The MPhil/PhD Programme in Sociology (MPhil/PhD) is a research-oriented programme with an MPhil (Master of Philosophy) stream and PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) stream. In addition to course work, students need to complete and successfully defend a research thesis. Candidates in both programmes receive solid training in sociological theories and research methods. We encourage diversity in methodological approaches and the subfields of the discipline, as well as teacher-student collaboration in research. Full-time students receive financial support and serve as teaching or research assistants, which enhances their teaching and research experience.

The majority of our PhD students find employment in prestigious universities in mainland China, Hong Kong and Asia after graduation. The overseas universities/academic institutions at which our PhD graduates have secured employment include the National University of Singapore, Peking University, Fudan University, Sun Yat-sen University, Nankai University, Zhejiang University, Shandong University, Shenzhen University, Xiamen University, The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Nanjing University. The local universities at which they have secured tenure-track Assistant Professorships include The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Lingnan University and the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Our postgraduate students have also won a variety of prestigious scholarships over the years, including RGC-Fulbright Dissertation Research Fellowships to the University of California, Berkeley, Yale, and Harvard, Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for Overseas Studies at Cambridge University, and PhD JingE Fellowship for supporting the research work in Mainland China.

Our department is committed to training top-notch postgraduate students who will contribute to the discipline, and we are very proud of the excellent progress our graduates have made over the years. We continue to recruit the most aspiring young sociologists in the world to our graduate programme.

MPhil Stream*

Students are required to complete a minimum of 12 units of required courses and to take a Thesis Research course each term until end of studies.

PhD Stream*

Students are required to complete a minimum of 18 units of required courses and to take a Thesis Research course each term until end of studies. In addition, students are also required to pass 2 candidacy examinations within a specific period.

*Minimum number of units required is subject to change.

Fields of Specialization

Comparative and Historical Sociology; Crime and Deviance; Cultural Sociology; Economic Sociology; Gender and Sexuality; Medical Sociology; Migration; Organizations; Political Sociology; Social Movement; Social Networks; Social Stratification; Sociology of Development; Sociology of Education; Sociology of Family; Urban Sociology; and Work, Occupations and Professions.

Computational Social Science (CSS) Concentration

Applicants who would like to study in the Computational Social Science (CSS) Concentration under the PhD Stream should apply before commencing their studies at CUHK. For details, please visit the CSS PhD Fellowship Scheme@CUHK homepage for more information.

@      Maximum period to complete candidacy requirements, counted from first entry
*       PGS will stop at 24 months if the students cannot complete the candidacy requirements, but will resume upon completing the candidacy requirements.