(11 July 2012 - Hong Kong) The stress level of Hong Kong citizens continues to grow in line with societal changes and expectations. According to the World Happiness Report released by United Nation in 2012, Hong Kong was ranked 67, which is far behind from other countries in Asia.Tung Wah College (TWC) has announced that a 4-year Bachelor of Social Science (BSocSc) (Hons) programme majoring in Applied Psychology will be offered this September to candidates who sat for Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) and Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination and graduates of associate degree programmes. The programme allows students to choose from an extensive range of subjects, including organizational, health, social, counseling, development, and cognitive psychology, where students will learn current knowledge of human cognitions and emotions, motivational techniques, stress and health management, group and personality dynamics, abnormal psychology and psychotherapies.
Dr. Stephen Mann, the Programme Leader Designate, expressed that the introduction of positive psychology, a popular topic in Western countries, would be the feature of the programme. "Traditionally, psychology focuses on the dark side of human psychological nature, which emphasizes the handling of emotional problem and mental strait; while positive psychology, also known as "happy science", emphasizes positive emotion, enthusiasm and optimism instead. Positive psychology encourages individuals to strive to do the best they can to extend their abilities and advantages, which would be great for their personal growth and development." said Dr. Mann.
Enterprises, no matter publicly or privately owned, nowadays lay great emphasis on the creation of a positive working ambience to help employees put in their work and got the job done. Graduates who acquired the knowledge of positive psychology may bring their skills into full play in this sector by working as an enterprise coach or instructor. They may also devote themselves to careers in business fields such as advertising, consumer research, marketing etc, as well as choose to continue their studies in postgraduate programme.
To accommodate the programme development, a Centre for Experimental Studies in Psychological Quality will be set up by the College. Being the first of its kind in the tertiary education sector, the Centre aims at coordinating research and teaching activities in the field of psychology and encouraging students to undertake original research projects. It will also conduct different sets of mental health index survey, e.g. happiness index, social policy satisfaction index etc, the results of which will be published quarterly or annually.
Meanwhile, with the positive response of the "Conditional Offer Scheme" launched last year and the admission exercise conducted after the release of HKALE results, TWC has received a total number of 4,427 student applications. As at last week, the College has already granted 1,670 conditional offers and 330 direct offers, out of which 40% are HKAL applicants. For HKAL applicants who have been granted conditional offers, 40% of them have claimed the offer prior to the release of JUPAS results.
Shirley Chong, Director of the Community Relations and Partnership Development Office of TWC, mentioned that some of the applicants are ineligible to apply for degree programmes because of their English exam failure. In this regard, the College would grant special consideration for their applications and offer intensive English training programme for these students to boost their English proficiency. Applications from students of Christian Zheng Sheng College will also be accepted under special consideration.
TWC will award entrance scholarships with a total amount of HK$5 million to new students admitted in 2012/13 as encouragement for them to study hard. The maximum amount of one scholarship is HK$66,000.
The HKDSE result will be released on 20th July. TWC will arrange admission interviews upon the release of results. There are now approximately 600 places on degree and associate degree programmes offered by the College.
For media enquiries:
Mr. Chris Ha
Manager
Community Relations and Partnership Development Office
Phone: 2926 5519
Email: [email protected]
Ms. Man Cheung
Executive Officer
Community Relations and Partnership Development Office
Phone: 2926 5516
Email: [email protected]