For the Master of Science in Financial Technology and Data Analytics, applicants from different fields are welcome to apply while candidates with computer science, engineering, science and technology related background are highly preferred.

We will interview most of the candidates with high potential for being admitted.  However, straight-in without an interview is also possible.

You do not need to submit reference letters or ask your referees to complete a form at the time of application.  The MSc Programme Office will contact you or the referees directly afterwards if reference letters are required.

We strongly recommend submitting early to allow for technical difficulties or severe traffic that may occur on deadline days.  To avoid this, please consider submitting your application a day or two before the deadline.

No.

Yes.  We recommend you to upload a copy of the transcript as supporting document to the online application system.

No additional admission requirement applies to non-local applicants.  For any short-listed non-local applicants, interviews will be conducted via telephone.

A TOEFL/IELTS score is not required if your first language is English or English was used as the medium of instruction in your undergraduate studies.

No.

The HKU code number for the TOEFL is 9671.

For TOEFL, the minimum score for Paper-based test (PBT) is 550 and Internet-based test (iBT) is 80.  For IELTS, the minimum overall score is 6.0 and all sub-scores must be 5.5 or above.  The scores for TOEFL/IELTS are valid for two years from the test date.

Only original test reports are accepted.  You could ask the test center to send the official reports directly to HKU.

There is no specified GPA requirement for our admissions requirement but we will consider your all-round qualifications and credentials.

Yes.  Applicants may submit more than one application.  However, we see the advantage of staying focused and getting prepared accordingly.

You need to submit an application, pay the application fee and upload supporting documents for each programme you apply.

Some courses are included in the list of reimbursement courses.  

We have one intake every year.  Candidates should start their applications around mid-October every year for the next year's intake.

Our programme is run on semester system, commencing in September.

For the academic year 2023/2024, the duration of each semester is as below:

Semester 1: September 2023 - December 2023
Semester 2: January 2024 - late April 2024
Semester 3: Mid-May 2024 - August 2024

Most classes are held on HKU campus and are held on weekdays evenings from 6:30pm - 9:30pm / 7:00pm-10:00pm.  For courses which are taught by overseas visiting lecturers, classes are held most in evenings within or just over a fortnight and often on Saturdays and Sundays as well.

Each 6-credit course includes a total of 30 in-class hours.  Workloads vary from course to course, and from student to student, depending on your own learning style and familiarity with the material.  A general rule of thumb is that for every 3-hour lecture, approximately three-five hours of additional work are needed for class preparation and projects.  Work in between classes includes group projects and assignments.

Students registered to read for a postgraduate curriculum at this University MUST NOT be registered simultaneously to read for another qualification in this University or at another institution, except with the approval of the Board of Faculty of Engineering given in advance.  A breach of this Regulation in Hong Kong or elsewhere may result in the student concerned being required to discontinue studies at this University.

Local students of the MSc(FTDA) Programme may apply for Extended Non-means Tested Loan Scheme offered by the HKSAR Government.

Scholarship
The recently established HKU-SCF FinTech Academy will offer five scholarships exclusively for MSc(FTDA) and MSc(Compsc) [Financial Computing Stream] students.

Course exemption may be granted if candidates can produce evidence, such as transcript and course syllabus, that a course is equivalent in content to another course elsewhere for which a satisfactory grade has been obtained.  No credits will be given for the exempted course and candidates may be required to take additional and/or alternative courses in lieu of the exempted courses, e.g. A student who has granted exemption of a core course may take an additional elective course instead.

Advanced standing may be granted to candidates in recognition of studies completed successfully before admission to the curriculum in accordance with TPG3 of the Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Curricula.  Candidates who are awarded Advanced Standing will not be granted any further credit transfer for those studies for which Advanced Standing has been granted.  The amount of credits to be granted for Advanced Standing shall be determined by the Board of the Faculty, in accordance with the following principles:

(a) a candidate may be granted a total of not more than 20% of the totals credits normally required under a curriculum for Advanced Standing unless otherwise approved by the Senate; and
(b) credits granted for advanced standing shall not be included in the calculation of the GPA but will be recorded on the transcript of the candidate.

If you have a valid work visa that covers the programme period, you will not need another visa to study in the part-time MSc Programme.

Yes, students who do not have the right to abode in Hong Kong are required to apply for a student visa for entering into Hong Kong and studying on a master degree programme.

Non-local students, including those from the Mainland China, must obtain a visa in order to study in Hong Kong. Without a valid visa, they cannot register for their study in the University. The student visa will also enable students to enter Hong Kong as students.

Admissions and Academic Liaison Section (AAL) of the Registry can assist students in obtaining visas.  Details can be found at: https://www.studentvisa.hku.hk/.