Our History

 

The Faculty of Engineering has a long and distinguished history. Engineering was one of the three disciplines areas that The Hong Kong Polytechnic University offered during the inception phase in 1937 by its predecessor The Government Trade School, and has long been one of the major discipline areas of this Institution. The Faculty of Engineering was established in 1992 and currently comprises five academic departments, namely Department of Computing, Department of Electrical Engineering, Department of Electronic & Information Engineering, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering and Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The Faculty is offering 50 taught programmes/awards to nearly 6,000 students. The five departments offer a comprehensive range of academic programmes covering the areas of computing, electrical engineering, electronic and information engineering, internet and multimedia technologies, enterprise engineering, industrial and systems engineering, logistics engineering, product engineering, industrial quality management, mechanical engineering, product analysis and engineering design, e-commerce, information systems, information technology, software technology, manufacturing systems engineering, technology management and automotive engineering design etc.

Over the past five years, our academic staff members have published over 3,300 journal papers and made some 2,200 international conference paper presentations. During the same period, the Faculty has won external research grants amounting to more than HK$333 million. From 2008/09 to 2011/12, amongst the local institutions, the combined achievement of all of PolyU's engineering and engineering-related departments in the competitive bids to the General Research Grant of the Research Grants Council ranked first in terms of the amount of funding awarded.

 

 

Over 70 years of Engineering Excellence

Over the last seven decades, Faculty of Engineering has remained committed to the mission of enhancing the well-being of communities by serving industries and the educational needs of students. As a pioneering provider of application-oriented education in Hong Kong, the engineering departments have groomed an army of quality professionals to support the on-going development of technology enterprises and enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong. In fact, the growth of the Faculty parallels with that of the territory. The Faculty has a distinguished history and contributes immensely to the outstanding records of excellence and the international status of the University.

A Humble but Important Beginning - The Government Trade School

In the 1930s, Hong Kong began to move away from its main role as entrepot and formulated long-term development plans for social development and education. It was in 1937 that the Government Trade School, the predecessor of the Hong Kong Polytechnic, was established. Mechanical Engineering was one of the three discipline areas initially offered.

 

Hong Kong Technical College After the World War I, the Government Trade School was renamed the Hong Kong Technical College in 1947. During the 1950s, with the large inflow of immigrants, entrepreneurs and capital from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong experienced accelerating industrialisation and there was a huge demand for trained technicians. In 1957, the Hong Kong Technical College moved to its new and much improved campus in Hunghom which housed, amongst others, electrical engineering laboratories. The Production and Industrial Engineering Department (now the Industrial & Systems Engineering Department) was also set up in the same year.

Hong Kong Polytechnic

In the 1960s and 1970s, Hong Kong entered a new era of high productivity and saw the rapid growth of industry and trade. The Hong Kong Polytechnic was established in 1972 and gradually embarked on a full expansion of academic activities. The engineering departments continued to expand its programme and student base to serve the increasing manpower needs of Hong Kong industry.

During the 1980s and 90s, the transformation of Hong Kong from a manufacturing and labour-intensive economy into a high value-added and service-based society called for an accelerated demand for highly skilled and trained professionals. Engineering departments embraced the challenge of meeting the manpower needs by venturing into offering degree programmes and research. Engineering programmes marked the offering of the first batch of degree programmes of this Institution before it was formally chartered a University. Of the five bachelor's degree programmes first offered in 1983/84, three were in engineering; they are Computing Studies, Electronic Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. This was followed immediately by a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1984/85 and in Manufacturing Engineering in 1985/86. The first ever research graduate of this Institution (in 1988) was an MPhil student of the Department of Electronic Engineering (now the Department of Electronic & Information Engineering). Of the first two PhD graduates of this Institution in 1991, one was a PhD graduate from the Department of Manufacturing Engineering (now the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering). Engineering departments have been playing a leading role in many of the academic endeavours of this Institution.

 

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

In 1994, Hong Kong Polytechnic acquired the university status and was renamed The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The new status further boosted and consolidated the Institution's position in local higher education. The mission of the Faculty of Engineering has expanded from the transfer of knowledge and know-how to the creation and advancement of engineering and technological knowledge, contributing to the building of Hong Kong into a knowledge-based society. Many of our graduates are distinguished engineers and leaders in enterprises, business and public organisations. All along, we have not deviated from the belief that engineering is about building people for the benefit of mankind.

Looking Forward

Today, the Faculty has around 200 full-time academic staff and are offering 50 taught programmes/awards up to doctorate level enrolling around 6,000 students. We have over 300 research students amongst them more than 150 are PhD candidates.

By 2012, the education of Hong Kong will enter a new phase when the 6-year secondary school and 4-year undergraduate curricula come into being. To accommodate the rapid growth of modern information and communication technologies, a new breed of engineers is needed. The Faculty will continue to offer dynamic engineering programmes and raise our research profile. There will be greater emphasis on cross-disciplinary competencies, creativity, critical thinking, leadership training, team-playing and problem-solving skills. The Faculty of Engineering is well prepared to embrace the challenges and is determined to scale new heights.