PhD Programme in Data Science

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the PhD programme should satisfy the following minimum entrance requirements.

  • be a current MPhil student in the University who is seeking transfer to a PhD programme; or
  • hold a higher research degree (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university; or
  • hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university; or
  • hold a Bachelor’s degree with first-class honours (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university.
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 550 (paper-based test) or 79 (Internet-based test); or 59 (revised Paper-delivered test); or
  • a minimum overall band score of 6.5 in IELTS; or
  • other test scores that may be regarded as equivalent to TOEFL 550 (paper-based test) or 79 (Internet-based test); or 59 (revised Paper-delivered test).

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 with a minimum score of 490, special consideration may be made on a case-by-case basis during normal round admission. 

Applications for the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) programme are not considered.

Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (2024/25)

The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, established by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of the HKSAR government, aims to recruit the brightest students in the world to pursue their PhD studies in Hong Kong. 300 PhD Fellowships will be awarded in the 2024/25 academic year. While academic excellence is the primary consideration, applicants should demonstrate research ability/potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities. The result of the HKPFS 2024/25 will be announced in April/May 2024 by RGC.

The Fellowship awardee will receive:

  • an annual stipend of HK$331,200 (~US$42,460).
  • conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$13,800 (~US$1,760) per year for a maximum of three years.
  • Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies Entrance Scholarships around HK$89,496 (~US $11,473) which covers student's full-time tuition fees and on-campus hostel accommodation expenses in the 1st year of research studies.

For Fellowship awardees who are admitted to a 4-year PhD programme, CityU will provide a monthly studentship at the same level as the RGC Fellowship for their fourth year of study.

How to Apply

1.  Getting Started
  • Select area of interest, contact potential supervisor and seek consent
  • Observe application deadlines
2.  Prepare
  • Take required tests before application deadline
  • Prepare supporting documents (example: transcript, research proposal)
  • Academic referee reports
3.  Apply
  • Apply Now 
    (You are required to list all post-secondary institutions you have attended.)

Remarks:

  1. Submit initial application as early as possible to ensure that you have sufficient time to submit application to CityU.
  2. Applications which are not selected for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme will be considered as normal applications.

Application Timeline

 

SDSC_PhD_Application_Timeline2022

 

Supporting Documents

Academic Referee's Report Compulsory
- Two Academic Referee's Reports are required
Curriculum Vitae Compulsory
Personal Statement Compulsory
Research Proposal Compulsory
Proof of English proficiency Compulsory
e.g. TOEFL/IELTS (Academic Module) score report
Note: College English Test (CET) is NOT accepted as equivalent English proficiency test for Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS).
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 normally found at the back of the transcript or in a handbook for students.

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 societal responsibility;
  6. Institutional support.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to admission interview (either face-to-face or via online means e.g. Zoom, Skype, etc.).

Programme Structure

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

PhD: 20 credit units (including at least 9 credit units of core courses and at least 2 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 enrol in SG8001. The credit unit earned from SG8001 will not be counted towards the minimum coursework requirement.

And

Training on Research Integrity (CITI Programme).

Please refer to the programme requirements for PhD in Data Science at http://www.cityu.edu.hk/catalogue/pg/202324/programme/DS_P.htm.

2) Credit Transfer and Exemption
Students who possess postgraduate qualifications of relevance 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 recognised 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 School Dean.

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 the syllabi are available for reference on the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies (SGS) website.

Scholarship 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 with a view to promoting academic exchange and enhancing 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$11,474)). If granted a Scholarship, the above-mentioned expenses will be off-set by the award.

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 of Tuition Waiver Scheme for Local Research Postgraduate Students, please refer to http://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/funding_opport/tws.html

For the full list of scholarships and financial aid, please visit https://www.cityu.edu.hk/pg/research-degree-programmes/scholarships-financial-aid-and-fees.

Tuition/Continuation Fees

(normally adjusted in September every year)

Type of Fee Mode of Study Remarks
  Full-time Part-time  
Government-funded Students
Tuition fee HK$3,508 per month N/A Non-refundable; applicable to students within their stipulated study period
Continuation fee HK$877 per month HK$439 per month Non-refundable; applicable to students who have been approved for an extension of their study period
Self-financing Students
Tuition fee HK$7,016 per month HK$3,508 per month Non-refundable; applicable to students within their stipulated study period
Continuation fee HK$1,754 per month HK$877 per month Non-refundable; applicable to students who have been approved for an extension of their study period

Contact Us

Potential Supervisors:
Potential applicants are encouraged to contact a potential supervisor prior to submitting an application to our University, though it is not compulsory.

Research Degree Coordinator:
Professor Qi WU
General Enquiries:
Tel: 3442 7887
Email: sdscpg@cityu.edu.hk