A master's level qualification is fast becoming essential for anyone with hopes of reaching the highest rungs of their profession. The choices available continue to multiply, as institutions respond to demand and see the chance to boost Hong Kong as a regional centre for postgraduate education.
For prospective students, committing to a programme is still a decision not to take lightly. It requires close consideration of course content, attendant costs and relevance to the workplace.
And far more than in undergraduate days, it is also vital to factor in the time management aspect. The extra hours of study, group work and classroom teaching inevitably impinge on other activities and, for the duration of the course, give a whole new dimension to the concept of work-life balance.
'We provide a teaching schedule for the year ahead, so students can arrange their work and other commitments around that,' says Thomas Sun, programme leader for the MBA offered by Polytechnic University's School of Professional Education and Executive Development in partnership with the University of Birmingham in Britain.
He highlights the importance of understanding the study mode and what it entails. Some part-time courses, for example, have regular classes, perhaps two evenings a week over 14 weeks for a specific module. Alternatively, or in addition, there may be all-day sessions at weekends, stretching over a similar period.
'This may not suit busy students who have changing work schedules and need to travel for business,' Sun says. 'Therefore, what we have is an intensive teaching mode with 10 consecutive days on one subject.'