History of HKUST
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST,
香港科技大學) belongs to the three most renowned universities in
Hong Kong. Founded in 1991, HKUST celebrated its 20th anniversary
in 2011. This is a surprising fact from an European point of view.
Being built literally from scratch on the beautiful coastline of
Clearwater Bay, HKUST made an ambitious and steep ascent in the
last two decades. In January 2011 about 10.000 students were
studying at HKUST as compared to a number of roughly 500 people
employed in teaching
[1].
HKUST is a campus university. Lecturing facilities, student
residences, sport facilities, a supermarket and food courts turn
the campus into a vivid place where students and teachers not only
come for university quests but also spend parts of their free time.
HKUST has a strong focus on business and engineering. The
international setting provides students, teachers, and researchers
from abroad with a welcoming international atmosphere. HKUST is a
partner university of Technische Universität München. The QS Asian
University Ranking 2011 designated HKUST to be the best university
in Asia
[2].
Campus
The campus is located in the east of Kowloon, around 30 minutes
away from city center by public transport, the latter requiring a
large fleet of minibuses (小巴)
[3] that connects the campus
with the nearest subway stations. HKUST is built on a hillside and
offers a magnificient view upon Clear Water Bay. The panoramic view
onto the South China Sea is reason enough for even tourists come
visit the campus.
All buildings on the campus are within walking distance, though one
often needs to take elevators to cover the height difference of
around 30 stories between the sea level and the main campus
building. The campus offers a wide range of facilities, which makes
it very attractive for both local and foreign students to live
there. The campus is still growing in order to cope with a growing
number of students.
Programs
The academic year at HKUST is divided into four terms. There are
different
schools, namely the School of Science, the
School of Engineering, the School of Business and Management among
a few other smaller ones
[4]. Study programs are categorized
into undergraduate programs and postgraduate programs. Usually,
undergraduate studies (Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of
Engineering, Bachelor of Business Administration) take 3 years and
120 credits
[5] [6], yet a major change to a 4-years
undergraduate program is upcoming in 2012
[7] [8]. For
postgraduate programs (Master of Science, Master of Philosophy,
PhD) the duration strongly depends on the program
[9] [10].
HKUST requires some undergraduates to take a
preparatory
year. For example, the preparatory year is mandatory for
students from Mainland China, but not for students holding the
German Abitur or the French Baccalaureate
[11]. The admission
scheme at HKUST differentiates between education systems from all
over the world. For example, HKUST expects German students to have
an Abitur grade between 1.0-2.0 in order to be competitive in the
admission process
[11]. Student ambassadors help answer
questions about the university for interested applicants, a
pragmatic approach that allows establishing contact to already
enrolled students prior to admission
[12].
The university charges tuition fees from all its students, except
for exchange students of partner universities. The tuition fees are
high compared to Germany; for non-local students HKUST charges HKD
100,000 (around EUR 10,000) per academic year
[13]. For local students,
the tuition fee is HKD 42,100 (around EUR 4,200) per year
[14].
Courses
HKUST has a well-organized and centralized course registration
scheme
[15] [16]. Most of the courses only allow a limited number of
participants. The course registration is turn-based. As such, every
student will be assigned a randomized registration period of a few
days. In this period, a student is able to register for all courses
in the upcoming term. Conflicts in a schedule are not allowed. The
approach with randomized registration periods avoids the problems
that tag along with a first-come first-serve approach (other
universities that use FCFS for allocation often suffer denial of
service due to students all sending requests at the same time). A
second period allows for dropping or changing courses and enables
some students to take a course after having been on the waiting
list.
Courses at HKUST are conducted in English. The teachers are
generally proficient in English. The students' English skills vary
but all of them understand English well. The courses at the School
of Engineering are mostly accompanied by lab sessions and
tutorials. Students are required to work on assignments at home.
The assignments influence the final grade. Good students who
achieve a certain grade point average in the courses are granted
the Dean's list award.
Teachers tend to explain abstract concepts by example, thereby
leaving it up to the students to generalize. Questions during
lectures are generally welcome.
Library
The library is definitely one of the campus highlights. Not only is
it well-spaced and well-equipped, but it also offers a rewarding
view through a multi-story glass front down on the ocean. At least
the upper stories of the library are comparatively noisy with
students chatting, dating, watching movies (with earplugs, though)
or even talking on the phone. The lower levels are quiet and
altogether with the convenient printers and helpful staff around,
the library is an important place for students at HKUST.
Computer Barn
There are multiple computer barns in HKUST, but the central one is
usually the one which is most crowded and most frequently used.
