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Message From Director

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing our whole way of life. It casts prominent effects on the landscape of the digital media industry. AI technologies are appearing in computational journalism, computer-assisted editorial judgement, multimedia processing, machine learning, recommender systems, search engines, immersive media, social media bots, robot reporters, and automated content-generation and -promotion systems.

The interplay between human and machine is shaping both sets of actors simultaneously. Critical reflection on the legal, moral and ethical issues of these developments has also come to the fore, with growing concerns about fake news and misinformation, algorithm-driven audience polarization, privacy protection, the surveillance society, news professionalism and the ever-enlarging knowledge gap and digital divide.

This MSc in AI and Digital Media is Hong Kong’s first full-fledged interdisciplinary taught postgraduate programme focusing on the application of big data analytics and AI for media and communication. It is expected to facilitate more teaching and research so that AI can serve the social good in a broader sense, bringing it to bear on well-being, e-health, smart city, cultural preservation and cultural diversity.

Welcome to join us!


Dr. Paolo MENGONI
Programme Director
Senior Lecturer, Department of Interactive Media
School of Communication

Dr. Li CHEN
Associate Head (Research) and Professor
Department of Computer Science

Professor (Affiliate)
Department of Social Work

About This Programme

The new programme aims to provide students with cutting-edge interdisciplinary knowledge of and skills in AI and media communication needed for the computational and digital age. Students are expected to become proficient in essential aspects of data-driven research, story-telling, branding and promotion, audience engagement and editorial decision-making.

Grounded in an academic core of several theoretical and methodological courses, the Programme offers a wide range of elective courses focusing on knowledge and practice in media institutions and operations in the context of the digital transition. These combinations of courses have been chosen with the specific goal of nurturing high-quality, ethical professionals and managerial personnel in the media and communication industry.

Curriculum Design

Schedule

All students are required to complete a total of 30 credits (i.e. 18 credits of Required Courses and 12 credits of elective courses) for the award of this MSc degree.

An advisory system will be established to help students from different academic background to understand the structure of the Programme, and select their study plans prior to the commencement of the first semester.

The full-time mode

Year Semester Units
Year 1 1st Semester 15
2 bridging courses (note 1)
2 core courses
1 elective course
2nd semester 15
2 core course
3 elective courses
Total 30


The part-time mode

Year Semester Units
Year 1 1st Semester 9
2 bridging courses (note 1)
1 core course
2nd semester 6
1 core course
1 elective course
Year 2 1st semester 6
1 core course
1 elective course
2nd semester 9
1 core course
2 elective courses
Total 30

Note 1: Starting from the academic year 2021-2022, students matching the requirements and upon approval can replace up to one bridging course with one elective course.


For a detailed study curriculum, please refer to the programme information at the Graduate School website

For a detailed course list, please refer to the course repository..

Admission Requirements

Academic Qualification

Applicants should possess a bachelor’s degree with honours from a recognised university or institution.

Language Proficiency Requirement

Applicants should be able to communicate in English at an advanced level, possessing one or more of the following qualifications if they did not study in an English-speaking institution. The test result provided should be within two years from the date of issuance of the Admission Offer letter.

  1. an IELTS overall band score of at least 6.0; or
  2. a minimum score of 74 in TOEFL (iBT); or
  3. a minimum score of 450 in CET-6.

    4. * Note: Test result provided should be within two years from the date of issuance of the Admission Offer letter. TOEFL iBT Home Edition or IELTS Indicator test is not accepted.

Others
  1. Applicants should submit a 500-word letter of interest in English.
  2. Applicants should submit a work portfolio (publications, demonstration, GitHub repositories, personal websites, etc), and provide other qualifications and awards, if any.
  3. Applicants should provide two reference letters.

Tuition Fee

HK$155,000 (per year for one-year full time student)
HK$77,500 (per year for two-year part time student) (local Hong Kong students only)

More Information

Scholarship and Fellowships

Approved Programme under UGC’s Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships Scheme 2024/25 (For Local Students Only)

AIDM programme has been selected for sponsorship under the Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships Scheme. This Scheme, offered by the University Grants Committee, provides fellowships for local students pursuing designated taught postgraduate programmes. The main objective of the scheme is to attract more meritorious local students to pursue further studies in priority areas conducive to the development of Hong Kong.

Please visit the website for details: https://ar.hkbu.edu.hk/tpg-studies/prospective-student/targeted-taught-postgraduate-programmes-fellowships-scheme-2024-25

Fellowship Entitlement

Selected Fellowship recipients are required to pay a minimum tuition fee of HK$42,100. The outstanding balance of the tuition fee will be subsidised by the Fellowship, subject to a cap of HK$180,000. For details, please refer to the UGC's website.

Eligibility
  • 1. Applications are open to local students only;
  • 2. The award of the fellowships will be based on merits taking into account the students' academic achievements, professional qualifications, relevant working experience and achievements in other areas as well as the personal statement/proposal submitted by the students; and
  • 3. To avoid double subsidy, applications from students who are receiving other forms of government scholarship (except student financial assistance) for pursuing the same programme will not be considered.

FAQ

1. Can I live on campus?

The student halls are not available to post-graduate students, but there is a private on-campus dorm called the NTT International House that some students like to stay in. Most students find private housing off campus .

2. What is Hong Kong like?

Hong Kong is a dynamic, international 24-hour city that is full of people, cultural events and food from all over the world. Cantonese is the main language but English is also widely used. Hong Kong is one of the safest cities in the world, is an excellent travel hub for exploring the rest of Asia and has a large variety of outdoor activities and tourist attractions. People love living in the city for its vibrancy and endless list of things to do.

3. Is a dissertation required?

No. We recommend disserations only for students interested in pursuing further studies.

4. Do I need to speak Chinese to enroll in your programme?

Not at all! The programme is taught 100 per cent in English. And if you want to learn Cantonese or Putonghua, there are many opportunities to study.

5. Can I work in Hong Kong on a student visa?

Students can work on campus up to 20 hours per week and are allowed to have short-term internships while studying. Students may also work in the summer and the Hong Kong government allows students to spend one year working in Hong Kong after graduation without a work visa. See government regulations here.

6. Does tuition include health insurance?

Yes. We have committed a substantial subsidy for all students of the progamme to enjoy the same privileges and services as those of UGC-funded programmes at the University Health Clinic.