Academics

Fields of Study: Humanities, Social Sciences, Science, Engineering

Each summer the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) offers approximately 100 undergraduate research opportunities in sciences (including medical science), engineering, humanities, and social sciences.

Unique study opportunities

  • Choose a topic or topics from a published list of research projects.
  • Work independently in a lab with the supervision of local faculty member.
  • Participate in a poster session and publish your final research.
  • Attend talks and meet emerging entrepreneurs.

Language

Language of Instruction: English

Language Study: None

Courses and credit

Requirements While Abroad

To successfully complete this program:

  • Take one upper-division research course for a total of 9 quarter/6 semester UC units.
  • Letter grade required

Current Program Courses

Projects vary each year and are typically announced in December or January for the following summer.

Research projects are offered from the following CUHK faculties:

  • Faculty of Arts
  • Faculty of Education
  • Faculty of Engineering
  • Faculty of Law
  • Faculty of Medicine
  • Faculty of Science
  • Faculty of Social Science

Previous students have participated in projects covering a range of topics. For example: Language learning and processing in the brain, big data analytics, image-based medical diagnosis, biofuel clean combustion, green tea for treatment of endometriosis​, mangroves in Hong Kong and climate change, machine learning and robotics, film censorship and crime films in Hong Kong, and many more.

Additional or optional coursework, internships, and research for academic credit are not possible on this program.

Catalogs and resources

  • Research Projects​: Browse research projects by fields of study for the upcoming summer.
  • Summer Undergraduate Research Program: Review the program website for additional information.
  • UCEAP Course Catalog: See a list of courses UC students have taken on this program.
  • Campus Credit Abroad: Learn the types of credit (major, minor, general education, elective) students from your campus received at this location. If the course you want to take is not listed here, that does not mean you can't earn major, minor, general education or elective credit for it, as the database is not fully updated and does not list all courses, even if a UCEAP student has taken it before and has earned major credit for it. Let this database help you if it's able to, but don't let it deter you. It's ultimately up to your major advisor to determine the type of UC credit you'll earn for your classes abroad. 

Academic culture

Successful students on this program study independently, do the background reading, and incorporate class work and reading into written papers. Some research opportunities involve fieldwork, practical experience, or lab work. Student-centered inquiry and problem-based learning are encouraged. At the same time, there is more memorization for exams than what is typical at UC; local teaching style emphasizes the repetition of lecture material on written quizzes and exams.

Grades

You will earn direct UC credit and grades for all coursework. Research projects have various assessment measures depending on the area of study. Many projects require a presentation at the end of the program.

The grades for this program are expected in late October. Requests for early grades cannot be accommodated.