Webcam transmissions allow students to check online which barn has
empty seats left. Smartcard readers next to each terminal allow
students to conveniently buy print budget via their student card,
or if not at hand, at the service desk. Whilst the lack of decent
software and operating systems in the computer barns can quickly
become annoying when one does not have an own notebook, the
equipment and efficient organization in the computer barn gives an
example for how HKUST effectively implements its high standards in
practice. Apart from the computer barns, ubiquituous terminals in
the hallways allow students to find rooms or other vital
information online without requiring a smartphone.
Food Courts
The campus hosts several canteens. They offer food at affordable
prices, tend to be noisy around meal times. The canteens are a
perfect place to learn the numbers Cantonese; a dish number is
called when the order is ready. Canteens are popular places to meet
and they offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The hot pot is
especially popular with students.
Student Housing
HKUST offers on-campus housing for around 4500 students making the
campus a village by itself
[17]. This means that almost every
second student lives on-campus, which is also part of the holistic
approach of HKUST to university studies. The result of the students
living together on the same premises strongly supports tight
networks among them.
Undergraduate students share rooms with one or more roommates, and
privacy is pretty much non-existent. Postgraduate students who live
on-campus have rooms on their own. The students among each hall
form communities (as students are often reassigned to another hall,
these halls are not as rivaling as in J.K. Rowling's Hogwarts
though). The halls are guarded by a security team that enforces
rather strict rules from a European point of view.
Some teachers also live on-campus. Even some families without
relations to HKUST opt to live on the campus for its beautiful
scenery and the convenient facilities in walking-distance.
Facilities
Students and staff enjoy a wide range of facilities on the campus.
To these belong tennis courts, a soccer pitch, a basketball court,
table tennis courts, badminton courts, a gym, an indoor climbing
wall, a swimming pool, a seaside barbecue site, a piano room. The
use of these facilities is free of charge for staff and students.
Additionally, bank, post office, grocery store, stationery shop, souvenir shop,
hairdresser, doctor - all these facilities make life on campus
extremely convenient.
Societies
Many students belong to various student societies. These societies
organize students who share interests, such as in soccer, running,
hiking, sailing, Taekwando or even just plain business and
management. These societies organize a lot of events and activities
on the campus and around Hong Kong. Students invest tremendous
efforts and time into societies as social and organizational skills
are regarded as key qualifactions among the students.
Personal opinion
HKUST is an excellent university that convinces by its holistic
spirit; HKUST tries to view personal development and academic
studies as two aspects of the very same challenge, and hence
integrates all aspects of life with university. The new 4-years
system is to overcome some limitations introduced by a strict
curriculum and a quantity-oriented way of learning; an area where
Hong Kong and HKUST can improve. The way HKUST is embracing change
is highly encouraging.
Sources
- HKUST Facts & Figures. http://www.ust.hk/eng/about/fh_facts.htm accessed 2011-12-21
- Asian University Rankings 2011. http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/asian-university-rankings/2011 accessed 2011-12-21
- Public light bus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_light_bus accessed 2011-12-22
- HKUST Schools and Departments. http://www.ust.hk/eng/teaching/schools.htm accessed 2011-12-22
- HKUST Recommended Pattern of Study for Undergraduate Students. https://www.ab.ust.hk/arr/reg/in/pos/pos1112.html accessed 2011-12-22
- HKUST Undergraduate Programs. http://publish.ust.hk/prog_crs_ar/ugprog/index.html accessed 2011-12-22
- HKUST 4-Year Undergraduate Program. http://334.ust.hk accessed 20112-12-22
- Hong Kong's Education System. http://studyinhongkong.edu.hk/eng/01hkesystem.jsp accessed 2011-12-23
- HKUST Postgraduate Programs. http://publish.ust.hk/pgstudies accessed 2011-12-22
- HKUST Research Postgraduate Programs. http://publish.ust.hk/prog_crs_ar/pgprog/index.html accessed 2011-12-22
- HKUST Undergraduate Admissions. http://join.ust.hk/apply accessed 2011-12-22
- HKUST Ask a Student. http://join.ust.hk/apply/non-local/ask-a-student accessed 2011-12-22
- HKUST Admission for International Applicants. http://join.ust.hk/apply/non-local/fees-and-support/what-does-it-cost accessed 2011-12-23
- HKUST Admission for Local Applicants. http://join.ust.hk/apply/non-jupas/info-guide/information-guide accessed 2011-12-31
- HKUST Undergraduate Courses. http://publish.ust.hk/prog_crs_ar/ugcourse/index.html accessed 2012-01-02
- HKUST Postgraduate Courses. http://publish.ust.hk/prog_crs_ar/pgcourse/index.html accessed 2012-01-02
- HKUST Facts & Figures Sheet. http://www.ust.hk/eng/images/about/pdf/hkust_facts_and_figures_Eng.pdf accessed 2011-12-22
- HKUST Academic Regulations. http://www.ust.hk/provost/ug/acd_reg/index.htm accessed 2011-12-22