1. Minimum Credit Requirement

• MPhil: 9 credits
• PhD: 12 credits

2. Credit Transfer

    Subject to approval of the PG Coordinator, PhD students who have taken the HKUST MPhil Program in Atmospheric Environmental Science will be granted credit transfer of up to a maximum of 9 credits. Students admitted to the PhD program with a relevant master’s degree may be granted credit transfer on a case-by-case basis. In such case, the maximum number of credits transferrable is 6.

3. Core Course

4. Elective Courses

    MPhil: 6 credits, including:

• 3 credits from the following course list; and
• 3 credits of approved postgraduate course endorsed by the Program Director.

    PhD: 9 credits, including:

• 6 credits from the following course list; and
• 3 credits of approved postgraduate course endorsed by the Program Director.

5. Graduate Teaching Assistant Training

All full-time RPg students are required to complete PDEV 6800. The course is composed of a 10-hour training offered by the Center for Education Innovation (CEI), and session(s) of instructional delivery to be assigned by the respective departments. Upon satisfactory completion of the training conducted by CEI, MPhil students are required to give at least one 30-minute session of instructional delivery in front of a group of students for one term. PhD students are required to give at least one such session each in two different terms. The instructional delivery will be formally assessed.

6. Professional Development Course Requirement

Students are required to complete PDEV 6770. The 1 credit earned from PDEV 6770 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.
PhD students who are HKUST MPhil graduates and have completed PDEV 6770 or other professional development courses offered by the University before may be exempted from this requirement, subject to prior approval of the Interdisciplinary Programs Office.

Students are required to complete ENVR 6770. The 1 credit earned from ENVR 6770 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.
PhD students who are HKUST MPhil graduates and have completed ENVR 6770 or other professional development courses offered by the University before may be exempted from taking ENVR 6770, subject to prior approval of the Interdisciplinary Programs Office.

7. English Language Requirement

Full-time RPg students are required to take an English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) Speaking Test administered by the Center for Language Education before the start of their first term of study. Students whose ELPA Speaking Test score is below Level 4, or who failed to take the test in their first term of study, are required to take LANG 5000 until they pass the course by attaining at least Level 4 in the ELPA Speaking Test before graduation. The 1 credit earned from LANG 5000 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.

Students are required to complete LANG 5005 and advised to complete it in the first year of study. The 1 credit earned from LANG 5005 cannot be counted toward the program credit requirements. Students may be considered for exemption from this course, subject to the recommendation by Center for Language Education and approval of their department.

8. Postgraduate Seminar

Students must take ENVR 6010 whenever it is offered.

9. PhD Qualifying Examination

PhD students are required to submit a thesis proposal to the Qualifying Examination Committee who will examine the students’ general background knowledge and knowledge related to the topic of the research. Students must pass the qualifying examination no later than the fourth regular term of study for full-time students, or the sixth regular term of study for part-time students.

10. Thesis Research

    MPhil:

• Registration in ENVR 6990; and
• Presentation and oral defense of the MPhil thesis.

    PhD:

• Registration in ENVR 7990; and
• Presentation and oral defense of the PhD thesis.