Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy Programs in Bioengineering (Part time)

Minimum Credit Requirement

MPhil: 12 credits
PhD: 18 credits

Credit Transfer

PhD students entering with a master’s or equivalent degree in Engineering or related discipline from outside the Department may be granted credit transfer of up to 9 credits by the Department Head and PG Coordinator. Students entering with a master’s degree from the Department will be granted credit transfer of up to 12 credits, subject to the approval of the Department Head and PG Coordinator.

Required Courses

MPhil: 12 credits of postgraduate courses, with at least 6 credits in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
PhD: 18 credits of postgraduate courses, with at least 9 credits in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

School Requirements on PhD Programs

In addition to the program requirements, all full-time and part-time PhD students are required to complete the school requirements, which aim to help students gain a wider exposure to multidisciplinary areas, and attain all-rounded learning by broadening their knowledge base.

PhD students are required to take at least a 3-credit course at 5000-level or above outside their programs offered by the School of Engineering. The 3 credits may be satisfied by courses from other Schools upon approval.

In some exceptional cases where students can provide sufficient justifications and obtain prior approval from their supervisors, PG Coordinators, and Heads of Department/Program Directors or designees, they are allowed to take the 3-credit course within their home departments/programs but the course must be in areas outside their specialty.

Details of the requirements are available on the website of the School of Engineering.

Graduate Teaching Assistant Training

PDEV 6800Introduction to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education0 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.

Professional Development Course Requirement

PDEV 6770Professional Development for Research Postgraduate Students1 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 School.

ENGG 6780Career Development for Engineering Research Students1 Credit(s)

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

PhD students who are HKUST MPhil graduates and have completed ENGG 6780 before may be exempted from taking ENGG 6780, subject to prior approval of the School.

English Language Requirement

LANG 5000Foundation in Listening & Speaking for Postgraduate Students1 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 5001Postgraduate English for Engineering Research Studies1 Credit(s)

Full-time students must complete LANG 5001. Students may be exempted from taking LANG 5001 with the agreement of the Department Head and PG Coordinator. The 1 credit earned from LANG 5001 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.

Postgraduate Seminar

CENG 6800Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Seminar0 Credit(s)

MPhil:
Full-time students, including students entering with the HKUST Master of Science degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, must take and pass CENG 6800 at least twice.  Part-time students must take and pass CENG 6800 at least once.  All students must present at least one seminar during their study, counting the oral defense of their MPhil thesis.

PhD:
Full-time students must take and pass CENG 6800 at least three times and present in at least two seminars during their study, counting the oral defense of their PhD thesis.  Part-time students and students entering with the HKUST MPhil degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering must take and pass CENG 6800 at least once and present in at least one seminar during their study, counting the oral defense of their PhD thesis.

PhD Qualifying Examination
To become a doctoral candidate, the student must pass a qualifying examination within the first 1.5 years of study. The qualifying examination consists of an oral examination given by the Thesis Supervision Committee. The purpose of the oral examination is to establish the student’s ability to formulate and conduct original research in the chosen discipline.

Thesis Research

CENG 6990MPhil Thesis Research0 Credit(s)
CENG 7990Doctoral Thesis Research0 Credit(s)

MPhil:

Registration in CENG 6990; and

Presentation and oral defense of the MPhil thesis.

PhD:

Registration in CENG 7990; and

Presentation and oral defense of the PhD thesis.

If an MPhil student participates in an industrial project and writes a thesis on a work-related topic, the thesis will be supervised jointly by a faculty member of the Department and a representative from the participating company.