List of Departments and Schools at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (by Faculty)

Module: 01 Academics · Sub-file: Department/School List Last Updated: 2 July 2026 This document is organised into seven Faculties and three independent Schools, listing the subordinate Departments and Schools/Divisions within each. Departmental affiliations and names follow PolyU's official "Faculties, Schools and College" page. For the establishment, positioning, and scale of each Faculty, see faculties-and-schools.md; for programmes and general education, see programs.md.

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# 1. Faculty of Business

The Faculty of Business is built on three pillars: Accounting and Finance, Logistics and Maritime Studies, and Management and Marketing. Logistics, supply chain management, and maritime studies are traditional international strengths. The Faculty's total student enrolment is 5,514 (2025/26 Semester One)^※ (official at-a-glance figures; no breakdown between undergraduate and postgraduate students is published).

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# 2. Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences

This Faculty represents PolyU's restructured and strengthened academic unit to meet the demands of AI and data science development. The Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence is a newly established department.

# Background: Why Establish the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAN)?

According to a PolyU announcement from January 2025^※ and a feature report in Pulse@PolyU^※, the establishment of the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences and its Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAN) is a proactive upgrade by PolyU in response to the global explosion of the AI industry and the strategic AI deployment plans of the HKSAR Government. Under the new Faculty framework, DSAN integrates teaching and research capabilities in AI and data analytics previously scattered across different departments. Its curricular direction spans machine learning and deep learning, big data engineering, natural language processing and computer vision, AI ethics and governance, and cross-industry AI applications. According to the University, the three departments within the new Faculty host over 125 academic staff and 390 researchers (according to a Pulse@PolyU report from April 2025^※). Starting with the 2022/23 intake, undergraduates must complete the "Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA) Requirement." The College of Undergraduate Studies links this requirement to recognised courses within this Faculty—making DSAN a key provider of foundational AI literacy and general education courses for non-computing students across the entire University.

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# 3. Faculty of Construction and Environment

Encompasses civil engineering, building services engineering, building surveying, real estate, and geo-informatics; maintains close ties with the construction and surveying professions in Hong Kong.

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# 4. Faculty of Engineering

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# 5. Faculty of Health and Social Sciences

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# 6. Faculty of Humanities

Mainly focuses on languages, communication, Chinese history and culture, and the intersection of AI with the humanities.

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# 7. Faculty of Science

Centred on applied biology and chemistry, applied physics, and food science and nutrition, continuing the "applied science" tradition of PolyU.

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# 8. The Three Independent Schools (Parallel to Faculties)

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# 9. Cross-Faculty / Shared Academic Units

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# 10. Evolution of the Academic Structure: A Recent Restructuring Timeline

PolyU's academic structure has undergone multiple rounds of reorganisation. The following milestones are vital for understanding the current framework:

# 2022: The School of Fashion and Textiles Becomes Independent

According to a PolyU press release from September 2022^※, the School of Fashion and Textiles became an independent entity on 1 September 2022, standing alongside the other independent Schools: Design, Hotel and Tourism Management, etc. Its origins trace back to the Department of Textile Industries (1957) and the Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC), established in 1977, both part of the former Hong Kong Polytechnic.

# 2025: Establishment of the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences

According to a PolyU press release from January 2025^※, the University established the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences on 1 January 2025, consolidating data science, artificial intelligence, and mathematics disciplines into a single independent Faculty. Its formation likely involved a restructuring of computer science and mathematics departments previously spread across different Faculties.

# The Evolution of the Faculty of Humanities

The Faculty of Humanities now hosts the Division of Artificial Intelligence and the Humanities, reflecting PolyU's strategy of integrating AI into humanities teaching and research. The intersection of "AI and the Humanities" represents a global university trend in recent years; PolyU's decision to establish a dedicated Division-level entity within its Faculty of Humanities is a structural arrangement relatively rare among Hong Kong institutions.

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# 11. Overview of Student and Staff Numbers by Faculty

Items marked "estimate" or "indicative statement" are not official per-Faculty statistics and will fluctuate from year to year. For precise figures, refer to the official pages of each Faculty or the PolyU "PolyU in Figures" webpage^※.

University-wide figures (official): Total student enrolment exceeds 32,000^※ (another summary source, see ../00-overview/facts-and-figures.md, records 28,410 enrolled in 2022/23); academic and research staff figures are based on the "PolyU in Figures" summary and the annual report.

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# 12. Overview of Key Subject International Rankings

Based on the official results of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 announced by PolyU^※ and the ARWU (ShanghaiRanking) subject rankings:

In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, PolyU placed 5 subjects in the global top 30 and 24 subjects in the top 100^※. The last row for "Computer Science" is an estimate/indicative statement; check the official QS website for the exact rank.

