MPhil/PHD in Public Policy

Program Requirements

At least 21 credits of coursework, including:

1. 15 credits from the Core Course List; and

2. 6 credits from the Elective Course List or other postgraduate course(s) approved by the supervisor and the PG Coordinator.

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

Core Courses

PPOL 5110 Foundation in Public Policy

PPOL 5111 Foundation in Public Policy II

PPOL 5120 Research Methods in Public Policy

PPOL 5130 Microeconomics and Public Policy

One of the following quantitative methodology courses:

ECON 5280 Applied Econometrics

PPOL 5240 Advanced Analytical Methods for Public Policy

SOSC 5090 Quantitative Methods for Social Science Research

SOSC 5340 Econometric Approaches to Social Science Research

SOSC 5700 Categorical Data Analysis

Elective Courses

PPOL 5180 Risk and Regulation

PPOL 5190 Policy Analysis and Design for Sustainable Development

PPOL 5200 Aging, Demography and Policy 

PPOL 5210 Environmental Policy and Natural Resources Management 

PPOL 5220 Complex Systems for Policy

PPOL 5230 Technology, Innovation and Public Policy 

PPOL 5250 Innovation and Sustainability 

PPOL 5270 Finance, Financial Crises and Economic Development 

PPOL 6000 Independent Study 

PPOL 6100 Special Topics in Public Policy 

Other Elective Courses 

BIEN 5050 Global Health Ethics

ECON 5280 Applied Econometrics

ECON 5370 Using Data for Economics Analysis

ENVR 5250 Environmental Economics and Management

ENVR 5260 Environmental Policy and Management

ENVR 5290 Climate Change: Science, Policy and Management

ENVR 6060 Sustainability Economics

MGCS 5022 Political Economy of China

SOSC 5110 Social Science Research Design and Methods

SOSC 5170 Qualitative Research Methods

SOSC 5340 Econometric Approaches to Social Science Research

SOSC 5700 Categorical Data Analysis

SOSC 5720 Economic Development in China

SSMA 5050 Economic Transformations in Post-Mao China

Other Program Requirements

• Graduate Teaching Assistant Training
  All full-time RPg students are required to complete PDEV 6800 Introduction to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. 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.

• Professional Development Course Requirement
  Completion of and passing PDEV 6770 Professional Development for Research Postgraduate Students (1 credit). Students are required to complete PDEV 6770. The 1 credit earned from PDEV 6770 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.
  Students are required to complete PPOL 6770 Professional Development in Public Policy (1 credit). The 1 credit earned from PPOL 6770 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.

• 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 5080 English Seminar and Presentation Skills, and LANG 5081 Research Writing Skills. The 6 credits earned from LANG 5080 and LANG 5081 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements. Students can be exempted from taking LANG 5080 and/or LANG 5081 with the approval of the supervisor and the PG Coordinator.

• 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 forth regular term of study for full-time students, or the sixth regular term of study for part-time students.

• Thesis Research
  Students are also required to register in PPOL 7990 Doctoral Thesis Research and complete a thesis under the supervision of a faculty assigned by PPOL, and subsequently, present and defend the thesis to the Thesis Examination Committee. They are expected to work closely with their supervisor(s) on an informal rather than formal classroom basis.

• Additional coursework may be required as a part of the research preparation