Faculty of Construction and Environment
CODE
32109
SUBCODE
32109
ENTRY

Sept 2024 Entry

STUDY MODE
Part-time
DURATION

3 years

CREDIT REQUIRED

51

FUND TYPE
Self-Financed
Application Deadline
Local - Part-time
Sept 2024 Entry - Early Round Application Deadline: 2023-11-16 Main Round Application Deadline: 2024-04-30
Non-local - Part-time
Sept 2024 Entry - Early Round Application Deadline: 2023-11-16 Main Round Application Deadline: 2024-04-30
About Programme
How to Apply
Aims & Characteristics

Programme Aims  

The Doctor of International Real Estate and Construction programme is designed for senior executives with more than 8 years of experience in the construction and real estate industry, who thus possess the core knowledge and basic competence needed to fulfil their duties. Many of them have already attained a significant knowledge base. We help these professionals to build new ideas, develop positive values and attitudes, and upscale their capabilities for self-fulfilment and career advancement. It aims to provide a genuinely innovative professional development experience to enrich executives' theoretical and technical knowledge, develop their management and leadership skills, and equip them with the right mindset to fulfil senior or top management roles in the modern construction and real estate finance market. 

 

The programme aims relating to personal and professional achievement are as follows:

  1. to enrich participants’ theoretical and technical knowledge for top level advancement in the construction and real estate industry;

  2. to develop participants’ management and leadership skills; and

  3. to equip participants with applicable alternative perspectives to address competition in the modern construction and real estate market.

 

Characteristics

Students are provided with the most advanced knowledge of the operation of the construction and real estate markets, including construction project management, the application of information technology in the construction and real estate industry, urban economic processes, urban and regional planning, price determination for land and real estate, environmental issues and other relevant professional issues. Due to the complex influence of public policy and the global economic environment, this programme will support the students with comprehensive thinking and analysis methods.

Curriculum

Programme Structure

The programme comprises 51 credits. The normal duration of the programme is three years, comprising Semester 1, Semester 2 and an optional Summer Term in each year. Students who have successfully completed the programme are awarded a Doctor of International Real Estate and Construction (DIREC) award by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. 

 

To be eligible for the DIREC award, students are required to complete 9 taught subjects (a total of 27 credits) and a Thesis (8 credits for Thesis I; 16 credits for Thesis II). Normally, students study 2 to 3 subjects in each semester; they are expected to take and complete 1 Core Subject in Year One and 1 Compulsory Subject in Year Two.

 

Core Areas of Study

The subjects are delivered in the following order, with some flexibility to cater for overseas professors and experts who may be invited to deliver the subjects, together with the regular academic staff from BRE: 

  1. Advanced Research Methods for Real Estate and Construction**

  2. Strategic Project Management

  3. Digital Technologies for Construction Projects 

  4. Real Estate Finance and Appraisal

  5. Urban and Regional Planning

  6. Topical issues in Construction

  7. Topical issues in Real Estate

  8. International Study Visit (Europe or North America)**

  9. International Study Visit (Asia Pacific)**

  10. Professional Workshop in Real Estate

  11. Professional Workshop in Construction

  12. Doctoral Thesis I #

  13. Doctoral Thesis II

 

** Compulsory Subjects (for the two international study visit subjects, students are required to pay for their own travel/accommodation costs, etc.).

# Doctoral Thesis I: Students are required to pass this subject (i.e. 8 credits).  The subject is an essential component in the programme, which assists students in developing a proposal for Doctoral Thesis II. 

Credit Required for Graduation

51

Programme Leader(s)

Cr Dr Daniel W.M. Chan
Associate Professor in Construction Project Management
BEng(Hons), PhD(HKU), MAPM, MHKICM, MASCE, MHKIPM, MAIPM, MCABE, MAIB, Chartered Building Engineer (UK), Registered Construction Manager (HK)

Subject Area
International Real Estate and Construction
Entrance Requirements
  • A Master's degree, preferably in a construction or real estate related area or relevant discipline, plus substantial industry experience (preferably at least 8 years) at middle to senior management level.

  • Exceptionally, special admission to non-Master's degree holders may be offered to experienced senior industry executives, preferably possessing at least 12 years of industry experience in management positions.

 

The entrance requirements for English Language are those set by the University. If you are not a native speaker of English, and your Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification is awarded by institutions where the medium of instruction is not English, you are expected to fulfil the University’s minimum English language requirement for admission purpose. Please refer to the "Admission Requirements" section for details.

Enquiries

For further information on academic matters and the curricula, please contact : 

Prof. Eddie Hui (for real estate related Issues) 
Tel: (852) 2766 5881 
Email: eddie.hui@polyu.edu.hk 
 

Dr Daniel Chan (for construction related issues)  
Tel: (852) 2766 4387 
Email: daniel.w.m.chan@polyu.edu.hk


Ms Connie Yap (General Office)   
Tel: (852) 3400 3819  
Email: connie.yap@polyu.edu.hk

Initial Registration Credits

6

Programme Leaflet

Please click here to download.

Tuition Fee

HK$8,850 per credit for local and non-local students

Student Message

PolyU DIREC helps me enrich my up-to-date technical knowledge to tackle the competitive construction and real estate market. It also strengthens my leadership skills and mindset to become a leading top tier.

Sr TSUI Siu Lung James, 2021 Student (MHKIS FCABE PFM RPS(BS); Managing Director, KKP Construction Limited)

DIREC at PolyU is the first professional doctorate programme in real estate and construction that combines practical applications with theoretical concepts. The professors are always prepared to share their professional knowledge and valuable experience.

Mr WONG King Wai Kelvin, 2020 Student (Head of China, Real Estate, Schroders Capital)
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