Programmes
Mathematics and Information Engineering is a rigorous and selective programme designed to equip students with solid fundamental knowledge in information and computer sciences, and mathematics. Students from this programme routinely go for postgraduate studies at the top universities or pursue independent research or careers in various sectors. This is an interdisciplinary programme jointly offered by the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Science, with the Department of Information Engineering and the Department of Mathematics being responsible for the management and actual running of it.
The Best of Both Worlds
It is challenging enough to thrive in either mathematics or information engineering, but imagine how much more challenging it would be to excel in both.
The Department of Information Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and the Department of Mathematics in the Faculty of Science of CUHK have collaborated to offer the Mathematics and Information Engineering (MIEG) programme. We are opening up this boutique programme for direct entry to first-year students in 2022-2023. Previously, only a small group of students who excelled in their first year at the university were accepted into this programme. The students of this programme will have an exposure to both mathematical rigor (the math classes are shared with math majors) and engineering intuition in the information and computer sciences.
Zi Yin, an MIEG graduate, who subsequently obtained a PhD degree at Stanford said, “Mathematics and engineering skills are key to modern cross-domain research in the areas of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Information Engineering. They reflect two sides of the same coin -- good engineering capability is required for experimentation, and a sharp math mind is needed for the understanding and analysis of results. A complete research cycle consists of both aspects. The MIEG programme prepared me on both aspects and helped me grow into a well-rounded researcher. It is not only about knowledge that I learned there, but something higher-level that turned out to be most useful. Things like how good research tastes, how to ask the right questions, and self-learning skills, the development of all these abilities do not come from reading books or solving problems. It was made possible with the opportunities to work closely with the world-class researchers in the department.”
The main areas in information engineering are communications, multimedia processing, information theory, and computer networks. Each of these areas has had, historically, a deep and significant tie with mathematics. A significant number of researchers working in these areas are highly trained mathematically, and the MIEG programme aims to nurture and train the next generation of researchers. By trying to combine both engineering intuition with rigorous mathematical training, this intensive programme strives to nurture and educate mathematically-trained engineers and researchers for the information world of today and tomorrow, people who will make significant changes in these areas.
Another graduate, Leo Li, echoed the choice of this interdisciplinary programme. “The interdisciplinary courses are great for those who want to have more flexibility in their future study or career. You can easily switch your focus in the above domains if you finally realize where your passion is. The knowledge you learnt in different fields will enrich each other in some unexpected ways. For example, I found Math courses such as Linear Algebra extremely helpful for studying Machine Learning and Computer Vision.”
“As a multidisciplinary major with less than 20 admission quota each year, MIEG provides rich study resources to students.” Leo continued, “I went to Dartmouth College in the U.S. for exchange in my junior year. Some of my friends went to Gatech, Stanford, University of Toronto for summer or semester exchange. With a solid foundation and a well-trained, analytical mind provided by MIEG, most of the graduates can get some nice offers when applying for a master of PhD degree after graduation. I furthered my study at CMU after graduation and now I am a research engineer at Facebook Reality Labs.”
The MIEG programme prepares students for further studies, pursuing independent research and/or careers that require mathematical sophistication (e.g., engineering, finance, data science, etc.). It is ideal for students who want to pursue higher studies in information science and related disciplines such as computer science, electrical engineering and mathematics. It is also ideal for students who enjoy understanding the mathematical foundation and see mathematics in application.
Leo would like to offer some tips to students: “If you want to get a taste of everything before determining the true passion, MIEG is a no-brainer choice. If you do know your passion and still want to explore multidisciplinary knowledge and build up a solid foundation for a higher education, you won’t regret choosing MIEG.”
Published: Summer 2017
Last Updated: Summer 2021