Quest for knowledge puts the spotlight on diversity
THE DEMAND FOR diversified knowledge is increasing, and in line with this is a rise in postgraduate programmes straddling disciplines.
Hong Kong Baptist University will launch a Master of Science in Operational Research and Business Statistics programme with Kent University in September, targeting business professionals who need more statistical knowledge.
'It is a collaboration with Kent's Business School and useful for one's career advancement in logistics and financial planning. A lot of statistical support is needed for financial planning or the creation of management science models,' said course director Michael Ng Kwok-po from the university's department of mathematics.
People with multiple skills and knowledge were increasingly in demand, Professor Ng said.
Graduates of the two-year programme are awarded master of science degrees from both universities, and may be able to complete some courses in Kent.
Students can also opt to concentrate on Baptist University courses instead, which lead to a local Master of Science in Applied Statistics degree.
'It may be more economical to learn about two disciplines in one programme. But the disciplines must be related for students to have a good grasp of the knowledge involved,' Professor Ng said.
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology School of Business and Management is running three MBA/MSc dual-degree programmes. In three years students can obtain an MBA and an MSc degree in either financial analysis, investment management or information systems management, studying on a part-time basis.
Professor K.C. Chan, dean of the school, said it depended on a person's career objectives whether they should enrol in a joint degree programme, a pure MBA programme or specialised MBA programme catering for a particular industry, such as fashion business, health management or public sector management.
'It is certainly tougher to do a joint degree programme like ours, but it is all a matter of personal choice. Many people want to finish two degrees in a shorter period of time, and the enrollees in our programmes want to acquire both general management skills and knowledge about the field they are working in,' Professor Chan said.
He said aspiring managers should go for single MBA or EMBA programmes.
'An advantage of those programmes is that their students come from diverse sectors and this is useful because the career path of senior managers is very diverse. They can work in different sectors since their skill sets are transferable.'
The University of Hong Kong launched the first programme in Hong Kong that bridged business and technology in 1999 with its Master of Science in Electronic Commerce and Internet Computing, which is offered by the Faculty of Engineering.
The programme is designed to equip business executives, policymakers and decision makers, managers and information technology professionals with the latest knowledge and skills about technology development and business opportunities in e-commerce on the internet.
Also launched in the late '90s was City University's MA in Communication and New Media programme. Available in part-time and full-time mode, it is being taken by local, mainland and overseas students.
The part-time students have rich experience in the media, advertising, public relations and marketing fields but are not familiar with the latest communication tools or media products. Students get hands-on experience in using new media.
