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.

I. Overview:

The Master of Science (MSc) Program in Data-Driven Modeling is jointly offered by the Department of Physics and the Department of Mathematics. The program aims at training students with some science or engineering background who would like to prepare themselves for careers that require modeling skills based on information extracted from data.

Data-driven modeling is an essential skill in many sectors involving information technology, such as computer services, commerce, finance, and public services. Due to the phenomenal growth in the speed and memory size of computer hardware, the omnipresence of the Internet, and the accessibility of powerful computational algorithms, there is a strong demand for human power in hardware, software, services, infrastructure, information, and digital business.

This program aims at training graduates to have strong skills in problem-solving and logical thinking. These skills are essential for them to become competent in the information technology sector. They will be trained to have hands-on experience in analyzing large amounts of data, extract significant features from them, and hence provide valuable insights to understand complex situations and facilitate smart decision making for businesses, industries, and services.

II. Program Details:

Program Full Name:

Master of Science (MSc) in Data-Driven Modeling

Mode of Study:

Full-time or Part-time

Normative Program Duration:

Full-time: 1 year; Part-time : 2 years

Date of Program Commencement

Fall term 2020-21

Classes

Classes are normally held on weekday evenings from Monday to Friday and/or Saturday afternoons. Each course typically meets once a week for approximately three hours.

Project courses, if any, are carried out under supervision following a schedule agreed between students and supervisors.

Facilities

Students can enjoy library support, computer support, sports facilities, and email account at no extra cost. Upon graduation, students could also apply for related alumni services.

Accommodation

All full-time students are eligible to apply for University arranged off-campus accommodation.

III. Program Objectives:

The program objectives are well described by the following intended learning outcomes. On successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

1. Handle a large amount of data using computational tools;

2. Extract significant features from the data using scientific programming and statistical learning;

3. Select appropriate hardware for different computational tasks;

4. Interpret time-dependent data using concepts of stochastic processes;

5. Utilize quantitative skills to make predictions;

6. Provide solutions to optimization problems and for decision making through data-based modeling; and

7. Adopt an innovation-minded attitude in exploring new uses of data-driven modeling.

IV. 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

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. Additional Information

A bachelor’s degree in Science or Engineering disciplines, or

A bachelor’s degree in other disciplines and:

• Have relevant working experience in computation-related fields, and
• Have working knowledge in at least one computer language, and basic training in calculus and linear algebra.

V. Program Fee:

The total program fee for 2020-21 intake is HK$ 180,000*. The program fee covers tuition and course materials, excludes books, computer equipment, software licensing, caution money, visa application, traveling and living expenses in Hong Kong, etc.

The program fee should be paid in the following installments:

For full-time students

Upon confirmation of offer: $ 45,000
By Fall term commencement date 2020-2021: $ 45,000
By Spring term commencement date 2020-2021: $ 90,000

For part-time students

Upon confirmation of offer: $ 45,000
By Fall term commencement date 2020-2021: $ 45,000
By Fall term commencement date 2021-2022: $ 90,000

* The program fee is set to be HK$180,000 for the 2020-2021 intake for a total of 30 credits. This applies to both full-time and part-time students.
Students who wish to enroll for extra credits or need to retake any courses in the program are required to pay extra fees at HK$6,000 per credit. Students are required to settle any outstanding tuition fees before graduation.

VI. Career Prospect

Job opportunities can be found in many sectors involving information technology, such as computer services, commerce, finance, and public services.

As a newly introduced program, the track record of our graduates’ careers is not yet available. Surveying graduates with similar backgrounds, we find examples of successful careers such as entrepreneurship in big-data direct marketing (Radica), entrepreneurship in big-data friendship recommendation (LikeU), strategy consultant, banking (DBS), and Hong Kong Observatory.

We will organize career workshops and provide assistance to students in writing curriculum vitae.

Minimum Credit Requirement: 30 credits

Core Courses (15 credits)
MSDM 5001 Introduction to Computational and Modeling Tools 3 Credit(s)
MSDM 5002 Scientific Programming and Visualization 3 Credit(s)
MSDM 5003 Stochastic Processes and Applications 3 Credit(s)
MSDM 5004 Numerical Methods and Modeling in Science 3 Credit(s)
MSDM 5005 Innovation in Practice 3 Credit(s)

Elective Courses (15 credits)
MSDM 5051Algorithm and Object-Oriented Programming for Modeling 3 Credit(s)
MSDM 5053Quantitative Analysis of Time Series 3 Credit(s)
MSDM 5054Statistical Machine Learning 3 Credit(s)
MSDM 5056Network Modeling 3 Credit(s)
MSDM 5058Information Science 3 Credit(s)
MSDM 5059Numerical Optimization and Applications3 Credit(s)
MSDM 6980Computational Modeling and Simulation Project3 Credit(s)
PHYS 5120Computational Energy Materials and Electronic Structure Simulations3 Credit(s)

Remarks:
Part-time students may take a maximum of 9 credits in each term.

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.