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Taught Postgraduate Programme

Master of Data Science

 

Master of Data Science Poster

 

It is a programme ideal for

  1. those who are interested in acquiring skills in big data analytics/artificial intelligence, and
  2. those who wish to pursue further study in the field of data science after studying science, social sciences, engineering, medical sciences, information systems, computing and data analytics in their undergraduate studies.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the programme, you should have:

  1. A Bachelor's degree, or an equivalent qualification;
  2. Applicants should have taken at least one university or post-secondary certificate course in each of the following three subjects (calculus and algebra, computer programming and introductory statistics) or related areas; and
  3. Fulfil the University Entrance Requirements.
     
  • On-line application is open in early November 2023.
  • Main Round Deadline: 12:00 noon (GMT +8), November 20, 2023. Candidates who apply within this period will have priority.
  • Clearing Round Deadline: 12:00 noon (GMT +8), January 8, 2024.


Applications can be submitted via our on-line application system here.#

 

#Please submit your supporting documents via here. Note that you will receive an email with the login instructions within 48 hours after your application is submitted.

The tuition fee for the programme is HK$309,000* for the 2024-25 intake. The fee shall normally be payable in three instalments over 1.5 years for full-time study or in five instalments over 2.5 years for part-time study.
 

In addition, students are required to pay Caution Money (HK$350), refundable on graduation subject to no claims being made, and Graduation Fee (HK$350). With effect from 2022-23, all full-time students will be charged a student activity fee of HK$100 per annum to provide support for activities of student societies and campus wide student events.

 

* Subject to approval

Entrance Scholarship for the Master of Data Science  

There is an Entrance Scholarship for Master of Data Science of HK$20,000, awarded annually to new MDASC students on the basis of academic merit and financial need upon admission.

 

Lifelong Learning Prizes in Data Science 

There are Lifelong Learning Prizes in Data Science, each from HK$5,000 to HK$10,000, will be awarded to MDASC students on the basis of academic achievement.

 

Master of Data Science Outstanding Performance Award  

One scholarship of HK$50,000, will be awarded annually for MDASC student on the basis of academic merit and quality of coursework.

 

Belt and Road Scholarship in Statistics and Data Science (Taught Postgraduate)  

This scholarship is awarded annually to outstanding new students from participating Belt and Road countries. Composition fees of MDASC could be waived for awardees, and additional allowance of HK$10,000 will be provided to support their studies.

 

Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships Scheme Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships Scheme (TPgFS)

MDASC is one of the Programmes sponsored by University Grants Committee (UGC) for Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships Scheme. Local offer recipients who will be students of MDASC in the academic year 2024-25 are eligible for application, full-time or part-time alike (other terms and conditions apply).

Local offer recipients who wish to apply for the Fellowship scheme should prepare a proposal on how they can contribute to the priority areas (i.e. Research and STEM) of Hong Kong after completing MDASC. Successful Fellowship Scheme applicants will each receive an award of HK$120,000.

 

Reimbursable Course(s) by Continuing Education Fund (CEF) CEF

The following courses have been included in the list of reimbursable courses for CEF purposes:

COMP7503 Multimedia Technologies

COMP7506 Smart Phone Apps Development

COMP7507 Visualization and Visual Analytics

COMP7906 Introduction to Cyber Security

STAT6013 Financial Data Analysis

STAT7008 Programming for Data Science

STAT8003 Time Series Forecasting

STAT8017 Data mining techniques

STAT8019 Marketing analytics

All CEF applicants are required to attend at least 70% of the concerned course before they are eligible for fee reimbursement.

* The mother programme (Master of Data Science) of these courses is recognised under the Qualifications Framework (QF Level 6).

Programme Information

Master of Data Science (MDASC) is a taught master programme jointly offered by Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science (host) and Department of Computer Science.

Its interdisciplinarity promotes the applications of computer technology, operational research, statistical modelling, and simulation to decision-making and problem-solving in all organizations and enterprises within the private and public sectors.

The curriculum of the MDASC programme adopts a well-balanced and comprehensive pedagogy of both statistical and computational concepts and methodologies, underpinning applications that are not limited to business or a single field alone.

