Taught Postgraduate

The Master of Science in Nursing [MSc(Nurs)] Programme admits Bachelor's degree holders from non-nursing disciplines and prepares them for registration with the Nursing Council of Hong Kong [NCHK] as a Registered Nurse. The Programme provides a comprehensive and holistic nursing education which strives to achieve professional excellence in nursing. Students will develop the capacity to become a transformative nurse, making a positive impact on the outcomes of patients and healthcare systems, with the capacity to become a future leader in the profession.

Graduates will become an independent and competent practitioner and an enabling partner, with a global vision, an insatiable quest for knowledge, and the courage to embrace change and uncertainties in an interdisciplinary team. The capstone project of the Programme prepares students for higher degrees through research study.

Programme Structure

MSc(Nurs) is a full-time programme with a normative study period of 3 academic years. Its curriculum consists a total of 29 courses (204 credits) which focuses on quality care, clinical skills, leadership and is designed to be both research-intensive and research-informed.

In addition to the 22 professional core courses and 5 practicum courses, students are also required to complete the capstone experience including a Advanced Nursing Research and Evidence-based Practice course and a Nursing Thesis. Through active involvement in the practical and real research questions and design, students will be able to become a competent learner being able to formulate a meaningful research questions, critically appraise literature and rigorously plan for an appropriate research design.

Clinical Practicum

The clinical practicum enables students to apply theoretical concepts in practical situations and these off-campus experiences are integral components of the MSc(Nurs). Students have the opportunities to practice their nursing care and skills under the instructions and supervision of experienced mentors in all aspects of nursing. 

Exchange

Students are provided with outgoing exchange opportunities for broadening their horizon and enhancing cultural and professional knowledge exchange.

Teaching Strategies

A variety of innovative and interdisciplinary teaching strategies and initiatives are employed to facilitate effective learning throughout the three years. The main teaching and learning methods include but are not limited to formal lectures, seminars, tutorials, nursing laboratories, simulation-based learning and clinical practice.  Other teaching strategies such as interdisciplinary learning, computer-assisted learning and problem-based learning are incorporated into the curriculum in order to meet the need of diverse learners.

Graduates who have satisfactorily completed all programme requirements will be awarded the master’s degree in nursing and be eligible to apply for the registration as a Registered Nurse to the Nursing Council of Hong Kong (NCHK). 

Graduates with cumulative clinical experiences will subsequently lead to career promotion as advanced practice nurses, nurse consultants, nurse managers, administrators or educators, etc.

Master of Science in Nursing Academic Excellence Award

Nine awards shall be made annually, with three awards for each of the three-year studies, to students who have obtained a pass in all practicum course(s) and attained the first, second and third highest total aggregate marks respectively.
 

Master of Science in Nursing Clinical Excellence Award

Three awards shall be made annually, with one award for each year of the three-year studies, to students who demonstrated outstanding clinical performance in all clinical practica in their year of study as recognised by the clinical nursing team.

Entrance Grants for the Master of Science in Nursing

The grants shall be made annually to newly admitted students on the basis of academic merit upon successful completion of their first year of studies.

To be eligible for admission to the curriculum leading to the degree of MSc(Nurs), candidates shall:

• comply with the General Regulations;
• comply with the Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Curricula;
• hold a Bachelor's degree in a non-nursing discipline of this University or a qualification of equivalent standard from this University or another comparable institution accepted for this purpose in recent 5 years normally;
• meet the ‘Minimum entry requirements for training of Registered Nurses’ from the Nursing Council of Hong Kong;
• have a good command of written and spoken English and Chinese (Cantonese); and
• satisfy the examiners in a qualifying examination if required.

A candidate shall achieve the English proficiency as specified by the University’s admission requirements for the taught postgraduate programmes: https://admissions.hku.hk/tpg/admissions-requirements. 

Application for admission fee (non-refundable): HK$300

Composition fee (subject to the University’s approval): HK$150,000 per year

A.  Application

Application should be submitted online via https://admissions.hku.hk/tpg/programme/master-science-nursing.

B.  Application Submission Requirements

You are strongly advised to upload via the application system the following supporting documents right after submitting your application.  Late provision of supporting documents may cause delays in the processing of your application.

1. Public examinations results (e.g. HKDSE, HKCEE)
2. Complete/the latest official transcript(s)
3. Graduation Certificate(s)
4. Two academic /employment reference reports (via Application System or Download from here)
5. Test Report of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (non-home edition), or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (if applicable)

• Applicants who are seeking admission on the basis of a qualification from a university or comparable institution outside Hong Kong of which the language of teaching and/or examination is not English is required to obtain one of the above examination results.

6. HKID copy (with watermark) for local applicants or passport copy for non-local applicants
7. Other documents which you would like to bring the attention of the University

IMPORTANT
To facilitate your application, you may be required to provide the official copies of your academic qualifications through the specified formats as set out below.

1. Public examinations results (e.g. HKDSE, HKCEE)

• ​​To submit official proof of your examination result(s) directly from Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) or the issuing authority to the School of Nursing. 

2. Complete/the latest official transcript(s)

• To submit e-transcript(s) issued by the awarding institutions directly from their system to School of Nursing by email [msc.nursing@hku.hk]; OR
• To submit e-transcript(s) directly from third-party agencies (e.g. Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, etc) authorized by the awarding universities to School of Nursing by email [msc.nursing@hku.hk];

[Mainland applicants]

• To submit Online Verification Report(s) issued by the China Higher Education Student Information (CHSI) 中國高等教育學生信息網; OR
• To submit an online credential evaluation issued by Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) [中國留學網] for overseas qualification.    

3. Graduation Certificate(s)

• To submit e-academic certificate(s) directly from recognised third-party agencies (e.g. Academic Certificate Verification Platform);
• Applicants who are seeking admission on the basis of a qualification from a university or comparable institution in Mainland China are required to submit both Chinese and English version of the following reports, which validity period should be 6 months or the longest available:

1. Online Verification Report of Higher Education Qualification Certificate (教育部學歷證書電子注冊備案表) issued by the China Higher Education Student Information (CHSI) 中國高等教育學生信息網;
2. Degree Certificate/ Online Verification Report of Higher Education Degree Certificate (中國高等教育學位在線驗證報告) issued by China Higher Education Student Information (CHSI) 中國高等教育學生信息網.​

4. Test Report of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (non-home edition), or International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

• To submit valid official score report(s) directly from the examination authority to School of Nursing. 

REMARKS

1. Applicants are strongly advised to submit their applications directly to the University and avoid the involvement of any intermediary agencies.  Any misrepresentation will disqualify application(s) to the University and the University has the right to make a report to the relevant law enforcement agencies which may result in criminal prosecution. 
2. Notarized copies or certified true documents issued by the awarding universities will NOT be accepted.
3. Transcripts, diplomas, certificates and other submitted documents which are not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation in English.
4. The processing time of student visa applications is approximately 10-12 weeks.  It is the responsibility of individual students to make appropriate visa arrangement before they come to Hong Kong.  Please click here for mainland students / here for foreign students for further details.
5. Submitted documents are non-returnable and will be securely destroyed in the event of an unsuccessful application.

C.  Application deadline(s)