THE and WSJ, after a survey of business schools and programs across the world, has published separate rankings for one-year MBA, two-year MBA and Masters in Management (MIM) programs.

The ranking is based on four main criteria, namely Resources, Engagement, Outcomes and Environment.

HKU gets a score of 51.2 in Resources, 88.5 in Engagement, 80.9 in Outcomes and 87.5 in Environment. Its overall score is 76.2. Ranked second is the Indian School of Business (ISB) with a Resources score of 78.4, Engagement 90.8, Outcomes 83.4 and Environment 14 with an overall score of 75.7.

Third-ranked is IIM Calcutta with a score of 76.4 in Resources, 89 in Engagement, 85 in Outcomes, 15.7 in Environment and an overall score of 75.5.

However, in terms of resources, it’s Ivey that stands first with a score of 93.4 in the list of 35 B-schools followed by TIAS School of Business and Society, Netherlands with a score of 80.9, ISB with 78.4 and IIMC with 76.3.

In Engagement, Cranfield scored the highest 93.3 followed by IMD 93.1, Lancaster University Management School 91.6 and Cass Business School 91.1 and ISB 90.8.

In Outcomes, IIM Calcutta emerged on top with a score of 85 followed by ISB and IMD with 83.4 each.

In Environment, Adam Smith Business School of the University of Glasgow scores 90.3 followed by HKU with 87.5 and Leeds University Business School with 83.3.

As many as 114 business schools from 24 countries were ranked in the survey, apart from almost 23,000 responses to a survey of business school alumni.

Significantly, the analysis of global application trends shows an increasing preference for one-year MBA programmes typically offered to candidates with prior work experience outside the US, especially in Europe and Asia.

“But the change in application trends could also reflect an increasing preference for the one-year MBA programs, typically offered outside the US. The market for these shorter MBAs is much more international given that the top five institutions in THE’s analysis are the University of Hong Kong, ISB, IIM Calcutta…”(Image Source:google.com)

While the first two application deadlines are over, the third one is on March 7 with interview notification latest by May 4 and admission results latest by June 1, 2018.

The students can choose between a full 16-month program and an accelerated 12-month program. HKUST says the longer duration program is for those planning a career switch, seeking more international exposure or expanding their career opportunities in China and Asia by gaining more regional knowledge.

The 16-month program begins in summer (July-August) with an immersion and experiential learning program. Fall-winter (September-January) has 10 required courses and 2 electives.

They also get a summer internship opportunity and an optional one-semester overseas exchange at one of HKUST’s 60 partner schools worldwide.

The accelerated 12-month program is ideal for those who already possess professional experience or are studying under company sponsorship for career advancement.

Eligibility Criteria

You should possess a Bachelor’s degree; GMAT / GRE score and a minimum of 2 years’ full-time work experience after graduating from your first degree. TOEFL/IELTS academic results have to be submitted if English was not the first language of instruction of your undergraduate/postgraduate course.

Program Fee and Other Expenses

The program fee of the full-time MBA program is HK$585,000 (approximately US$75,300) for the 2018 intake. This applies for the 12- and 16-month options as they both require 52 credits. Students are also entitled to enrol for 10 extra credits for no additional charge. Items covered by the program fee include tuition, textbooks and course materials for core courses (excluding course material for electives), and certain self-enrichment activities.

 Successful applicants are required to pay a non-refundable deposit of HK$50,000 (approximately US$6,400), which will be deducted from their outstanding program fee. The remainder of the program fee can be paid in two installments.

Other expenses include accommodation on campus (average for 12 months) at $66,000 (US$8,500), Books and supplies $10,000 (US$1,300), Living expenses (12 months) $84,000 (US$10,800), Miscellaneous expenses $30,000 (US$3,800), Optional field trips $15,000 (US$1,900). The total expenses would be around $790,000 (US$101,600).

Program Schedule

The 16-month program begins in summer (July-August) with an immersion and experiential learning program. Fall-winter (September-January) has 10 required courses and 2 electives.

