The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) is committed to building a world-class research university rooted in China and guided by a global vision. The University is dedicated to nurturing innovative, high-caliber talent with a global perspective, a deep appreciation for traditional Chinese values, and a strong sense of social responsibility. Its mission is to explore and exemplify a scalable and exemplary model for developing a world-class university, thereby contributing to the diversification and advancement of higher education in China.

CUHK-Shenzhen upholds and carries forward the fine academic traditions of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). It ensures consistency with CUHK in academic standards, adopts the same mechanisms for academic quality assurance and degree conferral, and awards CUHK degrees to its graduates.

Since its establishment in 2014, the University has established eight schools—namely, the School of Management and Economics, the School of Science and Engineering, the School of Humanities and Social Science, the School of Data Science, the School of Medicine, the School of Music, the School of Public Policy, and the School of Artificial Intelligence—as well as a Graduate School.

At present, the University offers 57 postgraduate programmes, comprising 29 Taught Postgraduate (TPG) programmes and 28 Research Postgraduate (RPG) programmes. Since the launch of postgraduate education in 2015, CUHK-Shenzhen has enrolled over 10,000 postgraduate students (as of Autumn 2025), including more than 7,000 graduates and over 5,000 current students. Postgraduate enrolment has continued to grow steadily since the University’s founding. For the 2025-26 academic year, total enrolment has exceeded 2,800, comprising 2,200 TPG students and over 500 RPG students. In recent years, the number of postgraduate programmes has grown rapidly, with approximately 10 new programmes introduced annually in response to emerging academic frontiers and national development priorities. For example, newly approved programmes in 2025 include the MSc in Integrated Circuits and Systems and the MPhil–PhD in Artificial Intelligence.

Internationalization: A Defining Feature of Postgraduate Education

Internationalization is a defining feature of postgraduate education at CUHK-Shenzhen, reflected in the composition of its faculty, the design of its programmes, and the development of its curriculum.

International Faculty
To date, the University has brought together over 700 outstanding scholars and researchers, many with teaching or research experience at world-class universities, including a number of world-leading scientists. Most faculty members have received education both in China and abroad, enabling them to provide cutting-edge academic guidance and to foster diverse opportunities for students to engage in international collaboration, thereby broadening their global outlook.

Programme Design Aligned with International Standards
CUHK-Shenzhen’s postgraduate programmes are benchmarked against comparable programmes at world-class universities, reflecting strong international alignment. At the same time, their design draws on proven practices in postgraduate training from leading Chinese universities. The University places high priority on the development of emerging disciplines and interdisciplinary integration. For example, its strong faculty team in data science and computing is not only concentrated in the School of Data Science, the School of Science and Engineering, and the newly established School of Artificial Intelligence, but also distributed across the School of Management and Economics, the School of Medicine, and the School of Humanities and Social Science. Enabled by this cross-school faculty structure, many postgraduate programmes feature a distinctive focus on advanced data science, informatics, computer science, and artificial intelligence.

Curriculum Design Integrating Eastern and Western Educational Strengths
Most faculty members have both domestic and international educational experience, giving them valuable insights into the strengths and limitations of curriculum design in both systems. Drawing on this experience, they are able to integrate the strengths of both Eastern and Western educational traditions to design curricula for postgraduate students that balance theoretical depth with practical relevance. The vast majority of courses are taught in English and incorporate global perspectives, covering cutting-edge theories and widely adopted research methodologies to systematically enhance students’ global outlook and academic competence.

Graduate Outcomes

Among the 1,200 full-time postgraduate students who graduated in 2024, 95.9% confirmed post-graduation outcomes. Over 100 graduates pursued doctoral studies, 30 undertook postdoctoral research, and more than 1,000 secured employment directly. Over half remained in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (particularly in Shenzhen), joining top employers such as Tencent, ByteDance, China Merchants Bank, Alibaba, Huawei, WeBank, China Construction Bank, Southern Asset Management, BYD, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young. These outcomes reflect the diversity of career pathways and the high quality of postgraduate education at CUHK-Shenzhen.

Key Features of CUHK-Shenzhen’s Postgraduate Education Model

1. Internationalized programme and curriculum design, with English as the sole medium of instruction (except for a very limited number of programmes taught in Chinese due to disciplinary requirements).
2. Interdisciplinary and cross-school programmes, leveraging the University’s broad disciplinary strengths to promote collaborative education. Examples include:
   • Biomedical Engineering (School of Medicine + School of Science and Engineering)
   • Computational Biology and Health Informatics (School of Medicine + School of Data Science)
   • Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (School of Data Science + School of Science and Engineering)
   • Data Science (School of Data Science + School of Management and Economics)
3. Programme development guided by disciplinary advancement and societal needs, supported by strong faculty and infrastructure. With support from the Ministry of Education and CUHK, the University actively explores new frontiers to ensure its programmes remain at the forefront of academic and industry relevance.
4. Rigorous academic training, with RPG students required to complete multiple discipline-specific courses and PhD students to pass a candidacy examination before commencing their thesis research.
5. Structured Teaching Assistantship for PhD students, integrating teaching and research to foster the development of well-rounded future academics.
6. Emphasis on academic writing and communication skills, including dedicated courses in academic English writing.
7. Four-tier quality assurance system, including course-level, programme-level, and school-level external reviews, as well as an annual postgraduate education quality report jointly prepared by the Programme, the School, and the Graduate School.

Rooted in the Greater Bay Area, Powered by Innovation

The University’s development is deeply rooted in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area—a national leader in internationalization and economic growth, underpinned by a comprehensive and well-developed industrial ecosystem. As a regional manufacturing base, a hub for high-tech innovation and application, and a financial center, Shenzhen offers students abundant and diverse career opportunities while providing sustained momentum and a strong foundation for the University’s long-term development.

Join Us

CUHK-Shenzhen warmly welcomes outstanding students with a passion for research and a commitment to academic excellence to join our postgraduate community and help shape a future of excellence together.

The above data is updated to June 2025.