Research Postgraduate

With a strong commitment to be the leading institution in the region, the Department of Social Work and Social Administration (SWSA) of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has actively worked to create a multidisciplinary and intellectually inspiring environment to train competent social workers, conduct high-quality research, and accumulate professional knowledge. Built upon a dynamic and robust research culture, the SWSA Department has clustered its research activities into seven major research themes:

• Ageing and gerontology
• China studies
• Families, children and youth
• Family violence and child welfare
• Health and mental health
• Poverty
• Social policy, planning and community building
• Youth policy

Some other topics of interests are:

• Demographic studies
• Expressive Art and Dance-movement therapies
• Gender and sexuality
• Labour migration and social protection
• Life and death education
• Newly arrived immigrants and assimilation and acculturation
• Social work education

Our Department is the largest academic department in HKU’s Faculty of Social Sciences and is one of the largest social work educational units in the region. We have 23 faculty members with diverse backgrounds and expertise in research ranging from psycho-social-spiritual intervention to social policy. They collaborate closely with the local community and engage in regional and international research to promote human well-being and good governance through evidence-based social welfare policies. Members of our department are also the directors of three HKU research centres founded to conduct international and community based psychosocial research and to promote the integration between research, teaching, practice and knowledge exchanges. These centres are:

• Centre on Behavioural Health
• HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention
• Sau Po Centre on Ageing

These Centres have been developing studies for innovative intervention which have significant impact on the community, locally and internationally.

Professor Paul S.F. YIP
Chairperson
Department Research Postgraduate Committee

Our projects are state-of-the-art endeavors designed to address significant public concerns, with an emphasis on timely action and social relevance to our community in Hong Kong and in the region at large. As one of the top universities in the region, HKU provides a backdrop for a larger vision of promoting knowledge exchange. Our mission shows that we are not just tucked away in the ivory tower but are also rolling up our sleeves and working in the community for the betterment of our society.

Our vision is to encourage students to engage in research projects for the creation of new knowledge and generation of innovative solutions to social problems through the acquisition of advanced research methodologies for socially innovative research and participation in social exposure programmes.