14th March 2022: On this International Day of Mathematics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), ranked No.3 in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2022, offers a glimpse into four of its popular courses for students interested in Maths-related undergraduate programs. Apart from traditional Maths programs, HKUST also offers interdisciplinary courses merging Maths with subjects on engineering, business, and emerging hot topics like artificial intelligence (AI) to equip students with the skills and knowledge for their career development.
Ranked 36th worldwide in Mathematics in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021, HKUST has been a leader in nurturing young maths talents. Apart from hosting international and local maths events including the International Mathematical Olympiad, HKUST also mentors high school students and gifted learners in its workshops and enrichment programs. Some brief information about the programs –
1. BSc in Data Science and Technology
- Unlike most of the data science programs which tend to focus more on the business dimension such as how to derive business and management strategies from a pool of data, this program also covers the data engineering skills including coding, machine learning and statistic theories
- Students are expected to master the basic knowledge of data analytics, programming, and mathematical modeling upon completion of this program
- The graduates have many different career prospects as data science/big data is applied in many industries ranging from Fintech, blockchain to bitcoin mining, e-commerce, and even the medical field in finding the best cure and treatment methods
2. BSc in Mathematics and Economics
- Provides students with solid training in the fundamental theories of both mathematics and economics
- Suited students who seek the option of taking quantitatively oriented jobs in the finance industry or who intend to pursue postgraduate studies in applied mathematics, economics, business, or related areas such as operations research or management science
3. BSc in Mathematics
- It is a four-year program that students not only could choose to study pure mathematics, but also the mathematical techniques in wide range of applied mathematics topics such as mathematical biology, image processing and fluid dynamics as well as statistics and financial mathematics
- Mathematics permeates almost every discipline of science and technology. It is not only a tool for understanding abstract models of real-world phenomena while solving practical problems, but also the language of commerce, engineering, and other sciences, such as biology, physics, and computing
- Graduates are equipped with the skills and foundation for a wide range of careers in both the private and public sectors including administration, architecture, banking, computer programming, engineering, finance, insurance, management, marketing, merchandising, real estate services, statistical work, surveying, system analysis, teaching
4. Science with an extended Major in Artificial Intelligence (Major + X)
- Students will choose a science subject (Mathematics, Physics and Ocean Science and Technology) as major before the second year begins, while taking AI courses as an extended major
- Graduates will earn a title bearing both the traditional major subject they selected, as well as the extended major which now only covers AI, but will be extended to cover data science, FinTech and Digital Media and Creative Arts in the near future.
Mathematics is the backbone of science and technology, a reason why several senior management leaders including former HKUST President Prof. Tony CHAN, one of the most-cited mathematicians in the world for his image procession and analysis formula, and current Vice-President for Institutional Advancement Prof. WANG Yang at HKUST, are mathematicians. The Maths Department at HKUST consists of a team of high-calibre award-winning faculty including Prof. Gunther Uhlmann, winner of the 2011 Bôcher Memorial Prize and 2021 AMS-SIAM George David Birkhoff Prize in Applied Mathematics for his contributions on inverse problem and imaging which sheds light on the elusive phenomenon of invisibility, and Prof. ZHANG Tong, founding director of AI Lab in China tech giant Tencent.
Graduates’ employability
HKUST graduates continue to be ranked as the world’s top 30 best employees in Times Higher Education’s Global Employability University Ranking and Survey. Our Maths graduates have diverse career pathways. They work in industries spanning from commerce and business, education, government, banking and finance, insurance to real estate development, administration and management, system analysis and computer programming. Some have landed a job in well-known companies such as HSBC, Credit Suisse, Dell, Huawei, IBM, KPMG, Byte Dance, Henderson Land Development and Nielsen. Meanwhile, our Indian graduates in the class of 2019 were placed in organizations like Deloitte, EY, Goldman Sachs, IBM, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, PwC, etc with an average salary of HK$27,649/ INR 269,690.