It is a programme ideal for

  1. those whose interest in high-level analytical skills straddles the disciplinary divide between statistics and computational analytics, and
  2. those who wish to pursue further study in the field of data science after studying science, social sciences, engineering, medical sciences, information systems, computing and data analytics in their undergraduate studies.
     

Programme Highlights

  • Interdisciplinary and comprehensive curriculum
  • Solid foundation in statistical and computational analyses
  • Electives cover a broad range of contemporary topics about Computer Science and Statistics
  • Hands-on applications of methodologies with powerful software
  • Capstone project with real-life scenario

 

Course Highlights

The core courses of the proposed MDASC programme mainly focus on both predictive and prescriptive concepts and methodologies with an effort to equip students with a solid foundation in statistical and computational analyses, e.g. 

 

Computational intelligenceTime series forecasting
Deep learningStatistical modelling 

 


The electives cover a broad range of contemporary topics and provide students with solid training in diverse and applied techniques used in data science, including but not limited to 

 

Financial data analysisMultimedia technologies 
Natural language processingBlockchain data analytics 


Programme Curriculum

Commencing in September, the curriculum is composed of 72 credits of courses. Courses with 6 credits are offered in the first and second semesters while courses with 3 credits are normally offered in the summer semester. If a student selects a course whose contents are similar to a course (or courses) which he/she has taken in his/her previous study, the Department may not approve the selection in question. The curriculum is the same for both full-time and part-time study modes. Students must obtain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 to graduate. 

 

Compulsory Courses (24 credits)
COMP7404 Computational intelligence and machine learning (6 credits)
DASC7011  Statistical inference for data science (6 credits)
DASC7104

 

Advanced database systems (6 credits)
STAT7102  

 

Advanced statistical modelling (6 credits)

Disciplinary Electives (36 credits)*

List A  (at least 12 credits)

 

 

COMP7107

 

Management of complex data types (6 credits)
COMP7305

 

Cluster and Cloud Computing (6 credits)
COMP7409 Machine learning in trading and finance (6 credits)
COMP7503 Multimedia technologies (6 credits)
COMP7506

 

Smart phone apps development (6 credits)
COMP7507 Visualization and visual analytics (6 credits)
COMP7906 Introduction to cyber security (6 credits)
DASC7606 Deep learning (6 credits)
FITE7410 Financial fraud analytics (6 credits)
ICOM6044

 

Data science for business (6 credits)
List B  (at least 12 credits)  
STAT6008 Advanced statistical inference (6 credits)
STAT6013 Financial data analysis (6 credits)
STAT6015 Advanced quantitative risk management (6 credits)
STAT6016 Spatial data analysis (6 credits)
STAT6019 Current topics in statistics (6 credits)
STAT7008 Programming for data science (6 credits)
STAT8003 Time series forecasting (6 credits)
STAT8017 Data mining techniques (6 credits)
STAT8019 Marketing analytics (6 credits)
STAT8300 Career development and communication workshop (Non-credit-bearing)
STAT8306 Statistical methods for network data (3 credits)
STAT8307 Natural language processing and text analysis (3 credits)
STAT8308 Blockchain data analytics (3 credits)
Capstone requirement (12 credits)
DASC7600 Data Science Project (12 credits)
DASC8088 Data Science Practicum (6 credits) and a 6-credit course from List A or List B

 

Remarks:

1. *Students who have completed the same courses in their previous studies in HKU, e.g. Master of Statistics or Master of Science in Computer Science may, on production of relevant transcripts, be permitted to select up to 36 credits of disciplinary electives from either List A or List B above if they are not able to find any untaken options from either of the lists of disciplinary electives.

2. The programme structure will be reviewed from time to time and is subject to change.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Compulsory Courses

COMP7404 Computational intelligence and machine learning (6 credits)

This course will teach a broad set of principles and tools that will provide the mathematical, algorithmic and philosophical framework for tackling problems using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).  AI and ML are highly interdisciplinary fields with impact in different applications, such as, biology, robotics, language, economics, and computer science.  AI is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs, while ML refers to the changes in systems that perform tasks associated with AI. Ethical issues in advanced AI and how to prevent learning algorithms from acquiring morally undesirable biases will be covered.


