Bachelor’s in
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Visual Studies at
Lingnan University (LU)
BA (Hons) in Visual Studies Overview
Bringing together art history, film studies, and philosophical aesthetics
The BA (Hons) Visual Studies at Lingnan University adopts a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to the study of art, film, aesthetics, video games, and visual expression and appreciation. It engages students in research expression through art practice. The emphasis on philosophical aesthetics gives the program a unique profile, as does the focus on Chinese art in a global context and cognitive approaches to film. The program aims to develop students’ capacity to make cross-disciplinary connections amongst these areas through an issues-oriented approach. It also aims to foster values that result in lifelong engagement with creativity, art, and community.
Artist-in-residence program – engaging with the art world
The Department of Visual Studies launched the Artist-in-Residence program in 2006. Bringing in one local and one overseas-based artist on an annual basis is a way to give students studio practice courses in a wide range of media.
One goal of the program is to help students understand the world of art from the practitioners’ perspectives. Each residency concludes with an exhibition of work, occasions which also give students involvement and practical experience in curating. The complementary studio practice courses are taught by a full-time member of staff.
In addition, further learning of a practical nature is encouraged through an internship program and several courses with a service-learning component. These aim to extend community engagement and knowledge transfer.
Overseas exchange and internship opportunities
High Student Exchange Opportunities
To foster an international and cosmopolitan mindset, about 40% of students taking the Visual Studies degree go abroad for a semester every year. Program leaders have developed exchanges with a large number of universities in different countries, including Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Other such opportunities are administered by the Office of Global Education, which provides regular briefings about exchanges available at Lingnan.
Internship Opportunities
There are also both credit-bearing and non-credit bearing internships, allowing students to work and learn in a variety of organizations. Previous and current internship partners include:
- 1aSpace,
- Asia Art Archive,
- M+,
- the Hong Kong Maritime Museum,
- Asia Society Hong Kong Center,
- C&G Artpartment,
- Ying e Chi, and
- Joint Publishing (Hong Kong).
Creative careers start here
Graduates of the BA (Hons) Visual Studies have a track record of finding good jobs in fields such as
- arts administration,
- education,
- art facilitation,
- photography,
- jewellery, and
- graphic design.
They have also gone on to roles in
- fashion,
- the media,
- museums and galleries,
- at universities.
A number of graduates have also chosen to work in
- banking and finance,
- journalism,
- nursing, or
- for airlines.
Others have succeeded in securing admission to competitive postgraduate programmes in Hong Kong and abroad.
Academic Year
The University academic year starts at the beginning of September and ends at the end of August in the following calendar year. The academic year consists of two terms, each covering approximately 15 weeks of academic activities, and where appropriate there may be an intensive summer term usually of a shorter duration.
Duration of Study
4-year undergraduate programmes leading to honours degrees normally require 4 years (i.e. 120 credits) to complete, if taken on a full-time basis.
Students who are granted a transfer of 54 credits or more will be admitted to Year 3 of the 4-year undergraduate programmes which normally require 2 years to complete if taken on a full-time basis.
Non-local Student Scholarships
Lingnan University offers various scholarships to support high-caliber non-local students to pursue full-time undergraduate studies at the University. Successful applicants will be awarded one of the following scholarships:
• Full Scholarship (covering tuition, hostel and partial academic and living expenses)
• Half Scholarship
• Full-tuition Scholarship
• Half-tuition Scholarship
Each Scholarship is offered on an annual renewable basis and is tenable for a period of up to the normative duration of the study, subject to continued outstanding academic performance.
The Scholarship will be awarded subject to availability, successful applicants in Early Round will normally be notified from December 2019. As such, applicants are encouraged to make their applications as early as possible.
Selection Criteria
The Scholarship will be awarded to a student who has good academic standing and a good track record in community services. For candidates of comparable academic merits, preference will be given to the candidate with better-proven records of community services.
Tuition Fees
For non-local students, the tuition fee for the 2020-21 academic year is HK$140,000.
Tuition fees are normally payable in two equal installments before the start of the first and second terms of an academic year.
Non-local students are holders of:
- Student visa / Entry permit
- Visa / Entry permit under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG)
- Dependant visa / Entry permit who were 18 years old or above when they were issued with such visa / entry permit by the Director of Immigration of the HKSAR (This definition has been reviewed and redefined by the Education Bureau (EDB) in November 2018.)
Hostel Fee
The hostel fee for students of UGC-funded undergraduate programmes in 2019-20 academic year excluding the summer term ranges from HK$9,660 to HK$13,080 per year. For students of self-financed undergraduate programmes, it ranges from HK$14,480 to HK$19,630. Fee for 2020-21 academic year is under review.
Other Fees (Fees for 2020-21 academic year are under review)
Graduation Deposit
A deposit of HK$600 is payable by all students on the first registration.
Students’ Union Membership Fees^
- Entry Fee (payable by new members): HK$97
- Annual Subscription Fee: HK$133
Key Dates and Deadlines
- 24 September 2019 - Application Opens
- 9 December 2019 - Early Round application deadline
- October 2019 onwards - Shortlisting and invitation for interviews (if any); Notification to successful applicants
(Overseas applicants shall assume their applications unsuccessful if they do not receive our notification by 31 July 2020.); Student visa application
- 15 April 2020 - Main Round application deadline
- 20 July 2020 - Late Round application deadline (Subject to the discretion of relevant departments and availability of places)
- Late August 2020 - Registration, hostel check-in, and orientation
- 1 September 2020 (tentative) - Commencement of the 2020-21 academic year
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