Higher Diploma Programmes
Higher Diploma in Medical and Health Products Management
Programme Code:
- Certificate in General Studies Programme
- Foundation Programme
- Year 1
The medical and health products sector is an integral part of the health services industry. It encompasses a broad range of product areas including pharmaceuticals, natural health products, laboratory and scientific equipments, medical and diagnostic equipments, and health care products. These products are driven by technology and innovation, hence understanding them would require a good basic medical science background as well as a technical background. The increasing demand for health care opens up employment opportunities for those who have the requisite knowledge of health product usage and technology and the skills required by businesses in this sector.
Programme Aims and Features
This programme provides students with basic knowledge of medical science (anatomy and physiology, microbiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology) and general chemistry for the understanding of scientific, medical and health care technologies. Students will acquire product specific knowledge and business-oriented skills to facilitate their eventual employment in marketing, sales and entrepreneurship areas in the medical and health products and services industries. For students to gain actual work experience, optional job placements will be arranged during the course of study.
Teaching staff for specialism courses are registered pharmacists or holders of higher degrees, doctoral degrees and master’s degrees, in the relevant subjects.
Opportunities for Further Studies
Graduates are eligible to apply for the:
- Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, a part-time programme offered locally by HKU SPACE in collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University (UK); or
- Bachelor of Pharmacy, second year of the 4-year full-time degree programme offered by La Trobe University (Bendigo Campus, Australia); or
- Bachelor of Science, second year of the 3-year full-time degree programme offered by La Trobe University (Bendigo Campus, Australia); or
- Bachelor of Pharmacy programmes offered by university pharmacy schools in Australia; or
- Bachelor's Degrees in Biology, Food Science, Life Science, Nursing, Environmental & Occupational Safety and Health Science disciplines offered by local or overseas universities.
Career Prospects
Graduates will be able to take up employment in marketing, sales and technical support functions in the medical and natural health products industry, as well as scientific and laboratory equipment businesses. Graduates may be employed in private clinics and elderly homes as dispensers to provide support to pharmacists or physicians.
2-year Higher Diploma Programme (Direct Entry to Year 1)
HKDSE
- Level 2 or above in 5 subjects# (including Chinese Language and English Language), and have taken HKDSE Biology or Chemistry, or equivalent;
Applicants whose HKDSE results do not meet the entry requirements of the 2-year Higher Diploma Programme should apply for admission to the Certificate in General Studies Programme.
OR
HKALE
- Pass in one AL subject or two AS subjects in the HKALE; and three passes in HKCEE* PLUS Level 2 / Grade E or above in Chinese Language and English Language, and have taken HKCEE Biology or Chemistry, or equivalent;
Applicants whose HKALE results do not meet the entry requirements of the 2-year Higher Diploma Programme should apply for admission to the Foundation Programme.
OR
- Hold a recognised Pre-Associate Degree / Foundation Programme qualification, and have taken HKDSE / HKCEE Biology or Chemistry, or equivalent; OR
- Hold a recognised post-secondary certificate or diploma, and have taken HKCEE Biology or Chemistry, or equivalent.
#Applicants are allowed to use not more than two Applied Learning (ApL) subjects in the application.
The recognition of the ApL subjects is as follows:
“Attained with distinction” is deemed equivalent to Level 3; and
“Attained” is deemed equivalent to Level 2.
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* |
Students who have successfully completed a quality-assured Applied Learning Course will be recognised as comparable to a HKCEE subject pass (up to a maximum of 2 subjects), other than Chinese Language and English Language. |
Certificate in General Studies Programme^ / Foundation Programme
Certificate in General Studies Programme^:
HKDSE
- Level 2 or above in English Language and any three other subjects# (which may include Chinese Language), and have taken HKDSE Biology or Chemistry, or equivalent; in any event Chinese Language must be at Level 1 or above;
OR
- Level 2 or above in English Language and any two other subjects# (which may include Chinese Language), and have taken HKDSE Biology or Chemistry, or equivalent; in any event Chinese Language must be at Level 1 or above; and at least 8 points@ in the best three subjects.
Foundation Programme:
HKCEE
- Three passes in the HKCEE* PLUS Level 2 / Grade E or above in Chinese Language and English Language in the HKCEE, and have taken HKCEE Biology or Chemistry, or equivalent;
OR
- Completed Project Yi Jin with satisfactory results, and have taken HKDSE / HKCEE Biology or Chemistry, or equivalent.
^ Subject to EDB approval.
