More about HKUST(GZ)
University News Life@HKUST(GZ) Library Map & Directions
Careers at HKUST(GZ) Faculty Profiles About HKUST(GZ)
Contact Us
Current Students
Prospective Students
HKUST(GZ)
myPortal

URBAN GOVERNANCE
AND DESIGN

> THRUSTS > UGOD > Programs
PHD OVERVIEW
Program Name
  • Master of Philosophy in Urban Governance and Designddd
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Governance and Design
Program Short Name
  • MPhil(UGOD)
  • PhD (UGOD)
Mode of Study
  • Full-time
  • Part-time
Normative Program Duration

  • MPhil

    Full-time: 2 years
    Part-time: 4 years

  • phD

    Full-time: 3 years (with a relevant research master’s degree), 4 years (without a relevant research master’s degree)
    Part-time: 6 years
Program Advisor
  • Program Director: Prof Ge Lin KAN
Introduction

By 2050, two out of every three people are likely to be living in cities or other urban centers, and most of the increase is expected to be highly-concentrated in a handful of countries, including China. Rapid urbanization and growth of cities call for high-quality public services and effective governance to make urban places more livable. The study of cities becomes an increasingly cross-disciplinary enterprise. The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Programs in Urban Governance and Design employ cross-disciplinary perspectives to analyze the data on cities from different sources (including population census, surveys, administrative and big data) to address critical issues in contemporary urban governance and design.

The MPhil Program aims to train students to conduct independent research in urban governance. An MPhil graduate is expected to acquire cross-disciplinary knowledge of cities and employ quantitative skills to integrate and analyze the data from different sources, to write research reports addressing various audience in academia, think tanks, government, or industry, and to contribute to urban governance and design in practice.

The PhD Program seeks to train students in original research with cross-disciplinary approach to urban governance and design, and to cultivate independent and innovative thinking for knowledge creation in the field. A PhD graduate is expected to demonstrate mastery of knowledge in the chosen area of research and to synthesize and create new knowledge making an original and substantial contribution to the cross-disciplinary studies of cities.

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the MPhil program, graduates will be able to:
MPhil
01
Identify and synthesize current research on cities, especially those in the Chinese context;
02
Compare and contrast state-of-the-art knowledge in urban science and relevant referenced disciplines (e.g., data science, demography, economics, geography, public administration, and sociology), and apply such knowledge to drive research, practice, and innovation in the field;
03
Analyze, design, and execute research by utilizing proper research methodologies; and
04
Communicate the developed knowledge and research on cities with the academic and practitioners’ community.
On successful completion of the PhD program, graduates will be able to:
PhD
01
Identify and synthesize current research on cities, especially those in the Chinese context, to demonstrate mastery of knowledge in the chosen area of research;
02
Compare and contrast state-of-the-art knowledge in urban science and relevant referenced disciplines (e.g., data science, demography, economics, geography, public administration, and sociology), and cultivate independent and innovative thinking for knowledge creation in the field;
03
Analyze, design, and execute research by utilizing proper research methodologies to make an original and substantial contribution to the cross-disciplinary studies of cities; and
04
Communicate the developed knowledge and research on cities through publications and teaching.
Note:

For MPhil in UGOD, please visit https://vptlo.hkust-gz.edu.cn/ or contact rbm@hkust-gz.edu.cn for details.

PHD PROGRAM SPECIFICS
Program Progression
First 3-semester coursework
Demonstrate competence
PhD Qualifying Exam
Written proposal with oral defense
PhD candidacy
Other required coursework
Thesis and oral defense
PhD degree conferred
Curriculum

Minimum Credit Requirement

MPhil: 15 credits

PhD: 21 credits

* Credit Transfer: Students who have taken equivalent courses at HKUST or other recognized universities may be granted credit transfer on a case-by-case basis, up to a maximum of 3 credits for MPhil students, and 6 credits for PhD students.

1
Cross-disciplinary Core Courses

2 Credits

UCMP 6010

Cross-disciplinary Research Methods I

2 Credit(s)

UCMP 6020

Cross-disciplinary Research Methods II

2 Credit(s)

UCMP 6030

Cross-disciplinary Design Thinking I

2 Credit(s)

UCMP 6040

Cross-disciplinary Design Thinking II

2 Credit(s)

All students are required to complete either IIMP 6010 or IIMP 6030. Students may complete the remaining courses as part of the credit requirements, as requested by the Program Planning Committee.

2
Hub Core Courses

4 Credits

Students are required to complete at least one Hub core course (2 credits) from the Society Hub and at least one Hub core course (2 credits) from other Hubs.

