Aims

The aim of the programme is to provide an opportunity of further education for working professionals in the field of Operational Research and Business Statistics, and to offer well-motivated individuals a path for career conversion into the field of Operational Research and Business Statistics. After completing the course, students will have two master degrees:

• Master of Science in Operational Research and Business Statistics (Hong Kong Baptist University)
• Master of Science in Operational Research and Business Statistics (University of Kent)

Students acquire a solid foundation in the principles of Operational Research and Business Statistics, and a wealth of knowledge of software packages and their applications.

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Teaching Staff

The programme teachers are either from the Department of Mathematics, Hong Kong Baptist University or from the Business School, University of Kent. The faculty members in the Department of Mathematics of Hong Kong Baptist University have very strong background in Statistics and Operational Research. As a matter of fact, Statistics and Operational Research is one of our undergraduate B.Sc. programmes in the Department. The University of Kent has an excellent international reputation. Kent's Business School has a very strong faculty in both teaching and research. Their experience and expertise, in particular in the area of business and management would give us the strength in practical, operational, and managerial areas.

To strengthen our teaching and broaden the students' learning, teachers from the University of Kent offer several subjects every year.

All teachers are highly qualified with Ph.D. degrees awarded by renowned universities.

For details, see the list of teachers.

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Admission Requirments

Applicants should normally

1. possess a Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Physics, Engineering, Business or other related majors;
2. be proficient in Basic Mathematics;
3. satisfy at least one of the following requirements on English language proficiency:
   1. he/she used English as the medium of learning in his/her Bachelor's degree course,
   2. a minimum score of 550 (paper-based test) or 213 (computer-based test) in TOEFL,
   3. a minimum score of 6.5 in International English Language Testing System,
      or
   4. equivalent qualifications acceptable to the Programme Committee.

If full-time students are marginally below the requirements on English, the Porgramme Committee requires these students to take English language subjects in the daytime. Such additional cost is borne by the students.

For exceptional cases in which applicants have other qualifications or substantial experience, the Programme committee will determine their suitability based on individual merits and interviews.

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Period of Study

Students can select full-time (starting from 07-08) or part-time (starting from 07-08) study-mode. For both study-modes, students will attend classes on weekday evenings and/or Saturdays.

For the full-time study-mode, the normal period of study is 12 months (3 semesters).
For the part-time study mode, the normal period of study is 24 months (6 semesters).

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Programme Structure

Each student is required to complete 39 units as follows:

1. 23 units of core courses
2. 10 units of elective courses
3. 6 units of M.Sc. Dissertation project

		Syllabus	unit(s)	Required unit(s)
Core Courses				23
SCI 7410	Operational Research I		3
SCI 7420	Techniques of Production Operations Management		2
SCI 7430	Statistical Software in Business and Management		3
SCI 7440	Computer Tools for Simulation		3
SCI 7450	Applied Multivariate Analysis		2
SCI 7460	Applied Time Series		2
SCI 7470	Business Statistics and Modeling		3
SCI 7480	Operational Research II		3
SCI 7490	Contemporary Issues in Soft Operational Research		2
Elective Courses				10
SCI 7510	Survey Sampling		2
SCI 7520	Actuarial Statistics		2
SCI 7530	Experimental Design		2
SCI 7540	Network and Project Management		2
SCI 7550	Logistics Modeling and Management		2
SCI 7560	Heuristic and Structured Problems in Operational Research		2
SCI 7570	Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery		2
SCI 7580	Computational Finance		2
MATH7610	Quantitative Models for Marketing		2
MATH7620	Business Intelligence and Decision Support		2
M.Sc. Dissertation Project				6
SCI 7501	Dissertation I		3
SCI 7502	Dissertation II		3
				39

For full-time study, the typical study schedule is as follows:

	Semester 1 (units)	Semester 2 (units)	Summer Semester 3 (units)
Core courses	15	5	3
Elective courses	0	6	4
M.Sc. Dissertation	0	3	3

For part-time study, the typical study schedule is as follows (the total number of units for elective courses should be 10 in Year 1 and Year 2):

Year 1	Semester 1 (units)	Semester 2 (units)	Summer Semester 3 (units)
Core courses	8	3	3
Elective courses	0	2 or 4	2 or 4
M.Sc. Dissertation	0	0	0
Year 2	Semester 1 (units)	Semester 2 (units)	Summer Semester 3 (units)
Core courses	7	2	0
Elective courses	0	2 or 4	0 or 2
M.Sc. Dissertation	0	3	3

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Programme Fee

The tuition fee for the entire programme is HK $110,000.

If a student cannot complete the programme within the normal study period, he/she is required to pay an extension fee.

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Financial Assistance Scheme

The Hong Kong SAR Government has set up a Non-means Tested Loan Scheme to provide financial assistance in the form of loan to eligible students, please visit: http://www.sfaa.gov.hk/eng/schemes/nlss.htm

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Scholarships

Scholarships are to be awarded to those who have successfully applied and been offered places in the programme as full-time students. The scholarships shall be awarded on the basis of academic results in the first semester of double degree programme:

• Scholarship HK$50,000 will be offered to students with GPA of 4.0
• Scholarship HK$40,000 will be offered to students with GPA of 3.9
• Scholarship HK$30,000 will be offered to students with GPA of 3.8
• Scholarship HK$20,000 will be offered to students with GPA of 3.7
• Scholarship HK$10,000 will be offered to students with GPA of 3.6
• Scholarship (not more than) HK$5,000 will be offered to students with GPA
  over 3.4 but below 3.6
  
  

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Accommodation for Non-local Students

The University Housing Office provides assistance for MSc students in finding suitable accommodation during their study in Hong Kong.

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Medium of Instruction

The medium of instruction is English. All teaching and learning materials are in English.

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Application Deadline and Procedures

Application Deadline: 15 July, 2008

Applicants can apply for admission through one of the following means:

1	Apply online at: http://ar.hkbu.edu.hk/~gs/index.php.
or
2	Obtain application forms from: Office of Graduate School, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. Send completed application forms and the required documents to the same address.

For further information, please visit

 http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ar/admissions/post.htm or read the Postgraduate Prospectus.

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Further Information and Enquiry

For further information or enquiry about the M.Sc. programme:

Telephone	(852) 3411 2348
Facsmilie	(852) 3411 5811
Website	http://www.math.hkbu.edu.hk/MSC-ORSTAT
Email	orstat@math.hkbu.edu.hk
Address	Department of Mathematics Hong Kong Baptist University Kowloon Tong Hong Kong

For further information or enquiry about the application procedures and deadline:

Telephone	(852) 3411 5127
Facsmilie	(852) 3411 5133
Website	http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ar/admissions/post.htm
Email	rpgs@hkbu.edu.hk
Address	Office of Graduate School Hong Kong Baptist University Kowloon Tong Hong Kong

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