Year of foundation: 1937
Approx. number of students: 28,000
Period of study: Early September-Mid January; Mid January-Early June
MCI partner since: 2006
The City
Hong Kong was a British Crown colony which became a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China in 1997. Consisting of a peninsula and 236 islands on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, Hong Kong has developed into one of the world's top financial centers. It has a highly developed capitalist economy, and has a "high degree of autonomy" in all areas except foreign affairs and defence. Renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbor, its identity as a cosmopolitan center where east meets west is reflected in its cuisine, cinema, music and traditions. Hong Kong has approx. 7 million inhabitants.
The University
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University was first established in 1937 as the Government Trade School and assumed full university status in 1994. It specializes in professional education in Hong Kong. The University's teaching units are grouped under six faculties and two schools; the Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles, Faculty of Business, Faculty of Construction and Land Use, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, alongside with School of Design and School of Hotel and Tourism Management. The University maintains strong partnership with the business and industrial sectors.
In the "Times Higher Education-QS World University Ranking" of the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES), the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) occupied the 224th place in 2008, but occupies the 195th place in 2009. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is thus listed among the top 200 universities in the world.
PolyU's School of Hotel and Tourism Management was rated fourth best in the world, according to a study released in the international Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research in August 2005, the only non-US based institution on the top-five list. Besides, the School was the recipient of 2003 Institutional Achievement Award from International Society of Travel and Tourism Educators for innovation and contribution to the field of tourism education.