📖Introduction

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is a public research university in Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991 by the British Hong Kong Government, it was the territory's third institution to be granted university status.

HKUST is commonly regarded as one of the fastest-growing universities in the world. As of 2019, the university was ranked seventh in Asia by QS and third by Times, and around the top 40 internationally. It also ranked first in Times Higher Education Young University Rankings in 2019 and second by QS world's under-50 universities in 2020.

Today, the university consists of four main academic schools, offering programs in science, engineering, business and management, humanities and social science, along with the Interdisciplinary Programs Office, HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School / Guangzhou HKUST Fok Ying Tung Research Institute, HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study and HKUST Institute for Public Policy.

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📚About the Program

Master’s in Biotechnology at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

Overview:

The Master of Science (MSc) Program in Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary program designed to provide rigorous training to students for professional careers in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Since its inception in 1993, the program has been widely recognized as a premier academic program by professional practitioners in the relevant fields. It covers various basic and advanced biotechnological elements, including pharmaceutical, analytical, transgenic and recombinant technology, bioprocessing, business operations, and management. All these elements are unique for preparing students to become scientific research leaders with entrepreneurship in emerging bio-industrial areas. With this training and exposure, graduates from the program will be able to initiate innovative solutions in biotechnology and rapidly advance their careers.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

  1. Explain in-depth and up-to-date knowledge in basic and advanced biotechnological elements;
  2. Evaluate information relevant to concepts and issues of contemporary biotechnology;
  3. Analyze and solve both theoretical and applied biotechnological problems related to research and technical aspects of the industry;
  4. Describe legal, ethical, social and business aspects of biotechnology-based products and services; and
  5. Perform biotechnological research or assessments independently and/or collaboratively with peers.

Award Title

Master of Science in Biotechnology

Mode of Study

Both Full-time and Part-time

Normative Program Duration

Full-time: 1 year
Part-time: 1.5 years
The majority of the courses will be conducted on weekday evenings/Saturdays at HKUST.

Kindly message us for the mode of study and program duration that you will choose.

Program Fee

The program fee is HK$118,000 (full-time mode) and HK$105,000 (part-time mode), to be paid in 3 and 4 installments, respectively:

ProgramFees

Note:

  • The fees stipulated above only cover maximally 31 and 27 credits, for full time and part-time students, respectively.
  • The fee stipulated above only covers a registered study period of 12 months and 18 months, for full time and part-time mode, respectively.
  • Students are required to pay HK$4,400 per credit if they take extra credit or stay in the program beyond the registered period covered by the nominal fee.
  • Students admitted with credit transfer are also required to pay the nominal program fee.
  • Major intake of full-time mode is usually in the Fall term of every academic year, hence, the admission places available for the following Spring term would be very limited, and mainly for local students.

Admission Requirements:

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

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.

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.

3. Program-Specific Admission Requirements
A bachelor's degree in Biological Science or a related area

4. Additional Information
Applicants should have a proven record of good performance, be proficient in English and must demonstrate basic knowledge in biotechnology concerns.

Application Deadlines

For 2020 Fall Term Intake:

June 1, 2020

For 2021 Spring Term Intake:

November 1, 2020

Our Graduates

Our graduates can get a full-time employment or further study within 6-months after graduation. Depending on their career aspirations, the employment sectors for our graduates are highly diversified, which include commerce and business, scientific and research work, product development and quality assurance, education, and government and related organizations. Some of our graduates have successfully pursued a doctoral degree either locally or abroad.