Topics may include a subset of the following: problem solving by search, heuristic (informed) search, constraint satisfaction, games, knowledge-based agents, supervised learning (e.g., regression and support vector machine), unsupervised learning (e.g., clustering), dimension reduction learning theory, reinforcement learning, transfer learning, and adaptive control and ethical challenges of AI and ML.

 

Pre-requisites:  Nil, but knowledge of data structures and algorithms, probability, linear algebra, and programming would be an advantage.

 

Assessment:   coursework (50%) and examination (50%)

DASC7011 Statistical inference for data science (6 credits)​​​​​

Computing power has revolutionized the theory and practice of statistical inference. Reciprocally, novel statistical inference procedures are becoming an integral part of data science. By focusing on the interplay between statistical inference and methodologies for data science, this course reviews the main concepts underpinning classical statistical inference, studies computer-intensive methods for conducting statistical inference, and examines important issues concerning statistical inference drawn upon modern learning technologies. Contents include classical frequentist and Bayesian inferences, computer-intensive methods such as the EM algorithm, the bootstrap and the Markov chain Monte Carlo, large-scale hypothesis testing, high-dimensional modeling, and post-model-selection inference.

 

Assessment:  coursework (40%) and examination (60%)

DASC7104 Advanced database systems (6 credits)

The course will study some advanced topics and techniques in database systems, with a focus on the aspects of database systems design & algorithms and big data processing for structured data. Traditional topics include: query optimization, physical database design, transaction management, crash recovery, parallel databases. This course will also survey some recent developments in selected areas such as NoSQL databases and SQL-based big data management systems for relational (structured) data.

 

Prerequisites: A course of introduction to databases and basic programming skills.

 

Assessment: coursework (55%) and examination (45%)

STAT7102 Advanced statistical modelling (6 credits)

This course introduces modern methods for constructing and evaluating statistical models and their implementation using popular computing software, such as R or Python. It will cover both the underlying principles of each modelling approach and the model estimation procedures. Topics from: (i) Linear regression models; (ii) Generalized linear models; (iii) Model selection and regularization; (iv) Kernel and local polynomial regression; selection of smoothing parameters; (v) Generalized additive models; (vi) Hidden Markov model and Bayesian networks.

 

Assessment: coursework (50%) and examination (50%)

Disciplinary Electives

COMP7107 Management of complex data types (6 credits)

The course studies the management and analysis of data types which are not simple scalars. Such complex data types include spatial data, multidimensional data, time-series data, temporal and spatio-temporal data, sparse multidimensional vectors, set-valued data, strings and sequences, homogeneous and heterogeneous graphs, knowledge-base graphs, geo-textual and geo-social data. For each of these data types, we will learn popular queries and analysis tasks, as well as storage and indexing methods for main memory and the disk.

 

Assessment: coursework (50%) and examination (50%)  
 

COMP7305 Cluster and cloud computing (6 credits)

This course offers an overview of current cloud technologies, and discusses various issues in the design and implementation of cloud systems. Topics include cloud delivery models (SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS) with motivating examples from Google, Amazon, and Microsoft; virtualization techniques implemented in Xen, KVM, VMWare, and Docker; distributed file systems, such as Hadoop file system; MapReduce and Spark programming models for large-scale data analysis, networking techniques in hyper-scale data centers. The students will learn the use of Amazon EC2 to deploy applications on cloud, and implement a SPARK application on a Xen-enabled PC cluster as part of their term project.

 

Prerequisites:    Students are expected to install various open-source cloud software in their Linux cluster, and exercise the system configuration and administration. Basic understanding of Linux operating system and some programming experiences (C/C++, Java or Python) in a Linux environment are required.

 

Assessment:  coursework (50%) and examination (50%)

COMP7409 Machine learning in trading and finance (6 credits)

The course introduces our students to the field of Machine Learning, and help them develop skills of applying Machine Learning, or more precisely, applying supervised learning, unsupervised learning and reinforcement learning to solve problems in Trading and Finance.

