HONG KONG (SE): Saint Francis University has officially launched its new Master of Arts in Ethics and Religion through the Ip Ying To Lee Yu Yee School of Humanities and Languages. The programme is designed to help professionals and community leaders navigate complex moral issues in a rapidly changing world while deepening their faith and service to society.
The curriculum combines general ethical reasoning with Christian, Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian traditions, tailoring its approach to Hong Kong’s multicultural context. Moving beyond traditional Western models, the course examines pressing contemporary issues such as artificial intelligence ethics, healthcare bioethics, and environmental stewardship. Students can explore practical applications, including using religious ethics to support the lonely or guide end-of-life care decisions.
Programme leader and senior lecturer, Chiu Tze-ming, emphasised this broader approach, stating, “The MAER Programme will always emphasise the need to assess ethical issues from different perspectives, including views from other major religious traditions as well as the moral theories held by secular scholars.”
He pointed out that the course comes at a crucial time for local professionals such as pastoral ministers, social workers, NGO administrators, and secondary school teachers. It directly supports Hong Kong’s updated educational goals and the Government’s 2022 Youth Development Blueprint, which emphasise positive values, resilience, ethical technology use, and respect for pluralism.
Chiu noted that by examining ethical issues within religious contexts, students develop a deeper understanding of the challenges facing individuals and communities, cultivating ethical awareness and social responsibility.
Taught in English over two years of part-time study [with a maximum of four years], the programme is designed to accommodate busy working adults. It offers flexible exit options, allowing candidates to earn a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma along the way. Graduates will be prepared for leadership roles in education, social policy, Church organisations, and community services, or for further academic research locally and abroad.
Adding to the programme’s vision, Professor Chan Sin-wai, dean of the school, shared that learning is not just about gaining knowledge and skills, but also about growing in wisdom, creating a better future, and broadening one’s spiritual world.
