CUHK School of Journalism and Communication Master's, 25fall: My Experience

Since there's relatively little information or application experience on this available in Taiwan, I'm sharing my own application process and what it's like to study here, in the hope of helping more Taiwanese students figure out their application direction. This post also includes professors' perspectives, so you can see what professors really want to see in your application essays!

How it started

As someone who really loves attending lectures and hands-on courses, I didn't originally plan to do a master's. One day Facebook showed me an ad for an info session on the taught master's programs at the CUHK School of Journalism and Communication. After registering and learning about the curriculum, I decided to apply as a graduating senior, and was eventually admitted to the MSSc in Advertising.

I highly recommend that anyone interested register for the online info session (around the end of September each year; the official Facebook page posts the sign-up link), because professors from each program introduce the program's strengths, courses, application timeline, evaluation criteria and so on in great detail. It was only after attending the info session that I realized I was actually more interested in the Advertising program's curriculum!

Taught vs. research master's: what's the difference, and who is a taught master's right for?

The most obvious differences between a Taught Postgraduate Programme and a Research Postgraduate Programme are the graduation requirements and the course content.

At most universities abroad, taught master's students mainly graduate through practical work and reports (such as a Capstone Project), though a few programs still require a thesis, and the program usually lasts 1–1.5 years. Research master's programs focus on academic research, usually require an academic thesis to graduate and may require publication at formal conferences/in journals; course content leans academic/theoretical, and the programs are usually longer, generally at least 2 years.

I think a taught master's is a better fit for people who have already entered the workforce and built up work experience, noticed gaps in their skills and want to upskill and pick up new skills in a shorter time; or for students who already tried relevant internships in college, know very clearly what career they want, and want a higher degree to become more competitive in the job market.

But do not assume a taught master's will be easier!!!

A master's program that lasts about 1 year basically compresses 2 years of coursework into 1 year, so assignments, reports and exams are very intensive, and you'll need to put a lot of concentrated time and energy into absorbing and reviewing the material within that 1 year.

For example, my program requires four courses per semester. Some courses are run in partnership with companies, so you often have to carve out extra time outside class to attend meetings at the partner company's headquarters or do pitching online or in person, and there are projects of all sizes from different courses running at the same time. So in reality it's very busy.

Why did I choose Hong Kong for my master's?

During my undergrad in the UK, I saw firsthand how much care UK universities put into student support, and how much effort professors put into every course (what impressed me most was that a single course might include a lecture, a seminar and a tutorial, to make sure every student understands & has a chance to talk one-on-one with the professor)

However, public safety became a big concern for me,

and to be honest, I didn't have much of an edge in the job market there either ><. Because I'd attended a few CUHK info sessions before, I started researching master's programs in Hong Kong. Besides learning that most taught master's programs are one year, just like in the UK, I found that Hong Kong universities also teach entirely in English, most of them rank quite high academically, the faculty includes both theory-oriented and practice-oriented professors, and many professors and adjunct instructors are still active in the industry.

For students who don't plan to pursue a PhD and want to enter the workforce right after graduating, this kind of environment also helps you connect with the industry faster and stay on top of the latest trends.

Compared with the UK, I think Hong Kong's diverse and unique cultural environment can also give my career more directions to choose from and leave my future wide open. Interestingly, a large share of master's students in Hong Kong planned from the start on the “UK bachelor's + Hong Kong master's (3 years + 1 year)” route, which is more efficient than paths in other countries.

As for choosing schools, in the end I applied only to CUHK's School of Journalism and Communication, because I think its highly flexible course selection (in principle you can take most electives from every program in the school) and its very practice-oriented curriculum are something no other Hong Kong school can match. I'll explain more in the Study experience section.

