University Sustainability Governance

About PolyU

PolyU’s history began over 80 years ago. It was first established as the Government Trade School in Wan Chai which operated from 1937 to 1946. After World War Two, the school became the Hong Kong Technical College, and then Hong Kong Polytechnic from 1972 to 1993, eventually in 1994 evolving into its present form as a government-funded tertiary institution.

Over the past eight decades, PolyU has witnessed numerous milestones and made significant progress both institutionally and in terms of human resource development. Besides contributing knowledge and technology that have aided the sustainable development of Hong Kong, the University has also nurtured generations of young talented people who have served society through both teaching and learning activities.

The University supports quality learning, teaching, and research for our ever-growing student community through the provision of excellent resources and facilities, including library collections, research facilities and research centres. Apart from effective educational and research support, PolyU also prioritizes the health and well-being of our students and staff by offering catering, health services, an environmentally-friendly campus, leisure and sports facilities, and welfare support.

PolyU has 26 academic units which fall into six faculties: Applied Science and Textiles, Business, Construction and Environment, Engineering, Health and Social Sciences, and Humanities. PolyU also has two schools – the School of Design and the School of Hotel and Tourism Management, and two centres. The University offers a variety of taught and research programmes at the Doctorate, Master’s degrees, Bachelor’s degrees and Higher Diploma levels, with over 170 taught programmes offered in 2017/18.

During the period under review, PolyU remained at the forefront of research and innovation with about 3,260 on-going research projects. Since the last sustainability report, PolyU saw a boost in annual secured institutional and external funding – rising from around HK$1,832 million in 2014/15 to HK$2,186 million in 2017/18.

Between 1937 and 2018, more than 357,000 students have graduated from PolyU. As of the end of October 2018, PolyU had 27,088 students enrolled in both full-time and part-time academic programmes leading to PolyU awards, including Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Philosophy, Professional Doctorate, taught Master’s degrees, Bachelor’s degrees, Higher Diplomas and other sub-degrees. PolyU maintained a relatively stable body of full-time staff, with 5,429 full-time staff employed.

University Profile 2017/18

Type	Staff Headcount	PolyU Student Enrolment	CPCE Student EnrolmentNote 1
Full Time	5,429	20,722	12,499
Part Time	856	6,366	1,820
Total	6,285	27,088	14,319

Participation in Educational and Professional Networks

Through our active role in educational and professional networks around the world, PolyU shares our sustainable development values and knowledge with other universities, research institutes, and professional bodies.