Bachelor’s Degree Scheme in Interdisciplinary Studies (BDSIS)

1. This is a prestigious programme specially designed for top-performing students. The programme helps students form and consolidate their academic identity and pride.
2. Under the guidance of the Personal Academic Mentor, a student has freedom and flexibility to design his/her own programme of study. This makes the study more in line with the interests and aspirations of the student.
3. Interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary focus helps nurture students’ systems thinking, intrapersonal skills, interpersonal competences, and holistic development.
4. The programme helps students develop an enhanced understanding of important local, social and global issues, particularly with reference to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
5. Each student is assigned a Personal Academic Mentor who is an expert in his/her field of study. Only students in this programme are assigned a designated Personal Academic Mentor who will help each student explore his/her academic study path and interests in an intensive manner.
6. Many valuable opportunities (such as offshore learning opportunities and training programmes) will be provided to enrich students’ holistic development.
7. Depending on the choice of study of the students, the desired graduate attributes of this programme can enable students to work in different sectors, such as the Government, multi-national corporations, public policy think tanks, and local, regional and multi-national social enterprises.
8. The programme will be hosted under the College of Undergraduate Studies (CUS) with Professor Daniel SHEK as the Dean of the College. Professor Shek is an internationally renowned expert in Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Education and Public Health who has obtained 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze QS Reimagine Education Awards. In the 2024 edition of the Research.com Top 1,000 Scientists in Psychology, Professor Shek ranked #3 in China. He was named an Inaugural Highly Ranked Scholar and a Highly Ranked Scholar (top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide) by ScholarGPS in 2024 and 2025, respectively, where he ranked first in the world in the areas of Social Work and Chinese kinship research.
   In addition to the College Dean, we have two Associate Deans and one Assistant Dean who assist the College Dean to oversee different areas of the College. They are:
   Professor CHEN Juan is the Associate Dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies and a Professor in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She holds BA and MA degrees in Political Science from Peking University, and MSW and PhD degrees in Social Work and Political Science from the University of Michigan. Professor Chen’s research focuses on migration, urbanisation, health, mental health, and service use, with an emphasis on how structural disadvantages affect individuals and how policy and practice can address these issues. Her work is published in leading journals, and she received the Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship from RGC in 2023/24.
   Professor Alan Pak Tao LAU is the Associate Dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies and a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Professor Lau is also the Programme Leader of the Bachelor’s Degree Scheme in Interdisciplinary Studies (BDSIS). He earned his BASc and MASc from the University of Toronto and his PhD from Stanford University. Professor Lau’s research covers analytical modelling, digital signal processing, and machine learning for optical communications. He collaborates with industry partners and has contributed to commercial network technologies. He also serves in key administrative roles at PolyU and is active in professional organisations, including as a Fellow of OPTICA.
   Professor Xiaoqin ZHU is the Assistant Dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She received her PhD in Psychology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include positive youth development, family studies, and leadership education. Professor Zhu is committed to applying her research in practice through youth programs and teacher training. She has received several awards for her research and teaching contributions.

The programme aims to provide a unique educational opportunity for top-performing students, offering them flexible learning pathways and curriculum options, personalised coaching, and in-depth mentorship. This initiative is designed to nurture and support exceptional individuals, allowing them to excel in their academic pursuits with free options across disciplines and guaranteed outside-classroom and non-local learning opportunities. It also serves to inspire students to adopt an innovative, interest-driven and inspiring approach in their academic journey. If you are invited for an interview, it is already an indication that you are a top-performing student. If you wish to study in a flexible manner to solve significant human, social and global problems through an interdisciplinary approach, this is definitely a suitable programme for you.

The Interdisciplinary Studies programme is flexible and individualised. You could choose subjects based on your interests, experiences and goals, to create a self-determined programme. For example, you can consider studying biomedical engineering and psychology subjects to help physically disabled people. You can also consider how to use computing knowledge to understand the needs of Africans through social initiatives.

A brief summary of the credit requirements is as follows:

For details about the curriculum, please refer to the below Tables 1 and 2.

Table 1: Programme curriculum

Table 2: Self-determined curriculum of Major

Self-determined curriculum
Start without a focus and work towards one						Start with a focus and build the study around it
Pathway (A): Choose from 1-3 strands						Pathway (B): Integrating known fields		Pathway (C): Solving world problems
Cultures and societies		Sciences and Engineering		Health and Environment		Integrated study of 2-3 existing subject disciplines		Tailor-made study of a major local/national/regional/global issue (e.g. UNESCO SDG)
Select subjects in consultation with Programme Leader / Personal Academic Mentor						Select subjects from 2-3 majors (In consultation with Programme Leader / Personal Academic Mentor)		Select subjects from any department (can include a few from other universities) (In consultation with Programme Leader / Personal Academic Mentor)
Work towards a specific focus to be tackled in Interdisciplinary Capstone

Interdisciplinary studies offer students a comprehensive understanding of subjects from multiple perspectives, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills valued by employers. By encouraging creativity, innovation and integration across disciplines, students can develop novel solutions to complex problems. Interdisciplinary skills enhance adaptability in rapidly changing world nowadays, providing students with a competitive edge in the job market and facilitating personal growth and self-discovery through the exploration of new interests and expanded worldviews. Interdisciplinary programmes encourage students to think in a more systemic and holistic manner, and these skills are highly valued by employers. Similar programmes are popular in overseas universities, including Australia, Canada and the US.