My academic background

• Applied as a graduating senior

• Dual bachelor's degrees from Taiwan and the UK (both taught entirely in English, GPA 4.0/4.0), majoring in media

• 25% entrance scholarship from a UK university (top 100 in the QS arts rankings)

• Selected for the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) Asia student journalist training program (article selected for publication at the Singapore conference)

• Member of the official media team at a major world-class multi-sport event

• Editorial intern at an Asian American sports media outlet

• Intern in the social media department of a city government agency

• Selected as one of Taiwan's delegates to the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR)

• Merit award in a leading national creative video competition

• English-language reporter for foreign teams at the Little League and Senior League World Cup championships

• 75% scholarship for a one-year global sports industry program at a US university

• Summer School at a Korean university (took marketing-related courses)

Application timeline:

Generally, the School of Journalism and Communication opens applications in early September, the priority round closes around early December, and the final round closes around mid-January. Admissions are on a rolling basis (first come, first reviewed), and offers can go out until the end of June.

For 2025, the FAQ document said applications would start being reviewed in October, but at the info session some professors revealed they had “jumped the gun” in September and started reviewing some applicants' materials early, so I recommend submitting your application as early as possible.

Here's my own timeline for reference:

• 9/7 - Submitted online application

• 9/10 - Mailed hard-copy documents (Note: your application isn't officially reviewed until the hard copies arrive!)

• 9/24 - Email asking for additional documents

• 9/26 - Email asking for additional documents

• 10/29 - Email asking for additional documents

• 11/7 - Asked for additional documents; system hit the third lock*

• 11/14 - Admission letter

(Some applicants may receive a “ranking email,” which means at least one program wants to move your application forward in this round, and you need to reply by email listing your order of preference.

If you apply to more than one program in the School of Journalism and Communication, the program you rank first will review your application first in that round. Even if you only apply to one program, you may still get a ranking email. A ranking email does not guarantee admission, and not every admitted student receives one; treat it only as a positive signal.)

Note* Word on the street is that hitting the system's “third lock” is a very likely positive sign of an offer, with results possibly coming within about a week (but it's not a 100% guarantee, since some applicants have shared getting a rejection a few days after the third lock)

First lock = fields like personal background and work experience in the application system turn gray and can't be edited

Second lock = document upload fields turn gray and nothing more can be uploaded

Third lock = you can't edit or add referees, or the status has switched straight to under review

Do you need a study-abroad agency? What to watch for in your application essays? Hear what the professors say!

First, I strongly recommend reading the FAQ document on the School of Journalism and Communication's official website carefully (it may change slightly each year). Almost every question you might have (before applying, after applying and after admission) is answered in detail there.

According to a survey of the 26th cohort (25 fall), nearly half of my classmates used a study-abroad agency to help choose schools/prepare application essays,

but according to the professors, about 60% of the personal statements they saw from the 27th cohort (26 fall) were very similar, and even applicants with very strong academic backgrounds/internship experience could end up on the waitlist or not get an offer at all because of it, which is something they really don't want to see. The professors strongly recommend writing your own essays, because no one knows you better than you do! Showing what makes you unique is how you stand out in the application process.

I didn't use an agency myself. For most of the process I relied on the official FAQ document plus experience posts on Xiaohongshu (RED), and along the way I found that some agencies put out incorrect information that muddies the waters, or hadn't updated to the latest application requirements published by the schools, so applicants failed to submit all the required materials correctly (for example, many agencies tell students they don't need to mail hard copies unless the school emails them, but the school's FAQ document states clearly that if the hard copies don't arrive, the application is considered incomplete and won't be processed). So I really recommend that you always go by the official information!

Also note that Hong Kong schools are very strict about this: every internship/award needs supporting documentation, so be sure to keep your CV honest!

I also suggest reading each program's essay requirements in the official FAQ document carefully, and not overhyping your experience while ignoring the actual prompt. I think “depth” and “relevance” matter more in an application, and they do more to show “why you?” Your uniqueness and a clearly planned career vision can also improve your chances of admission among so many applicants.

Who are the classmates? How hard is it to get in?

Taking the Advertising program as an example, about 40 students were admitted for 25 Fall.

Most classmates are from China. Most did their undergrad at overseas universities ranked around the QS top 100 (US, UK, Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, etc.), Chinese 985 universities (such as Peking University, Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University), or Chinese 211 universities or top media universities (such as the Communication University of China), and all have very extensive, relevant internship experience.

According to official figures the school shared at Orientation Day, 25 Fall received nearly 6,000 applications, and every program's acceptance rate was in the single digits. Competition is fierce.