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📖Program Curriculum

Minimum Credit Requirement:
26 credits

Required Courses (14 credits)
BTEC 5210 Principles and Application in Biotechnology 4 Credit(s)
BTEC 5220 Business Operations of Biotechnology 4 Credit(s)
BTEC 5260 Bioanalytical Technology 3 Credit(s)
BTEC 5760 Concepts in Bioprocessing 3 Credit(s)

Elective Courses (At least 9 credits)
Students are required to take at least two BTEC or LIFS courses from the following list:
BTEC 5340 Biomarkers and Medical Devices 3 Credit(s)
BTEC 5360 Biopharmaceutical Workshop 3 Credit(s)
BTEC 5380 Drug Discovery and Development 3 Credit(s)
BTEC 5550 Nutraceuticals and Transgenic Products 3 Credit(s)
BTEC 5630 Recombinant DNA Technology and Bioproducts 3 Credit(s)
BTEC 5900 Immuno Biotechnology 3 Credit(s)
EEMT 5100 Principles and Techniques for Technical Management 2 Credit(s)
EEMT 5260 Product Development Management 3 Credit(s)
EEMT 5510 Engineering Economics and Cost Management 3 Credit(s)
LIFS 4380 Pharmacology and Toxicology 3 Credit(s)
LIFS 5260 Biochemical and Molecular Basis of Diseases 3 Credit(s)
LIFS 5710 Cellular Regulation 3 Credit(s)

Project Courses (At least 3 credits)

Full-time students are required to take one of the following project courses, with an option to take up to two project courses to make up the total credits maximally to 31. Part-time students are required to take either BTEC 6900 or BTEC 6930.

BTEC 6900Case Investigation in Biotechnology3 Credit(s)
BTEC 6930#Directed Biotechnological Research4 Credit(s)
BTEC 6940#Advanced Biotechnological Research4 Credit(s)

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🏫About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

Campus

The university is largely a campus university, occupying a 60-hectare site at the northern part of the Clear Water Bay Peninsula in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong, overlooking Port Shelter in Tai Po Tsai. The campus layout and architecture is based on a master plan submitted jointly by Simon Kwan & Associates and Percy Thomas Partnership, the runner-up entry in an architectural competition held before the university was founded.

As the campus has a sloped terrain, buildings and facilities are built on separate terraces carved out of the hillside, with the academic facilities occupying the top-level terraces, and undergraduate halls of residence and sporting facilities at the seafront. The terraces are connected by motor roads as well as a network of footbridges and elevators known as Bridge Link.

The countryside setting of the university contributed to the fact that HKUST was once the only public university in Hong Kong not being directly served by an MTR station, prior to the re-titling of the Education University of Hong Kong. The university is connected to the metro network through public bus routes including 91, 91M, 91P, 291P and 792M, complemented by a handful of minibus services, with Choi Hung and Hang Hau stations being the major feeder points.

About Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. It is a place with multiple personalities as a result of being both Cantonese Chinese and having been under British colonization. Today, the former British colony is a major tourism destination for China’s increasingly affluent mainland population. It is an important hub in East Asia with global connections to many of the world’s cities. It is a unique destination that has absorbed people and cultural influences from places as diverse as Vietnam and Vancouver and proudly proclaims itself to be Asia’s World City.

Living on Campus

Life in undergraduate halls

Leaving home and arriving at the university for the first time is both exciting and challenging! Luckily we offer a rich network of mentors including Hall Education Teams, Residence Masters, Learning Community Fellows, Residential Life Officers, Tutors, and Learning Community Coordinators.
 
Not only will you be supported every step of the way, but you will have the chance to join activities, events, and discussions and get to know everybody in the community. Pretty soon you'll be qualified to be the mentor for incoming students!
 
As the residential year begins, you'll have a Hall Orientation to help you get to know everybody, be introduced to the "dos and don'ts" of hall life, and understand the role and responsibilities expected of you. Most importantly, the orientation will be tremendous fun! You will meet plenty of people in no time at all, and feel at home.

Life in postgraduate halls – SKCC Hall and University Apartments

Enriching your educational life is what the postgraduate experience is all about. On-campus you will have convenient access to academic and research facilities, the opportunity to interact with peers, and meet the people who will not only help you learn but will become lifelong friends and maybe even professional associates in the future. Living with people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds is a wonderful way to enrich yourself and enjoy an immersive experience in diversity.