 

This course will cover the following topics. (1) Overview of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, (2) Supervised Learning, Unsupervised Learning and Reinforcement Learning, (3) Major algorithms for Supervised Learning and Unsupervised Learning with applications to Trading and Finance, (4) Basic algorithms for Reinforcement Learning with applications to optimal trading, asset management, and portfolio optimization, (5) Advanced methods of Reinforcement Learning with applications to high-frequency trading, cryptocurrency trading and peer-to-peer lending.

 

Assessment:     coursework (65%) and examination (35%)

COMP7503 Multimedia technologies (6 credits)

This course presents fundamental concepts and emerging technologies for multimedia computing.  Students are expected to learn how to develop various kinds of media communication, presentation, and manipulation techniques.  At the end of course, students should acquire proper skill set to utilize, integrate and synchronize different information and data from media sources for building specific multimedia applications.  Topics include media data acquisition methods and techniques; nature of perceptually encoded information; processing and manipulation of media data; multimedia content organization and analysis; trending technologies for future multimedia computing. 


Assessment: coursework (50%) and examination (50%)

COMP7506 Smart phone apps development (6 credits)

Smart phones have becomean essential part of our everyday lives . The number of smart phone users worldwide today surpasses six billion and is forecast to further grow by more than one billion in the next few years Smart phones play an important role in mobile communication and applications.

 

Smart phones are powerful as they support a wide range of applications (called apps). Most of the time, smart phone users just download their favorite apps remotely from the app stores. There is a great potential for software developer to reach worldwide users.

 

This course aims at introducing the design and technical issues of smart phone apps. For example, the smart phone screens are usually smaller than the computer monitors. We have to pay special attention to these aspects in order to develop attractive and successful apps. Various modern smart phone apps development environments and programming techniques (such as Java for Android phones, and Swift for iPhones) will also be introduced to facilitate students to develop their own apps.

 

Students should have basic programming knowledge

Mutually exclusive with: COMP3330 Interactive mobile application design and programming

 

Assessment:coursework (60%) and examination (40%)

COMP7507 Visualization and visual analytics (6 credits)

This course introduces the basic principles and techniques in visualization and visual analytics, and their applications.  Topics include human visual perception; color; visualization techniques for spatial, geospatial and multivariate data, graphs and networks; text and document visualization; scientific visualization; interaction and visual analysis.

 

Assessment: coursework (50%) and examination (50%)

COMP7906 Introduction to cyber security (6 credits)

The aim of the course is to introduce different methods of protecting information and data in the cyber world, including the privacy issue. Topics include introduction to security; cyber attacks and threats; cryptographic algorithms and applications; network security and infrastructure.

Mutually exclusive with: ICOM6045 Fundamentals of e-commerce security


Assessment:  coursework (50%) and examination (50%)

DASC7606 Deep learning (6 credits)

Machine learning is a fast growing field in computer science and deep learning is the cutting edge technology that enables machines to learn from large-scale and complex datasets. Ethical implications of deep learning and its applications will be covered and the course will focus on how deep neural networks are applied to solve a wide range of problems in areas such as natural language processing, and image processing. Other applications such as financial predictions, game playing and robotics may also be covered. Topics covered include linear and logistic regression, artificial neural networks and how to train them, recurrent neural networks, convolutional neural networks, generative models, deep reinforcement learning and unsupervised feature learning.

 

Prerequisites: Basic programming skills, e.g., Python is required.

 

Assessment: coursework (40%) and examination (60%)

FITE7410 Financial fraud analytics (6 credits)

This course aims at introducing various analytics techniques to fight against financial fraud. These analytics techniques include, descriptive analytics, predictive analytics, and social network learning. Various data set will also be introduced, including labeled or unlabeled data sets, and social network data set. Students learn the fraud patterns through applying the analytics techniques in financial frauds, such as, insurance fraud, credit card fraud, etc.

 

Key topics include: Handling of raw data sets for fraud detection; Applications of descriptive analytics, predictive analytics and social network analytics to construct fraud detection models; Financial Fraud Analytics challenges and issues when applied in business context.

