Sept 2025 Entry
1 year (Full-time)
2.5 years (Part-time)
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This is a mixed-mode programme. Students can pursue their studies in either the full-time or part-time mode. Depending on their pace of study, students should normally be able to complete the programme full time in 1 year or part time in 2.5 years. Students are required to attend classes in the daytime and evening if they choose the full-time mode of study.
There is a provision for a Postgraduate Diploma (PgD) exit award.
What's New
Programme Aims
The mission of the High Performance Buildings (HPB) programme is to engage in education and research for the advancement of high performance buildings. In particular, the HPB programme provides an opportunity for students to broaden and deepen their knowledge on assessment of High Performance Buildings, which impose minimal impacts on global carbon footprints (global impacts), and facilitate optimised performance of building systems (building impacts), as well as the best indoor environments for the health and well-being of occupants.
To fulfil this mission, the High Performance Buildings programme adopts an interdisciplinary approach by linking sustainable development and high-rise building construction together with socio-economic development, focusing on climate changes, carbon footprint assessment, building services system management and optimisation, and indoor environmental quality evaluation. It is designed to cut across traditional boundaries of management, engineering and environmental sciences to take a broad view of sustainability issues. Integrating knowledge of high performance buildings and urban construction, this programme provides the most up-to-date knowledge based upon contemporary research findings.
Characteristics
The multidisciplinary nature of the programme not only offers students advanced knowledge in their specialist areas, but also expands their perspective of the broader field of building services engineering. Students can take a combination of subjects to suit their careers, and can also choose an appropriate dissertation project.
Re-accreditation will be sought from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) through the Building Surveying and Environmental Surveying pathways for 2025/26 intake cohort and onwards.
Accreditation by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) as suitable further learning to meet the academic requirement for CEng registration is subject to approval.
Programme Structure
Students can select from a wide range of subjects, each of which normally requires 39 hours of attendance over a 13-week semester.
For the MSc with Dissertation
Students must complete 7 taught subjects, including 4 Compulsory Subjects, 3 Core Subjects and a Dissertation that is relevant to their area of specialisation, and a 1-credit Academic Integrity and Ethics (AIE) subject.
For the MSc without Dissertation
Students must complete 10 taught subjects, including 4 Compulsory Subjects and at least 3 other Core Subjects, and a 1-credit Academic Integrity and Ethics (AIE) subject.
Students can exit at the PgD level, having satisfactorily completed 7 subjects (21 credits), including 4 Compulsory Subjects, 2 Core Subjects and 1 Elective Subject, and a 1-credit Academic Integrity and Ethics (AIE) subject.
Core Areas of Study
The following is a brief summary of the core areas of study.
Compulsory Subjects
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Building System Performance
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Building Carbon Footprint Assessment
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Indoor Environmental Quality Assessment
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Research Project
Core Subjects
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Lighting Engineering
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Engineering Intelligent Buildings
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Fire Engineering Systems
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Energy Efficient Buildings
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Noise and Vibration in Sustainable Built Environments
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Applied Solar Energy in Buildings
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Maintenance Management of Built Assets
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Safety Management Systems & Safety Auditing
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Sustainability & the Built Environment
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Information Management for Construction & Real Estate
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Indoor Air Quality Engineering
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Prof. Du Yaping Patrick
BSc, MSc, PhD
A Bachelor’s Degree with Honours relevant to architecture, construction and real estate industry, or the equivalent (including recognised professional qualifications).
If you are not a native speaker of English, and your Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification is awarded by institutions where the medium of instruction is not English, you are expected to fulfil the University’s minimum English language requirement for admission purpose. Please refer to the "Admission Requirements" section for details.
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:
Prof. Du Yaping Patrick (tel: (852) 2766 7784; email: ya-ping.du@polyu.edu.hk)
For general enquiries, please contact:
General Office, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE)
Email: beenquiry@polyu.edu.hk
12 (Full-time)
6 (Part-time)
HK$6,750 per credit for local and non-local students
Entry Scholarships are available. For details, please click HERE.
PolyU reserves the right to change or withdraw the scholarship at any time. In case of any dispute/disagreement, PolyU’s decision is final.
Concern over carbon footprints, indoor environmental quality, climate change and other environmental issues is gradually increasing. By offering me sufficient and up-to-date knowledge, this taught MSc programme has enabled me to deliver the best optimised designs and be more environmentally friendly in my work for an engineering consultancy firm.
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