Media

HKU BSocSc + Geneva MA Dual Degree
to equip students pursuing careers in international organisations

04 Jul 2017

In collaboration with the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva Institute), the HKU Faculty of Social Sciences offers a dual degree “Bachelor of Social Sciences + Master of Arts” to Bachelor of Social Sciences students. This programme offers through-train enrolment for outstanding HKU students to obtain a postgraduate degree from the world-renowned academy for studies in international relations.

This September, the programme’s first cohort of three Social Sciences students, having completed their initial three years at HKU, will travel to Geneva to take graduate-level courses. After successfully completing their 4th year of study in Geneva, they may transfer those credits home to obtain the HKU Bachelor Degree of Social Sciences (BSocSc) and stay on for an additional year to obtain a Geneva Institute Master of Arts (MA) degree.  In other words, students taking this programme can obtain a HKU BSocSc and a Geneva MA degree in five years, with the last two years of study being in Geneva.

The prestigious Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies is the alma mater to many world leaders, including: former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan; Egyptian diplomat and 2005 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Mohamed ElBaradei; and former President of Switzerland, Micheline Calmy-Rey.

The learning experience in Geneva, which will include an optional internship, can facilitate graduates to pursue careers in the international organisations located in Geneva, such as various United Nations Offices, World Trade Organisation, and other organisations in labour, telecommunications, human rights, HIV/AIDS etc.  

Here below are the brief biographies of the three HKU BSocSc students who have just completed their first three years at HKU and who will continue their studies in Geneva in the upcoming academic year:

Sebasian Lee Chi-him
As an international politics student, working at the field of international affairs has always been one of Sebasian’s lifelong aspirations, as a way to appreciate the world with a far-reaching lens, and subsequently impact the world in an effective manner. To achieve this, he has applied and was accepted as one of the first candidates of the dual degree of Bachelor of Social Science and Master of Arts.

He has always been keen on expanding his experience in his undergraduate years, with one unique experience involving five months working in the Cambodian branch of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations as a United Nations University Volunteer in 2015. Here, he acquired an understanding of organisational operations on multiple levels and diplomatic efforts within and outside the UN system, which in turn prompted him to seek more professional knowledge before embarking on a potential career in international organisations like the UN.

Another integral part of his undergraduate career was his three-year commitment to AIESEC, which strengthened his belief in international cooperation. He was the Vice President of the HKU branch and has been committed to offering hundreds of exchange opportunities that ultimately equip students with a global mindset, believing in the potential of youth leadership. With friends from around the world, he is eager to learn more about and tackle the issues around the world after he finishes the programme.

Sebasian visits the UN headquarters in New York.

Jenny Mak Lai-man
Jenny Mak Lai-man has a major in Politics and Public Administration and a minor in Social Work and Social Administration. In her third year of study, she joined an exchange programme and studied in the University of Amsterdam (UvA) for half a year. She was the Internal Vice-Chairperson of the China Education Association (CEA) from 2014-2015. Established in 1995, the organisation is a registered charitable organisation working to improve educational development in impoverished areas of rural China. Working as team with 13 other volunteers, they raised funds for the underprivileged students and organised expedition trips to conduct voluntary teaching and home visits. The experience volunteering in CEA inspired Jenny and she decided to join the MOEI programme in the summer of 2015. She taught a group of local students English during her two-month stay in Yangon. After that, Jenny took a gap semester in 2016. She joined the UNV-Hong Kong Universities Volunteer Programme and volunteered in United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) in Laos for six months.

Jenny will begin her Masters programme at the Geneva Institute this September.

Jenny in Laos, while working for the UNDP in 2016.

Yasmine Hung Yun-yin
Yasmine Hung double majors in Sociology and Politics and Public Administration. As a child, she was constantly exposed to her parents' favorite music, which often spoke of world peace and human rights. It was these lyrics that first inspired her to value world peace and human rights. Though many things have changed over the years, the importance of these core values have stayed the same and driven her interest in international relations. When the chance to study in this programme came, she was overjoyed and took the opportunity immediately.

Through this programme, she hopes to develop both her practical skills and deepen her knowledge of international affairs. She intends to learn how international organizations function, and how they can be improved. Moreover, she hopes to gain a greater understanding of not only technical knowledge, but also the multitude of different experiences that students studying at the Graduate Institute will have on a more personal level. Yasmine hopes that by being exposed a combination of academic, practical and interpersonal experiences, she will be better equipped to do her part in changing the world for the better.

Yasmine Hung attends an event on cross-cultural communications while on exchange at the University of California, San Diego.

For those media which would like to learn more about the programme and interview the students above, please contact:
Communications and Public Affairs Office Ms Rhea Leung (tel: 2857 8555/ 9022 7446; email: rhea.leung@hku.hk)