Having successfully achieved self-accrediting university status in 2004, the Hong Kong Institute of Education phased in a new academic structure in September 2005 by merging four existing Schools into two Faculties: the Faculty of Languages, Arts and Sciences ("FLAS"), and the Faculty of Professional and Early Childhood Education ("FPECE"). FLAS comprised of the Departments of Creative Arts and Physical Education; Chinese; English; and Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences and Technology; whereas FPECE was composed of the Departments of Curriculum and Instruction; Early Childhood Education; Educational Policy and Administration; and Educational Psychology, Counseling and Learning Needs.
The Institute took further actions in enhancing its academic and research capacities following the submission of the Development Blueprint in 2007. Apart from creating the new position of Vice President (Research and Development) and implementing strategic recruitment and appointment exercises, a new academic structure which reorganized the two Faculties into a three-Faculty structure was launched on 25 August 2008. The five academic departments initially under FPECE came under the Faculty of Education Studies; whereas the newly created Faculty of Languages took over both the Department of Chinese and Department of English, and the restructured Faculty of Arts and Sciences housing the Department of Creative Arts and Physical Education as well as the Department of Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences and Technology. And from 1 September 2009, the two Departments under the Faculty of Arts and Sciences were reorganised into the Departments of Cultural and Creative Arts; Health and Physical Education; Mathematics and Information Technology; Science and Environmental Studies; and Social Sciences.
To reflect the strategic growth in research capacity and teaching expertise in liberal arts and social sciences in relation to the Institute's re-submission for the re-titling exercise, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences was renamed the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences with effect from 1 September 2012. The Faculty is currently housing four Departments: the Department of Health and Physical Education, the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology, the Department of Science and Environmental Studies, and the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies.