Sept 2025 Entry
3 years (Full-time)
5 years (Part-time)
Candidates will be deregistered from the programme if they exceed the normal duration of the programme, unless approval is obtained from the relevant authority.
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This programme is co-hosted by the following academic departments:
Department of Biomedical Engineering;
Department of Computing;
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering;
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; and
Department of Mechanical Engineering.
We have a quota for admissions. Early applications are strongly encouraged. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews. Offers will be made on a rolling-basis.
An incomplete application cannot be processed promptly and may reduce your chance of admission. Please complete all relevant fields on the application form and upload all necessary documents.
What's New
Programme Aims
This programme is targeted for those who are in or are aspiring to be in senior management or principal research and development positions in companies/organisations that are involved in science, technology and engineering. The curriculum is designed to improve the candidates' skills in management of innovation and technology, enhance professional competence and expertise in specific engineering fields and strengthen capabilities in research, innovation and technology transfer from a practical perspective.
Characteristics
The programme comprises two equally weighted components: coursework and thesis. The coursework aims at reinforcing and expanding candidates' breadth of knowledge in management of innovation and advanced technologies. The thesis, which is company/organisation related, should make a significant contribution and/or provide innovative insights into professional practice in an engineering discipline.
The award “Doctor of Engineering” will be granted on successful completion of all subjects (as listed in curriculum) and a thesis. Graduates can use the title “Dr”.
An EngD candidate, upon graduation, should be able:
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To understand the ethics in research;
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To formulate, implement, and evaluate global operations strategies for achieving competitive advantage in a technological context; and to manage successfully the 21st century technological enterprises;
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To possess the knowledge of technological innovation and transformation as well as business sustainability and apply them in technological enterprises, and to provide managers with the concepts, framework, and managerial skills to analyse, plan and lead complex systems projects;
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To understand the current issues and development in the planning and choice performance management systems for firms and organisations to achieve their missions and business goals, and to apply the knowledge learnt in the selection and implementation of appropriate performance management practices for various types of organisational settings;
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To understand the importance of environmental management and the role of different parties on cleaner production and sustainable product development; and to acquire the knowledge of the updated environmental technologies in handling and controlling various types of pollution; and
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To investigate or conduct a critical study of an engineering problem which demonstrates innovation and creativity and results in a significant contribution to engineering practice within an industrial/professional context.
Programme Structure
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Candidates are required to pass 5 Compulsory Subjects and 3 Elective Subjects, with a minimum Award GPA (AGPA) of 3.0, an Academic Integrity and Ethics (AIE) Subject and complete a thesis.
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Compulsory Subjects: Research Methodology; Global Operations Strategy; Systems Transformation & Analysis; Performance Management Systems & Design; Economy, Energy & Environment: Strategies for Sustainable Development.
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Elective Subjects: Technological Innovation & Strategy (recommended study trip), Strategic Lean Management (recommended study trip), a pool of guided study subjects/ special topics from the five co-hosting departments.
- Academic Integrity and Ethics (AIE) Subject: Engineering Ethics and Academic Integrity
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The thesis should be innovative and applicable in a professional context. The research results should also reach a standard worthy of publication in a peer-reviewed archival journal.
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The normal duration for completing the thesis is six semesters.
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Candidates are encouraged to follow a recommended study pattern.
Core Areas of Study
This is a brief summary of the core areas for the topic of thesis. Candidates are provided with detailed information on these topics for selection upon registration.
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Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Imaging, Instrumentation Sensing and AI, Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Engineering, Sports and Neuromusculoskeletal Engineering, Prosthetics, Orthotics Smart Ageing and Rehabilitation Engineering. -
Computing
Networking & Mobile Computing, Smart Enterprise Information Systems & Big Data Analytics, Knowledge Engineering & Human Centered Computing, Smart Computing & Systems for Smart City, Healthcare & Green Energy, Security & Privacy and Fintech, Computing Systems & Software Engineering. - Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Power and Energy Systems, Photonic, Smart Materials & Devices, Power Electronics & Electric Vehicles, Future Mobility System, Artificial Intelligence & Signal Processing, Communications & Information Security, Microelectronics & Quantum Technology. -
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Knowledge & Technology Management, Engineering Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Materials Technology, Laser Materials Processing, Ultra-precision Machining and Precision Metrology, Cyber Physical System, Smart Manufacturing and Logistics, Internet of Things, Transport Modelling and Data Analysis; Aviation and Maritime Studies; Industrial Organisation analysis for the transport industry, Advanced Materials Processing and Nano-manufacturing, Process Systems Engineering, Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Energy and Environmental Management, Waste Management, Waste-to-Energy, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), Circular Economy, Smart Manufacturing; Smart Logistics, Transportation and Logistics System Modeling and Optimization, Smart Computing & Systems for Smart City, Healthcare & Green Energy, Security & Privacy and Fintech. -
Mechanical Engineering
Aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, heat and mass transfer, renewable energy, Robotics, Environmental Noise of Air/Land Transportation (Computational/Experimental); Industrial Acoustics and Noise Control (Computational/Experimental); Product Sound/Noise Design Engineering; Engineering Thermofluid System Design and Optimization (Computational/Experimental); Turbomachinery (Fans/Pumps/Wind Turbines) Flow and Noise Design; Scientific Computing for Engineering Design and Analysis, Robotic manipulation; Vision-based control and automation; Artificial Intelligence; Micro-system Design; Mechatronics, Advanced energy technologies; Fuel Cells; Flow batteries; Hydrogen production, Product design and development; Numerical modelling and simulation; Manufacturing and metal forming; Size effect based micro-mechanics; Damage and fracture in manufacturing and product service, Advanced composite materials; Fracture and fatigue mechanics; Engineering mechanics; Polymers and blends; Cementitious composites; Thin films and coatings; Tribology; Energy materials, Solid mechanics with focus on crashworthiness, plasticity, and mechano-electrochemical modeling; Glass science and engineering with focus on glass precision glass molding and strengthening, Thin film coatings; Catalyst supports; Flexible sensors and actuators.
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Programme Coordinator
Prof. Xiaowen Fu
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A Master's degree in an engineering discipline that is relevant to biomedical engineering, computing, electrical and electronic engineering, industrial and systems engineering or mechanical engineering (under exceptional circumstances, admission may be granted to holders of good Bachelor's degrees with Honours in a relevant engineering discipline);
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All applicants are expected to have substantial and relevant work experience.
Applicants are also expected to demonstrate maturity, motivation, commitment and skill in communicating in English.
Applicants who obtain a degree from a university of which the medium of instruction is not English are expected to provide one of the following proficiency test results (taken within 2 years) to fulfil the minimum English language requirement:
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A score of 80 or above in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Internet-based test; or
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An overall Band score of 6.0 or above in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module; or
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Other equivalent qualifications to be considered by the Faculty.
Individual cases will be considered on their own merit by the department. Applicants may be required to attend interviews or tests to further demonstrate their language proficiency.
For further information on academic matters, please contact:
Programme Coordinator:
Prof. Xiaowen Fu (tel: (852) 2766 6329; email: xiaowen.fu@polyu.edu.hk)
For further information on admission matters, please contact:
Ms Stephanie Wong (tel: (852) 3400 3813; email: destepwg@polyu.edu.hk)
Departmental Programme Leaders:
Biomedical Engineering
Dr Christina Zonghao Ma (tel: (852) 2766 7671; email: czh.ma@polyu.edu.hk)
Computing
Dr Henry Chan (tel: (852) 2766 7269; email: cshchan@polyu.edu.hk)
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Prof. A.P. Zhang (tel: (852) 3400 3336; email: aping.zhang@polyu.edu.hk)
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Prof. CY Tang (tel: (852) 2766 6608; email: cy.tang@polyu.edu.hk)
Mechanical Engineering
Dr David Navarro-Alarcon (tel: (852) 2766 7816; email: dnavar@polyu.edu.hk)
HK$98,400 per semester for full-time mode
3 credits for candidates of part-time mode
Please click here to download.
HK$98,400 per semester for full-time mode
HK$12,300 per credit for part-time mode
Remarks: Full-time candidates will be charged HK$98,400 per semester for 6 semesters (which is the normal duration for completing the programme on a full-time basis) whereas part-time candidates will be charged HK$12,300 per credit for 48 credits.
The total tuition fee of the 49-credit programme is HK$590,400 for both full-time and part-time candidates. There is no tuition fee for the 1-credit Academic Integrity and Ethics subject.
Full-time candidates having taken all the 49 credits earlier than the normal registration period (i.e. 6 semesters) will be required to pay the remaining fee when they submit their thesis for oral examination.
The normal duration for the completion of thesis is consecutive six semesters. Approval has to be sought for extending the completion of thesis beyond six semesters and an extension fee of HK$36,900 per semester will be charged.
Candidates have to bear flight cost, hotel accommodation fees, make extra travel insurance arrangement according to individual needs (especially for those who wish to advance or extend their stay in the destination. Basic travel insurance will be provided by the University covering the designated period of the study trip), etc. if they select overseas study trips as their electives.
One of the values of this EngD programme is to challenge my ability and capability. It is a great vehicle that I had successfully verified my patented technology under scientific analysis to prove the innovativeness of the concept. Through the EngD studying process, I had built a solid knowledge research platform so that I could creatively process my ideas with full confidence. The research result has allowed me to transform the concept into a new practical tool that it can be easily adopted into my business to tackle the current field problems as well as benefit the industry as a whole.
Though rich experience can be acquired in engineering practices, innovation and breakthrough are difficult to be obtained. The EngD programme has opened up a new door to technological innovation for me, in which creativity, methodology and practices were united coherently and perfectly, after taking courses instructed by top scientists and professors. During this period, I received 10 invention patents authorised by the National Intellectual Property Administration, PRC. One of these patents was awarded 2017 China (small valley) "Internet + transportation" innovation and entrepreneurship contest winners Award.
My colleagues were surprised by my decision of taking up a further study after 30 years of graduation from my first degree. After a few semesters of hard work, I was able to explain to them and my customers with the latest engineering knowledge such as lean management, road-map, smart manufacturing, and optimisation. They were impressed by my in-depth understanding of these engineering topics. My office is now posted with the certificates that I obtained from the reputable conferences and journals at which I had presented/published my research findings during my Engineering Doctorate (EngD) study. Complementary to my experience in the industry, the EngD programme has helped me contribute to my work with a solid academic background.
This programme is a very special and unique offering. Although you will learn a tremendous amount of knowledge, of even greater value is how it changes the way you view the world. With lectures taught by leaders in the field from across the world, and immersive study trips abroad, you will gain insights that will help you realise that many problems are simply just new opportunities. This programme will evolve you. I cannot overstate how valuable and beneficial this experience has been, both for my career and personally in my daily life. I would highly recommend the programme to anyone who wants to take their skills to the next level.
