City University of Hong Kong (CityU), one of the eight government-funded institutions in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), is a modern, hi-tech institution committed to providing a quality learning environment for its students and the community. It has a vibrant research culture and has gained an excellent reputation for research and innovation in a wide range of disciplines. It has an outstanding team of academics dedicated to advancing knowledge to benefit society and the region. To date, CityU has a student enrolment of around 19,000 (excluding Associate Degree students) of which over 6,000 are postgraduates.
Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies
Background
The "Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme", established by the Research Grants Councili (RGC) of the HKSAR Government, aims at attracting the best and brightest students in the world to pursue their research degree programs in Hong Kong's institutions.
Eligibility
Those who are seeking admission as new full time PhD students in UGC-funded institutions of Hong Kong, irrespective of their country of origin and ethnic background, should be eligible to apply. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding qualities of academic performance, research ability / potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities.
Entrance and English Proficiency Requirements
Applicants seeking admission to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) studies at CityU should satisfy the following minimum entrance requirements:
hold a higher degree by research (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university; or
hold a taught Master's degree (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university; or
hold a Bachelor's degree with first class honours (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university.
Equivalent qualifications mentioned above include relevant professional qualifications or other scholarly achievements recognised by the University. In addition to the above, individual Departments and Schools may prescribe further entrance requirements.
English Proficiency Requirements
For applicants from non-English speaking universities, unless they provide proof that English is the language of instruction for all courses for the entrance qualifications of their proposed PhD programmes, they are required to attach score results of TOEFL or IELTS in their PhD applications.
The above-said requirement is exempted if their proposed PhD studies/programmes are specifically in non-English medium, e.g. in Chinese language.
Funding and Scholarship
The Fellowship provides a monthly stipend of HK$20,000 (~US$2,564) and conference and research related travel allowance of HK$10,000 (~US$1,282) per year for the awardees for a maximum period of three years.
For Fellowship awardees who are admitted to a 4-year PhD programme in 2015-16, CityU will provide a monthly studentship at the same level as the Fellowship awarded by the RGC for their fourth year of study. In addition, CityU offers the following:
Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies Entrance Scholarships
For nominees selected by RGC for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship, in addition to the monthly stipend of HK$20,000 offered by Scheme, each awardee of the Fellowship of CityU will also receive the "Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies Entrance Scholarships" (around HK$67,296) which covers student's full-time tuition fees and on-campus hostel accommodation expenses in their 1st year of research studies.
Application Process and Time Lines
Each applicant may choose up to two PhD programmes with indicated priority, when applying for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship. Besides, applicants are also required to nominate two academic referees who can comment on their academic performances, and invite them to complete and return the designated form to the chosen institution(s) directly. For more information on pursuing a PhD degree in your chosen area at CityU, please contact the Research Degree Coordinators of the academic department concerned.
Step One: Applicants must first register at the RGC's Online Application System (OAS) and obtain a reference number on or before 1 December 2014 (12 noon Hong Kong time).
Step Two: Applicants are required to submit full application, including supporting documents, to CityU through our Online Application System on or before 6 December 2014.
Date
Milestones
1 September 2014*
Call for application
1 December 2014*
Deadline for registration at RGC's Online Application System (OAS)
6 December 2014
Deadline for submission of full applications to CityU for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme
March 2015
Notification of results
* at 12 noon (Hong Kong Time or GMT +8 hours)
Programme Structure and Requirements
The programme structure of Doctor of Philosophy consists of both coursework and independent research studies culminating in the submission of a thesis. Details of the programme requirement are given in SGS Website.
The normal medium of instruction and assessment at the University is English. Research students should write and present their theses in English, unless they give very strong justifications for using another language.
Fields of PhD studies at CityU
Applicants may consider applying for PhD studies in one of the disciplines under two broad areas, namely "Science Medicine, Engineering and Technology" and "Humanities, Social Sciences and Business Studies". The relevant disciplines under these two broad areas are listed below:
A non-refundable application fee of HK$200 (~US$26) (subject to revision) will be charged for each application of a programme. The application fee shall be made via on-line credit card payment.
