The Programme aims to

• enable computer professionals to strengthen and upgrade their theoretical understandings and technical capabilities in Cybersecurity,
• enhance students' comprehensive knowledge and profound comprehension of specialised cybersecurity domains, encompassing both technical and practical aspects, and
• prepare graduates to take up research and advanced innovative development work in the industry or pursue higher research studies in Cybersecurity.

To be eligible for admission, you must satisfy the General Entrance Requirements and have:

• a recognised bachelor's degree in a computing discipline such as Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, or equivalent; or
• a recognised bachelor's degree in a related discipline such as Electronic Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Manufacturing Engineering, Quantitative Analysis, or equivalent, together with applicable working experience in information technology.

Applicants whose entrance qualification is obtained from an institution where the medium of instruction for the whole programme is NOT English should also fulfill the following minimum English proficiency requirement^:

• 79 (for tests taken prior to 21 January 2026) or 4 (for tests taken from 21 January 2026 onwards) (Internet-based test) in the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL)^@#; or
• an overall band score of 6.0 in International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (Academic)^@; or
• a score of 450 in the Chinese mainland’s College English Test Band 6 (CET-6) 

IELTS (UKVI) (Academic) for UK student visa application is acceptable.

^{^Individual Colleges and Schools may stipulate a higher English proficiency requirement, or equivalent acceptable qualifications, as deemed appropriate for their disciplines}

^@ TOEFL and IELTS scores are considered valid for two years. Applicants are required to provide their English test results obtained within the two years preceding the start of the University's application period. There is no validity period for CET-6.
^# Applicants with an IELTS overall band score of 6.0 or a TOEFL overall score of 4 will be required to pass an interview for English proficiency. Applicants with a comparable overall score of 79 or above shown on the TOEFL report may be exempt from the interview requirement. Interviews for other applicants may not be required.

For Submission of TOEFL Score to CityUHK:

Please arrange with the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to send your result(s) directly to the University. The TOEFL institution code for CityUHK is 3401 (Graduate School Admissions) and the Department code is 99.

For Submission of IELTS Score to CityUHK:

Please send your result(s) via the IELTS Results Service e-delivery to the 'City University of Hong Kong - Graduate School'.

The following English tests are NOT acceptable:

• Duolingo
• GMAT
• GRE
• IELTS Indicator
• IELTS One Skill Retake
• IELTS Online
• TOEFL iBT Home Edition
• TOEFL MyBest Score
• TOEIC
• Others

Please refer to the updated admissions website for information.

The definitions of non-local applicants and local applicants are set out below:

Non-local Applicants

Persons holding the following documents issued by the Immigration Department (IMMD) of the HKSAR are classified as non-local applicants: 

• Student visa / entry permit; or
• Visa / entry permit under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG Visa); or
• Dependant visa / entry permit for applicants who were 18 years old or above when they were issued with such visa / entry permit by the IMMD

Due to immigration restrictions, nationals from Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, North Korea (DPRK), Nepal and Vietnam may not be able to obtain a student visa to study in Hong Kong. For details, please click here.

Local Applicants

Persons holding any of the following documents issued by the Immigration Department (IMMD) are classified as local applicants:

• Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card
• Documents issued by the IMMD certifying the right of abode / right to land in Hong Kong
• One-way permit for entry to Hong Kong
• Dependent visa / entry permit for applicants who were below 18 years old when they were issued with such visa / entry permit by the IMMD
• Full-time employment visa / work permit (for part-time study)
• Visa / entry permit for Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
• Visa / entry permit for Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES)
• Visa / Entry permit for Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents
• Visa label for unconditional stay

If you need further advice on visa requirements, please contact the IMMD. 

The programme consists of 31 credit units of core and elective courses.

The programme consists of four core courses and two groups of Electives (elective courses). The core courses will enable students to acquire a solid foundation in cybersecurity at the postgraduate level. The elective courses are divided into two groups: Group I and Group II. Students are required to take at least 12 credit units of Electives in Group I and at most 9 credit units of the Electives in Group II to complete the programme.

Each course is worth 3 credit units. The Seminar course and Project course are exceptions, carrying 1 and 6 credit unis respectively.

Core courses (10 credit units)

• CS5285 Introduction to Cybersecurity
• CS5293 Topics in Information Security and Privacy
• CS5294 Information Security Technology Management
• CS5612 Seminar on Contemporary Cybersecurity (1 credit unit)

Elective Courses (21 credit units)

Group I Electives

• CS5288 Cryptograph: Theory and Practice
• CS5291 Cybersecurity Forensics and Incident Response
• CS5292 Cybersecurity Audits and Compliance
• CS6283 Advanced Topics in Mobile and IoT Security
• CS5295 Network and Cloud Security
• CS6290 Privacy-enhancing Technologies
• CS6284 Advanced Topics in Software Security
• CS5297 Topics in AI Security
• CS5298 Blockchain and Web3.0 Security
• CS6537 Guided Study in Information Security
• CS6532 Internship in Cybersecurity
• CS6531 Project in Cybersecurity (6 credit units)

Group II Electives

• CS5296 Cloud Computing: Theory and Practice
• CS5222 Computer Networks and Internets
• CS5483 Data Warehousing and Data Mining
• CS5351 Software Engineering
• CS5489 Machine Learning: Algorithms and Applications

More information:

• All the Project and Internship courses are mutually exclusive.
• Students are responsible for finding a suitable internship, If a student cannot find a suitable internship, the student may take project course to fulfill the programme requirements.
• Likewise, students who would like to graduate in one year can also take the Project course to fulfill the programme requirements.