The Museum Studies Programme wishes to attract students with a background in the humanities especially with a focus on Art History, Archaeology, History, Literature Sciences but also from Art and Culture as well as Global Creative Industries.
Admissions requirements
(1.) Applications are invited for admission in September 2026 to read for the degree of Master of Arts (MA) in the field of Museum Studies. The curriculum shall normally extend over one academic year of full-time study. The application deadline is: 12:00 noon (GMT +8), May 15, 2026. The admission will be made on a rolling basis.
(2.) To be eligible for admission to the programme, a candidate shall satisfy both the University Admission Requirements and the Programme Specific Requirements as listed below:
(a) shall comply with the General Regulations;
(https://calendar.hku.hk/general-regulations/)
(b) shall comply with the Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Curricula;
(c) shall hold
(i) a good Bachelor’s degree of this University; or a qualification of equivalent standard from this University or another comparable institution accepted for this purpose; and
(ii) a good Bachelor’s degree with a major in Museum Studies or art history; or a closely related subject;
(d) for a candidate who is seeking admission on the basis of a qualification from a university or comparable institution outside Hong Kong of which the language of teaching and/or examination is not English, shall satisfy the University English language requirement applicable to higher degrees as prescribed under General Regulation G2(b).
The programme has its specific requirements for TOEFL and IELTS:
Note: Starting from the 2026 intake, IELTS and TOEFL tests must be taken within two years prior to September 1 of each admissions year. IELTS Indicator and TOEFL Special Home Edition are not accepted.
(e) shall satisfy the examiners in a qualifying examination if required.
(3.) An application for exemption from the above requirements shall be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Test
TOEFL: Internet-based test (iBT)
IELTS
Minimum requirement
Overall score of 80 with 25 in Writing
Band 7 with no subtest lower than 5.5
Application
Application
(4.) Applications for this programme and payment of application fee (HK$600 per application) should be submitted online at https://portal.hku.hk/tpg-admissions.
(5.) After submitting the online application, applicants are required to upload the supporting documents within one month starting from the date of receipt of email notification. A checklist of the required supporting documents is available at https://portal.hku.hk/tpg-admissions/programme-listing.
(6.) In order to support the University’s environmentally friendly initiatives, documents uploaded to the system should NOT be delivered to the University by post in duplicate, unless you receive notification to submit your documents.
(7.) Applicants may contact the programme office for questions about the curriculum and application process. The contact details of the programme office are available at https://portal.hku.hk/tpg-admissions/programme-listing.
(8.) Applicants who do not hear from the Faculty of Arts by July 31, 2026 may assume their applications are unsuccessful.
Additional Questions
1. Reason for interest in the M.A. in the field of Museum Studies programme. (Mandatory, 600-800 words)
2. Please indicate any prior academic work and/or practical experience related to museums and similar cultural institutions.
3. Other programme(s) you have applied for admission in 2026/27 (including programme(s) at HKU)
4. Source of information (Applicable to the M.A. in the field of Museum Studies programme)
Note: The maximum file size for each uploaded document is 3 MB (in JPEG format, page by page), up to a total of 20 files.
Notes on Submission of Supporting Documents
Notes on Submission of Supporting Documents:
Please upload your supporting documents in pdf format for our preliminary consideration by logging into the website: https://sweb.hku.hk/tola/servlet/CreateUserScreen/loginForm. All documents should be uploaded via the application system within one month starting from the date of your application. Your application number should be included on the file name of each document.
For example:
1100112910_T1 (stands for the 1st submitted Transcript)
1100112910_G2 (stands for the 2nd submitted Graduation Certificate)
T: Transcript
G: Graduation Certificate
B: Bachelor Certificate
E: International English Standard
P: Personal Statement
C: CV
N: Name Changing Proof
O: Other Certificates
I: Identification Document (HKID Copy for Local Applicants or Passport Copy (with the photo) for Non-Local Applicants)
Transcripts, diplomas, certificates and other submitted documents which are not in English should be accompanied by an officially certified translation in English. Certified translation may be provided by your home institution. You are strongly advised to upload your supporting documents right after submitting your application. Late provision of supporting documents may cause delays in the processing of your application.
All supporting documents, including the electronic references, should be available to our Programme on or before the application closing date.
Please note that you are not required to mail your documents to the University by post during the application stage. Should you be given an admission offer by the University, you will receive a notification to submit your required documents.
*Further Notes
(1.) All documents once submitted will NOT be returned. They will be destroyed if the application is unsuccessful.
(2.) For qualification obtained in China,
(i) Graduation Certificate (毕业证书):
Online Verification Report of Higher Education Qualification Certificate^ 教育部学历证书电子注册备案表 from CHSI (学信网) in both Chinese and English
Applicant can apply the report at https://www.chsi.com.cn/ or https://www.chsi.com.cn/en/
^Please set the validity period of the report as 6 months or the longest available.
(ii) Bachelor’s Degree (学士学位证书):
Online Verification Report of Higher Education Degree Certificate^ 中国高等教育学位在线验证报告 from CHSI (学信网) in both Chinese and English.
Applicant can apply the report at https://www.chsi.com.cn/ or https://www.chsi.com.cn/en/
^ Please set the validity period of the report as 6 months or the longest available.
