Introduction


The Hong Kong Polytechnic was formally established on 1 August 1972, taking over the campus and staff of the Hong Kong Technical College. Its mandate was to provide application-oriented education to meet the community’s need for professional manpower resources. In the academic year 1971/72, before its handing over to the Polytechnic, the Technical College had just over 1,700 full-time day, 740 part-time day release and 9,340 part-time evening students in eight teaching departments.

With most of the College’s courses at technician and craft levels already transferred to the Morrison Hill Technical Institute established in 1969, the new Polytechnic started off focusing on achieving teaching standards appropriate to a Polytechnic. Since then, the Polytechnic has undergone extensive development and rapid expansion. The Institution launched its first five degree programmes in 1983, and introduced its first MPhil and PhD programmes in 1986 and 1989 respectively.

With approval from the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee for self-accreditation of degree programmes, the Institution assumed full university status on 25 November 1994, changing its name to “The Hong Kong Polytechnic University”.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is the largest government-funded tertiary institution in Hong Kong, with a total student headcount of 27,852, of which 14,798 are full-time students, 7,441 are part-time students, and 5,613 are mixed-mode students. It has a full-time academic staff of around 1,215.

As an outcome of learning at PolyU, graduates are well equipped with the professional competence needed in their chosen disciplines through the specially designed programmes and teaching. Their holistic development is also strengthened, particularly in the areas of teamwork and leadership, global outlook, entrepreneurship, lifelong learning, problem solving, critical thinking, creative thinking, communication and interpersonal skills, biliteracy and trilingualism, social and national responsibility, interest in local and international affairs, and cultural appreciation. These attributes sharpen the graduates' competitiveness when meeting the needs of the society and in their future professions.

(Source: Hong Kong Polytechnic University)