The Ph.D. degree is conferred primarily in recognition of the breadth of scholarship, depth of research, and power to investigate problems independently and efficiently. Students must successfully complete coursework and a thesis containing significant original research.

The Ph.D. program in Operations Management emphasizes model-based methodology and practice-motivated research. Students are trained to use quantitative tools and analytical frameworks from operations research, economics, and other disciplines to study managerial problems in business processes, such as supply chains, manufacturing, and service systems.

The Nano Science and Technology (NSNT) Program, defined on the basis of the three above elements, aims to educate students with the necessary interdisciplinary knowledge to contribute to the long-term nanoscale research and development, which will lead to potential breakthroughs in areas such as materials and manufacturing, nanoelectronics, medicine and healthcare, environment, energy, chemicals, and biotechnology.

A joint postgraduate program in Nanoscience and Technology, initiated by the Schools of Science and Engineering, can offer long-term support to our ongoing research and training as well as to the development of technology and to commercialization efforts. Because of the diverse, multidisciplinary nature of Nanotechnology, its research and training can be best integrated into different disciplines.

Energy Technology research covers many areas, including sustainable technology, conventional technology, and energy efficiency and conservation. The interdisciplinary postgraduate research programme in Energy Technology in the School of Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology provides long-term support to our ongoing educational training and fast-developing research in technology in general.

The Ph.D. program aims at equipping the students with the capability of identifying and solving academic and/or real problems creatively. The doctoral degree is awarded for the completion of required courses and a significant original thesis.

The department is committed to a high level of pure dropout and scientific research. The department's purely scholastic research focuses on the latest developments in modern dropouts and has been actively integrated into the current international dropout trends. Compared with other traditional dropouts, the department also has the advantage of multiple research projects such as fluid dynamics, scientific calculations, statistics and financial dropouts.

The goal of the Ph.D. program is to develop outstanding scholars who will become active contributors to marketing knowledge and will go on to secure academic jobs at top international universities. In keeping with this spirit, several of our students have published papers in top research journals while in the programme.

The Ph.D. program seeks to train students in original research in Marine Environmental Science and to cultivate the independent and innovative thinking that is essential for a successful research career in environmental science.

HKUST has been drawing the best doctoral students from around the world through the Hong Kong Ph.D. Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS), established by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council.

The Ph.D. in Social Science prepares students who wish to pursue a career in academia, policy research or consultancy related to the affairs of society, polity, or economy, broadly conceived. As with MPhil students, Ph.D. students are assigned a thesis advisor and provided with a postgraduate studentship that carries with it the responsibilities of teaching/research assistance.

Teaching and research in the Department of Applied Psychology cover many exciting areas, including occupational health psychology, counselling psychology, applied social psychology, cross-cultural psychology, cognitive psychology, and human-computer interaction, etc.

Lingnan is now offering PhD programmes in Chinese for applicants who want to pursue research various areas.

The Ph.D. in Public Policy program provides rigorous training in public policy research to academically outstanding students aspiring to pursue a career in policy research and teaching.

Internationally-experienced faculty members in the Department of Political Science have quality publication records and some are recognised as experts in their fields of study. Faculty members in the Department specialise in a wide range of sub-disciplines, such as the governance and politics of Hong Kong and China, Asian-Pacific international relations, regional and global politics. Particular strengths in instruction and supervision include governance of Hong Kong, Chinese reform politics, regionalism, sport-politics nexus, Chinese foreign and security policies, Korean peninsula politics, and democratisation in Asia.