Degrees of PhD and MPhil by Research
哲學碩士及哲學博士研究

Systems Engineering (SYE) Department has many world-leading faculties in their respective research areas. SYE Department carries out research in a number of multidisciplinary areas. Research in the Department includes Manufacturing systems, Operations management, Industrial statistics, Reliability Engineering, Logistics and Supply Chain, Human Factors Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Project Management, Quality Management, Engineering Asset Management, etc. Students who graduated or graduating with a bachelor or master degree with good academic records and experience are welcome to apply. The admission is on a competitive basis taking into consideration of academic records, research experience and other qualifications.

Full-time and part-time options are available for the research degrees. The part-time option is intended for students who are working full-time in local industry or as a research assistant in the Department.

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to a research degree programme should satisfy the following minimum entrance requirements:

Master of Philosophy (MPhil)

• hold a relevant Bachelor’s degree with first or second class honours (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

• hold a Bachelor’s degree with first class honours (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university;
• hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university;
• hold a higher degree by research (or equivalent qualification) from a recognized university; or
• be a current MPhil student in the University who seeks transfer to PhD Candidature.

English Proficiency Requirements

Applicants from an institution where the language of teaching is not English should satisfy the minimum English proficiency requirements as follows:

• a minimum TOEFL total score of 79 (in one single internet-based test); or
• a minimum overall band score of 6.5 in IELTS; or
• equivalent qualifications may also be accepted.

TOEFL and IELTS scores are considered valid for two years from the test date and must be valid at the time of submission of application.

College English Test (CET) is NOT accepted as an equivalent English proficiency test for Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS). For applicants with strong academic and research potential who have only taken CET-6, special consideration may be made on a case-by-case basis during normal round admission.

Application Procedures

Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (View Poster  )

HK PhD Fellowship is a prestigious award established by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of the HKSAR Government, aims at attracting the best and brightest students in the world to pursue their research degree programs in Hong Kong's institutions. Students who graduated or graduating with a bachelor or master degree with good academic records and experience are welcome to apply.

The Fellowship awardee will receive:

• a monthly stipend of HK$27,600 (~US$3,538)
• conference and research related travel allowance of HK$13,800 (~US$1,760) per year for a maximum of three years
• "CYCSGS Entrance Scholarships" (around HK$89,496, ~US $11,473) which covers student's tuition and on-campus hostel accommodation fees in the 1st year of research studies.

IMPORTANT: Candidates should submit an initial application as early as possible to ensure sufficient time to submit the application to CityU.

How to Apply

1. Getting Started

• Select area of interest, contact potential supervisor and seek consent
• Observe application deadlines

2. Prepare

• Take required test(s) before the application deadline
• Prepare supporting documents (e.g. transcript, research proposal)
• Academic referee reports

3. Apply

• Apply Now  
  (You are required to list all post-secondary institutions you have attended.)

Supporting Documents

Academic Referee's Report	Compulsory - Two Academic Referee's Reports are required.
Official academic transcripts and award certificates	Bachelor's Degree/ and Master's Degree - Graduation / Degree Certificate - Transcript in Chinese/ original language and English - If applicable, Degree Verification Report (中國高等教育學位在線驗證報告) issued by the Center for Student Services and Development, Ministry of Education (CSSD) via CHSI 學信網
Curriculum Vitae	Compulsory
Personal Statement	Compulsory
Publication record	If applicable (the front page of the papers (for papers that have been published) or the letter of acceptance (for papers that have been accepted for publication).
Research Proposal	Compulsory
Proof of English proficiency	Compulsory e.g., a copy of the official TOEFL/IELTS score report
Institution Grading System	Official explanations of the GPA grading system, showing the maximum GPA obtainable if the transcript did not show grading scales or a 100-mark system is not adopted. It is generally found at the back of the transcript or in a student handbook.

Remarks: Hard copies of the documents are required for further verification only if you are given an offer. Documents which are not in English should be accompanied by a formally translated version in English.

Selection Criteria

While the academic excellence is of prime consideration, the Review Panels will take into account, but not limited to, the following yardsticks for the selection of candidates:

1. Academic excellence;
2. Research ability and potential;
3. Cultural diversity;
4. Communication and interpersonal skills;
5. Leadership abilities; and
6. Institutional support.

