HKUST Annual Report 2016-17

16 HKUST 2016-2017 Annual Report The Division of Public Policy will launch MPhil and PhD programs in Public Policy in Fall 2017. The Division will foster synergistic collaboration with the Institute for Public Policy to support not only the development of regular academic framework, but also the establishment of targeted research agenda to involve faculty, external scholars, and policy practitioners in conducting impactful policy research and evaluation. Minor programs and common core courses will also be offered as the Division builds capacity. International collaborations yield important benefits to postgraduate students in terms of training and research opportunities, cultural perspectives, and teamwork and leadership skills required for multinational research projects. In 2016-17, the University entered into agreements with China Academy of Art, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, University of Sussex, and University of Waterloo to offer dual degree postgraduate programs in various disciplines. All-Round Learning HKUST seeks to provide a total learning experience for its research postgraduate students to shape them as future leaders in their fields. Following the initial launch of a Professional Development Course in 2013-14 to cultivate such all-round capabilities, in June 2017 the University Senate approved that a uniform Professional Development Course requirement be introduced for all research postgraduates admitted from 2017- 18 onward. The course comprises completion of a mandatory component on professional conduct and a choice of activities/workshops on communication skills, research competency, entrepreneurship, self-management and career development. HKUST’s internationalization initiative has paid off. The annual research postgraduate intake increased from 584 with 30 nationalities in 2014-15 to 629 with 32 nationalities in 2016-17, in particular outside of Asia. Research postgraduate students are also encouraged to present papers at international academic conferences supported either through the University’s Research Travel Grant or by making use of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme’s Conference Travel Grant. In addition, some 50 research postgraduates benefited from the University’s Overseas Research Award in 2016-17. The funding facilitates visits of between two to six months to an overseas host institution to undertake research.