Required to have basic knowledge about statistics concepts.


Assessment:  coursework (50%) and examination (50%)

ICOM6044 Data science for business (6 credits)

The emerging discipline of data science combines statistical methods with computer science to solve problems in applied areas.  In this case we focus on how data science can be used to solve business problems especially those in electronic commerce.  By its very nature e-commerce is able to generate large amounts of data and data mining methods are quite helpful for managers in turning this data into knowledge which in turn can be used to make better decisions.  These data sets and their accompanying quantitative methods have the potential to dramatically change decision making in many areas of business.  For example, ideas like interactive marketing, customer relationship management, and database marketing are pushing companies to utilize the information they collect about their customers in order to make better marketing decisions.
 

This course focuses on how data science methods can be applied to solve managerial problems in marketing and electronic commerce.  Our emphasis is developing a core set of principles that embody data science: empirical reasoning, exploratory and visual analysis, and predictive modeling.  We use these core principles to understand many methods used in data mining and machine learning.  Our strategy in this course is to survey several popular techniques and understand how they map into these core principles.  These techniques are illustrated with case studies.  However, the emphasis is not on the software for implementing these techniques but on understanding the inputs and outputs of these techniques and how they are used to solve business problems.  
 

Assessment: coursework (65%) and examination (35%)

STAT6008 Advanced statistical inference (6 credits)

This course covers the advanced theory of point estimation, interval estimation and hypothesis testing. Using a mathematically-oriented approach, the course provides a formal treatment of inferential problems, statistical methodologies and their underlying theory. It is suitable in particular for students intending to further their studies or to develop a career in statistical research. Contents include: (1) Decision problem – frequentist approach: loss function; risk; decision rule; admissibility; minimaxity; unbiasedness; Bayes’ rule; (2) Decision problem – Bayesian approach: prior and posterior distributions, Bayesian inference; (3) Estimation theory: exponential families; likelihood; sufficiency; minimal sufficiency; completeness; UMVU estimators; information inequality; large-sample theory of maximum likelihood estimation; (4) Hypothesis testing: uniformly most powerful (UMP) test; monotone likelihood ratio; UMP unbiased test; conditional test; large-sample theory of likelihood ratio; confidence set; (5) Nonparametric inference; bootstrap methods.

 

Assessment: coursework (40%) and examination (60%)

STAT6013 Financial data analysis (6 credits)

This course aims at introducing statistical methodologies in analyzing financial data. Financial applications and statistical methodologies are intertwined in all lectures. Contents include: classical portfolio theory, portfolio selection in practice, single index market model, robust parameter estimation, copula and high frequency data analysis.

 

Assessment: coursework (40%) and examination (60%)

STAT6015 Advanced quantitative risk management (6 credits)

This course covers statistical methods and models of risk management, especially of Value-at-Risk (VaR). Contents include: Value-at-risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES); univariate models (normal model, log-normal model and stochastic process model) for VaR and ES; models for portfolio VaR; time series models for VaR; extreme value approach to VaR; back-testing and stress testing.

 

Assessment: coursework (50%) and examination (50%)

STAT6016 Spatial data analysis (6 credits)

This course covers statistical concepts and tools involved in modelling data which are correlated in space. Applications can be found in many fields including epidemiology and public health, environmental sciences and ecology, economics and others. Covered topics include: (1) Outline of three types of spatial data: point-level (geostatistical), areal (lattice), and spatial point process. (2) Model-based geostatistics: covariance functions and the variogram; spatial trends and directional effects; intrinsic models; estimation by curve fitting or by maximum likelihood; spatial prediction by least squares, by simple and ordinary kriging, by trans-Gaussian kriging. (3) Areal data models: introduction to Markov random fields; conditional, intrinsic, and simultaneous autoregressive (CAR,IAR, and SAR) models. (4) Hierarchical modelling for univariate spatial response data, including Bayesian kriging and lattice modelling. (5) Introduction to simple spatial point processes and spatio-temporal models. Real data analysis examples will be provided with dedicated R packages such as geoR.

 

Assessment: coursework (50%) and examination (50%) 

STAT6019 Current topics in statistics (6 credits)

This course includes two modules.