Programme Structure

1) Coursework Plan

To be eligible to be awarded a MPhil/PhD degree, students are required to complete the following coursework requirements and submit a thesis.

MPhil: 7 credit units (including at least 2 credit units of research methodology and ethics course at postgraduate level);

PhD: 16 credit units (including at least 9 credit units of core courses and at least 4 credit units of research methodology and ethics course at postgraduate level)

And

1 credit unit compulsory course: Teaching Students: First Steps (SG8001). Individual students with insufficient English proficiency may be required to take a 1 credit unit course English as Medium for Instruction (SG8002) before they are allowed to enroll in SG8001. The credit unit earned from SG8001 will not be counted towards the minimum coursework requirement.

And

Training on Research Integrity (CITI Programme).

2) Credit Transfer and Exemption

Students who possess postgraduate qualifications of relevant to their research studies may apply for credit transfer or coursework exemption. At least half the coursework (4 credit units for MPhil and 7 for PhD) should be taken at CityU or other local institutions recognized under the Cross-institutional Course Enrolment Scheme.

Credit transfer/coursework exemption should be limited to a maximum of 3 credit units for MPhil and 7 for PhD. Recommendations on credit transfer/coursework exemption require the approval of the Department Head.

3) Cross-departmental Course Registration

Students who wish to take courses offered by Departments/Schools outside their host School should obtain approval from the offering Department/School before submitting the Form SGS16A/SGS16B to their host School for endorsement and approval.

A list of approved courses and syllabuses are available for reference on the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies (SGS) website.

Scholarships and Funding

Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies Entrance Scholarships (Applicable to government-funded students only)

CityU offers Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies Entrance Scholarships to encourage outstanding international students to undertake MPhil or PhD studies at the University to promote academic exchange and enhance the international mix of the University’s student population.

The Scholarship covers students’ tuition fees and on-campus hostel accommodation expenses in their first year of their research studies (equivalent to approximately HK$89,496 (~US$11,473)). If granted a Scholarship, the above-mentioned expenses will be offset by the award.

Financial Awards

Financial awards such as Postgraduate Studentships, Research Tuition Scholarship, Conference Grant, Research Activities Fund and Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies Entrance Scholarships are available for eligible research degree students. Priority will be given to those admitted as government-funded PhD students. Please refer to Section #5 of the admission handbook    for details.

Tuition Waiver for Local Research Postgraduate (RPg) Students

The University Grants Committee (UGC) has introduced a ‘Tuition Waiver Scheme’ (‘The Scheme’) for all local students enrolled in full-time UGC-funded Research Postgraduate (RPg) programmes in local institutions, to cover their tuition fees with effect from the academic year 2018-19 (i.e. from July 1, 2018).

This Scheme provides non-means-tested funding to all current and new local students from all disciplines of study enrolled in full-time UGC-funded RPg programmes. Eligible students do not need to apply for the Scheme.

For more information on the Tuition Waiver Scheme for Local Research Postgraduate Students, please refer to the UGC web page  

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For a full list of scholarships and financial aid, please visit Postgraduate Admissions.

Tuition Fee

The following are the major fees for MPhil/PhD programmes. Please note that fees are subject to revision from time to time without prior notification, and any adjustments to fees will apply to both new and current students.

	Mode of Study		Remarks
	Full-time	Part-time
Government-funded students	HK$ 3,508 per month	HK$ 1,754 per month	Non-refundable; applicable to students within their stipulated study period
Self-financing students	HK$ 7,016 per month	HK$ 3,508 per month	Non-refundable; applicable to students within their stipulated study period

Contact Us

Potential Supervisors:

Potential applicants are encouraged to contact a potential supervisor prior to applying to the University, though it is not compulsory.

Academic Enquiries:

Professor Min XIE
MSc(KTH, Sweden), LicTech(Linkoping), PhD(Linkoping, Sweden)
Chair Professor of Industrial Engineering & PhD/MPhil Research Degree Coordinator (ADSE)
Tel: 3442 9596
Fax: 3442 0173
Email: minxie@cityu.edu.hk

General Enquiries:

Email: sye.office@cityu.edu.hk

Last modified on 9 November, 2023