Interdisciplinary Studies offers a high degree of flexibility towards building a plan of study that includes those required subjects or programmes of a specific discipline. If you are interested in continuing on to postgraduate-level studies, you should work with your Personal Academic Mentor and the relevant Department/School to develop a plan of study that is geared towards admission into a particular postgraduate programme as early as possible. Personal Academic Mentors can also help you identify which postgraduate programmes are best suited to achieving your goals. There are many opportunities to nurture the research aspirations and skills of students in this programme.

Yes. If you are interested in pursuing a Minor programme, you should contact your Personal Academic Mentor for more information about your study options.

A Minor programme is a collection of subjects with a total of 18 credits with at least 50% (9 credits) of the subjects at Level 3 or above. The subjects under a Minor should have a coherent theme introducing students to a focused area of study.

Students interested in a Minor programme must submit their applications via the College and obtain approval from the Minor Programme Offering Department (i.e., Minor Department), around July at the end of the first year of study during the designated application period. Late application will not be considered. To be eligible for enrolment in a Minor, a student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above (actual cumulative GPA requirement depends on individual Minor programme) at the time of application for Minor enrolment. The Minor Department may set a quota and additional admission requirements apart from the above GPA requirement.

You will be assigned a knowledgeable and resourceful Personal Academic Mentor who is an accomplished expert in his/her field of study. They will guide you through decisions about degree study plans, areas of focus, graduation requirements, class scheduling and all other questions related to your academic journey. As Interdisciplinary Studies degree programme is flexible and individualised, our Personal Academic Mentors will give you special attention to help you navigate the programme. This arrangement is unique to the BDSIS programme. Your Personal Academic Mentor will meet with you regularly (at least once a month) providing intensive guidance to you. Besides, the College (Dean, Associate Deans and Undergraduate Studies Support Officers) will also closely guide and support the students.

Generally speaking, Dual Degree programmes allow students to earn two distinct degrees from two different Majors concurrently. In contrast, Interdisciplinary degree programme integrates two or more disciplines into a unified programme of study. It equips students to focus on multiple fields, nurturing them to excel in their desired career path. The enhanced flexibility is perfect for students with diverse interests in solving problems by integrating knowledge from different disciplines.

Obviously, we hope students will stay on the programme for four years. However, we also understand that students may change their academic pathways during their undergraduate studies. In fact, students can select and declare a single Department/Faculty/School for their Major application, provided they meet the minimum entrance requirements of that programme after their first year of study. The first-year curriculum of BDSIS includes general subjects that align with those offered in other Departments/Faculties/Schools, ensuring that students who switch Majors will not face significant credit deficiencies after their first year. We aim to offer flexibility for students admitted to BDSIS, allowing them to change their minds after discovering their true interests during their first year of study. The Personal Academic Mentors assigned to each student and the Academic Advising team of the College of Undergraduate Studies will help students explore this option.

You can earn a BA, BBA, BEng, or BSc (Hons) in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a focus on XXX), depending on your area of interest and career goals. Students must fulfill all degree programme requirements, including the University's minimum standards and the specific requirements for their chosen programme. Some examples are as follows:

• a student will earn a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a focus on Health Economics) if he/she studies Economics and Social Policy on health 
• a student will earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a focus on Gender Studies) if he/she studies Chinese History and Sociology on gender issues 
• a student will earn a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a focus on Environmental Sustainability) if he/she studies subjects in Engineering and Tourism 
• a student will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a focus on Health) if he/she studies subjects in Science and Health

BDSIS undergraduate students will be given an opportunity to stay in the University-managed Accommodation (UMA - including the Student Halls and off-campus housing) for their first two years of study (Note: Undergraduate students are entitled to stay in student hostels for ONE year only). If BDSIS students enrol in Undergraduate Research and Innovation Scheme (URIS) successfully in Year 2 and Year 3, they will be admitted to CURI Residential College under URIS offer, subject to the stipulated criteria.

For full-time undergraduate study, entry scholarships are available for outstanding admitted students based on academic or non-academic achievements. Some scholarships are awarded automatically based on your application, while others may require a separate application. To retain your scholarship throughout your studies, you are required to meet specific requirements, such as maintaining a certain cumulative GPA and/or fulfilling other conditions set by the University.

For more details and enquiries about scholarships offered to local, international, and Chinese Mainland students (内地应届高考生), please visit the Undergraduate Scholarships webpage.