The first module, Causal Inference, is an introduction to key concepts and methods for causal inference. Contents include 1) the counterfactual outcome, randomized experiment, observational study; 2) Effect modification, mediation and interaction; 3) Causal graphs; 4) Confounding, selection bias, measurement error and random variability; 5) Inverse probability weighting and the marginal structural models; 6) Outcome regression and the propensity score; 7) The standardization and the parametric g-formula; 8) G-estimation and the structural nested model; 9) Instrumental variable method; 10) Machine learning methods for causal inference; 11) Other topics as determined by the instructor.

The second module, Functional data analysis, cover topics from: 1) Base functions; 2) Least squares; 3) Constrained functions; 4) Functional PCA; 5) Regularized PCA; 6) Functional linear; 7) Other topics as determined by the instructor.

 

Assessment:coursework (100%)

STAT7008 Programing for data science(6 credits)

Capturing and utilising essential information from big datasets poses both statistical and programming challenges. This course is designed to equip students with the fundamental computing skills required to use Python for addressing these challenges. The course will cover a range of topics, including programming syntax, files IO, object-oriented programming, scientific data processing and analysis, data visualization, data mining and web scraping, programming techniques for machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, and natural language processing, etc.

 

Assessment:  coursework (100%)

STAT8003 Time series forecasting (6 credits)

Discrete time series are integer-indexed sequences of random variables. Such series arise naturally in climatology, economics, finance, environmental research and many other disciplines. The course covers statistical modelling and forecasting of time series. Topics may include stationary and nonstationary time series, ARMA models, identification based on autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation, GARCH models, goodness-of-fit, forecasting, and nonlinear time series modelling.

 

Assessment: coursework (50%) and examination (50%)

STAT8017 Data mining techniques (6 credits)

With the rapid developments in computer and data storage technologies, the fundamental paradigms of classical data analysis are mature for change. Data mining techniques aim at helping people to work smarter by revealing underlying structure and relationships in large amounts of data.  This course takes a practical approach to introduce the new generation of data mining techniques and show how to use them to make better decisions. Topics include data preparation, feature selection, association rules, decision trees, bagging, random forests and gradient boosting, cluster analysis, neural networks, introduction to text mining.  

 

Assessment: coursework (100%)

STAT8019 Marketing analytics (6 credits)

This course aims to introduce various statistical models and methodology used in marketing research. Special emphasis will be put on marketing analytics and statistical techniques for marketing decision making including market segmentation, market response models, consumer preference analysis, conjoint analysis and extracting insights from text data. Contents include statistical methods for segmentation, targeting and positioning, statistical methods for new product design, text mining techniques and market response models.

 

Assessment: coursework (50%) and examination (50%)

STAT8300 Career development and communication workshop (Non-credit-bearing)

The course is specially designed for students who wish to sharpen their communication and career preparation skills through a variety of activities including lectures, skill-based workshops, small group discussion and role plays. All of which aim to facilitate students in making informed career choices, provide practical training to enrich communication, presentation, time management and advanced interview skills, and to enhance students' overall competitiveness in the employment markets.

 

Assessment: coursework (100%), assessment of this course is on a pass or fail or distinction basis

STAT8306 Statistical methods for network data (3 credits)

The six degree of separation theorizes that human interactions could be easily represented in the form of a network. Examples of networks include router networks, the World Wide Web, social networks (e.g. Facebook or Twitter), genetic interaction networks and various collaboration networks (e.g. movie actor coloration network and scientific paper collaboration network). Despite the diversity in the nature of sources, the networks exhibit some common properties. For example, both the spread of disease in a population and the spread of rumors in a social network are in sub-logarithmic time. This course aims at discussing the common properties of real networks and the recent development of statistical network models. Topics may include common network measures, community detection in graphs, preferential attachment random network models, exponential random graph models, models based on random point processes and the hidden network discovery on a set of dependent random variables.

