Course Selection and Registration

Course registration deals with the selection of and registration in appropriate courses for a specific term. Course registration for a term requires approval from the Department. The student’s program registration will be revoked without formal registration in any course. Students should ensure that they have properly registered in the courses specified for a term. Students whose names are not on the class enrollment list will not be allowed to sit for examinations of the specific courses concerned and will not be awarded any grades for the courses.

Students should acquaint themselves with the general rules for postgraduate course registration and departmental course requirements for the program. They should also refer to the Postgraduate Course Catalog and read the course description and requirements carefully before selecting a course.

Credit Requirements

Credit requirements for postgraduate programs apply to course and project work, and to DBA thesis research.

For students on taught doctoral or master’s programs requiring 30 credits or above, unless restricted by program regulations, a maximum of nine credits of approved undergraduate courses at 4000-level may be used for postgraduate credit. Of the nine credits, no more than six may be from the student’s Department. For programs requiring fewer than 30 credits, a maximum of six credits of approved undergraduate courses at 4000-level may be used for postgraduate credit. Of the six credits, no more than three may be from the student’s Department.

For students on postgraduate diploma programs, unless restricted by program regulations, a maximum of three credits of approved undergraduate courses at 4000-level may be used for postgraduate credit. Students on postgraduate certificate programs are not allowed to use any undergraduate courses for postgraduate credit.

For all taught postgraduate programs, no more than 50% of the program requirements could be satisfied using credits earned from online courses and any other transfer credits granted.

Study Load

The normal study load for full-time students on taught master’s programs is twelve credits per regular term, with nine credits being the minimum. The MBA and MSc programs offered by the School of Business and Management, however, have a heavier study load than other taught postgraduate programs. For part-time students, unless otherwise specified by program regulations, the maximum study load is eight credits per term.

The normal study load for students on part-time postgraduate diploma and postgraduate certificate programs is six credits for each regular term. Unless otherwise specified by program regulations, the maximum study load is eight credits per term. For full-time postgraduate diploma and postgraduate certificate programs, the minimum study load is nine credits per regular term.

Background, Prerequisites, Co-requisites, Exclusions and Co-listed Courses

A course may require a certain general level of desired prior knowledge as background. Students should ensure that they have the necessary background to undertake a course, and may seek help from their Departments.

If a course designates other courses as its prerequisites, students must have taken and passed the prerequisites before they may enroll in the course, unless exemption is granted by the course offering Department. If a course designates other courses as its co-requisites, students must have taken the co-requisites prior to, or at the same time as, the specified course. Exemption from prerequisite or co-requisite requirements requires the approval of the instructor of the course concerned.

If a course has exclusions specified, students are not allowed to enroll in the course if they have already taken and passed any of the stated exclusions. Also, students are not allowed to enroll in a course together with any of its stated exclusions in the same term.

A co-listed course is a course offered under more than one course code. There may be different assessment schemes or assignments for the different course registrations, which will be explained to students at the beginning of the term. Students may enroll in and earn credits for only one of the co-listed versions of the course.

Course Auditing

With the permission of the course instructor, postgraduate students may enroll in a course as an auditor, who attends a course and participates in activities up to and including the writing of the final examination but not receiving a formal grade. Subject to satisfactory completion of requirements set by the course instructor, the course will be designated “AU” on the student’s transcript; otherwise the course will be removed from the registration record.

The credit load of audit courses is counted toward the study load of a student. Students on taught postgraduate programs are not allowed to audit courses without enrolling for normal coursework simultaneously in a regular term. Exceptions may be allowed for Summer and Winter Terms with the approval of the Program Director concerned.

For students who are on taught postgraduate programs which adopt a per-credit tuition fee, the tuition fee for the audit courses is the same as that of regular courses.

Course Add/Drop and Course Withdrawal

Students may make changes to their course registration during the add/drop period scheduled at the beginning of each term. Changes made in this period will not be reflected in the student’s record.

Requests to add or withdraw from courses after the add/drop period will not be accepted, except under extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student. Students wishing to request for course add or withdrawal after the add/drop period will be required to provide the Department with full justification for making the application. The request has to be supported by the course instructor concerned, and endorsed by the Department Head, and the Dean or the Dean’s designee before it is forwarded to the Academic Registry for consideration.

If approval is granted for course withdrawal, the Withdrawal without Penalty Grade “W” will be recorded on the student’s transcript as the course grade. For students who are on taught postgraduate programs which adopt a per-credit tuition fee, there is no refund of the tuition fees paid for the withdrawn courses.

To apply for course add or withdrawal after the add/drop period, students are required to submit an “Application for Class Enrollment/Withdrawal after Add/Drop Period” (form RR-22) to the Department for approval.

Academic Accommodations or Adjustments for Students with Special Educational Needs

HKUST is committed to providing equal educational opportunities to all students. Students with any learning difficulties may reach out to instructors and/or the Counseling and Wellness Center for support. The Counseling and Wellness Center provides a wide range of services and resources: (a) It coordinates with course instructors to provide reasonable academic accommodations or adjustments to courses for students with special educational needs (SEN) and/or temporary health conditions. Students may contact sen@ust.hk to arrange a confidential discussion regarding equitable access to the chosen program and reasonable accommodations; (b) It also provides personal counseling service for students who have concerns on their well-being and personal problems. Students may make an online appointment or contact counsel@ust.hk to arrange a confidential discussion to get help and advice.

More information on the University’s policy on Diversity and Equal Opportunities is available here.