Spring (February-May) has 3 required courses and 7 electives. Summer (June-August) has internship option. Fall (September-December) has 3 electives at HKUST or an exchange school.

The 12-month option begins in summer with immersion and experiential learning program. Ten required courses and 2 electives will be covered in fall-winter while spring will have 2 required courses and 8 electives. Summer, with 1 required course and 2 electives concludes the program.

The teaching involves interactive exercises and from your fellow students, faculty members and external guest speakers. Lectures comprise only 30% of the course content. The remainder is set apart for discussions, simulations, case analyses, seminars, individual and group projects and class presentations. Innovative and experiential modes of learning founded on real-life business cases in both an Asia and global business contexts are also part of the program.

The accelerated 12- month program provides a comprehensive, well-rounded business education to unleash the student’s full potential while minimizing time and opportunity costs. This program is ideal for those who already possess a wealth of professional experience or are studying under company sponsorship to enhance their career advancement.

The 16-month program is designed for students who are planning a career switch, looking to gain more international exposure or simply want to expand their career opportunities in China and Asia by equipping themselves with more solid regional knowledge. As part of the program, they will have the opportunity to participate in a summer internship and an optional one-semester overseas exchange at one of HKUST’s 60 partner schools worldwide.

Both programs start in August every year. The 1-year program concludes in August the next year, the 16-month program continues with summer internship option. It ends with 4 electives at HKUST or an exchange school in fall (September-December).

Since knowledge of Mandarin will be needed for those planning to explore new career opportunities in the Mainland or with China-related enterprises, HKUST has got an optional 4-week course just before the immersion program as part of the inter-university program for Chinese language studies. The classes at Tsinghua University in Beijing provide an opportunity for students to enhance their knowledge of business Mandarin. The costs are not included in the fees and will have to be borne by students. The HKUST Language Center also offers a basic Mandarin course for beginners during the immersion program.

Admission Eligibility

Applicants for the HKUST MBA Program need to have a Bachelor’s degree, satisfactory GMAT/GRE score and a minimum of 2 years’ full-time work experience after graduation. Those not having English as the first language of instruction in undergraduate/postgraduate program need TOEFL/IELTS certificate.

Application Schedule

HKUST starts accepting applications from September each year for intake in the following August. In the deadlines for the 2017 intake, phase 1 application deadline was November 9. Interview notification will be issued on January 6, 2017 an admission results announced latest by February 3, 2017.

The second phase admission deadline is January 11, 2017, interview notification by March 10 and admission results on April 7, 2017. The third phase application deadline is on March 8, 2017, interview notification by May 5 and admission results by June 2, 2017.

Ideally, international students should send in their applications by the first or second deadline to allow sufficient time to process their visas and for making other travel arrangements to Hong Kong. Late applications would be considered subject to place availability.

Fees & Other Expenses

The program fee of the full-time MBA program is HK$585,000 (approximately US$75,300) for the 2017 intake. This applies for the 12- and 16-month options as they both require 52 credits. Students are also entitled to enrol for 10 extra credits for no additional charge. Items covered by the program fee include tuition, textbooks and course materials for core courses (excluding course material for electives), and certain self-enrichment activities.

Successful applicants are required to pay a non-refundable deposit of HK$50,000 (approximately US$6,400), which will be deducted from their outstanding program fee. The remainder of the program fee can be paid in four instalments. Students should also expect a slight adjustment to the price of accommodation on campus which will only be finalized by the HKUST Housing Office in May 2017. As a reference, there was a price increase of 3% from 2015 to 2016. The other expenses come to about 790,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$101,600).

Class Profile

The current class has 113 students with an average age of 28 (25-33). They have an average work experience of 5 years (3-8 years), GMAT range is 580-710. International students comprise 93% of the class representing 28 nationalities.

Students from Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand represent the Asia-Pacific region. Likewise Europe is represented by students from France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The class also has students from Canada, United States, Brazil, Israel and South Africa.

As far as their professional background is concerned, 22% are from Finance, followed by 13% Sales/Marketing and 12% each in General Management and Consulting.