GENERAL INFORMATION ON POSTGRADUATE STUDIES 17

Postgraduate Studies

1. Full-time and Part-time Study

Most postgraduate degrees are available on both part-time and full-time basis. The taught programs leading to the EMBA, MA, MBA, MSc and MTM degrees and graduate as well as professional diplomas are suitable for students interested in part-time study. The MPhil and PhD are research degrees, and students in some disciplines may be required to participate in research on a full-time basis.

Postgraduate students may apply to their department, prior to the beginning of any semester, for transfer from time to part-time status or from part-time to full-time status. When such a transfer is allowed, the remaining program requirements will be determined.

Full-time students in taught programs are expected to be in attendance during those semesters and sessions for which their programs are scheduled. Research students are expected to be in attendance on a year-round basis. For part-time students, attendance shall be as above except on a part-time basis as defined by the requirements of their programs.

2. Double Registration

Unless prior permission from the Director of Admissions, Registration and Records is obtained, students are not permitted to concurrently register for another program at this University or at another tertiary institution. Student enrollment lists are compared with those of other tertiary institutions from time to time. If students are found to be registered elsewhere, they will normally be required to discontinue their studies at this University.

3. Duration of Study

Taught master’s programs

For full-time MSc and MA students, the normative periods for completing the degrees is one or one and a half years as specified by individual programs. Part-time students may expect to take twice the time of full-time students. The normal period for completing the full-time and part-time MBA programs is one and a half years and two years, respectively.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

Research degree programs

The normal period for completing the PhD degree in full-time mode is four years after the first degree with a reduction of one year if a relevant master’s degree is earned prior to entering the PhD program. For the MPhil degree in full-time mode, the normal period of study is two years.

Time restrictions on program completion

The maximum time allowed for degree completion is five years for the master’s degree and eight years for the doctoral degree. The maximum period of study for the part-time graduate diploma is three years whereas that for the part-time professional diploma is two. The above time limits are in effect whether or not the student is in continuous registration. Time limits for part-time study are the same as for full-time study.

4. Credit Transfer

Credit Transfer may be granted to students in recognition of studies completed successfully elsewhere. Application must be made to their major department or program office during their first semester after admission. Students on postgraduate diploma programs must submit their application to the major department or program office within the first month after admission. Students applying for credit transfer must produce evidence, such as a transcript and course syllabus, to illustrate that a course is equivalent in content and level to another course taken elsewhere, for which a satisfactory grade has been obtained. Late applications will not be considered.

Conditions on the granting of transfer credits are as follows:

a. No more than half of the required course work for students on taught postgraduate programs can be granted transfer credits;

b. Subject to the approval of the major department or program office, all credits earned from a professional diploma program offered by the University may be transferred to a related graduate diploma or master’s degree program of the University.

c. Credits earned at the undergraduate level can only be used for credit transfer purpose if the credits had not been used to earn another academic qualification, and that the course must be at the 300-level or above, and

d. Transfer credits cannot be granted in recognition of non-course work experience or research work completed either at the University or at other institutions.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

The amount of transfer credits to be granted will be determined by the major department or program office following review of past academic records and the level of equivalence to HKUST courses required.

Transfer credits granted will not be included in the calculation of grade averages. In addition, courses approved for credit transfer will not appear on a student’s transcript.

5. Residency Requirements

Normally, a full-time research student is required to be on campus full-time and consequently in such geographical proximity as to be able to participate fully in University activities associated with the program. Residency provides the student with an opportunity to become immersed in the intellectual environment of the University. Also included in residency are periods during which the student’s research requires off-campus field or non-HKUST laboratory work.

Normally, the residency requirement for an MPhil degree is four full-time semesters and that for a PhD degree is eight. In many departments, the semester may include all or part of the subsequent session. A semester of residency of a part-time student counts as a one-half semester of residency. Students who have not completed their thesis work should continue registration on a full or part-time basis, without interruption.

These residency requirements do not apply to taught postgraduate programs which are defined by the semesters and sessions in which the programs are scheduled.

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