Joining hands with global partners to support PhD students with joint supervision, scholarships, research funding

Prospective PhD students will find it appealing to enroll on Dual PhD Degree Programmes jointly offered by PolyU and its prestigious global partner universities. The initiative provides students with access to the academic and research excellence of both institutions, presenting a unique opportunity for aspiring scholars to leverage the strengths of two universities and earn two PhD degrees simultaneously.

In the 2023/24 academic year, PolyU’s research postgraduate population is around 3,500, a 17% increase from 2022/23.

Earning two PhD degrees

The Dual PhD Degree Programmes benefit PolyU full-time PhD students with shared research excellence from PolyU and its partner institutions. This initiative features an equally split study pattern over three or four years, with students receiving stipends or scholarships from both universities. Joint supervision is provided by two chief supervisors, one from each university, ensuring comprehensive academic guidance. Upon completion of their study, students obtain two PhD degrees – one conferred by PolyU and the other by the partner university.

PolyU’s strategic partnerships for the Dual PhD Degree Programmes include over 20 overseas and Mainland universities. Overseas universities include Queensland University of Technology in Australia, Korea University and Seoul National University in Korea, and Loughborough University and University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. Mainland universities include Nanjing University, Tongji University, University of Science and Technology of China, Wuhan University, Zhejiang University, and more.

Ranked third in the “World’s Most International Universities 2025” by Times Higher Education, PolyU collaborates with over 30 eminent partner institutions from Mainland China and overseas on research postgraduate study, covering a range of collaborative PhD programmes besides the Dual PhD Degree Programmes.

These collaborative PhD programmes include Joint PhD Supervision Programmes Leading to a PolyU Degree, Joint PhD Supervision Programmes, and Joint PhD Supervision Schemes, offering prospective and current PhD students with various PhD study pathways. Among these, the Joint PhD Supervision Scheme with Leading Universities is specifically designed to support PhD students from top universities worldwide to conduct research at PolyU as research assistants.

PhD students can further consider embarking on research visits through the Research Student Attachment Programme, which supports both PolyU and incoming PhD students in undertaking attachment studies. Outstanding PolyU PhD students are also eligible for the PolyU PhD Scholars International Collaborative Research Fellowship, a competitive grant offered by the University’s Graduate School to support research visits at top-notch universities. These initiatives foster students’ development in acquiring an expanded network and a broadened perspective.

The first-in-Hong Kong PhD student internship initiative

Starting in the 2024/25 academic year, PhD students at PolyU can benefit from full-time internship opportunities under the PhD Student Internship Scheme, specially designed to enable them to integrate research skills and knowledge in real-world contexts, gain practical experience, and enhance their professional competencies. Students can pursue research internships at reputable companies or research startups of their choice, either in Hong Kong or abroad.

As the first initiative of its kind at the university level among Hong Kong’s tertiary institutions, the Scheme not only boosts students’ professional development but also reinforces PolyU’s reputation as a leader in innovative research education.