BSc in Integrative Systems and Design (ISD)

• Provide education opportunities for students to integrate design skills with domain expertise in an interdisciplinary environment
• Promote active project-based learning:
  • Encourage students to take ownership of their projects, develop project management and teamwork skills and become independent learners
  • Motivate students to share their skills and knowledge with each other and become good team players and leaders 
  • Empower students to develop into lifelong learners
  • Prepare students to identify and solve problems that are important and impactful to the communities
  • Provide a stimulating academic working environment, which allows students to apply critical thinking skills to innovate new product design solutions
  • Support development of effective communicating skills to share their innovative ideas with each other and present their solutions in various presentations

• Be capable to identify and formulate problems in a multidisciplinary context with an understanding of science, engineering, technology, business and design issues and constraints
• Develop innovative problem-solving skills through hands-on learning and application of knowledge of science, engineering and design in integrative systems

• Integrate knowledge and skills using a team-based, project-based pedagogy to tackle challenging problems considering ethics and societal needs

• Can effectively communicate in the technical language of engineering and of design

• Be life-long learners

Every student entering HKUST needs to complete 36 credits of core courses, which provide students with a balanced and broad education.  In the first year, ISD students acquire fundamental design and technical skills, which are the two components they need to integrate to enhance the design of integrative systems in their second-, third- and fourth-year projects. One prominent feature of the ISD curriculum is that students are free to choose advanced technical courses of their interest and the technical role they play in the yearlong project. Beyond our core curriculum, students can participate in many extracurricular activities to enhance their leadership and research skills and cultural competence as well as to acquire first-hand working experience in the industry.  Students with a strong interest in a particular technology area can opt for a double major or minor.

Curriculum and courses details:

For students admitted in 2020/2021

https://prog-crs.hkust.edu.hk/ugprog/2020-21/ISDN

For students admitted in 2021/2022

https://prog-crs.hkust.edu.hk/ugprog/2021-22/ISDN

For students admitted in 2022/2023

https://prog-crs.hkust.edu.hk/ugprog/2022-23/ISDN

For students admitted in 2023/2024

https://prog-crs.hkust.edu.hk/ugprog/2023-24/ISDN

For students admitted in 2024/2025

https://prog-crs.hkust.edu.hk/ugprog/2024-25/ISDN

Under the 4-year academic program structure, applicants can be admitted (a) directly in the first year through program-based admission, or (b) to via school-based admission to one of the four Schools (Science, Engineering, Business and Management, Humanities and Social Science) and later choose their major in BSc in Integrative Systems and Design at the end of the first year. 

(1) Application

Applicants applying for admission to the BSc program in Integrative Systems and Design (ISD) are required to submit a "Design and Technology Project experience (DTP)" in addition to the nominal documentations.  

(a) Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) applicants

JUPAS candidates applying for admission to the BSc in ISD program (ISDN) are encouraged to upload a Design and Technology Project experience document (DTP), describing school or personal-initiated projects and extracurricular activities and upload the DTP to the online DTP submission system. It highlights candidates' previous project work detailing the how, why and what of the projects.  JUPAS students may use their Student Learning Profile (SLP) or Other Experiences and Achievements (OEA) in lieu of DTP.  Please note that the submission of DTP, SLP or OEA is mandatory; candidates who fail to submit any one of the three required documents will not be considered for the admission. 

(b)  Applicants with International/ Post-secondary Qualifications

These applicants are required to submit their applications via the HKUST Online Application System for Undergraduate Programs and upload their DTP under “Required Documents”.  Candidates who fail to submit their DTP by the application deadline will not be considered for the admission.  

(c)  Mainland JEE applicants

Mainland JEE applicants are required to submit their applications via the HKUST Online Application System for Undergraduate Programs and upload their DTP to “DTP Submission (DTP作品集)” under “Required Documents (上载补充文件)”.  Candidates who fail to submit their DTP by the application deadline will not be considered for the admission.