Please note that applications will not be processed if the payment of the application fee has not been settled.
Programme-related Fees
The following are the major fees for PhD programmes. Please note that fees are subject to revision from time to time without prior notification, and any adjustments to fees will apply to both new and current students.
Tuition/Continuation Fees for Government-funded students(normally adjusted in September every year)
Type of Fee
Mode of Study
Full-time
Remarks
Tuition fee
HK$3,508 per month
Non-refundable; applicable to students within their stipulated study period
Continuation fee
HK$877 per month
Non-refundable; applicable to students who have been approved for an extension of their study period
Other Fees (for all students)
Type of Fee
Mode of Study
Full-time
Remarks
Membership fee for CityU
Postgraduate Association
HK$300
One-off payment covering a student's entire study period
(Re)examination fee
HK$1,000
Non-refundable
Graduation fee
HK$400
Refundable upon study withdrawal or study termination
Review Panels
Applications, subject to their areas of studies, will be reviewed by two Selection Panels with experts in the broad areas, one for science medicine, engineering and technology and another one for humanities, social science and business studies.
Selection Criteria
While the academic excellence is of prime consideration, the Review Panels will take into account, but not limit to, the following yardsticks for the selection of candidates:
Academic excellence;
Research ability and potential;
Cultural diversity;
Communication, and interpersonal skills;
Leadership abilities; and
Institutional support.
As part of application process to facilitate the assessment of applicants' communication and interpersonal skills, interviews will be conducted with the nominated applicants.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to admission interview(either face-to-face or via telephone).
Enrollment
Awardees will only be allowed to enroll at the institutions which nominated them in accordance with the priority indicated, otherwise they would be considered as declining the award. Awardees are normally required to commence studies at the University in September 2015.
Postal address: Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies (Research Degree and Professional Doctorate), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
Application Procedures
Applications of Research Degree programmes are accepted throughout the year and will normally be considered during January - March of the admission year.
Applications for Professional Doctorate and Taught Postgraduate Programmes are accepted starting from mid-November 2014.
Step 1: Application Preparation
You should:
check the most up-to-date programme information, entrance requirements and application period in the:
read carefully the "Notes for Applicants" at the bottom of this page for useful information including Application Fee, Information for International and Mainland Applicants, Student Accommodation, etc.
Note that there is no need to submit applications through any agencies or companies. Applications could be submitted by applicants directly to the University via the online application system.
Step 2: Creation of Application Account
After reading the "Notes for Applicants", you need to create an online application account in order to create/submit your application. Please note down theelectronic ID (EID)and theapplication number generated once your application account is created for future access. Applicants should not create more than one account for applications.
Step 3: Submission of Supporting Documents
You should upload by yourself the required supporting documents listed under the Section on "Supporting Document" in the online application before the application deadline. No hard copy of supporting documents will be accepted for taught postgraduate programmes.
Step 4: Application Submission
You should complete all relevant sections in the online application, pay the appropriate application fee online using a credit card (VISA or MasterCard) and submit the application before the application deadline. Your application will only be processed after the payment of application fee is successfully made.
Step 5: Application Acknowledgement
An acknowledgement message will be shown online immediately after you have successfully settled the application fee via online payment. In addition, an acknowledgement email will be sent to you upon receipt of your online application.
Step 6: Application Processing and Results
Depending on the programme you apply for, applications may be reviewed on a rolling basis during the application period or in batches after the application deadline. You can check the application result through your application account.
If you are successful in your application, we will send you an email notification reminding you to check the application account for view and download of the offer letter as well as completing the required procedures for offer acceptance. No hardcopy of letter will be sent to applicants. Please ensure that your email address is current and that you do not filter out any such messages.
To facilitate verification of academic qualifications, students admitted may be required to arrange for the relevant institutions to send the University an original copy of their official transcript for the bachelor's and/or postgraduate degree(s) that have obtained.
City University of Hong Kong (CityU), one of the eight government-funded institutions in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), is a modern, hi-tech institution committed to providing a quality learning environment for its students and the community.
