Engineering Masters in Hong Kong

A lot of our tips talk about how you can strengthen your application, but you can build a stronger application when you’ve done the things this program values in the years prior to the application. The application itself is the communication part (in which you communicate what you’ve done to the admission committee), but this section gives guidance on the substance part (what you can actually do before you apply). In this section we talk about what you can do in the years leading up to applying that can make you an ideal candidate. Supplement the following tips with general tips (under the tab of ‘Pre-Application’) to become a competitive applicant. 

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Degree Requirement: 

To enter into a Hong Kong Master’s Engineering program, you will need:

• A Bachelor’s degree in the same subfield 
• OR at least a year of work experience in that subfield

For example, if you are applying for a Master in Electrical Engineering and you have no work experience, you must have an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering. 

If you do not have a relevant degree, you can still be eligible to apply granted that you have at least 1 year of full-time professional work experience directly related to the field you are applying for. For example, you must have 1 year of professional work experience in Electrical Engineering if you are applying for an Electrical Engineer Master without having an undergraduate degree in the subject.

CourseWork and Transcripts:

Detailed transcripts are required by almost all programs. This is one of the most important parts of your application since some universities only ask for this component and proof of English proficiency. Your transcripts must show what courses you have completed in your undergraduate degree, and what grades you have achieved in each. Your transcript is a very important part of your application and will need to prove your proficiency in the Engineering field you have chosen (if you do not have adequate work experience).  

It is a good idea to have a good amount of mathematics and science courses in your transcript, and having advanced level courses (especially with high grades) in the same subjects can also make your application look excellent amongst other candidates. 

• Complement the above field-specific tips with general tips on transcripts (under the tab of ‘transcripts’).

GPA Requirement:

Most universities will mention a cut-off of 3.0 (or a B grade) but try to have a considerably higher GPA than this for competitive universities for a better shot at admission. It is absolutely crucial that you have good grades in mathematics and science-based subjects.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

For MPhil Applicants: This is sometimes a requirement for an MPhil program. Some MPhil programs require you to present a research proposal where you talk about your past experiences as well as what you wish to research in the future with the university you are applying to. For more details, see the Essay section. Doing a Project with a supervisor directly related to your field can be golden. Try to speak to Engineering professors in your college or university and ask them for any guidance on this.

For MSc Applicants: This is not a requirement for this program but can boost your application.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

For both degrees, professional work experience is not a strict requirement if your undergraduate degree is already in a relevant subject. However, if you did not study a relevant subject before, for example: you majored in Economics during your Bachelor’s, then it is absolutely necessary that you have at least 1 year’s worth of professional experience in the Engineering field that you wish to study in Hong Kong. Getting admission without experience AND a relevant previous degree is not possible in most universities.

If you already have an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject, then professional experience is desirable and can make your application more competitive, but it is not required. 

Complement the above field-specific tips with general tips on building a resume (under the tab of ‘Resume/CV’).

VOLUNTEER WORK

This is not a requirement for this program, but any volunteer work that can be linked to your specific Engineering field and added to your CV/Resume can make your application more competitive.

OTHER EXPERIENCE

Getting involved with university Engineering societies, or other local/national Engineering societies can add a lot of weight to your application, so try to actively find these opportunities. If your university does not have these sorts of clubs, you should still try to take part in extracurricular activities that you can relate to why you are a good fit for further study and this type of program. Some universities will give you the option of submitting proof of certificates and awards in additional documents — these can go here.

This section provides an overview of general guidelines pertaining to the application process. It also delineates the key components of the application process.

GENERAL ADVICE

Although a lot of universities in Hong Kong will have relatively similar requirements in terms of the components they ask for (look at the table below for these requirements), each university will clearly have different ways of assessing these components. Don’t be afraid of contacting universities you wish to apply to for some direct advice. Some universities (such as HKU) even have graduate admission advisors that exist for this very service.

Refer to the Program Selection Section for further information.

COMPONENTS

Complement the above field-specific tips with general tips on overview (under the tab of ‘overview’).

Pakistani applicants suffer most because of inadequate information — or wrong information — about essays and personal statements. This section will address those inadequacies specifically in relation to applying for this program. Supplement the following field-specific tips with general tips (under the tab of ‘essay’) to craft a stellar personal statement. 

BASIC INFORMATION

For MPhil Applicants: You may have to submit a Research plan or proposal when applying to an MPhil that gives details on:

• Past experiences or participation in research projects
• Proposed research topic and plan for future research

You will usually have to submit this through the application portal of your desired university website in Supporting/Additional documents. Each university will have specific guidelines on word/page limits and formats, so make sure you are aware of these and adhere to them carefully.