# Applicants are allowed to use not more than two Applied Learning (ApL) subjects in the application.
The recognition of the ApL subjects is as follows:
"Attained with distinction" is deemed equivalent to Level 3; and
"Attained" is deemed equivalent to Level 2.
@ Level 5** = 7 points; Level 5* = 6 points; Level 5 = 5 points; Level 4 = 4 points; Level 3 = 3 points; Level 2 = 2 points; Level 1 = 1 point.
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* |
Students who have successfully completed a quality-assured Applied Learning Course will be recognised as comparable to a HKCEE subject pass (up to a maximum of 2 subjects), other than Chinese Language and English Language. |
Applicants who do not possess the above academic qualifications but are aged 21 or above and have relevant working experience will be considered by the College.
Foundation Programme*
- General English I & II
- Foundations of Chinese Language
- Mathematics and Statistics for Daily Life Applications
- Computer Studies
- The Process of Design
- Popular Culture: Identities and Institutions
- Ethics and Society
- Foundations of Biology
- Foundations of Chemistry
- Multiple Intelligences and Competencies
Higher Diploma Year 1
- General English III
- English for Academic and Professional Purposes Part I
- Putonghua
- Introduction to Multimedia / Introduction to Information Technology
- Anatomy & Physiology I & II
- College Chemistry for Medical and Health Products Sciences
- Microbiology
- Natural Health Products
- Pharmaceutics
- Scientific Instrumentation and Laboratory Measurements
Higher Diploma Year 2
- English for Academic and Professional Purposes Part II
- Business Communication in English
- Practical Chinese
- Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies
- Pathophysiology
- Drug Action and Use of Medicines I, II & III
- Medical Equipment and Healthcare Products
- Professional Skills in Pharmacy
- Business Development
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* |
The choice of the Generic Skills and General Education courses in the Foundation Programme may be replaced by another course under the same category depending on availability in a particular semester. |
趙敏妍 Jovy Chiu
- Year 1, Higher Diploma in Medical and Health Products Management
- BEng in Chemical and Environment Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
“Although it has only been a year at HPCC, what I gained is so invaluable throughout my life. To be frank, at the outset I saw HPCC as a shelter when my application to university turned me off. I was completely wrong as HPCC did offer me a hope as well as a second chance to further my studies in university.
I enjoyed my school life very much as I made lots of friends here who came from all walks of life. I learnt a good deal of things from lecturers too who all had strong enthusiasm on teaching. Besides, HPCC has been offering students with different summer internship programmes so that they can put learning into practice. I am fortunate to fulfill my dream as a chemical engineer and further my tertiary studies in HKUST now.”
康穎翹 Josephine Hong
- Foundation Programme
- Higher Diploma in Medical and Health Products Management
- Bachelor of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong
“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did”, said Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple.
“I recalled the day when the HKCEE certificate was handed over to me 3 years ago. As my secondary school rejected my Form 6 application, I was overwhelmed by frustration because all my efforts were in vain. The only thing left to me was my strong enthusiasm to be a registered nurse; that was the career 'I loved'. To that end, I enrolled the Higher Diploma in Medical and Health roducts Management programme, which gave me the first access to modules like Anatomy & Physiology, Microbiology, Drug Action and Use of Medicine etc. My interest in nursing continued to grow and I came to realise that this programme was essential for my future study in the university. The medical industry offers us a lot of job opportunities due to the aging problems in our population; thereby this programme is well designed to equip students with the knowledge and training in this industry.”
劉美岐 Miki Lau
- Year 1, Higher Diploma in Medical and Health Products Management
- Two degree offers received, including:
- Bachelor of Science, The University of Hong Kong
- BA (Hons) in English Language and Literature, Hong Kong Baptist University
“The mode of learning at HPCC is different from that in secondary school, which learning is always put into practice. Apart from the traditional learning sessions, I enjoyed various practical and training classes in the medical and health products laboratory. I felt a lot more relaxed, happy and therefore could spend more time on the extracurricular activities, living my life to the fullest extent. I would describe my experience at HPCC as fruitful and full of colours. I would never forget the time spent with my classmates and Student Ambassadors, as well as the inspiring and enriching lectures by all the lecturers.
To me, HPCC was a place full happy memories -- at the Learning Commons, in the small yet cosy library, in classrooms and in front of a wall of corridor lockers outside classrooms. HPCC had truly led me to countless valuable opportunities, with which I made good use of them for my future career and aspirations.”
