Common Core Clusters and Transdisciplinary Minors

(Optional and available to students of the 2017-18 intake and thereafter)

If you are a student of the 2017-18 intake and thereafter, you may pursue an organized course of interdisciplinary study tailor-made to your interests. The Common Core (CC) has launched two thematic clusters, ‘Sustaining Cities, Cultures, and the Earth’ (SCCE) and ‘The Universe and the Question of Meaning’ (UQM). They will offer you a self-chosen pathway for you to personalize your Common Core experience that will be acknowledged on the Academic Attainment Profile.

What are Common Core Clusters and Transdisciplinary Minors (CCTM)?

A cluster consists of four Common Core courses, and a Transdisciplinary Minor consists of six courses, all drawn from the same thematic cluster. The courses under each cluster are listed at https://commoncore.hku.hk/thematic-clusters/.

Keep in mind that while the Common Core requirements are mandatory for all undergraduate students to fulfill before graduation, both the Clusters and Minors are optional. If you embark on a CC Cluster or CCTM, you will still need to fulfill the requirement of successfully completing six Common Core courses, one from each Area of Inquiry (AoI) and not more than two from any AoI, and the non-permissible combinations of courses will still apply.

Indication of Common Core Cluster / Declaration of Common Core Transdisciplinary Minor

You can indicate a CC Cluster or declare a CCTM if you have completed four courses from the same thematic cluster. However, if you have already completed / enrolled to more than four courses, you would be eligible for declaring the corresponding CCTM only if ALL the courses you have completed / enrolled to belong to that thematic cluster.

Students should complete the indication of CC Cluster or declaration of CCTM online through the Student Information System (SIS):

SIS > My Page (tab) > SIS Menu > Enrollment > Declare Major/Minor/Special

Normally students can indicate/change CC Cluster intention or declare/change CCTM from Year 2 Semester 1, until final year Semester 1 (unless the major/minor declaration period (if any) of your programme is different).

CC Cluster indication and CCTM declaration are available during the pre-enrollment period and add/drop periods. You are NOT allowed to indicate/change CC Cluster intention or declare/change CCTM during the course selection period in August. The detailed course selection schedule is available at http://intraweb.hku.hk/reserved_1/sis_student/sis/reference-materials/Course_Selection_Schedule_for_UG.pdf.

Priority for CCTM Students

After declaring the CCTM, you will be given priority to enroll on the remaining courses that belong to the same thematic cluster during the designated “priority period”. Therefore if you are eligible to declare a CCTM and intend to do so, please make sure that you have completed the declaration prior to the course selection period in order to enjoy the priority.

The “priority period” in 2019-20 is as follows:

Year 3 CCTM Students 

Semester 1 CC courses: August 7, 2019 (12:00 pm– 2:00 pm)
Semester 2 CC courses: August 7, 2019 (12:10 pm – 2:00 pm)

Year 2 CCTM Students

Semester 1 CC courses: August 7, 2019 (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm)
Semester 2 CC courses: August 7, 2019 (2:10 pm – 4:00 pm)

Enrollments submitted during the “priority period”, by Year 4 and above students / students who have declared the CCTM would be placed at the top of the queue in that corresponding course according to time-stamps:

The queue position of those Year 3 and Year 2 students who have not declared the CCTM may thus be pushed back by subsequent enrollments of Year 4 and above students / CCTM students.

Please note that students who have declared a CCTM are allowed to take courses which belong to the corresponding thematic cluster only. If you have declared a CCTM but selected a CC course not belonging to the same thematic cluster, your enrollment will subsequently be disapproved.

Please visit http://intraweb.hku.hk/reserved_1/sis_student/sis/reference-materials/students_guide_to_cc_course_selection.pdf for detailed procedures on Common Core Cluster indication / Transdisciplinary Minor declaration on SIS as well as CC course enrollment.

If you encounter any technical difficulties, please contact ITS Service Desk at ithelp@hku.hk / 3917 0123 for assistance.
If you need further information about CC Clusters / CCTM, please visit https://commoncore.hku.hk/ and/or contact the Common Core Office at commoncore@hku.hk.