Page 10 - SYU Prospectus

Shue Yan University Prospectus 2021-22

September 2015 respectively.

In 2016/17 the University celebrated its 45th anniversary with a series of activities
throughout the year. On 2nd June 2017 the Hon. Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, G.B.M., G.B.S.,
J.P., Chief Secretary for Administration officiated at our 45th Anniversary Reception and
Opening Ceremony of the Research Complex. Mr. Cheung on behalf of the University also
presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Henry H. L. HU, in recognition of his
contribution to Shue Yan and education. The Research Complex comprises a High Block
(RHB) of 14 storeys and a Low Block (RLB) of 6 storeys, both built over a podium of 5 storeys.
It provides an additional 35,300 square meters of space for students and staff, including
teaching and learning facilities, staff offices of the Faculty of Commerce, research centres and
laboratories, student hostels and amenities.

The University obtained accreditation from HKCAAVQ in September 2017 and approval
from the Chief Executive in Council on 7 November 2017 to award the degrees of Master of
Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy in English, Chinese, History, Economics, Psychology and
Sociology. These programmes were successfully launched in September 2018.

In August 2018, HKCAAVQ granted the University Programme Area Accreditation (PAA)
status at QF level 6 in the area of Counselling and Psychology with a validity period of five year
from 1 September 2018 to 31 August 2023. The achievement of PAA status at QF level 6 was
an important milestone to the University as it means that HKCAAVQ deems that SYU has
appropriate institutional arrangements and procedures in place to successfully deliver
programmes at QF level 6. This enables the University to retain its first mover status as the
only institution under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap. 320) to have achieved
PAA status for programmes at this QF level.

In academic year 2019/20, the University was forced to switch from face-to-face learning
to online learning (via Moodle, Panopto, Zoom, etc.) to maintain its teaching schedule during
campus closures caused by the social movement in Hong Kong in the 1st semester and the
COVID-19 pandemic in 2nd semester. During the campus closure, the University successfully
validated three new undergraduate programmes under its approved PAA areas, BComm
(Hons) in Financial Technology and BBA (Hons) in Human Resources Management - Applied
Psychology for launch in September 2020 and BA (Hons) in Media Design and Immersive
Technology for launch in September 2021. The BComm (Hons) in Financial Technology has
been included in the SSSDP list for 2021/22 admission via the JUPAS system. Eligible local
students will receive annual subsidies towards their programme fees during their normative
years of study from September 2021 onwards.

At the start of 2020/21, the Department of Applied Data Science, and the iFREE
Innovation and Research Centre (IRC) (including the Big Data Lab, the Social Robotics &
Digital Living Lab, and Virtual Reality Lab) were established. The iFREE IRC, located on 5/F

p. 6