Overseas Universities
Chinese Mainland Universities
Overview
For Chinese Partners:
- Current PhD students enrolled at our partner universities.
For Overseas Partners:
- New applicants apply to the full-time PhD programmes at both PolyU and overseas partner universities concurrently.
- Current full-time PhD students enrolled at our partner universities.
- Current full-time PolyU PhD students (application must be submitted within 12 months of the enrolment at PolyU.)
Call for applications for Mainland collaborations will be made by the Graduate School or HK-Macau-Taiwan Office of the home university in Mainland China. Applicants who are interested in a dual PhD degree programme must be recommended by their home university. For more details, please approach your home university.
Call for applications for Overseas collaborations follow the standard admission exercise. Applicants who are interested in a dual PhD degree programme must submit separate applications for admission to both PolyU and the partner university in accordance with the rules and procedures of each university.
Please refer to the programme specification for each partner by clicking the name of the University above.
Normally, Dual PhD students will:
- receive a monthly stipend while based at PolyU, if the students meet the scholarship requirements of PolyU. The prevailing monthly stipend is HK$18,840 and it is subject to review annually. Conference grant will be provided with up to HK$25,000.
- be required to pay tuition fees according to the following scenarios:
- students enrolled with Chinese partners will pay tuition fees to PolyU during their stay at PolyU;
- students enrolled with Overseas partners will pay tuition fees to their home universities as per the institutional agreements.
- be required to pay other relevant fees to PolyU, for example, an examination fee should be paid upon thesis submission. Students failing to submit their thesis by the end of the normal study period will be required to pay a continuation fee at PolyU on a semester/term basis until submission of thesis.
- be treated the same as regular research students.
- be able to apply for accommodation in PolyU Student Halls of Residence which is subject to its availability or live outside campus, please visit Student Affairs Office, PolyU. During the study period in partner university, students should seek assistance from the partner university.
Upon satisfactory completion of study, the student will receive two award parchments issued each by PolyU and the partner university. PolyU’s parchment will acknowledge the dual nature of the award and the name of both Universities.
For enquiries, please contact the Graduate School by email at gs.jep@polyu.edu.hk.
In general, current PhD students enrolled at our partner universities are eligible to apply for the Dual PhD Degree Programme. Your home university will determine your eligibility for recommendation. Please refer to the Calls for Applications issued by the Graduate School or Doctoral College at your home university. For Mainland collaboration, you may also check with the HK-Macau-Taiwan Office. PolyU does not provide individual assessments of eligibility.
You are recommended to plan your studies in advance and discuss your study plan with supervisors from both PolyU and the partner universities. Most Dual PhD students will be enrolled in the 4-year PhD programme at PolyU. You are required to study at PolyU for 2 consecutive years and at the partner university for the remaining period in order to fulfil the residence and coursework requirements and prepare for thesis submission. Students must fulfil the coursework requirements of PolyU. They may apply for credit transfer for equivalent subjects completed at the partner university upon commencing their studies at PolyU. Please refer to the section on Credit Transfer in the Research Postgraduate Student Handbook for more information
You can provide official certificates/transcripts and official ranking in the graduation class of your bachelor’s degree when you submit an online application via RPg Admission System. Specific requirements for supporting documents for each department can be found in this link. Please submit your documents and information as completely as possible. The host department at PolyU will make a judgement accordingly and contact you if more information is required.
Please refer to Accept the Admission Offer for information:
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/study/pg/research-postgraduate-application-result-and-offer-acceptance
Yes, you can submit your online application first and fulfil the condition(s) that have been applied to your offer. To fulfil the condition(s) of your offer, you must upload your English language test score report via RPgAdmission before the deadline specified in the online Notice of Offer. The sooner you can fulfil your condition(s), the better. However, if you apply to a department in FCE, they may not issue a conditional offer for applicants who need to meet the English language requirement. Please check this website for the updates: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/study/pg/research-postgraduate/supporting-documents-application-rpg
As a Dual PhD student at PolyU, you will be treated similarly to a regular PhD student. You will have access to library resources, research facilities, and other opportunities provided by the university. There will be a remark on the PolyU award parchment indicating that the Dual PhD Degree Programme is jointly offered by PolyU and the partner university.
We have not received any feedback from graduates indicating any issue/problem with degree accreditation. We recommend that you submit your degree accreditation application along with all your supporting documents, including study visa, study plan, and a testimonial or transcript indicating that you are admitted to the Collaborative PhD Degree Progarmme.
Dual PhD students are not required to graduate simultaneously from both universities. Each university has its own timeline and schedule to approve and ratify the award, so the graduation times of the two Universities can differ. Please follow your approved study plan to arrange your studies and prepare for thesis submission. Please note that you can only apply for award ratification only after you have successfully completed your oral exams at both universities or the single oral exam held at either PolyU or the partner university. You will receive two award parchments, one from PolyU and one from the partner university, upon fulfillment of the requirements of both universities.
Students must fulfil the coursework requirements of PolyU. They may apply for credit transfer for equivalent subjects completed at the partner university upon commencing their studies at PolyU. More information can be found in the Research Postgraduate Student Handbook: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/gs/rpghandbook/section8-3-1/
Dual PhD students must comply with the credit requirements set by both universities for their respective PhD degrees. At PolyU, the credit requirements are outlined in the Research Postgraduate Student Handbook: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/gs/rpghandbook/section8-1-4/. Students are required to have their registration confirmed at PolyU before the stipulated deadline. Once the graduation requirements are fulfilled, students can prepare and submit their thesis according to the requirements of both PolyU and the partner university. Approvals from chief supervisors at both PolyU and the partner university must be obtained for thesis submission. Thesis review will be conducted separately according to the requirements of PolyU and the partner university. Both supervisors must attend the oral exam(s). Specific requirements for thesis submission and oral examinations can be found in Appendix I of the Research Postgraduate Student Handbook.
Dual PhD applicants must be jointly recruited by both universities. PolyU department and the University Selection Panel will assess the applicants holistically, taking into account academic merit, research experience, availability of funding, etc. Normally, all admitted dual PhD students will receive a monthly stipend while studying at PolyU. The University Selection Panel will determine the specific details of scholarship distribution. You do not need to apply for the scholarship separately. For outstanding students, you can consider applying for Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS). Successful applicants will receive an offer of admission in May each year.
No, the 2 years you have studied at your home university do not count toward the Dual PhD Degree Programme. The programme begins once you are admitted by both universities. You will need to carefully manage your study time to meet the requirements of both universities, which may result in a longer total study period compared to a single PhD programme.
Yes, if you fulfill PolyU's graduation requirements and both of your supervisors agree, you can submit your thesis within the 4-year study period.
There is no fixed quota limitation for supervisors recruiting PhD students. However, there is a quota cap for chief supervisors using university funding to support students' stipends. If your proposed PolyU supervisor has any questions regarding quotas or financial matters, please ask them to contact the department or the Graduate School directly.
