Message from the Department Head
Welcome to the Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences at City University of Hong Kong.
What makes our Department distinctive is a simple belief: the social sciences should not only help us understand the world in which we live – they should help us change it for the better. Our Department brings together Psychology, Crime Science, Sociology, Social Work and Counselling around that common purpose: to advance our understanding of the challenges shaping people's lives and society, and to turn that understanding into positive change. Step through the doors of our Department and you will quickly see this purpose brought to life – in our teaching, our research and our engagement with the wider community. We are committed to outstanding education and research of international quality, while recognising that the social sciences have a particular responsibility to engage with the world beyond the University.
That responsibility extends to our students. We want them to leave us with more than a degree. We want them to leave with the knowledge, confidence and sense of responsibility to make a difference wherever their careers take them – to become ambassadors for positive change in Hong Kong and beyond.
Our research addresses some of the most pressing issues confronting society: mental health and wellbeing, crime and security, inequality and inclusion, ageing, family and child development, social innovation and community resilience. Much of this work is undertaken in close partnership with government, schools, NGOs, professional organisations, philanthropic foundations and the communities we serve.
The scale and reach of this work have grown substantially. Major externally funded initiatives led by our Department now support tens of thousands of children, young people and families, as well as hundreds of schools and community organisations across Hong Kong. These partnerships allow us to take research beyond academic publication and translate it into programmes and initiatives that make a tangible difference.
We are fortunate to have the support of an exceptional network of philanthropic foundations, funding bodies and community partners who share our commitment to improving lives and strengthening society. Their generosity and confidence in our work enable us to pursue ambitious research, develop innovative programmes and, importantly, translate ideas into action. We are deeply grateful for these partnerships and the opportunities they create for our students, our researchers and the wider community.
Our commitment to the community lies at the very heart of our identity. We believe that the social sciences must do more than understand society; they should actively contribute to its wellbeing. That commitment is tested not by what we say, but by how we respond when our community needs us.
Following the devastating Tai Po fire, the Department worked with colleagues across CityUHK and community partners to support affected students, families and residents. This included helping to provide educational continuity and psychosocial support for approximately 300 school pupils. Building on this response, an extremely generous donation from China Hongqiao Group Limited is supporting the three-year Community Chilling Hubs – 社區迎聚點‧Chill Hubs in Tai Po, providing integrated physical, mental, social and spiritual support to those affected by the tragedy.
Our commitment to inclusion is equally important. IncluCity (共融●城市), supported by the Lee Hysan Foundation, is establishing Hong Kong's first integrated and holistic credit-bearing module on inclusive education. It brings students with and without special educational needs together through classroom learning, co-working internships and community volunteering. Community Chilling Hubs and IncluCity are very different initiatives, but they share something fundamental: both take knowledge beyond the University and put it to work in people's lives.
This philosophy extends across our disciplines. In Psychology, Social Work and Counselling, rigorous research connects directly with the realities of people's lives – from mental health, child development and family wellbeing to ageing, inclusion and community resilience. In Sociology, we seek to better understand the forces shaping contemporary society and the ways in which individuals, communities and institutions respond to social change.
Our research is receiving increasing international recognition. The Department's citation impact exceeds major local benchmarking units, while Social Work entered the global top 50 in the QS Subject Rankings 2026. Our faculty publish in leading international journals and contribute extensively to academic, professional and policy communities. We are also strengthening interdisciplinary research across CityUHK, including through major Collaborative Research Fund research. The Hongqiao Research Centre of Human and Social Innovation provides a further platform for ambitious interdisciplinary and international research.
Education is equally central to what we do. We want our students not simply to acquire knowledge, but to understand how to use it. Our programmes increasingly incorporate AI-enhanced learning, team-based learning, experiential education, professional practice and community engagement. Students can participate in overseas study tours, international internships, exchanges and community projects, while our partnerships with leading universities and organisations around the world provide opportunities to encounter different ideas, cultures and ways of thinking.
We are particularly proud to be pioneering new areas of education and research. Our **Crime Science programme---the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region---** brings together the social sciences, technology, data and evidence-based crime prevention to understand and respond to rapidly evolving threats to our communities.
A particular priority is deception and fraud, one of the most pressing crime problems facing Hong Kong and one that can affect every member of society. We do not want simply to understand how these crimes occur. We want to develop practical, evidence-based solutions that can help identify emerging threats, prevent victimisation, disrupt offending and better protect individuals, organisations and the wider community.
Hong Kong does not need research that identifies these problems only after the damage has been done. It needs research that helps us understand threats as they evolve and evidence that can be translated rapidly into prevention and practice.
Our Crime Science faculty brings together leading local and international scholars with extensive academic and frontline professional experience in policing, security, regulation and financial-crime prevention. This includes experience with major international policing and security organisations such as INTERPOL, as well as global technology and financial-crime intelligence organisations. That matters because our students learn not only from scholars who study these problems, but from people who have confronted them in the real world.
Together with our programmes in Psychology, Social Work and Counselling, and our interdisciplinary Crime Science and Law double degree, this reflects our determination to ensure that our education continues to evolve alongside the needs of society.
Above all, SS is a community of students, scholars, professionals, alumni and partners who share a belief that excellent social-science research and education can improve people's lives.
We want our research to matter. We want our teaching to matter. And we want our graduates to leave CityUHK believing that what they do can matter too.
That, ultimately, is the Department we are building.
I warmly invite you to learn more about our programmes, our research and our community, and to become part of it.
Professor Matthew Manning
Head of Department