(iii) Transcript:
(a) Verification Report of China Higher Education Student’s Academic Transcript (中国高等 学校学生成绩验证报告) from CHSI in Chinese and English; or
(b) Complete official transcript in Chinese and English from the issuing institution, to be sent directly from the issuing institution in a sealed envelope with the official university registry stamp to the Faculty by post.
(3.) For non-local applicants from mainland China whose qualifications were awarded by overseas universities/institutions, an Overseas Credential Evaluation Report (国外学历学位认证书) issued by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (教育部留学服务中心) is required, in addition to an official final transcript containing a complete record of the years and examination results of the Bachelor’s degree with degree award information.
(4.) Notarized copies of documents and certified documents submitted via applicants are not acceptable.
(5.) The University reserves the right to verify the academic qualification with the awarding institution at any time. Please note that the University may, at its absolute discretion exercisable at any time, request you to produce the originals of transcripts, certificates, references, reports, assignments, publications and any other relevant documents in support of and/or in connection with your application and/or admission, regardless of whether such documents have been previously submitted to it. Should there be any discrepancy, misrepresentation, forgery, falsification, plagiarism or other irregularities in respect of your application and/or the above documents which are deemed to be material, the University has the right at any time to take actions and impose penalties, including but not limited to withdrawal of the offer of admission, treating any acceptance of the offer as null and void, termination of your enrolment and student status, deprivation of qualification and making a report to the relevant law enforcement agencies which may result in criminal prosecution. In such circumstances, all fees paid will not be refunded. Please note that you are personally responsible for the authenticity of the application materials submitted to the University, whether by yourself or an agent/intermediary appointed by you.
For all undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications attained from HKU, applicants should upload a copy of the official final transcript which includes a complete record of courses attended, grades, the overall result and the date of award/conferment.
For all undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications attained from institutions other than HKU, applicants should upload copies of the graduation certificate and the official final transcript which include a complete record of courses attended, grades, the overall result and the date of award/conferment. (If the grading system is not available on the transcript, please provide the official certification indicating the overall GPA issued by the university’s registry.)
For all current studies which have yet to be completed, applicants should upload a copy of their most up-to-date official transcript.
TOEFL / IELTS official score report for applicants from universities or comparable institutions outside Hong Kong of which the language of teaching and/or examination is not English. Applicants who have taken the TOEFL should request the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to send an official score report directly to the University (University’s TOEFL code: 9671). IELTS and TOEFL tests must be taken within two years prior to September 1 of each admissions year. IELTS Indicator and TOEFL Special Home Edition are not accepted.
I have provided the details of two academic referees in the online application system, who will subsequently receive a confidential referee survey via email. (We accept electronic references from official university/company email addresses only. References from personal email addresses (e.g. Gmail and 163.com) will NOT be considered. University may approach referees and their affiliated university/company for verification.)
Regulations and Syllabuses
The regulations and syllabuses for the programme can be viewed at https://portal.hku.hk/tpgadmissions/programme-listing.
Concurrent Studies
The University Regulation G6 prohibits concurrent registration by a student for another post-secondary qualification either at this University or at another institution, unless approval of the Senate has been given in advance. A breach of this regulation may result in discontinuation of studies at this University.
Visa for Studies in Hong Kong
It is the responsibility of individual students to make appropriate visa arrangements before they come to register for their study programme in Hong Kong. The University is not responsible for any delay/cancellation/failure in a student's application for a student visa which may hinder his/her registration in the programme. All students without the right of abode/right to land in Hong Kong must apply for a student visa for the purpose of education from the Hong Kong Immigration Department. The Faculty reserves the right to withdraw the offer of admission, without refund of any fees already paid, if a student fails to obtain a valid student visa for registration before September 2026 or does not register in time.
Authenticity of Information and Materials
To file an application, you must complete the application yourself. You are responsible for the accuracy and authenticity of the information and materials submitted throughout the application and admission process. The University unequivocally condemns any acts of dishonesty and reaffirms our zero-tolerance policy towards any form of academic misconduct. The University reserves the right to take legal actions and/or report any fraudulent documents or falsified information found to law enforcement units. The Faculty of Arts does not authorize any intermediary organizations to recruit or admit students.
General Info
Please also visit the University Taught Postgraduate Admissions website at https://admissions.hku.hk/tpg before submitting your application.
Tuition Fee
As a self-funded programme, we charge the tuition fee of HK$320,000 (provisional).
Scholarship
A limited number of scholarships will be available to students with outstanding academic performance and/or demonstrated financial need.
Faculty of Arts Scholarship for Local Students (TPg)
The Scholarship is valued at up to 20% of the tuition fee, awarded upon admission and completion of the programme. Basic eligibility requirements encompass holding Hong Kong residency status and demonstrating outstanding academic achievements. The scholarship has a limited quota and is subject to availability.
Housing
As taught postgraduate programmes offered by the Faculty of Arts are self-funded and only students enrolled in government-funded programmes are eligible to University housing, you are advised to find your own accommodation outside the University. For those who need to look for private off-campus accommodation near the University, please contact the Centre of Development and Resources for Students | HKU for assistance and advice.