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This course is a crucial component of the RBM project-based learning approach. It introduces the fundamental theories of design thinking and guides students in applying these theories to interdisciplinary projects. Since the course is deeply integrated with the RBM program, it is divided into three modules based on the project development process and will be completed over three consecutive terms. 

In the first term after admission, students are expected to enroll in UCMP 6050 in the SIS system independently and select one class section from L01 to L22. These class sections have different timetables but identical course content, so students may choose according to their own schedule.  

Starting from the second and third term, students do not need to complete enrollment on their own. RBM course team will complete course enrollment for students in advance. 

Students may freely select their instructor for the first term. Starting from the second term, students’ Project Supervisors (PS) of their RBM project groups will serve as instructors for UCMP 6050. 

The course is divided into three consecutive modules, and students must complete all three modules before receiving a final grade. Until the course is officially completed, grades will remain listed as “PP”, which means that students have not yet completed the course and are Permitted to Proceed to the next module/term. 

Hub Core Courses refer to the courses offered by the 4 Hubs, including FUNH 5000, INFH 5000, SYSH 5000, and SOCH 5000. Students are required to complete at least two Hub Core Courses before graduation, one from their home Hub and another one from other Hubs. 

In the first term, students have not yet entered Hub/Thrust. If they take two courses at this stage, there is a possibility that neither course is offered by their future Hub. Considering that these courses are graduation requirements for all Research Postgraduate (RPg) students and that course quotas are limited, taking two courses may occupy limited places that could be utilized by other students. Therefore, it is recommended to take only one Hub Core Course in the first term. 

In the first term, students have not yet confirmed their Prime Supervisor and Thrust. It is not advisable to take courses on domain knowledge without guidance from an academic supervisor, as this may result in a wide disciplinary gap and lower academic performance. It will also add a significant amount of workload. Therefore, it is recommended that students focus on completing other required courses in the first term and completing Thrust required courses in later terms. 

Students can select courses on domain knowledge from different Thrusts in the SIS system. However, it is important to consult with the academic supervisors before taking courses on domain knowledge, as they may have specific course requirements for students. If the academic supervisors have no specific course requirements, courses on domain knowledge from other Thrusts could also be used to fulfill the graduation requirements.  

Each student will have two Thesis Supervisors, including one Prime Supervisor and one Co-supervisor, who are from Thrust Faculty and are primarily responsible for student’s academic development and thesis research. Thesis Supervisor is commonly called Academic Supervisor (AS) as well.  

The Project Supervisor (PS) is from CFT Faculty and is mainly responsible for guiding students on RBM project and cultivating transferable skills. 

Students who have completed more than the required three courses on domain knowledge may apply for Surplus Course Exclusion prior to graduation. This enables them to exclude extra courses from the Graduation Grade Average (GGA).  

Nevertheless, records for excluded courses will remain on students’ academic transcripts. Surplus courses will also be included in each semester’s Cumulative Grade Average (CGA). 

The Thesis Research course (e.g. AIAA 6990) is designated to register students’ thesis examination results and requires no classes. Once students complete the graduation process, their grade will be marked as “P” in SIS.  

Students can select this course in the first term without any impact. However, it is recommended to enroll after starting the thesis writing. 

Students will be randomly allocated to a section of PDEV6800X in the SIS system. While these sections follow different schedules, they cover identical course content. Students who find the allocated timeslot unsuitable may apply for a section swap within the same course.  

If there is a vacancy in the target section, the student will be enrolled. If no vacancy is available, students need to wait until another student drops the section. Section swaps must be completed before the end of the add/drop period; no section changes will be permitted afterwards. 

The course PDEV 6800 consists of two parts. The first part is a 10-hour training course, designated as PDEV 6800X, which is expected to be completed in the first term for RBM students.  

The second part requires MPhil students to give at least one 30-minute instructional delivery in front of a group of students in English, designated as PDEV 6800O/P/Q/R, corresponding to the four different Hubs, which must be completed before graduation. 

Students are eligible to give their 30-minute instructional delivery after completing the PDEV 6800X training course and passing the ELPA test. 

