Master of Philosophy in Technology Leadership and Entrepreneurship
MPhil(TLE)
Full-time
2 years
PG Program Coordinator:
Prof Ajay JONEJA, Professor of Integrative Systems and Design
The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) Program seeks to develop students' entrepreneurial spirit so they can initiate innovation within companies or start their own business using innovative technologies. It aims to play a catalytic role in developing an innovative educational culture and entrepreneurship ecosystems on the University campus and to accelerate knowledge transfer to impact society.
Students are required to undertake coursework in technology, business and entrepreneurship, participate in business plan competitions, and undergo an industrial internship. Students must also successfully complete and defend a thesis that demonstrates their research capabilities for product development and understanding of the commercial aspects on how to make the product successful in the marketplace.
The program is offered by the School of Engineering emphasizing on development of technical innovation, leadership skills and capabilities for entrepreneurship. It is supported by the state-of-the-art research facilities at HKUST.
Research Foci
The Technology Leadership and Entrepreneurship (TLE) program specifically addresses the development of technical innovation, leadership skills and entrepreneurship know-how.
For their research, students can select the development of a product based on their own idea or work on one of the current ideas from a professor within the university. Either case, each student is matched with a leading research professor and together, they create a marketable, differentiated offering. This creation journey provides the student with excellent opportunities to learn and develop a wide range of skills, such as technical research, business, and design.
During the program, students can form partnership with others on campus to develop their product, raise funding, and start up their company.
Facilities
HKUST provides strong infrastructural support to foster leading-edge research and innovations. The institutes and research centers at the university create an interdisciplinary environment, helping generate fresh ideas and enabling these ideas to be tested and realized.
The School of Engineering also has centers to support our students on entrepreneurship, intellectual properties protection, and technology transfer. Workshops, working space and facilities are available to help students develop and test prototypes.
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Minimum Credit Requirement
11 credits
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Credit Transfer
Subject to the prior approval of the Program Director, students may be granted credit transfer to the program on a case-by-case basis.
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Technology Leadership and Entrepreneurship Course
Students are required to complete ISDN 5001 offered by the School of Engineering.
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Technology Courses
9 credits
Students are required to complete at least two technology courses (6 credits) from their host department, and one technology course (3 credits) outside their host department within the School of Engineering/School of Science.
Under the circumstances that no technology courses are available in their host department, the 6 credits could be fulfilled by two technology courses within the School of Engineering/School of Science.
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Leadership, Management and Entrepreneurship Courses
To gain exposure to leadership, management and entrepreneurship, students are required to take two courses (minimum 4 credits and maximum 6 credits) from the following list offered by the School of Business and Management, the School of Humanities and Social Science and the School of Engineering.
Exact courses to be offered will be announced at the beginning of each term. Students are required to obtain grade B or above in these courses. The credits earned from these courses cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.
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Industrial Internship
Students are required to undertake ISDN 6100 for at least 2 months during the Summer Term of their first year of study or during their second year of study. The industrial internship can be conducted in Hong Kong, Mainland China, or other places within the industry or research centers. Industrial internship opportunities will be provided through research centers of the Fok Ying Tung Research Institute, or other mainland enterprises. During the practicum periods, students will maintain their regular full-time student status. The 1 credit earned from ISDN 6100 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.
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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.
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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.
Students are required to complete ENGG 6780. The 1 credit earned from ENGG 6780 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.
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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 5032 while they are stationed at the Clear Water Bay campus. They are required to obtain grade B or above in the course. The 3 credits earned from LANG 5032 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.
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Technology Leadership and Entrepreneurship Seminar
Students are required to complete ISDN 6000 for two terms during their first year of study. The 2 credits earned from ISDN 6000 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.
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Thesis Research
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Registration in ISDN 6990; and
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Presentation and oral defense of the MPhil thesis.
Students must submit an MPhil thesis related to their industrial internship experience which forms an integral part of the thesis. Students should also demonstrate their understanding of the commercial and application aspects of their industrial internship experience in the MPhil thesis, and defend it before the Thesis Examination Committee at HKUST Clear Water Bay campus. The thesis examination should also include a demonstration of a product, service and impact, etc.
Last update: 31 July 2019
To qualify for admission, applicants must meet all of the following requirements. Admission is selective and meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.
- 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 have to fulfill English Language requirements with one of the following proficiency attainments:
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TOEFL-iBT: 80
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TOEFL-pBT: 550
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TOEFL-Revised paper-delivered test: 60 (total scores for Reading, Listening and Writing sections)
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IELTS (Academic Module): Overall score: 6.5 and All sub-score: 5.5
Applicants are not required to present TOEFL or IELTS score if
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their first language is English, or
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they obtained the bachelor's degree (or equivalent) from an institution where the medium of instruction was English.