夏澆楓 Charles Ha
- Higher Diploma in Medical and Health Products Management
- Two degree offers received, including:
- Bachelor of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong
- Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health,
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
“Learning is always put into practice at HPCC. Apart from the traditional learning sessions, we enjoyed various practical and training classes in the medical and health products laboratory. We also learned about the art of managing health products and wellness businesses in a large enterprise through summer placement. Since HPCC is highly recognised by the local universities, my qualification is successfully articulated to the HKU Bachelor of Nursing degree programme, which gears myself further to the career in health care related industries. In conclusion, the programme greatly helped us in developing our professional skills in medical and pharmaceutical sciences."
盧柏希 Parco Lo
- Higher Diploma in Medical and Health Products Management, Year 1
- Bachelor of Science, The University of Hong Kong
I thought it was the end of my school life when my applications for Bachelor’s Degree programmes were rejected by JUPAS. Don’t you feel the same way now?
Nevertheless, I incidentally flipped through the Prospectus of “HKU SPACE Po Leung Kuk Community College (HPCC)” and that was the time my hope had come to light again. Fresh, spacious, modern campus was my first impression about my College life in HPCC. With the lecturers coming from HKU SPACE and local pharmaceutical and health product industries, it really offered me a great sense of assurance in terms of the quality in conducting the lectures as well as the robustness in its coverage. It is a misunderstanding to say that the course here is simple in nature, as HPCC is determined to facilitate students' adaption to university study in the future. It is like a transition period whilst courses are designed to be practical as well as challenging.
The Higher Diploma in Medical and Health Products Management programme equipped me with essential knowledge of basic medical and pharmaceutical sciences such as microbiology and pharmaceutics. You may not aware that oil can really mix with water into a continuous phase. I recall that we had a laboratory practical for hand cream preparation through mixing aqueous and oily components well together using pharmaceutical techniques. It indicates that health products are becoming increasingly popular in the market and dispensing skills are vital and useful in our daily lives as well. I start to see the success in my future career by incorporating these two main elements in our community.
胡愷慈 Eugenia Woo
- Higher Diploma in Medical and Health Products Management
- Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Lecturers at HPCC were very dedicated to teaching and I had benefited a lot from them. Apart from the knowledge gained from textbooks and lectures, I enjoyed various training in the medical and health products laboratory. I also had the opportunity to acquire practical work experience in a summer placement which helped me better understand the real job setting. The Higher Diploma programme is well-recognised by the local universities and I successfully articulated to a bachelor’s degree programme at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
With the valuable knowledge acquired at HPCC, I am glad to have the chance to further pursue my studies in the university.
馮頌慈 Zoe Fung
- Higher Diploma in Medical and Health Products Management
- Bachelor of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong
“After I have completed the 2-year Higher Diploma in Medical and Health Products Management programme, I am glad to realise that I gained a lot from this programme. Not only I could receive the quality education from this college, but also the chance to develop my whole-person strength. With the help of different practices and activities throughout various courses, my passion for learning has been greatly enhanced. I must say that I became more confident in both my future career and further studies since my language proficiency, analytical skills and communication abilities have been improved a lot in the past 2 years. Moreover, I have acquired some skills which can help me to meet the needs of this rapidly changing society.”
馬詠廉 Winnie Ma
- Foundation Programme
- Higher Diploma in Medical and Health Products Management
- Full-time employment, now working as a dispenser in a medical centre
“After graduating from the Higher Diploma in Medical and Health Products Management programme, I quickly got a job as a dispenser in a medical centre. The knowledge that I have learnt in this programme is extremely useful, which I can fully utilize those dispensing and patient counseling skills in my job now.
In the past 3 years, those sincere and friendly lecturers were what I treasured most. All the lecturers were willing to share their own working experience with us, that we were able to feel their strong passions and devotion to teaching.
Last but not least, I wish all the HPCC students a wonderful school life and a bright future.”
Recruitment Talk -- Jacobson Pharma Group
02 Apr 2012
Stress Bomber-Man Workshop
27 Mar 2012
Visit to the Pharmacy Department of Hong Kong Baptist Hospital
22 Feb 2012
Visit to the Pharmacy Department of Ruttonjee Hospital
28 Mar 2012
Recruitment Talk -- Vita Green Health Products Co. Ltd.
09 May 2011
Seminar on Pharmacy Education in Australia
09 May 2011
Recruitment Talk -- Mannings
11 Apr 2011
Recruitment Talk -- A.S. Watson Group (HK) Limited
28 Mar 2011
Visit to the Precious Blood Hospital (HD in Medical and Health Products Management programme)
06 Nov 2010
