M.Sc. in Data Science and Business Statistics

Admission Requirements

Applicants should have,

  • obtained a Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university, normally with honours not lower than Second Class
  • fulfilled the University’s minimum English language requirements for admission to postgraduate programmes

Interested applicants should refer to the Graduate School page for details.

(i) Coursework requirementStudents are required to complete 3 core courses.

STAT5101 Foundations of Data Science
STAT5102 Regression in Practice
STAT5106 Programming Techniques for Data Science

and a minimum of 5 electives from the following to graduate.

STAT5103 High-dimensional Data Analysis
STAT5104 Data Mining
STAT5105 Applied Survival Data Analysis
STAT5107 Discrete Data Analytics
STAT6104 Financial Time Series
STAT6105 Basic Actuarial Principles and their Applications
STAT6106 Applied Bayesian Methods
STAT6107 Selected Topics on Data Science and Business Statistics
STAT6108 Official Statistics and Structural Equation Modelling
RMSC5101 Statistical Methods in Risk Management and Finance
RMSC6001 Interest Rates and Fixed Incomes Risk Management
RMSC6004 Special Topics in Risk Management
RMSC6005 Special Topics in Quantitative Finance

(ii) Other requirement

(a) Students much fulfill the Term Assessment Requirement of the Graduate School. For details, please refer to Section 13.0 “Unsatisfactory Performance and Discontinuation of Studies” of the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies which can be accessed from the Graduate School Homepage https://www.gs.cuhk.edu.hk/download/General_Regulations_Pg.pdf.

(b) A student must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in order to graduate.

(iii) Recommended study scheme

1st year of attendance: Term 1: STAT5101, STAT5106; Term 2: STAT5102 and one elective
2nd year of attendance: Two electives in each term
Programme of Study

M.Sc. in Data Science and Business Statistics
(i)
Coursework requirement
Students are required to complete 3 core courses.
and a minimum of 5 electives from the following to graduate.
(ii)
Other requirement
(a) Students much fulfill the Term Assessment Requirement of the Graduate School. For details, please refer to Section 13.0 “Unsatisfactory Performance and Discontinuation of Studies” of the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies which can be accessed from the Graduate School Homepage https://www.gs.cuhk.edu.hk.
(b) A student must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in order to graduate.
(iii)
Recommended study scheme
1st year of attendance:
Term 1: STAT5101, STAT5106;
Term 2: STAT5102 and one elective
2nd year of attendance:
Two electives in each term

Programme of Study

M.Sc. in Data Science and Business Statistics

Students are required to complete 3 core courses.

Coursework requirement

STAT5101 Foundations of Data Science

Coursework Requirement

STAT5102 Regression in Practice

Coursework Requirement

STAT5106 Programming Techniques for Data Science

M.Sc. in Data Science and Business Statistics

and a minimum of 5 electives from the following to graduate.

Coursework requirement

STAT5103 High-dimensional Data Analysis
STAT5104 Data Mining
STAT5105 Applied Survival Data Analysis
STAT5107 Discrete Data Analytics
STAT6104 Financial Time Series
STAT6105 Basic Actuarial Principles and their Applications
STAT6106 Applied Bayesian Methods
STAT6107 Selected Topics on Data Science and Business Statistics
STAT6108 Official Statistics and Structural Equation Modelling
RMSC5101 Statistical Methods in Risk Management and Finance
RMSC6001 Interest Rates and Fixed Incomes Risk Management
RMSC6004 Special Topics in Risk Management
RMSC6005 Special Topics in Quantitative Finance

M.Sc. in Data Science and Business Statistics

Other Requirements

(a) Students much fulfill the Term Assessment Requirement of the Graduate School. For details, please refer to Section 13.0 “Unsatisfactory Performance and Discontinuation of Studies” of the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies which can be accessed from the Graduate School Homepage https://www.gs.cuhk.edu.hk.

Other Requirements

(b) A student must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in order to graduate.

M.Sc. in Data Science and Business Statistics

Recommended study scheme

1st year of attendance:
Term 1: STAT5101, STAT5106; Term 2: STAT5102 and one elective

Recommended study scheme

2nd year of attendance: Two electives in each term

Application Procedure

Applicants can submit online applications at Graduate School webpage http://www.gs.cuhk.edu.hk/page/ApplicationforAdmission.

Scanned copies of the supporting documents should be uploaded to the Online Application System for Postgraduate Programmes. For the list of required supporting documents, please refer to Graduate School website https://www.gs.cuhk.edu.hk/admissions/admissions/documents-required.

Application Deadline

Priority round: 31 December 2022

Final round: 28 February 2023

Applications will be processed on a rolling basis until all places have been filled. Early applications are strongly encouraged.

General Enquiries

Tel: (852) 3943-1746
Fax: (852) 2603-5188
Email: dsbs@cuhk.edu.hk

Tuition Fee

Tuition fee is HKD 82,500 per year for two years for 2023/24 admission (Subject to University approval).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. Is it a new programme?
A. The Programme admitted its first batch of students in 2004.
 
