Introduction   

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), formerly known as Hong Kong Baptist College, was founded in 1956 as a private post-secondary institution. In 1986 the University became a fully government funded higher education institution. In 2006, the University celebrated its 50th Anniversary.

The Department can be traced back to the then History and Geography Department established in 1960. In 1978, our predecessor split into two independent departments. The Geography Department is now one of seven academic departments that constitute the Faculty of Social Sciences. The Department has thus far produced over 1500 graduates in Geography, many of who occupy prominent positions in their respective professions.

Geography is the study of the Earth's peoples, places, societies and environments, and forms a bridge between the earth sciences (physical geography) and social sciences (human geography). We offer undergraduate and post-graduate programs leading to Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral degrees in geography. Our undergraduate curriculum reflects the University's emphasis on the importance of "Whole Person Education" by providing students with a wide range of interactive learning experiences, including: field work, laboratory studies, tutorial discussions, as well as more traditional academic presentations. We believe that by focusing on academic and life skills that we can help students in their future career development.

Overall, we have ten full-time academic teaching staff and a comparable number of support and research staff. All faculty members hold doctoral degrees from renowned universities around the world, and their research interests cover a wide range of specializations in human, physical and technological geography. The Department, though the youngest in Hong Kong, has emerged as a significant scholastic centre in our discipline. Many faculty members' research endeavors have gained widespread recognition by academia, both locally and internationally.

The Department is also able to attract high quality students into our two undergraduate programs, admitting around 60-65 annually. The two programs are: the B.Soc.Sc. (Hons) in Geography, and the B.Soc.Sc. (Hons) in China Studies-Geography Option. In addition, we also offer post-graduate studies by research, leading to the MPhil and PhD degrees. These studies can be taken in methodological, physical, or human geography. Currently, we participate, along with other departments, in the Master of Social Sciences (Contemporary China Studies) program, which offers a concentration in China's urban development and environmental management. Moreover, we are also collaborating with the Department of Education Studies in offering both Liberal Studies and Geographical Education concentrations in the Master of Education program. These courses are designed specifically to train secondary school teacher-leaders in Liberal Studies and Geographical Education.

Our department has always been proud of its ability to maintain a strong and intimate relationship with our students and alumni. Many of our students appreciate the friendliness of the department, and the many ways in which our highly experienced staff support student learning in the classroom and in the field. We have a proven record in training graduates with strong working and research capabilities. Overall, the Department will continue to promote and sustain the value of geographical education, and to encourage the application of geographic theories and techniques in solving real-world problems, explicit in the mottoes that we have adopted for our Department: