PG Program

Applicants for admission to the postgraduate programs are required to have  completed, by the time they enter HKUST, a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related science or engineering field. Students admitted to a postgraduate program must demonstrate competence in the following core computer science areas:
 

• Computer Organization
• Principles of Programming Languages
• Principles of Systems Software  (Operating Systems)
• Design and Analysis of Algorithms

In addition, students admitted into the PhD program must demonstrate competence in:

• Theory of Computation

Competence in these areas is appraised during the admission process. A student whose formal computer science background is deemed inadequate in any of the above areas may be admitted on a provisional basis and will be required to take remedial courses prescribed by the Postgraduate Studies Committee and obtain a grade of at least B in these courses. Such additional requirements will be stipulated in the individual offer of admission. Deficiencies in any core computer science area can be made up concurrently with postgraduate work.

Applicants are required to submit:
 

• officially certified academic transcripts of undergraduate studies (and postgraduate studies, if any);
• results of the computer science subject Graduate Record (GRE) (required for PhD applicants only; may be taken and submitted in the year after admission);
• results of an English proficiency test (see below);
• two letters of recommendation: a one-page statement of plan for the postgraduate study; and
• a completed application form for postgraduate admission.

For admission into the MSc and MPhil programs, results of standard examinations, such as the computer science subject Graduate Record Examination (GRE), may be helpful in determining suitability for admission and should be submitted as supplementary information, if available.

All students admitted into a postgraduate program must demonstrate sufficient competence in English. Students whose previous degrees are from an institution where the primary language of instruction is other than English should submit the results of an English proficiency test (such as TOEFL) together with their application. The English proficiency test must have been taken within two years of the time of application. Notwithstanding the above, the Department may require newly admitted students to undergo language proficiency assessment and, if deemed necessary, to take English language enhancement courses.

Admission to the Department's postgraduate programs will be based on the applicant's academic record as well as the research needs of the Department.