Research Postgraduate Studies
An Overview


HKUMed shares with other Faculties in the University the common goals of imparting knowledge to students through research.  Every department and school in the Faculty actively participates in the training of research postgraduate students for the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees.  While pre-clinical departments conduct and supervise research mainly in laboratories, clinical departments conduct and supervise research in both laboratories and clinical settings.  Research postgraduate students (RPgs) of the Faculty enjoy the benefits of working in state-of-the-art laboratories and technologically advanced core facilities.

The Faculty has been attracting high calibre candidates to enroll in its research postgraduate programmes.  The programmes are not only popular among graduates in medicine and other healthcare profession, graduates in biological, biomedical, and health sciences.  Graduates in physical sciences, engineering, computer sciences and social sciences are also welcome to apply.

MPhil and PhD candidates are required to undertake research studies in a chosen field of study under supervision of at least one supervisor.  The result of the research, presented in the form of a thesis, must be submitted for examination by the end of the prescribed period of study.

A successful MPhil thesis should represent the result of the candidate's research which displays some originality and demonstrates a sound understanding of the field of study and the appropriate research methods. 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.

MPhil 4-year PhD 3-year PhD
Registration
Dates

Two registration dates every year:

January 1
September 1

First day of every month
Probationary
Period

Full-time

12 months

18 months

12 months

Part-time

18 months

24 months

18 months
Duration
of Study

Full-time

24 months

48 months

36 months

Part-time

36 months

72 months

54 months
Coursework
Requirement

Three Medical Faculty Research Postgraduate Courses; and six Graduate School compulsory modules:

  • Module 1 – Doing Research @ HKU
  • Module 2 – Introduction to Qualitative/Quantitative Research Methods
  • Module 3 – Thesis Writing
  • Module 4 – Responsible Conduct of Research
  • Module 5 – Stream-based Responsible Conduct of Research
  • Module 6 – Transferable Skills

Two Graduate School compulsory modules:

  • Module 4 – Responsible Conduct of Research
  • Module 5 – Stream-based Responsible Conduct of Research

MPhil and PhD candidates are required to undertake research studies in a chosen field of study under supervision of at least one supervisor.  The result of the research, presented in the form of a thesis, must be submitted for examination by the end of the prescribed period of study.

A successful MPhil thesis should represent the result of the candidate's research which displays some originality and demonstrates a sound understanding of the field of study and the appropriate research methods. 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.

Application

HK$150 (via the online application system)
HK$400 (by other means)
Caution Money

HK$350
Composition Fee

Full-time

HK$42,100 p.a.#

Part-time

HK$63,000 p.a.

# Waived for local full-time Research Postgraduate students.  Please refer to the University Grants Committee's Tuition Waiver Scheme.

Joint PhD Programmes