Sustainability Engineering (SE)
Overview
Focus: A practice-oriented programme that turns engineers and scientists into AI-fluent sustainability leaders equipped to redesign energy, industry, cities, food and carbon systems for a thriving, low-carbon future.
- Learning Outcomes: Graduates will integrate interdisciplinary knowledge, apply AI-driven analytics, and exercise strategic management — together forming the capability to address complex, real-world sustainability challenges.
By the end of the programme you will be able to:
- Quantify and model carbon and resource flows across engineering systems using AI-enabled tools.
- Design interventions that cut emissions while preserving economic and social value.
- Navigate climate policy, green finance and supply-chain strategy with confidence.
- Lead cross-sector teams and communicate sustainability trade-offs to decision-makers.
- Complete a capstone that produces measurable, real-world sustainability impact.
- Relevance: Acquisition of interdisciplinary knowledge, AI-driven analytics, and strategic management skills to tackle complex, real-world sustainability challenges.
Curriculum Structure
The curriculum integrates three key domains:
Technical Foundations: Discipline core courses emphasize AI-driven tools for climate modelling, resource optimization, and energy systems, ensuring students master cutting-edge technologies.
Strategic Implementation: Courses cover green supply chains, international climate policies, and sustainable finance, equipping students to navigate complex regulatory and corporate landscapes.
Practical Application: A capstone project, field research at renewable energy sites or circular economy enterprises, and stakeholder simulation exercises provide hands-on experience. Students undertake a research dissertation, ideation project or internship, supervised by HKU academics or industry partners like Aecom, WWF-HK, or government agencies (e.g., EPD), tailored to their career goals – whether academic, entrepreneurial, or industrial.
Programme Requirements
To successfully complete the SE curriculum, candidates must accumulate a total of 72 credits distributed as follows:
| Component | No. of Credits | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Track | Entrepreneurship Track | Industry Track | |
| Discipline Core Courses (9-credit each) | 54 | 54 | 54 |
| Elective Courses (6-credit each) | – | 12 | 12 |
| Capstone Experience | 18 (Dissertation) | 6 (Ideation project) | 6 (Internship) |
| Total | 72 | ||
For SE curriculum syllabus 2027-2028, please refer to this file.
Course Selection Guidelines
- Total Courses: Candidates must complete 6 courses from List A (9-credit each).
- Capstone Experience: Candidates can choose either one of the following tracks: (i) Research Track: students should complete 18-credit Dissertation; (ii) Entrepreneurship Track: students should complete two 6-credit courses from List B and the 6-credit Ideation project; (iii) Industry Track: students should complete two 6-credit courses from List B and the 6-credit Internship.
- Electives: For candidates under the Entrepreneurship Track and Industry track, they may select up to 2 elective courses from other taught postgraduate programmes within the Faculty of Engineering, encouraging interdisciplinary learning and broader academic exposure.
- Approval: All course selections must be approved by the Course Coordinators to ensure a cohesive and academically rigorous study plan.
Teaching venue
- Venue: Primarily in Yuen Long
- Location: Kadoorie Centre, HKU (Note: Classes are not held at the HKU Main Campus)
- Note: Most classes are held at the Kadoorie Centre, HKU, in Yuen Long, rather than on HKU’s Main Campus. To facilitate commuting, the programme provides a scheduled shuttle service and accommodation options for SE students. Applicants are encouraged to review the location and travel arrangements before submitting applications.
Focus Domains
Six interconnected domains define the programme’s scope:
How we power (Energy), make (Manufacturing), build (Built Environment), feed (Agriculture & Food) and protect (Environment) ourselves — and how we measure and price the carbon footprint across all of them (Carbon & Assessment).