Social Science

The MPhil is a research degree that can be pursued either as an end in itself or as a preparation to the PhD degree at either HKUST or elsewhere. While we welcome students from a variety of disciplines to apply, as befits a research degree, we do expect applicants to have a strong background in a social science discipline, and, in addition, the ability to demonstrate promising research potential through a substantial research proposal.

Students are required to: 
1. Take a minimum of 15 credits of postgraduate courses offered by the Division, of which 9 credits must be chosen from the following research methodology courses:

• Statistics in Social Science
• Social Research Methods
• Systematic Methods in Qualitative Research
• Quantitative Analysis in Social Science

Students are also required to complete a thesis under the supervision of a faculty in the Division, and subsequently, present and defend the thesis before the Thesis Examination Committee.

2. Complete and pass SHSS 6770 Professional Development in Humanities and Social Science which should be taken in the first year of study for full-time students, or the first two years of study for part-time students. The 1 credit earned from SHSS 6770 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.

All incoming MPhil students are assigned a thesis advisor and provided with a postgraduate studentship that carries with it the responsibilities of teaching/research assistance. 

Requirements

• Hold a Bachelor's degree
• You will fulfill the English Language requirements with one of the following proficiency attainments:TOEFL-iBT 80, TOEFL PBT 550, IELTS Overall score: 6.0
• You are required to nominate 2-5 referees to support your application. Upon your application submission, the referees will be invited by email to complete a reference report online. Referees may attach additional reference letters to the online report if they wish to.
• Remember that you will need to send official documents to substantiate your qualifications/ exam results after accepting an admission offer.