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# 13. Department Numbers at a Glance: From Small 3-Department Faculties to the Large 5-Department Faculty

The number of departments within the seven Faculties varies considerably, ranging from a low of 3 to a high of 5. This variation itself reveals differences in the positioning of each Faculty:

A pattern emerges from this table: the number of departments does not strictly correlate with a Faculty's age. The Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, a "newcomer" established only in 2025, matches the much older Faculties of Business and Science in department count. The Faculties with the most departments—Engineering, and Health and Social Sciences (when counting its internal Schools)—correspond to PolyU's two most distinctive disciplinary lineages: one rooted in engineering tracing back to 1937, and the other built on a cluster of health disciplines standing in lieu of a medical faculty.

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# 14. Keywords in Department Names: A Quick Reference Guide

The Chinese names of PolyU's academic departments often contain keywords that directly point to their parent Faculty. Familiarity with this naming convention can help quickly determine which Faculty an unfamiliar department name likely belongs to:

This keyword-to-Faculty mapping is not an official definition but an empirical observation made by this site based on the names of the current 29 academic units. Exceptions do exist (for example, the Department of Health Technology and Informatics, though containing "Informatics" (資訊) in its name, belongs not to the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences but to the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences). Use this guide only for preliminary orientation; always verify precise affiliations against the official PolyU academic structure page.

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# 15. Interdisciplinary Research Institutes (Non-Teaching Units): A Brief Directory

Beyond the teaching departments listed above, PolyU hosts several interdisciplinary research institutes under PAIR and independent research centres. These units are not responsible for teaching and focus on research and knowledge transfer. For detailed accounts, see ../04-research/institutes-and-labs.md. A list is provided here for reference only:

• Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations (RCDSE) – aerospace precision engineering
• Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems – smart textiles
• Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things (AIoT) – distributed systems, edge computing
• Precision Engineering Institute – precision manufacturing
• Research Centre for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation – geological hazards, landslides, flood prevention
• Research Institute for Industrial Sustainability and Resilience – industrial sustainability

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# 16. The Institutional Distinction Between "Department" and "School"

Within the PolyU system, "Departments" and "Schools" co-exist. There is a clear institutional distinction between the two, though they are often confused in public discussion:

The School of Nursing and the School of Optometry are constituent Schools within the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, administratively still under FHSS. In contrast, the School of Design, School of Fashion and Textiles, and School of Hotel and Tourism Management are independent Schools standing parallel to the Faculties. Both types are termed "學院" (School) in Chinese, but their administrative standing differs; readers are advised to note the distinction.

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# 17. Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)

Q1: Where was the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences split from?

According to a PolyU announcement from January 2025^※, the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, established on 1 January 2025, consolidates teaching and research capabilities in applied mathematics and computer science/AI that were previously distributed across different Faculties. The new Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAN) was created as part of this process. The new Faculty is the eighth major Faculty, standing alongside the existing seven.

Q2: Does PolyU have a Department of Computer Science? What is the difference between DSAN and the Department of Computing?

Both belong to the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences but have different focuses. The Department of Computing has a longer history, with curricula leaning towards software engineering, systems and networking, and information security. The Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAN), established around 2025, focuses on data science, machine learning, and AI applications, representing PolyU's latest step in establishing a standalone department dedicated to the AI field. The two departments share Faculty resources, and cross-departmental course selection is possible.

Q3: PolyU doesn't have a "Medical Faculty"; which departments handle health-related disciplines?

PolyU currently does not have a medical school. Health-related professions are handled by multiple departments and schools within the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (FHSS): the School of Nursing trains nurses; the School of Optometry offers Hong Kong's only optometry degree programme; the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences trains physiotherapists and occupational therapists; the Department of Health Technology and Informatics trains medical laboratory scientists, radiographers, and other allied health professionals; and the Department of Applied Social Sciences covers social work and psychology. See health-sciences.md for details.

Q4: Does each department have its own research groups?

Most departments house dedicated research groups or research themes. For example, the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering has groups focused on precision engineering, smart manufacturing, and sustainable systems. The Department of Computing has groups in areas like data management and mining, distributed computing, and cybersecurity. Specific research groups within each department are listed on the respective departmental webpages. For major cross-departmental research platforms, see ../04-research/institutes-and-labs.md.

Q5: What is the difference between a "Division" and a "Department"? Where does PolyU have a Division?

A Division is a unit standing either between a Faculty and a Department or in parallel to Departments. It is uncommon at PolyU. Currently, only the Faculty of Humanities has the "Division of Artificial Intelligence and the Humanities." This is an institutional experiment by PolyU to embed AI into humanities teaching and research—using a Division-level unit to foster interdisciplinary fusion without the institutional rigidity that establishing a new Department might bring. All other Faculties use Departments or Schools as their basic building-blocks.

