MSc in Big Data Technology

The MSc in Big Data Technology program was transformative and intense that well prepared me for a technical career in quantitative finance.

The curriculum is both comprehensive and flexible, allowing me to build a strong foundation in data manipulation and machine learning while specializing in areas relevant to quantitative finance. The balance of theory and hands-on project work was perfect—through various projects, I gained practical experience in model building, data processing, and big data systems, which was crucial for my job path.

Immediately after graduation, I joined Qube Research & Technologies as a Quantitative Developer. In my role, I focus on low-latency systems for trading and work on implementing strategies and machine learning models. The technical depth and problem-solving approach I developed in the program were directly applicable from day one.

I would recommend this program to anyone seeking a rigorous, practical, and fast-paced gateway into data science and technology roles in top-tier industries.

My journey in the MSc in Big Data Technology (BDT) program has been exceptionally rewarding. The curriculum stands out for its flexibility and diversity, allowing students from varied professional backgrounds to tailor their learning path, including selecting courses from other programs. The BDT course selection is also dynamic, constantly evolving to integrate the newest technologies and providing high freedom of choice.

The professors are highly experienced and responsible, ensuring a rigorous yet manageable learning curve. Through targeted assignments and dedicated TA tutorials, students quickly master complex concepts. A key practical advantage is the option to undertake an Independent Project (IP) with a supervisor, gaining deep, hands-on expertise in a specialized field.

Beyond academics, the program offers flexible study planning that aids employment and internships. The thoughtfully organized student activities, including company visits and networking events, are invaluable for enriching professional relationships and gaining clearer insights into both local culture and future career development.

My year in the MSc(BDT) program has been both challenging and deeply rewarding—a journey I will cherish for years to come. I once struggled with self-doubt about my abilities, but through this program, I've rediscovered how to learn and regained my confidence. This transformation was made possible by the program’s student-centric curriculum, my supervisor’s professional guidance and the professors’ thoughtful instruction.

The comprehensive curriculum covers key areas like Database Systems, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing. Professors present complex concepts in accessible ways, reinforcing them with well-designed exercises and projects that solidify understanding. The program also encourages hands-on experience, offering a chance to engage with cutting-edge technologies; in my case, I focused on applying large language models to Cantonese-Mandarin translation. This allowed me to apply theoretical knowledge to a meaningful task and gain practical insight.

I am deeply grateful to all the teachers and fellow students who made this year so supportive and inspiring. For anyone looking to grow both technically and personally, I wholeheartedly recommend joining this program.

The BDT program provided me with a unique and powerful advantage by combining rigorous, solid engineering training with immediate exposure to front-line technologies. The courses are exceptionally well-designed, ensuring that we build a strong foundation in core machine learning and data science principles, but also that we stay current with the latest trends, like the application and theory behind Large Language Models (LLMs). This comprehensive and future-proof approach truly prepared me for the fast-paced, evolving tech landscape.

The greatest lesson I took away from the program, however, was the importance of remaining open-minded. BDT offers a wide-range of elective choices across different departments, giving students the freedom to explore various applications of data technology. This flexibility allowed me to discover and cultivate my specific passion. By selecting courses at the intersection of quantitative analysis and computer science, I was able to shape my own study path, which directly led me to my fulfilling role today in the Fintech industry.

My time in MSc. BDT program (part time) at HKUST has been excellent! The program maintained a good balance in both theorical and application knowledge. Ultimately, it equipped me with the knowledge and skills I needed to enter the industry and work confidently with data and AI.

The curriculum starts with 4 core engineering foundation courses that cover all the essential background we needed to deep dive into specialized topics. A major strength of the program is the flexibility of the elective courses. They cover very wide variety of topics and domains, allowing us to build expertise in areas that match our interests and career goals. The course content are also refreshed up to date, including the newest and hottest topics in the field, such as GenAI and LLMs.

Recommended by a colleague, I enrolled in the part-time MSc in Big Data Technology (BDT) at HKUST, and the two-year journey has been highly rewarding. The curriculum has given me a solid foundation in big data engineering, machine learning, and mathematics, while keeping me up to date with cutting-edge topics such as reinforcement learning and large language models.

The knowledge gained was immediately applicable to my work, enabling me to implement new tools and best practices in real-world projects. The program’s schedule is very accommodating for me with a full-time job, with evening and weekend classes as well as recorded lectures, making it easy to balance work and study. Overall, this program has deepened my expertise in big data and AI and helped me stay ahead in this rapidly evolving field.

