The School of Graduate Studies (GS) successfully hosted an Orientation Programme on 24 August 2019 for incoming research postgraduate students and TPg students of the School of the academic year 2019-20.  It is Lingnan’s liberal arts spirit to build strong teacher-student relations, and the Orientation Programme was a perfect start to enhance two-way communication. In the academic year 2019-20, the University welcomes around 740 master’s students and over 50 MPhil /PhD and Doctor of Policy Studies students not only from Hong Kong but also from other regions around the world, including mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, Ghana, India, Latvia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Uganda, the USA, and Zambia. This new cohort of truly international incoming students will spend a fruitful and challenging academic year ahead.

A Welcoming Lunch was held to welcome the new cohort of postgraduate students across programmes, including research postgraduate students pursuing MPhil and PhD studies, and students from Doctor of Policy Studies, MA in International Higher Education and Management, MSocSc in Organisational Psychology and Education Management, and MSocSc in Health and Social Services Management programmes under the management of GS. In line with the University’s Strategic Plan, the University offers 16 Taught Master programmes, 12 MPhil/PhD programmes and 1 Doctor of Policy Studies programme. Deep collaboration is being developed for dual-master and dual-doctoral programmes with leading institutions like University of Bath, University of Essex, University of Westminster, University of York in the UK to enhance students’ international learning experiences.

Professor Joshua Mok, Founding Dean of GS, gave a welcome speech in which he highlighted the new development of the School. “We are making history and contributing to the strategic development of the University as GS was just newly formed in early July 2019… Working together collaboratively, we are committed to making Lingnan University one of the leading universities in postgraduate learning in the region,” Professor Mok remarked.

After lunch, GS organised a team-building session for the postgraduate students to help them know each other better. As the master-level taught postgraduate programmes lasts for one academic year, it is essential for students to work closely with each other in project preparation and presentation.