Finance

The research postgraduate programme of the School is committed to developing outstanding professionals and consultants in economics and finance, who will contribute creatively and substantively to meeting challenges faced by the academic world and different industries into the twenty-first century. The programme is designed for individuals who wish to pursue a career in teaching, research and consulting.

The School has dedicated Faculty, with diverse teaching and research interests, and the facilities to supervise and support research students in a wide range of field of studies. Candidates will conduct research work under the supervision of at least one teaching staff of our School.

The 4-year Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes are offered on a full-time basis; the period of study is 48 months. Candidates whose applications are accepted shall be subject to a probationary period of 24 months. By the end of the probationary period, the candidates must demonstrate capability on research, submit a detailed scheme of research and complete the required coursework for confirmation of candidature.

Once a PhD candidate has been admitted to our PhD programme with either economics or finance as his/her proposed field of study, the candidate is not allowed to change his/her field of study throughout the study period.

The coursework component of our programmes will provide students with basic knowledge of their fields and offer tools to prepare them for writing the thesis. All 4-year PhD students admitted after September 1, 2013 are required to satisfactorily complete

• 4 Graduate School core courses;
• 12 compulsory courses; and 
• 1 elective course offered by the School (course list from SEF), other departments at HKU, and/or local universities.

It is required by the University that a 4-year PhD student shall satisfactorily complete all the Graduate School courses and at least 50% of the remaining prescribed coursework by the end of the probationary period. Students are however advised to complete all the courses during the probationary period so that they can concentrate on their research and thesis writing in the remaining part of their period of study. In any case, the requisite coursework requirements must be fulfilled before submission of thesis.

A successful PhD thesis should represent the result of the candidate's research which should be an original contribution to knowledge and worthy of publication. 

Applicants seeking admission to a research degree programme should satisfy the following minimum entrance requirement:

• a Bachelor's degree with honours and a Master's degree (or equivalent qualification) from a recognized university; or
• a Bachelor's degree with first class honours (or equivalent qualification) from a recognized university.

Those applying for admission to the MPhil/PhD programmes in the Faculty of Business & Economics are required to send the official score report of GRE or GMAT, taken within five years.

Applicants who wish to be admitted to higher degrees on the basis of a qualification from a university or a comparable institution outside Hong Kong where the language of teaching and/or examination is not English are required to obtain one of the following:

• An overall score of 550 or above (paper-based test) or an overall score of 80 or above (internet-based test) in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL);
• a minimum overall band of 6 with no subtest lower than 5.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS);
• grade C or above in the Overseas General Certificate of Education (GCE);
• grade C or above in the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE);
• grade C or above in the Cambridge Test of Proficiency in English Language (CPE).

unless in exceptional circumstances when they are exempted from this requirement.

Since places for research postgraduate studies are limited, it may not be possible to offer admission to all qualified applicants.

Hong Kong PhD Fellowships

The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPF) aims at attracting the best and brightest students across the world to pursue their research degree programmes in Hong Kong. About 135 PhD Fellowships will be awarded to all institutions in each academic year.

New applicants to full-time PhD programmes in government-funded institutions in Hong Kong, irrespective of their country of origin and ethnic background, are eligible to apply. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding academic performance, research ability/potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities.

The HKPF provides each awardee with a monthly scholarship of HK$20,000* and a conference and research related travel allowance of HK$10,000 per year for a period up to three years. For HKPF awardees who are admitted to a 4-year PhD programme in 2016-17, the University will provide a monthly scholarship and travel allowance at the same level as the HKPF for their fourth year of study.

University Postgraduate Fellowships (UPF)

The Scheme aims to attract top students worldwide and is available for selected new full-time PhD candidates with excellent academic performances. The fellowship is at a value of HK$70,000 on top of the Postgraduate Scholarships. Applicants in their final year of study may also apply for the UPF. 

Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS)

Full-time MPhil and PhD students who hold a first degree with second-class honours first division (or equivalent) or above are normally considered eligible to receive a Postgraduate Scholarship during the normative study period. Candidates' results in Master's degrees may also be considered. The basic level of scholarship is HK$15,000 per month.

Scholarships and Conference / Travel Support

The University administers a number of scholarships that are awarded to postgraduate students for outstanding academic achievements. Full-time MPhil and PhD students are eligible to apply for conference and/or travel support for presenting papers/posters in overseas academic conferences or participating in other overseas educational activities.

Joint PhD programmes

As a research-led university with a global outlook that aims to excel in research and research postgraduate education, the University has in recent years enhanced its research collaborations with leading international higher education institutions. One such form of collaboration is to offer Joint PhD Degree programmes – a growing global trend – in partnership with other world-class institutions.

The University introduced Joint PhD Programmes in 2010-11, and currently offers them with Imperial College London, King’s College London and the University of Toronto. The Joint PhD Programmes, which recruit only a small number of high calibre students, are highly competitive. Students enrolled in Joint PhD Programmes will be registered in both universities. They are required to spend half of their study period at each university, and normally the last six months before submission of thesis will be spent at the home university. They will be guided in their work by academic staff from both universities, and examined to the standards of both. Upon successful completion of the programme, the student will be conferred a PhD degree jointly awarded by The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the partner institution.

Each Joint PhD Programme will be organised between specific academic units in both institutions and approval is required by the appropriate authority of both institutions before the programme can be offered and students can be recruited.