Postgraduate Programs 2018/19
Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy Programs in Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics
Award Title

Master of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics
Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics

Program Short Name

MPhil(IEDA)
PhD(IEDA)

Mode of Study

Both full- and part-time

Normative Program Duration

MPhil

Full-time: 2 years
Part-time: 4 years


PhD

Full-time: 3 years (with a relevant research master’s degree), 4 years (with a bachelor’s degree only)
Part-time: 6 years

Program Advisor

PG Programs Coordinator:
Prof Rachel ZHANG, Professor of Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics

The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) Program focuses on strengthening students’ knowledge in their chosen area of concentration, and training for engineering research and development. The program is highly suited to individuals who aspire to take a leading technical role in high value-added business organizations. A candidate for an MPhil degree is expected to demonstrate knowledge in the discipline and to synthesize and create new knowledge, making a contribution to the field.
 

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Program is designed for those interested in pursuing a career in advanced industrial research and development, or university research and teaching. This program emphasizes training in original thinking and independent research. Students can design their program of study to suit their interests and needs. The program should cover a specialized area in industrial engineering and at least one minor area. It also aims at developing students’ skills in identifying issues related to a theoretical problem or a practical application, formulating an original research project that addresses some of the significant issues, and independently creating an effective solution to the problem. A candidate for a PhD degree is expected to demonstrate mastery of knowledge in the chosen discipline and to synthesize and create new knowledge, making an original and substantial contribution to the discipline.

The programs are offered by the Department of Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics with the following research foci, enabling students to gain a comprehensive grasp of both technological and managerial aspects of contemporary issues in this field and to make a contribution to progress in driving the world forward by improving technology management and operations management.


Research Foci

Design and manufacturing systems

Product and service design, quality management, human factors and ergonomics, biomechanics and cognitive decisions, and service system engineering.


Logistics management and Operations Management
Logistics and supply chain management, dynamic pricing and revenue management, operations research and stochastic modeling, financial engineering, risk management, and service operations management.


The Department is actively engaged in research. Two research institutes have been set up, namely, Advanced Manufacturing Institute (AMI) and Logistics and Supply Chain Management Institute (LSCMI). AMI is currently collaborating with internal and external bodies in several projects, including geometry optimization for architecture, design of virtual keyboard for MPS patents, and the development of a 5-axis robotic 3D printer. The Department has also built partnerships with major service industry sectors, including logistics, service provision and product design. LSCMI has been established to transfer research results and assist decision-making process. LSCMI just completed a Theme-Based Research project which involved the collaboration with scholars in other universities and countries. LSCMI also actively participates in industry consultation. Currently there are two on-going projects: a maintenance service to Rehabus, and a network optimization project for Huawei. Meanwhile, there are several pending proposals, including an ITF project sponsored by Cainiao (the logistics arm of Alibaba).

  1. Minimum Credit Requirement

MPhil: 15 credits

PhD: 24 credits

 

  1. Credit Transfer

PhD students entering with master’s degrees from other universities may be granted credit transfer of up to 12 credits.

 

  1. Required Courses

MPhil:

Students are required to complete a minimum of 15 credits of approved postgraduate coursework, with at least 9 credits from the following list:

 

IEDA 5110
IEDA 5170
IEDA 5230
IEDA 5250
IEDA 5260
IEDA 5270
IEDA 5320


PhD:

Students are required to complete a minimum of 24 credits of approved coursework, including the following IEDA required courses.
 

IEDA 5230
IEDA 5250
IEDA 5270

 

  1. School Requirements on PhD Programs

In addition to the program requirements, all full-time and part-time PhD students are required to complete the school requirements, which aim to help students gain a wider exposure to multidisciplinary areas, and attain all-rounded learning by broadening their knowledge base.


PhD students are required to take at least a 3-credit course at 5000-level or above outside their programs offered by the School of Engineering. The 3 credits may be satisfied by courses from other Schools upon approval.


In some exceptional cases where students can provide sufficient justifications and obtain prior approval from their supervisors, PG Coordinators, and Heads of Department/Program Directors or designees, they are allowed to take the 3-credit course within their home departments/programs but the course must be in areas outside their specialty.

Details of the requirements are available on the website of the School of Engineering.
 

  1. Professional Development Course Requirement
PDEV 6770


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 School.

 

  1. English Language Requirement
LANG 5000


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.
 

LANG 5001


Students are required to complete LANG 5001. Students can be exempted from taking LANG 5001 with the approval of the Department Head and PG Coordinator. The 1 credit earned from LANG 5001 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.

 

  1. Postgraduate Seminar
IEDA 6800


MPhil:

Students are required to complete IEDA 6800 for at least two terms.


PhD:

Students are required to complete IEDA 6800 for at least four terms. Part-time students may be exempted from this requirement.

 

  1. PhD Qualifying Examination

PhD students are required to pass a qualifying examination and the preliminary oral examination to review and approve the student’s written thesis research proposal.

 

  1. Thesis Research
IEDA 6990
IEDA 7990


MPhil:

  1. Registration in IEDA 6990; and
  2. Presentation and oral defense of the MPhil thesis.

PhD:

  1. Registration in IEDA 7990; and
  2. Presentation and oral defense of the PhD thesis.

 

Last update: 18 August 2021

Energy Technology Concentration

In addition to the existing program requirements, students who opt for the Energy Technology concentration are required to:
 

  1. Take one ENEG course.
     
  2. Complete ENEG 6010 for one term. Students can use ENEG 6010 to replace one term of registration of IEDA 6800.
     
ENEG 6010

 

  1. Conduct research in energy area.

 

Last update: 31 July 2018

To qualify for admission, applicants must meet all of the following requirements. Admission is selective and meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

 

1. General Admission Requirements of the University
  • Applicants seeking admission to a master's degree program should have obtained a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution, or an approved equivalent qualification;

  • Applicants seeking admission to a doctoral degree program should have obtained a bachelor’s degree with a proven record of outstanding performance from a recognized institution; or presented evidence of satisfactory work at the postgraduate level on a full-time basis for at least one year, or on a part-time basis for at least two years.

2. English Language Admission Requirements

Applicants have to fulfill English Language requirements with one of the following proficiency attainments:

  • TOEFL-iBT: 80

  • TOEFL-pBT: 550

  • TOEFL-Revised paper-delivered test (effective from 2018/19 admission): 60
    (total scores for Reading, Listening and Writing sections)

  • IELTS (Academic Module): Overall score: 6.0 and All sub-score: 5.5


Applicants don't need to present TOEFL or IELTS score if

  • their first language is English, or

  • they obtained the bachelor's degree (or equivalent) from an institution where the medium of instruction was English.