RBM will notify eligible students in the second term to start their 30-minute instructional delivery. This instructional delivery must be conducted in-person on campus and in English.  

As RBM students, they may deliver the 30-minute instructional session in any one of the following forms: 

1. Assist the Project Supervisor in RBM Project Supervision, 

2. Provide a tutorial session in a course offered at the GZ campus, 

Please check with RBM if you wish to complete the 30-min instructional delivery on other occasions. 

SIS system will automatically enroll students in this course. Students only need to complete the course requirements in the HKUST(GZ) RPg Professional Development Course System (PDC system).  

The course requirements include: 

A. CITI Program (1 attempt, online, details see User Guide) 

B. Preventing and Handling Sexual Harassment (1-hour PDC event, online, 3 registration chances) 

C. 11-hour electives (in-class attendance required, launched irregularly) 

- PDC events are concentrated at the beginning and middle of the term, with fewer events toward the end of the term. Please register early. 

- Arriving 15 minutes or later will be recorded as a “no-show”.  

- Students who accrue three no-shows within one term are unable to register for events via the PDC system in the subsequent term. 

- Repeated completion of events with the same event code will only be recognized once. 

These different course codes refer to the same course. They have different suffixes due to the students’ respective programs. S stands for MPhil (General), which refers to RBM students who have not entered a Hub/Thrust (in their first term), while K/L/M/N correspond to the four different Hubs. 

The RBM Seminar is a series of seminars prepared for new students to navigate them in research exploration and understand how to conduct interdisciplinary projects. Students are required to complete a specified number of seminar sessions as per RBM requirements.  

For example, 2025-cohort RBM students must complete at least one RBM seminar session by September 24, 2025, and a total of at least three RBM seminar sessions by October 24, 2025. 

The RBM Seminar series are part of the elective events for the PDEV 6770 course. Students need to register for seminar sessions in the PDC system, and the learning hours for the seminar sessions will count towards the 11-hour electives required for PDEV 6770.  

Additionally, PDEV 6770 can be completed before graduation, while the RBM Seminar requirements must be completed in the first term. 

Attendance for the RBM Seminar is managed under the RBM Regulation on Unsatisfactory Academic Performance. Students who do not meet the attendance requirements will receive a warning letter and have the corresponding credits deducted. 

To complete PDEV 6770, students must satisfy three requirements: 1 CITI Program attempt, 1-hour mandatory event “Preventing & Handling Sexual Harassment”, and 11 hours of elective events. If the Course Result remains “In Progress” even after accumulating 12 hours of event learning, students should verify completion of the CITI Program attempt and the mandatory event “Preventing & Handling Sexual Harassment”. 

Course grades can only be reported to SIS during the specific “Grade Reporting Period” at the end of Fall & Spring Term. If the course is completed after the “Grade Reporting Period”, the grade for that term will still be PP in SIS.  

Please plan your study schedule in advance to avoid missing the “Grade Reporting Period”. 

The CITI program must be completed on the CITI website. Please complete the CITI program according to the CITI Program User Guide before the Proposal Qualification Assessment (PQA). 

Please re-watch the instructional video and retake the quiz. 

The “Preventing & Handling Sexual Harassment” event is delivered as Canvas-based e-learning. The event offering unit will upload student attendance records to the PDC system in batches rather than in real time. Please check the event description in the PDC system for detailed arrangements and contact the event inquiry email for questions. 

Students must complete attendance registration in accordance with requirements set by the event offering unit. Simply selecting an event in the PDC system without attending or checking in will not result in an attendance entry.  

Students with enquiries regarding event attendance may contact the dedicated event enquiry email in the event description. 

PDC events will only be offered during the academic weeks of Fall & Spring Term, mainly concentrated at the beginning and middle of the term. There will be fewer events at the end of the term, and no events will be offered after the term ends. Please keep a close eye on the PDC system messages and select events in a timely manner. 

Students who register for an event but are absent, or arrive more than 15 minutes late, will be marked “no-show”. Students accumulating three absences within a term will not be able to select events in the PDC system in the following term. 