Lee Shau Kee Library

The HKUST Lee Shau Kee Library, part of the Hong Kong Academic Library Link (HKALL), occupies a central location of the campus. Connected to the Academic Building, it is accessible directly from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Atrium. It spans five floors with over 12,350 sq m of floor space, providing more than 3,674 seats as well as computing facilities. It offers a wide array of information resources, both local and remote. In addition to over 720,000 print and electronic volumes and a large collection of media resources, it provides access to more than 47,000 periodical titles, a large number of e-books, databases, and other digital information resources. The library also includes 24-hour-capable Learning Commons which provides a technology-rich environment for active learning and education.

The library owns a collection of old maps of China and the rest of Asia, produced by Chinese and Western cartographers over the last 500 years. A selection of these maps, providing an insight into the history of international geographic knowledge, was published by the library in a limited-edition (1000 copies) volume in 2003.

Student Amenities

The Amenities Service Counter is located in Room LG3005 inside the Indoor Sports Complex. It provides services and assistance to users of the student amenities. These services include:

  • student lockers
  • loan of equipment for activities organized by student societies and teams
  • information and advice on all matters related to amenities

Sports Facilities

The University provides a variety of sports and recreation facilities for the enhancement and promotion of your total well-being. All Full-time and Part-time students, staff and family members, long-serving retirees/leavers and Sports Facilities User Cardholders are welcome to use the facilities.  

The demand for sports facilities is quite keen. Sports skill classes, sports team practices and organized sports events including the intervarsity and intramural sports competitions are held in various facilities throughout the year.

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🏠 Accommodation

Did you know? The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on-campus residential halls provide a total of:

4,544 places for undergraduate students in UG Halls

120 places in single rooms for MBA students

900 places in single or double rooms for Research Postgraduate Students

They also have off-campus accommodation, and the university has also 21 apartments in Tai Po Tsai and Sam Long to provide accommodation for full-time postgraduate students on taught programs. You can apply to these at your school or program office.

Notes:
  • You will need to book the accommodation after you have been accepted.
  • You can choose to live on campus or off campus in private accommodation.
  • We have an article about how to find accommodation off campus here.
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💰 Fees

Application Fee:

$40 USD

Tuition fee:

118,000 CNY in total

Insurance is 358 CNY.

Entry Requirements

You are not eligible to apply to this program because:

The minimum age is 18 and the maximum age is 65.

English fluency is required.
You need to be either:
- A native English speaker
- Studied a degree in English before
- Can demonstrate a high level of English
- Having an English certificate such as IELTS level 6 or TOEFL 95 and above is an advantage.

Minimum education level: Bachelor's.

All students from all countries are eligible to apply to this program.

Is this not correct? You can edit your profile or contact us.
Or see the list of programs you are eligible for here .
Check Your Eligibility Show Suitable Programs

📬 Admissions Process

3 Steps to Apply to a Chinese University

Application step 1

Application step 2

Application step 3

Please choose the programs here , "You are advised to select 2-3 programs to increase your chances of getting accepted.

Required Documents:

  • Second Recommendation Letter
  • First Recommendation Letter
  • English Language Certificate
  • Your Highest Academic Transcript (In English)
  • Your Graduation Certificate (in English)
  • Personal Statement Letter or Study Plan
  • Your Photograph
  • Your Passport Copy

Preparing documents:

You can start your application now and send the application documents during your application. Some documents you can send later if you don’t have them right away. Some more info about preparing application documents is here

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Application process:

Applying Online is simple in just a few steps. More information is available here.

The first steps are to choose the programs, pay the application fee and upload the application documents.

Once submitted to China Admissions, we will review your application within 2-3 days and proceed to the university or ask you for further clarification

After it has been processed to the university you will receive your unique application ID from each university.

The university may contact you directly for further questions.

We will then follow up each week with the university for updates. As soon as there is any update we will let you know. If you have made other plans, decide to withdraw / change address at any time please let us know.

After you have been accepted you will receive your admissions letter electronically and asked to pay the non-refundable deposit to the university.

Once you have paid the deposit the university will issue you the admissions letter and visa form to your home country.

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Here is some more information about the enrollment process after you have been accepted.

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