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PhD - Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Informatics and Smart City

Hong Kong

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What will I learn?

The Department is well recognised as a regional centre of excellence in geomatics research. It topped the worldwide ranking according to a Thompson Reuters report. The department has a state-of-the-art Research Centre for Geo-Information Science and Technology that enables staff and students to carry out research with the latest tools.

The PhD programme aim to provide rigorous training to students who aspire to become researchers and/or scholars capable of producing independent and original research, and of producing research findings that are relevant and significant to their chosen fields of specialisation.

The MPhil study requires candidates to undertake critical study of a chosen area while the PhD study demands candidates to accomplish a study which makes a significant contribution to knowledge deserving of publication.

Urban Informatics and Smart City

Urban‐scape and Environment

Urban policy and planning, urban morphologies, land value uplift and capture, urban heat island, urban air quality monitoring, urban underground structure modelling, 3D/4D spatial analysis, smart city infrastructure, urban hydrology system, urban ecosystem.

Urban Systems and Dynamics

Accessibility and travel behaviour, Complex Network, Transportation Geography, urban as a dynamic system, Human Mobility Mining and Modelling, Environmental informatics, Entropy-based urban informatics.

Urban Sensing and Ubiquitous Technologies

Positioning in high-rising environment, indoor navigation technology, ground penetration radar technology, Internet of Things, mobile positioning technology, Ubiquitous Technologies. InSAR for urban hazard mitigation, UAV-based sensing technology.

Urban Data Analytics and Visualisation

Urban Big Data, Urban Computing, Urban Data Mining, Urban Spatiotemporal Data Fusion, Computational Social Science, Visualisation Techniques.

Which department am I in?

Faculty of Construction and Environment

Study options

Full Time (3 years)

Tuition fees
HK$84,200.00 (US$ 10,829) per year
Annual tuition fee: HK $42,100 (UGC-funded students); HK $84,200 (Non-UGC-funded students)

*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution

Start date

September 2025

Venue

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

ST305, 3/F, Ng Wing Hong Building,

Hung Hom,

Kowloon City, Hong Kong, Kowloon

Entry requirements

For international students

3-year full-time PhD programme

Normally hold an MPhil or equivalent (a research postgraduate degree with a dissertation as an award requirement) conferred by a recognised university.

4-year full-time PhD programme

Normally hold:

A Master’s degree; OR
A Bachelor’s degree with First Class Honours (or equivalent qualification), conferred by a recognised university.

PolyU may accept other equivalent qualifications. The decision is made on an individual basis.

English Language Requirements

The requirements for those who do not have a degree for which English was the language of instruction at a recognized university are:

An overall score of at least 6.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS); OR

A Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 80 or above for the Internet-based test or 550 or above for the paper-based test.

All English language test scores are considered valid for two years after the date of the test.

*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.

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About The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

PolyU ranks 65th in the QS World University Rankings and 79th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings internationally.

  • Recognised worldwide for its academic reputation
  • Enjoys impactful research practices in different fields
  • Boasts world-class facilities
  • Welcomes international students from over 30 countries

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