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HKUST 2011-2012 Annual Report
More than 180 existing General Education courses were
approved for the Common Core, and 80 more Common
Core courses added. They cover a huge range of areas
including arts, literature, the environment, philosophy
and architecture. Significant progress was also made in
developing courses for the Arts Common Core Area. A
Common Core Course Excellence Award was established
to honor course instructors who have contributed to these
courses.
Postgraduate education
HKUST has become well known internationally for its top-
quality taught and research postgraduate programs. The
University’s EMBA program has achieved top rank in the
world and its MBA program is ranked among the world’s
top programs.
Broadening research postgraduate
programs
A determined effort was made to provide research
students with increased opportunities to broaden their skill
set involving partnerships between the University’s Center
for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching, the
Student Affairs Office, the Center for Language Education,
the Library, and the Schools and Interdisciplinary
Programs Office. Ethical issues, career-building courses,
and communication skills were among the areas being
addressed.
Providing postgraduates with international experience is a
priority. Funding for the Research Travel Grant program was
therefore increased. The Overseas Research Attachment
Scheme for PhD students continued to provide selected
students with valuable experience in leading laboratories in
top-class institutions worldwide.
The percentage of international students among the
research postgraduate population rose to 7 per cent during
the past year, compared with 3.4 per cent two years ago.
HKUST has been highly successful in the Hong Kong PhD
Fellowship Scheme, which brings students to the city from
around the world. The University secured 41 awards out
of a total of 165 awards, representing 24.8 per cent of
the awards offered by the Research Grants Council for
2012-13. Further efforts were also made to encourage
good students to take up postgraduate study at the
University.
New programs have seen HKUST build on its expertise.
One example was the MPhil and PhD in Environmental
Science, Policy and Management to be launched by the
Interdisciplinary Programs Office’s Division of Environment.
During the year, the Fok Ying Tung Graduate School also
started recruitment for a self-financed MPhil in Innovative
Technologies Leadership to be launched in the 2012
academic year.
Taught postgraduate programs expand
The range of HKUST’s taught postgraduate programs
continued to grow as new programs were introduced.
Student numbers also increased to 2,398.
Among the programs under development was a new MSc
program in Environmental Health and Safety offered by the
School of Science. During the year, the School of Business
and Management offered the company-sponsored MSc
in Global Management. The Business School was also
preparing for the launch of an MSc in Global Operations
and an MSc in International Management in collaboration
with CEMS, a global alliance in management education
in 2013.
