StudyQA — PhD: Asian and International Studies

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Description Contents Requirements Funding

This programme will provide advanced training in situational knowledge, independent capacity for research, collection of data (including through fieldwork techniques), the latest qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and writing skills necessary for the successful publication of research findings. It will offer students opportunities to acquire scholarly competence in the areas of governance, public and social policy, public management, applied ethics, regional/international studies, personal and social services, and related issues in the behavioural sciences.

Upon successful completion of this Programme, students should be able to:

demonstrate advanced knowledge about major issues, be they political, economic, social, psychological and international, that are relevant to the student’s research
demonstrate independent scholarly competencies in research design, methodological and analytical techniques and sophisticated theorizing
generate competitive grant proposals, seminar and conference papers, journal submissions and monographs
analyze real world policy issues with theoretical and empirical research resulting in a significant discovery

Research Methods for the Social Sciences
Directed Study in Research Works
Teaching Students: First Steps

Thesis

The PhD thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to design a sophisticated research agenda, collect data from a variety of sources (including international fieldwork where appropriate), deploy complex methodologies in a systematic way, build a coherent argument that addresses relevant literature and debates, and make a serious contributions to the relevant literature through theoretical innovation and original empirical research yielding a significant discovery. The PhD thesis should be of such a standard that, after any necessary revisions are undertaken, there is a realistic expectation that it could be published as a monograph or generate journal-length publications. Upon the completion of the thesis, each student submits to an oral examination conducted by his/her Qualifying Panel. The purpose of the examination is to assess the contents of the thesis, and the suitability of the candidate to be awarded the degree.

Requirements

Be a current MPhil student in the University who seeks transfer to PhD candidature; or
Hold a higher degree by research (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university; or
Hold a taught Master’s degree (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university; or
Hold a Bachelor’s degree with first class honours (or equivalent qualification) from a recognised university.
Applicants from an institution where the language of teaching is not English should satisfy the minimum English proficiency requirements specified by both the University and individual Colleges and Schools. The University’s minimum English proficiency requirement for research degree programmes is 593 (paper-based test) or 243 (computerbased test) or 95 (internet-based test) in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) OR an overall band score of 7.0 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Equivalent qualifications are also acceptable.
Official certificates and transcripts of academic qualifications (Certificates and transcripts that are not in English should be accompanied by a formal certified translation in English.) [Applicants who obtained degrees from institutions that gave degree classification and/or grade point average but are not shown in the certificate or transcript are required to also send copies of any other official documents that indicate their formal degree classification or grade point average.]
Certificates of professional qualifications, if applicable (Certificates that are not in English should be accompanied by a formal certified translation in English.)
(In support of the applicant’s publication record, if applicable) the front page of the papers (for papers that have been published) or the letter of acceptance (for papers that have been accepted for publication). [Applicants to the School of Law must also submit a self-assessment (of not more than 400 words) of their publications together with full copies of their best three publications. Where any publication so submitted is in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by an abstract in English.]
Nominate two academic referees who can comment on their academic performances (proposed supervisor and persons from non-academic circles are normally not acceptable as academic referees).
A non-refundable application fee of HK$200 will be charged for each online application. Settlement of the application fee shall be made via online credit card payment.