Q. Is there any seminar offered to introduce the programme?
A. We have not organized any this year.
 
Q. Will this program admit students with non-quantitative degree?
A. Yes, we do admit students with non-quantitative degree. We do not have special requirements for undergraduate studies, so students with non-quantitative degree are eligible to apply.
 
Q. Is a degree from a Taiwan University eligible for admission?
A. If the degree is a recognized one in Hong Kong, then the student is eligible for admission. However, the student may also need to fulfill the English Language Proficiency Requirement as specified by the Graduate School of CUHK.
 
Q. Does the programme require any working experiences for admission?
A. No.
 
Q. What are the target students for this programme?
A. The programme serves a wide range of audiences. Those who wish to make effective use of data will find the programme a valuable one.
 
Q. To what level of statistical understanding do you expect the admitting students to have? What skills do you value, Mathematics? Computers?
A. While students with some undergraduate training in Statistics or related subjects will find some foundation courses of our programme easier to comprehend, most students with knowledge up to the mathematical level of sixth-former should not find the courses difficult. We value students who appreciate the effective use of data as a crucial element for enhancing the quality of society and students who strive for competence, excellence and continuous advancements.
 
Q. Is there any credit transfer mechanism or course exemption scheme?
A. We currently do not have a course exemption scheme or credit transfer mechanism.
 
Q. How many students will this program admit?
A. The programme will admit some 30 to 40 students.  Q. Can you advise the possible lecture locations?
A. The lectures will be held on the CUHK campus. Normally in a building (such as Yasumoto International Academic Park or Wu Ho Man Yuen Building) that is 3 – 5 minutes’ walk from the University Station.
 
Q. When is the commencement date of the programme in 2022?
A. The programme will commence in early September 2022.
 
Q. Is the timetable for the coming year available?
A. The timetable for the coming year is not yet available.
However, for your information, the time table for the current academic year 2022/2023 is available at Graduate School website https://www.gs.cuhk.edu.hk/page/TeachingTimetable
 
Q. What is the starting and ending time of each lecture?
A. The official time for evening class is 6:30pm to 9:30pm. However, instructors are usually willing to cut the breaks and arrange the lecture to start from 7:00pm and ends at 9:30pm. Saturday lectures usually start at 2:30pm.
 
Q. Are there any extra examinations (e.g. GRE Math) that we need to take to apply for this program?
A. No.
 
Q. What is minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 ?
A. It is a requirement for graduation from the programme. Students must achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0 for all courses they have taken during the period of study in this programme. In other words, the requirement is not an admission requirement.
 
Q. What is the “English Language Proficiency Requirement”?
A. It is a University requirement for admission. The requirement could be fulfilled by one of the below,
  • have a degree from a university in Hong Kong or taken a degree programme of which the medium of instruction was English; or
    (This is based on the understanding that English is the medium of instruction of degree programmes offered by universities in Hong Kong. Moreover, graduates from universities in Hong Kong should have fulfilled the English language requirements of the institution concerned when they were admitted to the degree programmes. The CUHK Graduate School may request applicants to provide additional supporting documents to prove their English proficiency.)
  • achieved scores in the following English language tests as indicated:
    • TOEFL* (550 Paper-based; / 79 internet-based);
    • IELTS* (Academic) (Band 6.5);
    • GMAT (Verbal) (Band 21); or
      (*TOEFL and IELTS are considered valid for two years from the test date. GMAT is considered valid for five years from the test date.)
  • obtained a pass grade in English in ONE of the following examinations:
    • Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (AS Level);
    • Hong Kong Higher Level Examination;
    • CUHK Matriculation Examination;
    • General Certificate of Education Examination (GCE) Advanced Level (A-Level) / Advanced Subsidiary Level (AS-Level); or
  • achieve Level 4 or above in the English Language subject of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination; or
  • obtained a recognised professional qualification, provided that the examination was conduct in English.

Q. Is there any loans/financial assistance open to part-time students of this programme?
A. The programme currently does not have loans or financial assistance open to part-time students.
 
Q. Is the program government funded or not?
A. The programme is offered by our Department of Statistics that is a government-funded department. The programme is not funded by the UGC block grant.

Q. What are the confidential referees?
A. By confidential referees, you should asked two persons who know you quite well (your teachers, your professors, your boss, …) to send us letter of recommendation directly, either online via the confidential recommendation system or by post in sealed envelopes.
 
Q. Whom to contact for further information?
A. Professor CHAN Ping Shing, the Programme Director of the programme.
Tel: 3943 7920 (or leave message at 3943 1746).
e-mail: benchan@cuhk.edu.hk

Continuing Education Fund (CEF)

STAT5101 Foundations of Data Science #
CEF Course Code 42Z124710

STAT5102 Regression in Practice #
CEF Course Code 42Z124729

#

This course has been included in the list of reimbursable courses under the Continuing Education Fund
This course/ The mother course (Master of Science in Data Science and Business Statistics) of this module is recognized under the Qualifications Framework (QF Level 6)