 

Assessment: coursework (100%)

STAT8307 Natural language processing and text analytics (3 credits)

Natural language processing (NLP) is a subfield of artificial intelligence, focusing on understanding human language. This course aims to provide students with knowledge and skills in natural language processing and text analytics, including basic information retrieval, text classification, word embedding, neural networks, sequence models, encoder-decoder, transformer, contextualized world representation, and language model. The materials for basic topics will be provided for self-study, while the advanced topics will be introduced in the lecture. Students are required to be familiar with Python language.

 

Pre-requisites: Pass in STAT8017 Data mining techniques or DASC7600 Deep learning or equivalent
 

Assessment: coursework (100%)

STAT8308 Blockchain data analytics (3 credits)

In this course, we start by studying the basic architecture of a blockchain. Then we move on to several major applications including (but not limited to) cryptocurrencies, fintech and smart contracts. We conclude by examining the cybersecurity issues facing the blockchain ecosystems.

 

Assessment: coursework (100%)

Capstone Requirement

DASC7600 Data science project (12 credits)

Candidate will be required to carry out independent work on a major project under the supervision of individual staff member.  A written report is required.

 

Assessment: written report (70%) and oral presentation (30%)

DASC8088 Data science practicum (6 credits)

This course provides students with first-hand experience in applying academic knowledge in a real-life work environment. To be eligible, students should be undertaking a data-science-related practicum with no less than 160 hours in at least 20 working days spent in a paid or unpaid position. It is allowed for part-time students to complete their practicum within their current place of employment. The practicum will normally take place in the summer semester for full-time students or during the summer semester of the second year for part-time students.

 

Pre-requisites: Students should not be taking or have taken DASC7600 Data science project

 

Assessment: Upon completion of the practicum, each student is required to submit a written report (60%) and to give an oral presentation (40%) on his/her practicum experience. Supervisors will assess the students based on their performance during the practicum period. Assessment of this course is on a Pass, Fail or Distinction basis with three criteria: (1) supervisor's evaluation, (2) written report, (3) oral presentation. Failing in fulfilling any of the three criteria satisfactorily leads to a "Fail" grade in the course.

 

 

Programme Director

Dr M Hofert

Professor J M Hofert
MSc Syracuse; Dipl-Math oec, Dr rer nat Ulm
Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science

 

Staff List

Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science

Department of Computer Science

  • Professor T J Boonen, BSc, MSc, PhD Tilburg
  • Professor Y Cao, BS Fudan; MS, PhD Princeton
  • Professor K C Cheung, BSc(ActuSc), PhD HK; ASA
  • Dr O T K Choi, BSc UBC; MSc Oxon; PhD ISM 
  • Professor L Feng, BS Renmin U; PhD Rutgers
  • Professor E C H Fong, BA, MEng Cantab; DPhil Oxon 
  • Professor Y Gu, BSc USTC; PhD N Carolina 
  • Professor K Han, PhD HK
  • Professor M Hofert, MSc Syracuse; Dipl.-Math. oec., Dr. rer. nat. Ulm
  • Dr C W Kwan, BSc, PhD HK
  • Professor E K F Lam, BA St. Thomas; MA New Brunswick; PhD HK
  • Dr A S M Lau, BEng City; MSc HK; PhD CUHK
  • Dr D Lee, BSc(ActuSc), MPhil HK; PhD British Columbia, ASA
  • Professor S M S Lee, BA, PhD Cantab
  • Dr E A L Li, BSc HK; MEcon, PhD Syd
  • Professor G D Li, BSc MSc Peking; PhD HK
  • Professor W Y Li, BSc, BEc, MEc SWUFE; PhD Waterloo 
  • Professor L Q Qu, BEng CSU; PhD UCAS; CityU 
  • Professor C Wang, PhD NUS
  • Dr K P Wat, BSc(ActuSc), PhD HK; SFHEA; FSA; FASHK; CERA; FRM
  • Professor L Q Yu, BEng ZJU; PhD CUHK
  • Professor K C Yuen, BSc, MSc, PhD Calgary; ASA
  • Dr C Y Zhang, PhD HK
  • Professor D Y Zhang, BSc Nankai; MSc, PhD NCSU
  • Professor M M Y Zhang, BS UCSB; MS, PhD UT Austin
  • Dr Z Q Zhang, BSc Nankai, MSc E China Normal; PhD HK
  • Professor K Zhu,  BSc, USTC; PhD HKUST
  • Dr H Y Y Cheung, BSc UCL; MSc Imperial College London
  • Professor B Cautis, PhD INRIA & University of Paris South, Orsay
  • Professor B M Y Chan, MS UC San Diego, PhD HK
  • Dr V P S Chan, PhD HK
  • Professor F Y L Chin, PhD Princeton
  • Professor K P Chow, MA, PhD UC Santa Barbara
  • Professor T W Chim,  PhD HK
  • Professor L Y K Choi,  PhD HK
  • Professor W Y Chung, PhD University of Arizona
  • Dr T Luo, PhD HK
  • Professor, N Mamoulis, PhD HK
  • Professor A Montgomery, MBA, PhD University of Chicago
  • Professor D Schnieders, PhD HK
  • Professor M Sozio, PhD Sapienza University of Rome
  • Dr H F Ting, PhD Princeton
  • Dr R S W Yiu, PhD UC Berkeley
  • Professor S M Yiu, PhD HK

