Minor Program in Smart City

Smart cities development is an emerging important research and development direction, both locally and internationally. This minor program will be comprised of a collection of courses covering various issues in smart city development. The domain of coverage includes theories, concepts, technologies and best practices of planning, building and developing smart cities. After taking this minor program, students will acquire fundamental principles and theories on smart cities and special knowledge fit for their own interests with an integration of practical knowledge, hands-on experience and student-centred learning activities.

There are many job openings related to smart city in Hong Kong and outside of Hong Kong, and therefore the Minor Program is designed to open to students in all majors. For non-engineering students, there are multiple study pathways to finish this minor program. The only required core course is CIVL1210 Fundamental of Green Buildings, which help students of all majors understand the built environment and energy efficient design.

Program Entrance Requirements

The Minor Program in Smart City is designed mainly for engineering students, but also open to students in other majors. Any undergraduate students with an overall CGA of 2.5 or above may enroll in this Minor Program.

Students must declare their intention to enroll in the Minor Program no earlier than the first regular term of their second year of study, but no later than the last day of the add/drop period in the first regular term of their final year of study. Students who wish to withdraw from the Minor Program should apply before the last day of the add/drop period in the first regular term of their final year of study.

Curriculum

The program curriculum requirement is available online (here).

Course Requirements

To graduate with a minor in Smart City, students must be enrolled in the minor program and complete a minimum of 18 credits and all of its requirements as shown in the program curriculum, as well as all the requirements of their major program of study; and attain an average grade point of at least 2.5 in course taken within the minor program. 

Notes:

1. Course(s) taken as required course(s) of the major program may not be counted towards this elective requirement.

2. For credit transfer, students can transfer a maximum total of 6 credits to the Minor Program.

3. Students may use no more than 9 credits earned from courses offered in self-paced online delivery mode to satisfy the graduation requirements of a degree program. This 9‐credit limit does not apply to credits obtained through the credit transfer procedures of the University. 

Career Prospects

The trend of needing greater appreciation of smart city development at all business corporations, industries, and governments will generate high demand for people with good understanding of the issue. Students who graduate with this minor or take some of the courses offered in this program will have wider career opportunities, and are expected to be taking leadership in dealing with issues related to the smart city development.