On October 15, 2024, the MSCBS programme under the Department of Statistics and Data Science successfully held a share session titled "The Road to Ph.D. for Taught Masters - Preparation and Challenges"). This session invited two meritorious doctoral students, Chen Mengying and Li Likang, who were also taught master's degree holders. They candidly shared their experiences either online or in person. Nearly 80 students from MSCBS, AIDM and SETM enrolled. This event also piqued the interest of other master's program students at UIC.
Dr. Peng Xiaoling, the director of the MSCBS program, presided over the meeting. Dr. Peng first thanked the students for their active participation and expressed hope that this shared session would provide helpful information and guide students who aspire to conduct advanced research on planning and preparing in advance.
Subsequently, both distinguished guests shared their insights on applying for doctoral programs and the realizations they had during their Ph.D. journeys. The first guest, Chen Mengying, is a graduate of the City University of Hong Kong taught master's degree in Business and Data Analysis. She served as a teaching assistant in the statistics major at UIC and later joined the City University of Hong Kong as a research assistant. She is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Neuroscience at the City University of Hong Kong. She shared her experience of preparing for the Ph.D. program for over three years after graduating from the taught master's course and her insights into interdisciplinary studies, as well as the psychological preparation necessary to face future research work challenges. Her journey inspired the students present, raising their interest in interdisciplinary research and bolstering their confidence in participating in scientific research.
The second guest, Ph.D. student Li Likang, is studying in the direction of Probability and Mathematical Statistics at UIC. He had studied in the AIDM program, and upon graduation, he joined the UIC's research master's program owing to his outstanding academic record, prominent programming skills, and rich work-study experience. Li gave sound advice to the audience regarding contacting tutors and the capabilities needed to apply for a Ph.D based on his experience.
Finally, Dr. Peng introduced the general process of applying for the UIC Ph.D. programme and suggested ways students can demonstrate their research potential from a doctoral supervisor's perspective. After the sharing session, an active discussion ensued, making for a relaxed and upbeat atmosphere. The students communicated in-depth with the share session's contributors about topics related to doctoral studies and employment. They gleaned a lot of helpful information and confidence from the session.
The MSCBS programme is a newly launched taught postgraduate program offered by the Faculty of Science and Technology. It opened for admission in September 2024 and currently has approximately 70 students enrolled. The programme takes advantage of the economic development of the Greater Bay Area to cultivate internationally competitive talents that can make comprehensive use of business management and modern statistical analysis in the digital economy. Based on the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Research and Application for Data Science, it provides diversified project practice opportunities for students