City University of Hong Kong

Pathway for Research, Innovation, and Multinational Engineering (PRIME)

The Pathway for Research, Innovation, and Multinational Engineering (PRIME) programme is a flagship programme of the College of Engineering designed to provide exceptional students with a comprehensive education in engineering and opportunities to gain valuable experience through research internships and work placements in top universities and companies worldwide. This programme is intended to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in the field of engineering and to prepare them for successful careers in the global engineering industry. The PRIME programme is open to talented and motivated students with a passion for engineering and a commitment to excellence.

Key features

Students accepted into the programme receive a range of benefits, including:

• Free Choice of Major: Students admitted to the PRIME programme are free to choose any major in the College of Engineering upon accepting the offer. They will be enrolled in one of the departments before starting their first year of study. For departments offering a single major, students will be enrolled in the major in the first year. In the case of departments offering more than one major, students will be admitted to the department in their first year and enrolled in their pre-selected major in subsequent years.
• One-on-One Mentorship: Each student will be paired with a faculty member who will provide personalised guidance and support throughout the programme. The faculty mentor will help the student identify their academic and professional goals, develop a plan to achieve them, and provide feedback and guidance along the way.
• Overseas Experience in Year 3 or Year 4
• Research Internship: Selected students will have the opportunity to work with leading researchers in their field at one of the top overseas universities. This will provide students with hands-on experience in cutting-edge research and will help them develop essential skills in data analysis, experimental design, and scientific communication.
• Global Work Placement: Selected students may also have the opportunity to be placed in an international company in North America (US, Canada), Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland, etc.), and other developed countries (Singapore, South Korea, Japan, etc.) to gain work experience and apply their engineering skills in a real-world setting. This will enable students to build their professional network, develop communication skills, and gain invaluable industry experience.
  • Research Internship: Selected students will have the opportunity to work with leading researchers in their field at one of the top overseas universities. This will provide students with hands-on experience in cutting-edge research and will help them develop essential skills in data analysis, experimental design, and scientific communication.
  • Global Work Placement: Selected students may also have the opportunity to be placed in an international company in North America (US, Canada), Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland, etc.), and other developed countries (Singapore, South Korea, Japan, etc.) to gain work experience and apply their engineering skills in a real-world setting. This will enable students to build their professional network, develop communication skills, and gain invaluable industry experience.
• Interdisciplinary Final-year Project: With the collaborative culture that the College fosters, the experienced faculty with expertise in a diverse range of research areas, and the state-of-the-art research facilities, students will be aided in conducting interdisciplinary research in their final-year projects. An interdisciplinary final-year project will offer an excellent opportunity for students to explore and integrate knowledge from multiple fields, which will be a valuable experience for their future careers.
• Guaranteed admission to CityUHK PhD programme*, providing a clear pathway for students interested in furthering their academic and research careers.

*Upon meeting the entrance requirements for the PhD programme when the student graduates from PRIME.

Other features

With the mission to foster the career development of students and promote impactful innovations, students of the College of Engineering will also benefit from the following optional schemes.

• Undergraduate plus Master's Degree Programmes: Students in an “Undergraduate plus Master's Degree Programme” will receive a conditional offer for a Master's degree programme when they join CityUHK as undergraduate students. They can benefit from higher-level courses, such as those with research elements and normally taught at the postgraduate level, during their undergraduate study. On completion of their study at CityUHK, students will be awarded two degrees (Bachelor's degree + Master's degree).
• Entrepreneurial Training: The College offers a Minor in Engineering Entrepreneurship, which aims to provide entrepreneurial training to help students develop the skills and knowledge needed to start and operate their engineering businesses. It also helps students broaden their multi-disciplinary perspectives, integrating management, marketing, finance, and engineering.
• Global Challenges: CityUHK X Sino Grand Challenges Scholars Program (CityUHK X Sino GCSP) is a combined curricular and extracurricular element to prepare students to be the future engineers and scientists who address and solve the global challenges facing the world in this century. CityUHK X Sino GCSP would give students a sense of purpose and enable them to positively impact the world through their engineering work.
• Cross-Cultural Competence: Through student exchange programmes, study tours and the Cultural & Language Immersion Scheme (CALIS), students are provided with opportunities to develop cross-cultural competence through activities such as language training, cultural immersion experiences, or international service projects. This would help students to become global citizens and to develop the skills needed to work effectively in diverse and multicultural environments.

Professional Recognition

The following undergraduate engineering programmes* of the College of Engineering are accredited by the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE).

• BEng Architectural Engineering
• BEng Civil Engineering
• BEng Computer and Data Engineering
• BEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering
• BEng Information Engineering
• BEng Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering
• BEng Materials Science and Engineering
• BEng Mechanical Engineering
• BEng Nuclear and Risk Engineering