Common Core Courses

In the academic year 2022-23, a new 30-credit Common Core Program was launched. The new Common Core Program incoperates a competency education framewrok that helps students to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to perform in real-life situations. Students may refer to the competency cuirriculum map to select common core courses that teach the competencies they want to learn. Students who are admitted in 2022-23 and thereafter should follow the 30-credit Common Core curriculum. When taking common core courses, students should keep the following in mind:

1. The list of common core courses may change from year to year. Only courses taken in the academic term in which they are so listed can be used to fulfill common core requirement.
2. Students from different Major programs will have different minimum credit requirement for each area in the Broadening group. Please refer to the program-specific credit requirement for details.
3. The common core area of courses may also vary from year to year due to the change of course content and focus. Students are reminded to enquire about the designated common core areas of courses in the specific academic term before class enrolment.
4. The Course List contains the common core courses and their common core areas, while the Delisted Course List contains courses removed from the common core curriculum. Courses that are listed under more than one common core area can only be used to count towards one of the listed areas, but not all.
5. In 2022-23, all common core courses for the 30-credit Common Core Program had a “CORE” prefix. Starting from 2023-24, this prefix will be removed, and common core courses will be coded according to their subject area code (e.g., “ACCT” for Accounting). Students should pay attention to the following for study plan and before enrolling in classes:
• i.
  Students who took any of these “CORE” courses in 2022-23 can still use them to fulfill common core area requirements. However, they cannot retake the same course with the corresponding subject area code. For example, if students took CORE 1240 Electronic and Information Technology in 2022-23, they can use it to fulfill the common core Technology (T) area requirement. They cannot retake the same course in the subject area code ELEC 1010 Electronic and Information Technology in the following terms.
• ii.
  If students took a course that does not have a “CORE” prefix in 2022-23, they CANNOT use it to fulfill any common core requirements. For example, the credits earned from SOSC 1850 Understanding Society in 2022-23 CANNOT be used to fulfill the Social Analysis (SA) area requirements.
• iii.
  Students cannot use the “CORE” course to fulfill both common core and school/major requirements. Remarks: The subject area codes are the alternate code of the CORE codes. For example, HUMA 1150 is the alternate code for CORE 1660. In 2022-23, students cannot use courses with subject area prefix (e.g., HUMA 1150) to fulfill the common core requirement. But in 2023-24, students can use subject area-coded course (e.g., HUMA 1150) to fulfill EITHER the common core requirement OR School/major requirement (NOT BOTH).
Certain major/minor programs may include some common core courses as electives. While these courses can fulfill relevant major/minor requirements, students should be aware of the credit reuse rules specified by individual programs. Moreover, credits of common core courses cannot be used to count towards both common core and school/major requirements. Students should seek advice from the program catalog or their major/minor departments.
Common core courses in the Experiencing group are specifically tailored for students in their third year or beyond, with the goal of enhancing their educational experience at the university. It is important to note that while general prerequisites to proceeding to this group are not required, some courses may have specific requirements or recommendations that students should review before enrolling. Additionally, students may consult with academic advisors to determine which courses align with their academic and career objectives.
Students are encouraged to complete courses in Cognitive Foundations of University Education: Critical Thinking and Data Literacy (CTDL) and the Undergraduate experiential Opportunities Programs (UxOP) areas during their study at HKUST.