For some universities, you may have to look for a potential future supervisor in their faculty, contact them, and discuss your ideas for research with them before submitting an application.

Important note: if your university does not give any information on what their research statement requires, it is a good idea to send them an email or contact them directly and ask them about what they expect and require from you.

For MSc Applicants: This is typically not required for an MSc program.

The remainder of this section will focus on advice on writing your research proposal for an MPhil application.

ACTION-STEPS/ RESOURCES

Which resources should I make use of?

• Read the following links before you start planning your research proposal:
  • https://libguides.ust.hk/basic-citation/how-to-cite
  • If your program does not give any guidelines on how to write your research proposal or what format to follow, you can use a format similar to the one shown on this link.
  • It is recommended to write your own statement, and not use some pre-prepared format. Just give yourself enough time to do it.

TIPS ON GOOD AND BAD STATEMENTS

What is essential in the statement:

• Proper citations. Make sure your citations are perfectly done and follow a specific formatting style, such as MLA or Chicago. If your citations are faulty, this will give a very bad impression to the admissions committee. 
• Being specific. If you are broad or vague about your aims, it will show that you lack direction and reflect poorly.
• Talking about your past research interests and future aims.

What are some elements of exceptional statements:

• Finding out what sort of research is going on in the department you are applying to, and curating your statement specifically for that university. You want to show the department that you can add something to their team and fit in well with them. If you have a completely different topic in mind to what they are working on, then they will favor other applicants over you.
• The committee will be looking at:
  • the quality of your research proposal (i.e. the way you have written/formatted it, and your citations)
  • the feasibility of carrying out the research you have suggested
  • the potential and value of the research to the department

It is thus important to keep these factors in mind when writing your research statement.

This section will cover the basics of recommendation letters, which are one of the most important parts of the application process. Supplement the following field-specific tips with general tips (under the tab of ‘recommendations’) to ensure you have strong letters of recommendation.

BASIC INFORMATION

In Hong Kong universities, your referees will usually not have to provide a typical “letter” of recommendation like they would have to in an American or British University application. Here, they will be sent a referee report that they will have to fill out, sign, and send back to the university. The report could either be part of the online application and you might have to send the report to your referee yourself, or the university you are applying to might send the report to your recommender after you have submitted the rest of your application. Make sure to read and follow guidelines extremely carefully.

Although each university can have a different type of “referee report”, the typical format will ask questions on how your referee knows you and in what capacity, how they would rank you amongst other students/employees, and will ask them to describe your strengths in weaknesses in short paragraphs. 

For MPhil Applicants: This is often required in your MPhil application. The structure of the referee report will vary from university to university. The referee report for an MPhil applicant will typically ask about an applicant’s potential as a researcher and academic. It could also ask about your future research plans, so make sure to meet with and discuss your plans with your referee before applying.

For MSc Applicants: This is sometimes required, and sometimes an “optional” part of your application. If it is optional, it is always a good idea to send it in any way, as it will add strength to your application. The referee report for an MSc applicant will typically ask about an applicant’s potential as a worker and a student. 

This section will cover everything else related to the application process; including transcripts, interviews, resumes, and standardized tests.

STANDARDIZED TESTS

Basic Information: 

Your English language proficiency will need to be proven through one of the following standardized tests:

• TOEFL/IELTS or equivalent. The most commonly accepted scores are at least 550 on the paper-based TOEFL, 79 on the computer-based TOEFL, and 6.5 on the IELTS. Note that some universities could ask for a higher score.

Some universities will allow you to send a letter from your undergraduate institution stating that all your studies were completed in English. In this case, you will not have to do the IELTS/TOEFL.

Test Tips: 

Complement the above field-specific tips with general tips on preparing for standardized tests (under the tab of ‘tests’).

FINAL COMMENTS ON APPLICATIONS
Complement the above field-specific tips with general tips on final comments on applications (under the tab of ‘overview’).

This section will cover the approximate costs of the program and provide information on resources that may help with funding. Complement the following field-specific tips with general tips on finances (under the tab of ‘finances’).

TIPS ON FUNDING OPTIONS

There are a number of postgraduate scholarship opportunities available in Hong Kong. More details on these can be found in the finance sections of the Hong Kong Country Profile.

The following sources were consulted in developing this tip-sheet and we encourage you to consult these sources for additional information and guidance on your application.

• Route to Professional Engineer by HKIE (i.e. How to Become an Engineer in Hong Kong)

Furthermore, the following sources were also consulted in developing this tip-sheet: Hong Kong University (1) (2) (3) (4), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (1) (2) (3) (4) (5), Times Higher Education, CAES HK, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (1) (2), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (1) (2), CPJobs, JobsDB, City University

Good luck!