The Graduate School was formally established by the Council in September 1998. In the management of the research postgraduate (RPg) degrees i.e. Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), the Graduate School deals with policy implementation on admission, academic programmes, progress monitoring, rules and regulations, and quality assurance.

The School's major roles are:

• to advise on quality assurance and the academic audit of graduate training and supervision of Mphil and PhD programmes;
• to participate in the formulation of policy on a wide range of issues affecting research students, including residential accommodation, postgraduate scholarship, research support and other welfare;
• to maintain a regular review mechanism and provide feedback for policy considerations;
• to monitor and review the admission process and the academic progress of research students;
• to determine the results of higher degree research candidatures on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners;
• to organise courses on thesis writing and research skills and methods as part of the core programme for 4-year PhD and MPhil studies;
• to provide supporting services for prospective research students, current research students and staff engaged in supervision;
• to prepare and maintain a database on research postgraduate students;
• to disseminate good practice and ensure that it is applied in the faculties/departments;
• to implement policies approved by the Policy Board of Postgraduate Education and to set guidelines on MPhil and PhD studies and supervisory arrangements to help ensure the students will complete their candidature in an effective and efficient manner;
• to participate in training workshops in research supervision organised by the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) for new teachers; to organise an induction programme for new research students to introduce them to the University and the wide range of support services provided for their benefit;
• to organise seminars and lectures of general interest to postgraduate students;
• to disseminate information to students on scholarships and further study opportunities; and
• to keep up-to-date with international developments, innovations and practices in graduate education, e.g. the University is an international associate member of the Council of Graduate Schools in North America.