Even so, at the Info Session the professors said they really welcome applicants from other fields, because the school wants students from diverse backgrounds. Even if your undergrad major wasn't in media, as long as you've built up relevant work experience, can show what makes you unique, and can clearly explain how your undergrad studies and the master's courses you plan to take connect to your career plans, it can actually be a big advantage! For example, MSc in New Media has said it once admitted a Computer Science major.

Also, the requirements listed in the FAQ document are only the minimum. For example, although most programs require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5, according to the 26 Fall applicant data the professors mentioned this year, admitted students all scored 7.5 or above, with only a very few below 7.5.

Study experience?

Overall, I'd say this is a master's program with excellent value for money, because nearly every course is very practical and packed with useful content, and the guest speakers and professors are standouts in the industry, so every class feels well worth it! It's also the only master's in advertising in Hong Kong.

Many students try to intern while studying, but the school actually has a rule that you can't intern in term 1, and the professors strongly advise against doing any internship for the whole year.

Having finished the full year, I also strongly recommend being a real full-time student, because the workload is heavy and tight, and you'll spend a lot of time outside class on group work, discussions with companies and reading papers (even in a taught master's, there are still some theory courses and exams, and you'll need to produce a research proposal!). Many classmates who started out commuting between Shenzhen and Hong Kong wanted to move back to Hong Kong by term 2, because it's much harder than they expected!

Why did I end up applying only to CUHK?

The biggest reason I applied only to CUHK is their very flexible course system: we can take almost any elective offered by any program in the School of Journalism and Communication, and Advertising students can even take marketing courses at the business school!!

And if you've already taken research methods in undergrad, you may be able to get an exemption from the term 2 research methods course and take another elective instead.

So during my studies I took the PR writing course from corporate communication and the future of journalism course offered by the journalism program, which brings in marketing trends, to make myself more competitive and broaden my career options.

The professors' influence in Hong Kong often draws people from other schools to sit in on their classes. The companies and partners in the practical courses include many big names, and they share industry trends with us without holding back, and give very real advice and feedback on our pitching sessions.

For example, partners for our Account Management course included Chow Sang Sang Jewellery and Mentholatum, and their managers came to class in person for briefings, discussions online and in person, and the final evaluation.

One course I especially liked was Creative Works: Appreciation and Strategy (usually two different professors teach it in different time slots). The professor loves having us come up with wildly imaginative proposals; the midterm topic was even How to sell a banana to Lisa of BLACKPINK. It sounds bizarre, but it was the project we had the most fun with, because it really sparked a lot of creativity. We planned the whole campaign thoroughly, and it gave us more chances to learn from and challenge each other.

Are there scholarships for taught master's programs?!

The school's taught master's programs have no scholarships international students can apply for.

The only entrance scholarship is the Internationalization Scholarship. International students who receive an offer and pay the deposit are automatically eligible, with no separate application needed.

Each program has only one award (the school has five programs, so five in total). Professors in each program evaluate candidates (the official FAQ document and info session mention the criteria, which in principle include GPA and relevant experience) and pick the recipient, and the school pays it out around the start of the semester.

I was very lucky to be the recipient for 25 fall; that year the award was HK$50,000.

On top of that, you can also get a scholarship after enrolling! If your term 1 GPA is 3.6 or higher (this may be adjusted each year based on student numbers; go by your program's notice for that year), you may receive the Academic Excellence Scholarship. It took a huge amount of financial pressure off me!

Would I recommend applying/studying in Hong Kong?

Absolutely!

That said, if you're 100% sure you want to do a master's in Hong Kong, I'd still suggest applying to a few more universities/programs as your situation allows before deciding, just to be safe. Hong Kong school admissions have felt a bit like a “black box” in recent years, and reviews are fairly rigorous. At the time, my plan was that if I hadn't heard anything by December, I'd apply to Hong Kong Baptist University, another excellent school with a long-established reputation in media. So do your homework and look closely at each program's courses and resources. Many Hong Kong schools are really impressive and will broaden your horizons a lot!

Thank you so much for reading! I wish you all smooth applications and admission to your dream programs!

Here's my email too. If you have any related questions, feel free to get in touch!

lucianney@link.cuhk.edu.hk