The logistics industry has been key to Hong Kong's economic success and its importance is expected to grow as the city consolidates its role as the logistics hub of southern China.

The good times are expected to continue as the supply chain process is streamlined and the need to reduce inventories grows.

Those wanting to advance their careers in this bustling sector - which comprises everything from air and sea cargo, express cargo, freight forwarding, and warehousing - should consider a postgraduate qualification in order to enhance their competitiveness.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology are the key local providers for the sector.

PolyU offers Masters of Science (MSc) and Postgraduate Diplomas (PgD) in International Shipping and Transport Logistics, Strategic Purchasing and Supply Management and Global Supply Chain Management.

HKUST offers a Master of Technology Management (MTM) in Global Logistics, which draws professors from around the world, including from Berkeley, Chicago, Harvard, London, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Purdue and Yale.

The programme has strategic alliances with the University of Pennsylvania in the United States and Shanghai's prestigious Jiaotong University.

'Many issues in logistics and supply chain management are global in nature,' said Raymond Cheung, associate professor of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, and director of the MTM in Global Logistics Management programme. 'We need to see the roles of logistics in different parts of the world.'

The 18-month programme, run jointly by the School of Engineering and the School of Business and Management, features a weekend study format to accommodate the schedules of working professionals, who often have to travel during the week.

Other providers offer overseas programmes. Superguide Consultants, founded by past president of the Hong Kong Logistics Association Stephen Cheng Wui-yau, specialises in this field. It offers RMIT's Master of Business in Logistics Management, with workshops conducted by RMIT lecturers.

'All of our students are professionals in the logistics trade and are mostly in supervisory, managerial and executive positions. Because of that, participants can share their own experiences and get new knowledge through case studies,' Mr Cheng said.

On graduation, students are eligible to become professional members of the Hong Kong Logistics Association. Once they have four years of related work experience they can become chartered members of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.

The Hong Kong Management Association runs the Macquarie Graduate School of Management's Master of Logistics and Operations Management, while Asia Pacific Management Institute is the local provider for the National University of Ireland's Master of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

Professors and lecturers from Macquarie come to Hong Kong to present classes, using case-studies related to logistics. Students can complete an extra six modules to upgrade their qualification to an MBA.