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According to a report issued by the McKinsey Global Institute, data science is the next frontier for innovation, competition and productivity. However, there is a severe shortage of people with the know-how to apply data science to make effective decisions. In response to this societal need and to nurture people with the professional knowledge of both data analytics and policy studies, the Faculty of Social Science of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) will launch a new four-year undergraduate programme in Data Science and Policy Studies (JUPAS Code: JS4893) in the 2019-20 academic year. The first intake will be up to a quota of 20.

The new programme is an interdisciplinary one which focuses on linking up the two fields of data science and policy science to equip students with essential knowledge, skills and capacities to design innovative, big data-driven and evidence-based policy solutions to complex problems in society. Students take required courses that provide them with essential and integrated knowledge in data science, data analytics, policy studies and public policy. They can also take elective courses offered by the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering of CUHK on programming and coding languages such as R and Python, data mining, and statistics to solidify knowledge in big data, computer and statistical learning. Students should also join the exchange programme to take related subjects offered by the overseas partnering institutions that are leaders in the field of data science and policy studies. Other than classroom learning, the programme offers a wide range of experiential learning activities, such as internship and capstone projects to apply what the students have learnt to address real world issues.

Professor CHIU Chi Yue, Dean of the Faculty of Social Science of CUHK said, “We use our research capacity, professional educational experience and broad network to offer a premium undergraduate programme in data-oriented policy studies. With all-round training, students are expected to become data scientists and effective policy initiators whose versatility will be highly sought by public and private sectors. They can pursue a wide spectrum of careers in government organisations, local and international NGOs, policy think tanks, consulting firms, multinational corporations, technology and science sectors.”

For details of the Programme, please visit: http://socsc.cuhk.edu.hk/prospective-students/undergraduate/list-of-programmes/ or email to dsps@cuhk.edu.hk or call 3943 4757 for enquiries.