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 CIVL2910, 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 2.7 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 is available online (here).

Course Requirements

The Minor Program in Smart City requires a minimum of 18 credits to be taken from the following courses:

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. For students admitted in 2012-13 and after, at least 9 credits out of the total credits required by the minor program should be single-counted within the minor and are not used to fulfil any other requirements for graduation except the 120-credit degree requirement. For those admitted prior to 2012-13, the minimum number of single-counted credits would be 6.

4. To graduate with a minor in Smart City, students must be enrolled in the minor program and complete all of its requirements, 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.

5. CIVL 3910 is a new course to take effect in Spring, 2022-23
    ISDN 2602: This is a new course subject to approval.

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.