Society Hub Core Course

SOCH 5000

Technological Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship

2 Credit(s)

Other Hub Core Courses

FUNH 5000

Introduction to Function Hub for Sustainable Future

2 Credit(s)

INFH 5000

Information Science and Technology: Essentials and Trends

2 Credit(s)

SYSH 5000

Model-Based Systems Engineering

2 Credit(s)

3
Courses on Domain Knowledge

MPhil: minimum 9 credits of coursework

PhD: minimum 15 credits of coursework

Required Course List

IPEN 5100

Innovation, Policy and Entrepreneurship

3 Credit(s)

Sample Elective Course List

IPEN 5110

Foundation in Public Policy

3 Credit(s)

IPEN 5200

Uncertainty, Information and Decision Making

3 Credit(s)

IPEN 5300

IPEN 5300 Experimental Economics and Organizational Behavior

3 Credit(s)

IPEN 5400

Climate Change: Science and Governance

3 Credit(s)

IPEN 5400

Climate Change: Science and Governance

3 Credit(s)

IPEN 5500

Science, Technology and Innovation Policy

3 Credit(s)

IPEN 5130

Economics of Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship

3 Credit(s)

IPEN 5700

Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation

3 Credit(s)

IPEN 5800

New Venture Creation

3 Credit(s)

IPEN 5900

Carbon Neutrality Policy and Technology

3 Credit(s)

IPEN 5250

Text Analysis and Machine Learning

3 Credit(s)

IPEN 5310

Behavioral Economics and Public Policy

3 Credit(s)

Under this requirement, each student is required to take a required course and other elective courses to form an individualized curriculum relevant to the cross-disciplinary thesis research. To ensure that students will take appropriate courses to equip them with needed domain knowledge, each student has a Program Planning Committee to approve the courses to be taken soonest after program commencement and no later than the end of the first year. Depending on the approved curriculum, individual students may be required to complete additional credits beyond the minimal credit requirements.

4
Additional Foundation Courses

Individual students may be required to take foundation courses to strengthen their academic background and research capacity in related areas, which will be specified by the Program Planning Committee. The credits earned cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.

Students who need to acquire a stronger quantitative background may be required to take relevant fundamental course(s) in probability and statistics, and software packages in the first regular term of study. The following are examples of such courses:

PPOL 5140

Quantitative Analysis and Empirical Methods

3 Credit(s)

SOSC 5090

Quantitative Methods for Social Science Research

3 Credit(s)

5
Graduate Teaching Assistant Training

PDEV 6800

Introduction to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

0 Credit(s)

All full-time RPg students are required to complete PDEV 6800. The course is composed of a 10-hour training offered by the Center for Education Innovation (CEI), and session(s) of instructional delivery to be assigned by the respective departments. Upon satisfactory completion of the training conducted by CEI, MPhil students are required to give at least one 30-minute session of instructional delivery in front of a group of students for one term. PhD students are required to give at least one such session each in two different terms. The instructional delivery will be formally assessed.

6
Professional Development Course Requirement

PDEV 6770

Professional Development for Research Postgraduate Students

1 Credit(s)

Students are required to complete PDEV 6770. The 1 credit earned from PDEV 6770 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.

PhD students who are HKUST MPhil graduates and have completed PDEV 6770 or other professional development courses offered by the University before may be exempted from taking PDEV 6770, subject to prior approval of the Program Planning Committee.

SOCH 6780

Professional Development in Innovation, Technology, and Social Responsibility

1 Credit(s)

Students are required to complete SOCH 6780. The 1 credit earned from SOCH 6780 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.

PhD students who are HKUST MPhil graduates and have completed SOCH 6780 or other professional development courses offered by the University before may be exempted from taking SOCH 6780, subject to prior approval of the Program Planning Committee.

7
English Language Requirement

LANG 5000

Foundation in Listening & Speaking for Postgraduate Students

1 Credit(s)

Full-time RPg students are required to take an English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) Speaking Test administered by the Center for Language Education before the start of their first term of study. Students whose ELPA Speaking Test score is below Level 4, or who failed to take the test in their first term of study, are required to take LANG 5000 until they pass the course by attaining at least Level 4 in the ELPA Speaking Test before graduation. The 1 credit earned from LANG 5000 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.

LANG 5001

Postgraduate English for Engineering Research Studies

1 Credit(s)

LANG 5002

Postgraduate English for Business and Social Science Studies

1 Credit(s)

LANG 5010

Postgraduate English for Science Studies

1 Credit(s)

Students are required to take one of the above three courses. The credit earned from the above cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.
Students can be exempted from taking this course with the approval of the Program Planning Committee.

8
Postgraduate Seminar

UGOD 6101

UGOD Program Seminar I

0 Credit(s)

UGOD 6102

UGOD Program Seminar II

1 Credit(s)

Students are required to complete UGOD 6101 and UGOD 6102 or their equivalent in two terms in sequence. The credit earned cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.

9
PhD Qualifying Examination

PhD students are required to pass a qualifying examination to obtain PhD candidacy following established policy.

10
Thesis Research

UGOD 6990

MPhil Thesis Research

0 Credit(s)

UGOD 7990

Doctoral Thesis Research

0 Credit(s)

MPhil:

  1. i.Registration in UGOD 6990; and
  2. ii.Presentation and oral defense of the MPhil thesis.

PhD:

  1. i.Registration in UGOD 7990; and
  2. ii.Presentation and oral defense of the PhD thesis.
PHD ADMISSION
Admission Requirements
1
General Admission Requirements of the University

Applicants seeking admission to a master's degree program should have obtained a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution, or an approved equivalent qualification;

Applicants seeking admission to a doctoral degree program should have obtained a bachelor’s degree with a proven record of outstanding performance from a recognized institution;
or presented evidence of satisfactory work at the postgraduate level on a full-time basis for at least one year, or on a part-time basis for at least two years.

2
English Language Admission Requirements

Applicants have to fulfill English Language requirements with one of the following proficiency attainments:

TOEFL-iBT: 80*

TOEFL-pBT: 550

TOEFL-Revised paper-delivered test: 60 (total scores for Reading, Listening and Writing sections)

IELTS (Academic Module): Overall score: 6.5 and All sub-score: 5.5

* refers to the total score in one single attempt

Applicants are not required to present TOEFL or IELTS score if

their first language is English, or

they obtained the bachelor's degree (or equivalent) from an institution where the medium of instruction was English.

To qualify for admission, applicants must meet all of the following requirements. Admission is selective and meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

Enquiry
PhD in UGOD Program
Email: ugodt@hkust-gz.edu.cn
Apply Now

FACULTY

Next Column