Development of a higher educational programme in China : the Hong Kong experience

The aim of this paper is to describe the authors' experiences in planning and developing construction-related postgraduate degree programmes for the China Mainland using guided distance learning as the mode of study. The Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management offered by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is presented as a case study. China has a large and expanding market for construction-related postgraduate degree programmes in the next decade because of the projected substantial economic development in the country. It is argued that factors such as cultural contexts, social settings and thresholds of affordability of local Chinese students must be carefully considered before educational programmes of any significance can be launched in the China Mainland. The paper draws upon the authors' experiences in planning and development of the postgraduate programme, to illustrate the major considerations which should be taken into account by the host academic institutions, particularly at the programme planning stage.