I. Program Overview

City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is a university funded by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has enjoyed great success both in the academic world and the field of technological innovation despite its 30-year history.

As a multi-disciplinary university, CityU boasts 7 Schools/Colleges, including College of Engineering (CENG), College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS), School of Energy and Environment (SEE), College of Business (CB), School of Law (SLW), Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, School of Creative Media (SCM), and Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies (SGS). With an aim to integrate research and teaching in practice, the CityU focuses on extending the frontiers of knowledge, promoting innovation and discovery, and inspiring innovative thinking in its syllabus design. All these have made City University of Hong Kong a leading global university, excelling in research and professional education. As a modern international university, it emphasizes fostering diversity, cross-cultural learning, and global vision. Highly qualified academics are drawn from all over the world to CityU, spreading across Hong Kong, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. City U has established an extensive collaborative network with the international academic community and engaged in partnerships of academic exchange with more than 100 institutions of higher education from 28 countries/regions. English is the official teaching language in City U, while some schools/colleges provide courses taught by Chinese as an assistant teaching language. The City University of Hong Kong is ranked 48th in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2020, positioned at the 16th among all universities in Asia. CityU offers a wide range of disciplines and more than 130 postgraduate, undergraduate taught programs, with the number of students exceeding 20000.

1. Disciplines under the NKU-CityU Joint Ph.D. Program

Theoretical Economics, Applied Economics, Politics, Sociology, Chinese Language and Literature, Archeology, Chinese History, World History, Optical Engineering, Environmental Science and Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Statistics, Business Administration, LIS& Archives Management

2. Program Structure

Full-time unassigned NKU Ph.D. Students of mentioned disciplines should, in principle, finish public required courses and discipline core courses on the NKU campus. Students need to spend their Ph.D. years in the following locations-Nankai University, City University of Hong Kong, and CityU Shenzhen Research Institute (SRI), taking specialized courses and finishing their doctoral thesis. Program structure and arrangements are as follows:

For Students under a successive Master-Doctoral Program and General Ph.D. Students

For Students under a successive Bachelor-Doctoral Program

3. Number of Candidates：15 /Year

II. Entrance Requirements and Procedures

1. Entrance Requirements：

1) Applicants should be full-time Unassigned Nankai University Ph.D. students of the class 2020 studying mentioned disciplines. (including students of the class 2021 under a successive Master-Doctoral Program or a successive Bachelor-Doctoral Program)

2) Students should finish previous courses with Distinction.

3) Students should meet the minimum English proficiency requirement of CityU: a score of 550 (paper-based test) or 79 (Internet-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); or an overall band score of 6.5 in International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Note: Individual Colleges and Schools may stipulate a higher English proficiency requirement suitable for their disciplines. Please refer to https://www.cityu.edu.hk/pg/research-degree-programmes/entrance-requirements (English Proficiency Requirement)

2. Steps & Procedures

Students eligible to apply should fill out the Application Form in English and submit the completed Application Form and the Form of Recommender Report (sealed in an envelope) to the corresponding school along with copies of the following documents. The corresponding school will collect the files and submit them to the Graduate School of Nankai University in sequence by December 18, 2020. Other documents required are as follows:

1) Bachelor and Master Degree (if applicable) and the Certificate of Graduation (Chinese and English copies)

2) Student’s transcripts from undergraduate and postgraduate studies (if applicable) (Chinese and English copies)

3) Professional qualifications and relevant certificates

4) The first page of published papers or the letter of acceptance of published papers

5) English proficiency test results (TOEFL or IELTS, scores must be valid at the time of submitting the application)

6) Letter of Consent for the NKU-CityU Joint Ph.D. Program

7) List of Applicants (digital copy)

Applications would be reviewed by NKU and CityU supervisors, heads of relevant departments, and research teams and submitted by Nankai to the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies (SGS) of City University of Hong Kong. The two universities will review the documents and select the applicants on the basis of their merits. If necessary, interviews will be arranged for applicants. Applicants will be notified of the application results in May 2021.

III. Award of Ph.D. Degree

After completing the courses required and the dissertation defense of both universities, students can apply for the Ph.D. degree awarded by both universities respectively. CityU and NKU will issue certificates of graduation/degrees based on their respective regulations (the partnership with NKU will be indicated on the degree awarded by CityU), and students can attend the commencement ceremonies held by the two universities separately.

IV. Fees and Funding

1. NKU-registered students should pay for the tuition fee of Nankai University and enjoy the same scholarships as the NKU Ph.D. students.

2. Students under the NKU-CityU Joint Ph.D. Program are eligible for the CityU Postgraduate Scholarship to cover their living expenses and academic spending, etc. (the amount can be adjusted on time) while studying at City University of Hong Kong and CityU Shenzhen Research Institute (SRI).

3. The panel of supervisors will evaluate the student's academic progress and performance on a yearly basis and decide his/her eligibility for the CityU Postgraduate Scholarship during one’s stay at CityU.

4. If a student withdraws from the University without a reason, he/she must refund the full amount of the scholarship awarded to him/her within a period.

V. Timetable (Note: The timetable is provisional. Please refer to official university notice for latest updates.)

Graduate School of Nankai University

September 2020