    Graduate/ Student Sharing

    Ho Yeung WONG

    Ho Yeung WONG

    Class of 2022

     

    “I am very thankful to have taken the MDASC programme and met so many supportive and knowledgeable professors. The program is comprehensive and covers the complete data science lifecycle. The courses did not only include theories, but also plenty of practices such as group projects and hands-on workshops. The programme equipped me with all the skillsets I needed to be a professional data scientist. I am now working in the Football Trading Department of HKJC and the lessons I learnt from the Master programme unquestionably facilitate my research and allow me to further enhance my models. ”

     
    Da CHEN

    Da CHEN

    Class of 2022

     

    “Participating in the MDASC program means a lot to me. It not only has courses in computer science, but also covers the subject of statistics. It made me realize the importance of data in my daily work and life. As a computer vision algorithm engineer, I deeply feel that data closed-loop has now become a key link in machine learning. The program equips me with basic skills in data mining and analysis, and helps me to better advance on the path of algorithm engineer. In addition, the MDASC program also provides a wealth of courses for students with different career paths to choose from, such as finance, data science, and cloud computing. I believe that every student who wants to understand what data science is and hope to develop in this area is suitable for joining this program.”

     
    Yuxin LUO

    Yuxin LUO

    Class of 2023

     

    “As a trader in financial industry, I need to deeply interact with data in my daily tasks. The MDASC program provides a comprehensive and flexible curriculum, which benefits me a lot in many aspects. Data visualization helps me to extract key insights from millions of financial data more simply and clearly. Machine learning enables me to explore automated algorithm trading techniques. Statistical inference and models give me the ability to capture hidden trading opportunities from data. Furthermore, after taking this program, I can have more technically understanding of real-world applications like AlphaZero and ChatGPT. I believe this program will be beneficial to not only students with interests in IT, but also students who want to engage in financial and business industries.”

     

     

    Ngai Yin CHEUNG

    Ngai Yin CHEUNG

    Class of 2022

     

    “The MDASC programme is both academically challenging and commercially relevant allowing me to enhance my skills, experience and knowledge in various areas of data science. The learning experience through the MDASC is unparalleled. Not only do I learn from top professors in their fields, but also from talented and experienced classmates who come from different industries.

    Specifically, the Data Science Project provides an excellent opportunity for the students to explore deeply in an interested field of data science and artificial intelligence or even commercialize their ideas. With the department’s tremendous support and the programme’s professional training, I have equipped with the knowledge, confidence and connections to start an artificial intelligence startup after graduation.

    No matter where you come from or what you are looking for, I believe the MDASC programme will definitely open the door for a new career path for you in the future. ”

    Jackie Chung Wing TSOI

    Student

     

    Stephanie WONG

    Student

     

    Enquiries

    Department of Statistics & Actuarial Science

    The University of Hong Kong

    Faculty of Science

    The University of Hong Kong

    • G/F Chong Yuet Ming Physics Building
    • (852) 3917 5287
    • (852) 2858 4620