Method of study depends on the goals of the individual
TRYING TO complete a master's degree can be a major challenge. The task is even tougher while holding down a full-time job. Yet part-time programmes remain the most popular MBA option in Hong Kong.
Academics and education experts agree that both methods have their advantages, and it is difficult to say if one way is better than the other. Much depends on an individual's working habits and career objectives.
'Full-time and part-time students may have different goals,' said Raymond Yeung Yu-ting, programme director of the management studies division at Hong Kong University's School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE).
'It really depends [on] what students want to get from their MBA.'
Dr Yeung said that while full-time courses gave students the opportunity to sample campus life and 'retire from work for a year' to focus solely on the course material, part-time students tended to be more career-driven and keen to network.
The nature of an MBA makes it more suited to part-time study. The course content is so directly connected to the corporate environment that the office in effect becomes a laboratory for testing out subjects covered.
'The advantage of studying part-time is that what is learned in class can be immediately applied to the workplace, and it is not uncommon for issues faced at work to be discussed as part of class,' said Peter Steane, a professor of management at Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM).
'MGSM students are mature and experienced, coming from a variety of industries and positions, ensuring that students learn not only from the academic [side], but from students within the class,' Professor Steane said.
Networking opportunities were also better in part-time courses, Dr Yeung said.
'Everyone has a full-time job, so students can build up their contacts within a variety of industries,' he said.
Regardless of whether students choose a full- or part-time course, doing an MBA is never going to be easy. The workload might be heavier for students with a full-time career, Dr Yeung said, but full-time options also had their drawbacks.
'People who enter a business school full time are making a decision to sacrifice their work,' he said.
Aside from the financial losses incurred from not earning an income while studying, students also have to re-enter the job market when they graduate.
For part-time students, there are challenges in three main areas: achieving acceptance and recognition of the course from an employer, family obligations and self-discipline.
Dr Yeung said that although his students had a high level of commitment, the school still needed to make it clear what was involved from the start.
'We always explain to students clearly that they have to have their own goals,' he said. With the focus on self-study, class attendance was optional, so keeping motivated was key.
According to the school's standard study plan, students are expected to complete the course in 2? to three years, but Dr Yeung said the system was designed to be flexible and to accommodate students with career or family commitments.
Students can take up to five years to complete the course. Although the course started in March 2001, several students from the first intake have yet to complete the course.
