Sept 2025 Entry
1 or 1.5 years (Full-time)
3 years (Part-time)
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This programme is offered on a full-time and part-time basis to give students maximum flexibility to engage in full-time or part-time study loads. Under normal circumstances, full-time and part-time students are able to complete the programme within 1 or 1.5 years and 3 years respectively. Students who wish to extend their studies beyond normal duration can submit such request to the Department for consideration.
Applicants are required to choose either full-time or part-time study on application for admission to the programme. Those who study full-time are required to take a minimum of 9 credits per semester.
This programme is offered within the Master of Arts Scheme in Chinese, Linguistics and Translation, and the media of instruction are Chinese and English.
- MATCFL is a relevant study programme for Scholarship for Teachers (Pursuit of Master’s Degree Programmes). For details, please visit EDB website (https://www.edb.gov.hk/scholarship_teacher).
Notes to Applicants
Application to our postgraduate programmes can be done without any agency service. Applicants are required to apply online via the Study@PolyU website: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/study/pg.
Please note that all fields in the application forms should be filled. We will not consider applications that do not provide details of academic qualifications.
What's New
Programme Aims
The programme develops the intellectual, critical and imaginative abilities of students in relation to Chinese language education. Specifically, it aims to develop students' awareness of and sensitivity to the differences between Chinese and other languages, and the differences between Chinese culture and other cultures. It builds on the diversity of experience that students bring to the course and extends their knowledge of Chinese language, Chinese literature and Chinese culture to develop their learning and teaching skills, enabling them to develop their careers.
Characteristics
This programme is designed to promote intellectual and cultural awareness through teamwork, and to equip students with the following types of subject and professional knowledge:
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The ability to use simple language to teach Chinese to non-native speakers, and to present complex ideas clearly and articulately in appropriate forms of Chinese;
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The ability to use electronic media, multimedia, mass media, reference books and information technology to obtain information needed for teaching Chinese as a foreign language;
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The ability to assess current issues in literature and linguistics theories in language pedagogy;
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The ability to appreciate and analyse works in Chinese literature and culture;
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The ability to discover, analyse and handle issues in Chinese;
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The ability to disseminate Chinese cultural traditions; and
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The ability to assess problems in teaching Chinese as a foreign language in classroom management, develop solutions to the problems and use the solutions to benefit students.
This programme is ideal for those who dream of living and working in an intercultural academic environment. Graduates not only promote Chinese in international schools at home and abroad, but also become leaders in building bridges between nations through their professional understanding of languages and cultures. They greatly contribute to international peace and prosperity.
Programme Structure
Students are required to take 10 subjects (total 30 credits) including 4 Compulsory Subjects and 6 Elective Subjects. Three of the Elective Subjects can be replaced by "MATCFL Dissertation" or "Supervised International Chinese Teaching Internship II" if the student has obtained the permission from the Programme Leader.
Core Areas of Study
Compulsory Subjects
- Description of Chinese I: Words and Sentences
- Description of Chinese II: Sounds and Script
- Methodology of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language I
- Professional Ethics and Academic Integrity
- Second Language Acquisition and Foreign Language Learning
Elective Subjects
Language Education
- Introduction to Chinese Language Testing
- Introduction to Educational Linguistics
- MATCFL Dissertation
- Special Education Needs Associated with Cognitive, Physical and Sensory Disorders
- Special Education Needs in Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing
- Supervised International Chinese Teaching Internship I
- Supervised International Chinese Teaching Internship II
- Supervised Local Internship in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language
- Teaching Chinese Grammar to Non-native Speakers
- Teaching of Chinese Characters and Words to Non-native Learners
- Teaching of Chinese: Listening and Speaking
- Teaching the Uses of Media for Teaching Chinese to Foreigners
- The Development and Implementation of School-based Chinese Language Curriculum in Hong Kong
Language Sciences
- Chinese Lexical Semantics and Corpus Linguistics
- Contrastive Analysis
- Experimental Phonetics
- Introduction to Cantonese Studies
- Language in Society
- Multimedia Applications for Language Professionals and Translators
- Neurolinguistics
- Psycholinguistics
- Research Methods in Language Teaching and Language Studies
- Semantics and Pragmatics
- Sign Language and Linguistics
Others
- Advanced Legal Translation
- Advanced Liaison Interpreting
- Advanced Translation
- Contemporary Chinese Society through Literature
- Digital Media Communication
- Drama for Language Learning
- Hong Kong Literature
- Intercultural Communication
- Interpreting: Consecutive
- Interpreting: Principles
- Introduction to Chinese Culture and Classics
- Poetry of the Tang and Song Era
- Selected Readings of the Eight Writers of the Tang and Song Era
- Statistical Methods in Language Research
- Translation Studies
- Translation: Discourse and the Translator
- Translation: Text and Context
Brief information on the subjects offered can be obtained at
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/cbs/study/taught-postgraduate-programmes/ma-scheme-in-chinese-linguistics-and-translation/teaching-chinese-as-a-foreign-language/curriculum and https://www.polyu.edu.hk/engl/study/full-subject-list/ (Level 5 subjects).
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Dr Kim Sun-A
PhD
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A Bachelor’s degree from a recognised institution;
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College level Chinese proficiency, or equivalent, for non-native Chinese speaking applicants.
Interview will be arranged for shortlisted applicants.
If you are not a native speaker of English, and your Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification is awarded by institutions where the medium of instruction is not English, you are expected to fulfil the University’s minimum English language requirement for admission purpose. Please refer to the "Admission Requirements" section for details.
For further information on academic matters, please contact:
the Programme Leader, Dr Kim Sun-A (tel: (852) 2766 7563; email: sun-a.kim@polyu.edu.hk).
For general information, please contact:
CBS General Office (tel: (852) 2766 7454; email: cbs.tpg@polyu.edu.hk).
Medium of Instruction:
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Compulsory Subjects: English and Putonghua
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Elective Subjects: English or Chinese
MATCFL Student Sharing:
Remarks:
Starting from 2024/25 cohort, students are required to complete the compulsory 1-credit subject “CBS5T01 Professional Ethics and Academic Integrity” to satisfy the Academic Integrity and Ethics (AIE) requirement for graduation. No credit fee will be charged for this subject.
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Please click here to download.
HK$6,500 per credit
(Note: No credit fee will be charged for the 1-credit subject “CBS5T01 Professional Ethics and Academic Integrity”.)
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