Doctor of Philosophy in Operations Management
Master of Philosophy in Operations Management
PhD(OM)
MPhil(OM)
Both full- and part-time
MPhil
Full-time: 2 years
Part-time: 4 years
PhD
Full-time: 3 years (with a relevant research master’s degree), 4 years (without a relevant research master’s degree)
Part-time: 6 years
MPhil/PhD Programs Coordinator (OM):
Prof Xinghua ZHENG, Professor of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management
MPhil program is only available via the Integrated MPhil-PhD program study scheme.
The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) Program is a research-oriented degree that aims to prepare students for a research and teaching career in universities and research institutes. It includes two streams: Operations Management (OM), and Statistics. A candidate for an MPhil degree is expected to demonstrate knowledge in the discipline and to synthesize and create new knowledge, making a contribution to the field. Students intending to do a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Program in Operations Management at HKUST should consider entering the MPhil Program to acquire the training necessary for a PhD degree.
The PhD Program follows a strong research-intensive tradition on the North American model and includes two streams: Operations Management (OM), and Statistics. It is designed to enable students to gain a deep knowledge of management in general, to develop a concentration in a specialized field, and to provide opportunities for students to do significant original research in their chosen area. PhD students are offered intensive and targeted research training and exceptional collaboration opportunities with faculty to prepare them for their future careers in teaching and/or research.
On successful completion of the MPhil program, graduates will be able to:
- Students will have up-to-date and in-depth knowledge on operations management/business statistics, leading to independent substantive scholarly research. Graduates will:
1.1 Demonstrate a sound grasp of the literature in operations management/business statistics.
1.2 Apply their specialized knowledge to solve related business problems in an innovative fashion. - Students will have an in depth understanding of contemporary business and organizational issues, within the area of operations management. Graduates will:
2.1 Demonstrate a broad based knowledge of core business functions.
2.2 Integrate functional knowledge to solve business problems within their area of specialization. - Equipped to perform all aspects of the role of faculty in academia, including pedagogical skills. Graduates will:
3.1 Teach independent courses or lead lab/tutorial sessions effectively.
3.2 Present their discipline knowledge clearly to layman.
On successful completion of the PhD program, graduates will be able to:
- Have up-to-date and in-depth knowledge on operations management/business statistics, leading to independent substantive scholarly research. Graduates will:
1.1 Demonstrate a sound grasp of the literature in operations management/business statistics.
1.2 Apply their specialized knowledge to solve related business problems in an innovative fashion. - Have an in depth understanding of contemporary business and organizational issues, within the area of operations management. Graduates will:
2.1 Demonstrate a broad based knowledge of core business functions.
2.2 Integrate functional knowledge to solve business problems within their area of specialization. - Equipped to perform all aspects of the role of faculty in academia, including pedagogical skills. Graduates will:
3.1 Teach independent courses or lead lab/tutorial sessions effectively.
3.2 Present their discipline knowledge clearly to layman.
The program is offered by the Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management which comprises two divisions: Information Systems and Operations Management. The following are the research foci in the Division of Operations Management.
Research Foci
This division includes two streams: Operations Management and Statistics.
Operations Management area focuses on supply chain contracting, information sharing in supply chains, interface of marketing and supply chain management, inventory management, behavioral operations management, and business analytics.
Statistics concentrates on Bayesian statistics, bio-informatics, high-frequency data and financial statistics, high-dimensional statistics, large scale inference, machine and statistical learning, sequential analysis, stochastic control, financial time series modeling, statistical methods for risk and portfolio management, combinatorial stochastic processes, random matrices, and stochastic interacting particle systems.
- Minimum Credit Requirement
MPhil/PhD: 32 credits
- Credit Transfer
PhD students who have taken the HKUST MPhil Program in Operations Management will be granted credit transfer to the PhD Program. Students who have taken an MPhil program or equivalent in other universities may be granted credit transfer on a case-by-case basis, up to a maximum of 28 credits.
- Introductory Quantitative Requirement
Unless students have clearly demonstrated sufficient knowledge in the area, students entering the MPhil or PhD Program are required to take the following two mathematics-oriented courses in the first regular term of study. The credits earned from these two courses cannot be counted toward the degree requirements.
- Introductory Management Requirement
Unless students have clearly demonstrated sufficient knowledge in management, students are required to take 4 credits of general-management courses chosen from the list below. These credits cannot be counted toward the degree requirements.
- Course Requirement
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Required Courses
MPhil/PhD: at least 15 credits for OM Stream, 7 credits for Statistics Stream
MPhil students are required to take the required courses in the first year of study.
For both OM and Statistics Streams:
One of the following:
Additional required courses for OM Stream:
Students may need to take additional courses related to their research topics, as requested by their thesis supervisors.
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Elective Courses
MPhil: at least 17 credits for OM Stream and 25 credits for Statistics Stream of other postgraduate courses as advised by their thesis supervisors in Year 2.
PhD: at least 14 credits for OM Stream and 21 credits for Statistics Stream of the following:
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Cross-discipline Research Courses
PhD: at least 3 credits of the following:
- 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.
PhD students who are HKUST MPhil graduates and have completed PDEV 6770 or other professional development courses offered by the University before may be exempted from taking PDEV 6770, subject to prior approval of the School.
Students are required to complete SBMT 6780. The 1 credit earned from SBMT 6780 cannot be counted toward the credit requirements.
PhD students who are HKUST MPhil graduates and have completed SBMT 6780 or other professional development courses offered by the University before may be exempted from taking SBMT 6780, subject to prior approval of the School.
- 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.
- PhD Qualifying Examination
All PhD students must pass a qualifying examination.
Students admitted via the HKUST MPhil Program in Operations Management will take the qualifying examination in the Summer of the first year of MPhil study. Students who fail the qualifying examination can retake the examination once and must pass the examination no later than December of the second year of MPhil study.
Students admitted directly to the PhD program will take the qualifying examination in the Summer of the first year of PhD study. Students who fail the qualifying examination in the first attempt can retake the examination once and must pass the examination no later than December of the second year of PhD study.
- Research Paper Requirement
PhD students are required to submit a research paper by the Fall Term of the third year of study. Students admitted with an HKUST MPhil degree in Operations Management or equivalent will be exempted from this requirement.
- Thesis Research
MPhil:
- Registration in ISOM 6990; and
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Presentation and oral defense of the MPhil thesis.
PhD:
- Registration in ISOM 7990; and
- Presentation and oral defense of the PhD thesis.
Last update: 25 September 2023
To qualify for admission, applicants must meet all of the following requirements. Admission is selective and meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.
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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;
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Applicants seeking admission to a doctoral degree program should have obtained a bachelor’s degree with a proven record of outstanding performance from a recognized institution; or presented evidence of satisfactory work at the postgraduate level on a full-time basis for at least one year, or on a part-time basis for at least two years.
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
* refers to the total score in one single attempt
Applicants are not requried 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.
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A satisfactory score in GMAT or GRE
