The Department of English has around 32 full-time academic staff, 13 support staff, 20 research staff, around 400 undergraduate and 250 postgraduate students, including 30 PhD students. Our aim is to provide first class English language education with a focus on the skills and expertise needed to succeed in the global and the local workplace.

Our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes focus on applied linguistics and professional communication. Graduates from our BA (Hons) in English Studies for the Professions (BAESP) programme typically find work in all business industries, such as marketing, advertising, public relations and communication, publishing, corporate language training, and HR. In addition, BAESP is also recognised by the Education Bureau of the HKSAR Government, which allows graduates to become English language teachers upon successful completion of a PGDE.

Our MA in English Studies for the Professions can be studied in full-time or part-time mode and has four specialisms: 1) English Language Teaching, 2) English Language Arts, 3) English Language Studies, and 4) English for the Professions. Additional information about the MA programme and the four specialisms can be found on our website.

The Department of English has five research areas which broadly represent our research expertise and supervisory capabilities:

1) Language and Professional Communication (including health communication)
2) Language Teaching and Learning
3) Linguistics, English Language, and Systemic Functional Linguistics
4) Media and Communication
5) Area Studies and Intercultural Communication

Colleagues and graduate students are affiliated with one of the three Research Centres in the Department:

• International Research Centre for the Advancement of Health Communication
• Research Centre for Professional Communication in English
• The Research Centre for Language Teaching and Learning [pending approval]