Students unable to select events in the PDC system should check whether they have accumulated three absences in the preceding term. If the total number of absences is fewer than three, they may contact the PDC system support via pdcgz@hkust-gz.edu.cn for assistance. 

No further action is required upon receiving such notification. Students simply need to wait for the course grade to be submitted. Please DO NOT withdraw from the course! Otherwise, the grade cannot be reported to SIS at the end of the term. 

Yes. Students can take the two courses simultaneously in the same term. 

Students failing LANG 5000 may receive a 25% reduction in PGS. Please find more details in the Handbook for Research Postgraduate Studies under the “Curriculum Requirements”, English Language Enhancement Courses section. 

A Letter Grade is the final grade for a course and will be included in the grade average (GA) calculation.  

PP is a special grade form. When progress in thesis or project work is satisfactory but not scheduled for completion at the end of a regular term, the Permitted to Proceed (PP) grade is used. PP grades will not affect students’ grade average. 

Please find more details in the Handbook for Research Postgraduate Studies under the “Course Grading” section. 

Academic transcripts record all courses undertaken during MPhil studies, regardless of the term. A PP grade for a given term signifies that the course was incomplete at the end of that term. Once students receive a Letter Grade or a P in the latest term, the course is regarded as completed. 

A failed course can be retaken. Only two courses (excluding audited courses) in a postgraduate program may be retaken, and unless otherwise specified, each may be repeated only once.  

The new grade obtained in the second attempt will replace the previous grade in the calculation of the grade averages, while the course grade of the first attempt will still be reflected in the student’s transcript. 

Per the Progression and Academic Standing section of the Handbook for Research Postgraduate Studies, students must obtain a cumulative grade average (CGA) of 2.850 or higher each term. Students failing to meet this requirement in one term will receive a warning letter from the Thrust/Base Head. If the requirement is not satisfied for two consecutive terms, the students’ record will be reviewed by the Thrust/Base, and they may be required to take academic leave and have their studies suspended.  

Students with a CGA below 2.85 may raise their average in the subsequent term by retaking courses with low or failing grades, or by taking additional courses to attain better results. 

If students have concerns regarding their grades, they should first discuss the matter with the course instructor as soon as the course grades are released. If a clerical or administrative error has been made, the course offering units will report the revised grade to Academic Registry Services.  

If the student’s concern remains unresolved after this informal discussion, they may submit a request for a grade review in writing to the Head of the course offering units within two weeks from the day grades are released, including:  

i) the grounds for the request for review;  

ii) a description of the relevant facts;  

iii) supporting evidence. 

Students who select courses during the Enrollment Period without completing validation may face problems related to their SIS accounts and course enrolment permissions. Such issues could delay enrolment and result in failure to register for popular courses. Students are advised to add intended courses to the shopping cart during the Validation Period to facilitate a smooth enrolment process. 

Students experiencing any technical problems when enrolling courses may contact ARS (gzcourserg@hkust-gz.edu.cn) or the Teaching & Learning System Support (tlssupport@hkust-gz.edu.cn) for assistance. 

Students may join the waiting list if a course is full. When another student drops the course, the system will automatically enroll waitlisted students in queue sequence. 

Yes. Please closely track the status of waitlisted courses, as vacancies may become available throughout the add/drop period. If successfully enrolled from the waiting list, the course will appear on the academic transcript, and students must complete it as required. Failure to do so may result in an F grade. 

Some courses may reserve places for specific student groups (e.g., graduating students). These vacancies will be open to other students only after the reservation period ends. Students may join the waiting list for such courses and keep track of enrollment results. 

Yes. Students may complete recommended courses in later terms if they encounter scheduling conflicts or if courses are fully occupied, provided all required courses are completed prior to graduation. 

No. Tuition fees at the university are charged on a term basis rather than per credit. 

Students may apply to audit a course in SIS during the add/drop period. Students who successfully audit a course must attend the course, participate in activities, complete assignments and write final examinations. However, no formal letter grade will be awarded for the audited course.  

Students who satisfy the requirements set by the course instructor will receive an “AU” notation on their transcript. Otherwise, the course will be removed from their enrollment record.