Nurturing future architecture talents – Online Aptitude Exercise required for enrolment in HKU Bachelor of Arts in Architecture Studies (BA(AS)) programme to take place from December 20 to 23
The online Aptitude Exercise, one of the requirements for admissions to the 2020-21 HKU Bachelor of Arts in Architecture Studies, will be held from 20 to 23 December. Candidates who wish to enrol in the programme, whether via JUPAS or non-JUPAS, must complete and submit the Aptitude Exercise during the said period. The Aptitude Exercise will be uploaded to the HKU School of Architecture website at 00:01 on Friday, 20 December at https://www.arch.hku.hk/programmes/arch/bachelor-of-arts-in-architectural-studies/admissions/ .
The purpose of the exercise is to gauge candidates’ interest and capability in addressing issues relevant to architectural thinking and practice, through a set of questions related to creativity. Students also have a chance to understand their own potential through multiple perspectives. Assessment criteria focus more on the demonstration of the creative thinking process rather than skills. The metrics measured in the exercise include: ability to conceptualize, creativity, curiosity, analytical ability, audacity, rigor, intelligence, intuition, openness, perseverance, spatial sensibility and sociability.
Demand for talents in architectural design and urban planning is constantly on the rise. A prerequisite for becoming a professional architect is the ability to express creative thinking concretely and clearly. The Bachelor of Arts in Architecture Studies offered by HKU is a four-year full-time curriculum centred on design and research-based learning, and focuses on cultivating students’ sense of social responsibility, academic ability and creativity. Students who complete the course can further qualify as practicing architects and work in the private or public sector.
The Architecture Studies programme crosses the divide between Arts and Sciences. The programme looks at diverse contemporary issues that introduce students to a range of methodologies and approaches to the territorial, political, technological, urban and environmental issues, cultivating their ability in independent thinking and providing them with the best of Asia’s higher education as a foundation, so they can be internationally competitive in related fields in the future. The programme features knowledge exchange and international experience, including student exchanges with leading schools such as Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Architecture Paris-Malaquais, study-abroad at the Faculty’s Shanghai Study Centre, as well as study trips and summer field studies workshops etc.
Students who have successfully completed the BA(AS) programme may continue to study a two-year Master of Architecture programme, and pursue professional qualifications and registration as an architect thereafter. The starting salary of Bachelor graduates from the Faculty of Architecture ranges from HKD15,000 to HKD20,000, while salary of Master graduates is about HKD30,000. In addition to becoming professional architects, many graduates have explored a wider range of employment opportunities based on their own interests and specialties, combined with their architectural design knowledge.
The Aptitude Exercise required for programmes admissions is held once a year. The Aptitude Exercise for this year will be uploaded to the University website from 00:01am on 20 December 2019. Applicants can download the questions from the website and submit their completed exercise online before 23:59 on 23 December 2019. The Aptitude Exercise is one of the metrics for admissions to the programme. Candidates who have passed the Aptitude Exercise will be shortlisted for interviews between January to July 2020.