Program Overview

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Master of Buddhist Studies

The Master of Buddhist Studies degree (MBS) is a graduate programme that offers philosophical, cultural, and historical perspectives to the fundamental questions and insights of Buddhism. It is intended for anyone interested to study the rich history of Buddhist communities, their philosophy, scriptures, values, and rituals and to systematically explore Buddhism for its applications in the fields of personal and spiritual development. The curriculum consists of 60 credits that serve as a foundation for further academic research at the post-graduate levels (MPhil, PhD). The MBS is open to applicants from any professional background and undergraduate major.

Why MBS in HKU?

• Join a programme that was the first taught Master degree in Buddhist Studies in Hong Kong and the region and complete a well-established academic programme offered via the HKU Faculty of Arts, ranked to be number one in Hong Kong.
• Enjoy the freedom to design your own programme of study from a pool of over 20 courses with a great variety of themes and topics and receive quality training in different Buddhist traditions from historical, doctrinal and interdisciplinary perspectives.
• Connect with students from various nationalities and backgrounds and join a strong network of graduates from wide range of sectors such as business, finance, government, education, non-profit organizations, etc.

Entrance Requirements

The basic qualification necessary for admission to the MBS programme is a good Bachelor’s degree from The University of Hong Kong or an equivalent qualification from comparable accredited institutions. Applicants from all disciplines are welcome.

• If the medium of instruction of your undergraduate or postgraduate degree is NOT English, English proficiency test is required:
  • TOEFL: Internet-based test (iBT) with an overall score of 80 or above
  • IELTS with an overall band 6 with no subtest lower than 5.5

Medium of Instruction

English

Mode of Study

• Full-time: 1 year
• Part-time: 2 years

Classes are mainly conducted on weekday evenings and weekends.

Duration and Study Load

Students are required to take 8 courses to complete the whole programme. Therefore, full-time students normally need to take 4 courses per semester, part-time students may need to take 2 courses per semester.

Coursework

Candidates will complete 8 courses by selecting 2 compulsory foundation courses, 5 elective courses, and 1 course for capstone experience. Courses offered cover a wide spectrum of areas which include:

• 2 FOUNDATION COURSES
  • Early Buddhism
  • Mahāyāna Buddhism
• 5 ELECTIVE COURSES
  • Buddhist Traditions
  • Indian Buddhist Philosophy
  • Chinese Buddhism
  • Tibetan Buddhism
  • Buddhist Texts, Thought and Culture
  • Buddhist meditation texts
  • Yogācāra
  • Buddhist art
  • Buddhist ethics
  • Buddhist anthropology
  • Applied Buddhism
  • Buddhist counselling
  • Buddhist psychology
  • Buddhist liturgy and rituals
  • Buddhist Languages
  • Pāli language
  • Sanskrit language

Our Teachers

Teachers for MBS are listed below:

• Prof. Georgios T. Halkias
• Prof. Klaus-Dieter Mathes
• Prof. Catherine E. Hardie
• Prof. Shen Weirong (Visiting Professor in Semester 1)
• Ven. Sik Hin Hung
• Dr. Guang Xing
• Dr. G.A. Somaratne
• Dr. Tsui Chung Hui
• Ven. Dr. Sik Fa Ren
• Ven. Dr. Sik Hin Yan
• Dr. Dipen Barua
• Dr. Amrita Nanda
• Dr. Gao Mingyuan

Course Fees

• Full-time: HK$175,200 (Pay in 2 equal installments)
• Part-time: HK$175,200 (Pay in 4 equal installments)

Financial Support

• Scholarships are available for application.
• Continuing Education Fund (For local students ONLY): This programme has been included in the list of reimbursable courses under the Continuing Education Fund.

Application

Applications for the programme should be submitted online.

Referee Requirements

Applicants are required to nominate TWO referees. After the online application is submitted, referees will be separately invited by an automated email to complete an online referee survey normally within 4 weeks.

Closing Date of Application

• Round 1: December 12, 2025 (12 noon HKT)
• Round 2: February 27, 2026 (12 noon HKT)

Information Session

The Information Session for Admission is scheduled as below:

• Date: November 1, 2025 (Sat)
• Time: 3:00 – 5:00 pm
• Online via Zoom

Occasional Students

Anyone who is interested to take particular courses from the MBS programme may consider to enroll as Occasional Student (OS).

Frequently Asked Questions

• General
  1. Is there any age limit for the application? No, we welcome applicants from all age groups.
  2. Is the programme offered online? Can I complete the programme remotely? Distance learning is not yet available for the MBS programme at the moment.
  3. Do I have to be a Buddhist to apply for the programme? Would it be hard to catch up without an academic background in religious studies? The programme welcomes applicants from ALL religions and backgrounds.
  4. What would be the schedule of lectures? All our courses conduct lectures once a week on weekday evening or at weekends at the main campus.
• Application
  1. Is there any age limit for the application? No, we welcome applicants from all age groups.
  2. What are the supporting documents required? You are only required to submit scanned copies of your supporting documents during the application stage.
  3. I am required to obtain a valid TOEFL or IELTS results but I do not have the test result at the moment, can I still submit an application first? Yes, you may still submit an application first but please arrange a test as soon as possible.
  4. Where should I upload my supporting document(s) to? After submission of your online application, you will be directed to an online system for uploading the supporting documents.
  5. Are there any funds available to support my study? Scholarship is available for application and needs to be submitted separately from the MBS programme application.
  6. When will the application result be released? The application selection will be done on a rolling basis, so offer of admission will be released in different batches.

Graduate Sharing

As a pioneer and leading research institution in Buddhist Studies in the region, CBS has groomed over 1,400 MBS graduates from all walks of life. The programme has launched a YouTube channel to share with you a series of stories from our graduates on their own life and learning journey.