My time in the BDT program has been incredibly rewarding. The program strikes a perfect balance between theoretical depth and practical application, preparing students to excel in the fast-evolving field of data science.

The courses are exceptionally well-designed, providing a solid foundation before diving into advanced topics. The curriculum covers a wide range of various topics like LLMs, deep learning, big data computing, distributed systems, and data storage. This breadth ensures you gain a holistic understanding of the entire data pipeline.

A standout feature is the program's focus on applying what we learn to solve real-world problems. We didn't just work with theoretical models; we tackled hands-on projects that mimicked industry challenges, which was invaluable.

The flexible course schedule is a significant advantage, especially for those balancing studies with other commitments. It allows you to tailor your learning pace to your personal and professional life.

Overall, the program is great for both pursuing better career development and academic development. Whether your goal is to land a top-tier industry position as a data scientist or engineer, or to pursue further academic research, this program provides the knowledge, skills, and connections to get you there.

The curriculum of the BDT program equipped me with the skills to become a professional big data analyst. The program covers a wide range of topics and up-to-date technology such as natural language processing, blockchain technology and so on. I can choose the courses that suit me the best. The knowledge I learned here is very beneficial to my career development. Besides, the independent project in this program gives me the hands-on
experience to apply my knowledge to solve real-world problems.

HKUST MSc BDT program provides a variety of courses including mathematical, statistical and programming choices which allow all students from different background to equip well as an all-rounded data professional. Meanwhile, it doesn’t only cover theoretical knowledge but also practical exercises so that everyone can have their chances to apply what they learnt from the lessons to tackle the real-world problems. Moreover, there are several foundational courses provided so that you don’t need to be worried if this is the first time you learn big data. Apart from the course contents, professors are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about teaching. Classmates from both full time and part time are helpful as well so you can definitely meet new friends with similar interest on big data

HKUST MSC BDT gives you a taste of the industrial revolution 4.0. I learned the basic theory and math of data mining and machine learning. Topics like Data Visualization, Parallel Computing, and Natural Language Processing teach me the skills I need for work. Offering a wide range of topics in Big Data, it's great for people of all backgrounds. Getting to know people from different backgrounds and working on projects with them helps me grow my social network and friendships. Buckle up your seatbelts and get ready to be a part of the fourth wave of the industrial revolution.

If you want to be a data scientist, data engineer, machine learning engineer, big data engineer or any other data science positions, then this program is perfect for you.

When I first got my full-time job, I was lucky to have a project related to data science. I found it very fun and I soon became passionate about data science. I wanted to become an actual data scientist so I can continue to work on data science everyday. However, most companies require their scientists to have at least an MSc. So I searched on the internet, and found this program. Additionally, the Targeted Taught Postgraduate Fellowships Scheme covers more than 70% of the tuition fees. I immediately applied for the program as well as the fellowship scheme. Luckily, I was chosen and this helped me a lot financially.

The program offers different elective courses for us to choose from, so you can pick those that fit your purpose the most. In my case, I want to be a data scientist with strong machine learning knowledge, so I have picked elective courses such as machine learning, natural language processing and artificial intelligence. Combined with the 4 core courses focused on data analysis, data mining, data engineering and maths, I built a strong foundation of data science. Eventually I landed my first job as a data scientist.

Last but not least, students participating in this program are passionate about the subject and they are the brightest minds in technology in Hong Kong. During my study, I have made a lot of friends who are also pursuing similar career paths. We are still closely in touch and are growing together. Studying this program helped to build my network, and helped me in advancing my career.

The university life is not only lessons and assignments here, but also the activities which offer you an opportunity to meet smart people who may inspire you a lot.

What I find special about the program is the option to take an independent project. This means that if you have a cool project idea you want to work on, you can do so by seeking guidance from some of the professors and gaining practical research experience.

I strongly recommend Big Data Technology to anyone who is interested in computer science and artificial intelligence in general. The knowledge and experience is relevant for industrial needs, and can become a starting point for a research career as well.

Having been working on all the projects, I obtained hands-on experience on real-world data science problems and learnt to communicate my ideas as a data scientist.

The courses offered by the world-class professors are well designed, which address both the theoretical and practical perspectives of topics related to big data technologies.