Q6: When did the School of Fashion and Textiles become independent? Which department did it belong to before?

According to a PolyU press release from September 2022^※, the School of Fashion and Textiles became an independent School, parallel to Faculties, on 1 September 2022. Its predecessor can be traced back to the Department of Textile Industries in 1957. After several reorganisations (including the integration of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing, ITC, in 1977), it was previously situated within the framework of the former Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles. Since becoming independent, the School has autonomously managed programmes in fashion design, textile technology, and fashion media.

Q7: The Chinese and English names of some departments don't seem to match. Is this an error on this site?

No, this is not an error. For some PolyU departments, the Chinese and English names are not literal, word-for-word translations. For instance, the Chinese "電子計算學系" is officially named the Department of Computing, not a literal "Electronic Computing" translation. Similarly, "屋宇設備工程學系" is the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, a name much closer in literal meaning to "建築環境及能源工程." Such discrepancies between Chinese and English names are common in PolyU's published materials. This document strictly uses the bilingual pairings published on the official academic structure page and does not "correct" or paraphrase them.

Q8: Among the 29 academic units, which are "one department, one discipline," and which actually span multiple disciplines?

The names of most departments straightforwardly correspond to a single discipline (e.g., Department of Applied Physics, Department of Food Science and Nutrition). However, there are notable cross-disciplinary exceptions. The Department of Health Technology and Informatics simultaneously trains students for three distinct career paths: medical laboratory science, radiography, and health informatics. The Department of Applied Social Sciences covers social work, psychology, and criminology—disciplines that are related but have different professional training systems. The Faculty of Humanities' Department of Language Science and Technology places traditional linguistics, computational linguistics, and speech technology under a single department. This "multi-discipline, single department" design partly reflects PolyU's tendency, at the departmental level, to group disciplines by domain of application rather than pure academic logic—first asking "what kind of professional are we training?" before deciding which department they belong to, rather than starting by slicing the academic pie by discipline.

Q9: Are the three independent Schools further divided into "Departments" internally?

Yes, they are, but not necessarily using the term "Department" (學系). Take the School of Design as an example. Internally, it is structured into several disciplinary clusters (Communication Design, Product Design, Environment and Interior Design, etc.), but the official academic structure page does not list them as independent "Departments"; the School is presented as a whole in the structure chart. The Schools of Hotel and Tourism Management and Fashion and Textiles are organised similarly. In other words, the institutional logic of "whether an independent School has internal Departments" does not perfectly mirror the "Faculties must have Departments" logic. The internal grouping of independent Schools is more flexible, and the official academic structure page usually only goes down to the "School" level, without listing its internal disciplinary clusters individually.

Q10: When cross-referencing the department list, the official website, Wikipedia, and this document occasionally differ. Which one should I follow?

The current "Faculties, Schools and College" page on the official PolyU website should be taken as the sole authoritative source. Encyclopedic sources like Wikipedia often retain old Faculty names (e.g., "Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles") or fail to promptly reflect the latest reorganisation (e.g., the 2025 establishment of the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences). While this document cross-checks multiple sources to the best of its ability, department affiliations are "live data" subject to annual adjustments. If readers find any discrepancy between this document and the current official website status, the official website should prevail, and such findings are welcome as the basis for proposing updates. The role of this document is structured collation and historical context explanation, not a replacement for the authoritative official page.

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# Criteria for Subsequent Updates

This document was assembled by merging several short cards from an older module. Subsequent updates will incorporate material from only three categories of sources: first, primary sources from the University website, annual reports, Faculty pages, regulatory or ranking bodies; second, verifiable facts from reliable media, student media, or public archives; and third, public timelines that explain institutional changes. Single screenshots, undated hearsay, ranking slogans with untraceable origins, or personal evaluations can only serve as leads for verification and must not be written directly as facts.

Structurally, this document functions as the parent card for the department/school list: first providing readers with a complete roster grouped by Faculty, and then retaining historical context, a ranking cross-index, and institutional FAQs. Should any single subtopic expand to over 12,000 words, it shall be split into Part 1 and Part 2; if it merely adds a year, an institution, or a point of contention, it should continue to be incorporated here, avoiding the creation of new thin cards.

# Cross-references

• Faculty and School Overview
• Programme Structure and General University Requirements (GUR)
• In-Depth Profile: School of Design
• In-Depth Profile: School of Hotel and Tourism Management
• Faculty of Health and Social Sciences: The Health Disciplines Cluster