
International
finance
1
FINA0105 International financial
management
6
Total
4
Credits to be transferred
30 HKU credits
Courses to be transferred
(i) 3 exact courses
(ii) 1 FINA elective course
(iii) 1 free elective course (to
make up for the extra
credits obtained during
exchange)
New Credit Transfer Policy


The transferred credits should be rounded to the nearest multiple of 6.
Example (i):
University of Paris-Dauphine, France
(Normal workload per semester: 30 ECTS
credits)
The University of Hong Kong
Course
Credits
Course
History of economic thought
6
ECON0107 History
economic thought
Collective decision making
6
ECON elective
6
6
FREN2001 French II.1
6
Statistics
7.5
STAT1306
statistics
6
Total
25.5
Credits to be transferred
24 HKU credits
Courses
transferred
1. 3 exact courses
2. 1 ECON elective
course
France et
francais
rencontrer
les
Credits
of
Introductory
to
be
6
New Credit Transfer Policy

Example (ii):
University
of
Bergen,
Norway
(Normal workload per semester: 30 ECTS
credits )
Course
Credits
Developmental
10
economics
The University of Hong Kong
Course
ECON0501
Economic
development
PSYC0063
Industrial/organisati
onal psychology
Credits
6
6
Personnel
psychology
15
Introductory course
in Norwegian
Total
10
Free elective
35
Credits
to
transferred
Courses
to
transferred
be
6
36 HKU credits
be (i) 2 exact courses
(ii) 4 free elective courses (3 of
which are to make up for the
extra credits obtained during
exchange)
New Credit Transfer Policy


If courses are relatively short, students can pair up two relevant
courses, or more, for transfer as one HKU course.
Example:
IESEG Lille Catholic University
The University of Hong Kong
Course
Credits
Course
Audit techniques
3 ECTS
Controlling &
auditing
corporate social
responsibility
3 ECTS
BUSI0006
Auditing
Credits
6

If one of the courses fails, only 3 ECTS credits can be transferred as 3 HKU
credits. The HKU course BUSI0006 Auditing CANNOT be transferred.

Transfer of credit and transfer of course:
SEPARATE!
New Requirements for Deans’ Honours List

If you participate in a one-semester exchange, you are eligible to be
recommended to the Dean’s Honours List, provided that you have
fulfilled the following conditions:
students admitted to the Faculty in
2010-2011 or before
students admitted to the Faculty
in 2011-2012 or after
achieved a yearly GPA of 3.5 or
above (excluding results obtained
from exchange)
achieved a yearly GPA of 3.6 or
above (excluding results obtained
from exchange)
NO failed courses
(including courses taken at HKU as well as during exchange)
Successful completion of at least 24 credits
in a regular semester during your study in HKU

If you go on exchange for the entire academic year, you are not eligible
to be recommended to the Dean’s Honours List.
Academic Matters – After Exchange



If the host institution sends you the transcript, you are required to
forward it to FBE Faculty office.
Submission of an exchange report to FBE Faculty office (for
students enrolled in the Faculty Exchange Programme):
 A 1000-word essay
 At least five photos
 Please save the documents in a CDR
For students enrolled in the HKUWW Exchange Programme,
please submit the exchange report to OISE.
Non-academic Matters – Before and During
Exchange








Host institution’s calendar for flight ticket booking
Health Insurance
Visa application
Research on host institution/ country
Travel during exchange – be safe!
Open a bank account and arrange for fund transfers
Keep your belongings safe, especially your passport
Check your HKU email account regularly
Emergency Support

Contact the local emergency authorities for assistance

Speak with the contact person of your host university

Contact the local Chinese Embassy for assistance http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/embassy.htm

Ring up the Hong Kong Immigration Department
(境外港人求助熱線)
(852) 1868 (24-hour hotline)

Inform your parents/relatives/friends in Hong Kong

Inform the FBE Faculty Office <[email protected]>
Sources of Support from HKU

CEDARS Counseling Services
 Students can also use CEDARS’ one-stop contact:
[email protected] or (852) 2857-8388

Academic & Exchange Matters
 Academic Advising Office: [email protected] or (852) 2219
4686
 Faculty Office: [email protected] or (852) 3917 5343
 Office of International Student Exchange (OISE):
[email protected] or (852) 2219 4121
Useful Information

Pre-departure Notes prepared by CEDARS for outgoing
exchange students:
http://cedars.hku.hk/nonlocal/publication/predeparturenotes
2013.pdf

Contact list of current and past FBE exchange-out students
is available at:
http://www.fbe.hku.hk/programme/undergraduate/enrichme
nt/index.asp?doc=exchange
Maximize Exchange Experience

You are our Ambassador

Make new friends

Learn a new language

Appreciate local culture and custom

Explore the host country and university

Travel
Questions