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SCMP Reporter

Editor's Note
MBA, EMBA, DBA, PgC, MEng, LLM, MEd, MPhil, MA ... and then, of course, there's always a PhD.
But what do the acronyms stand for? They spell out the route to personal achievement and the development of the knowledge-based or learning society that Hong Kong is well on its way to becoming.
And more than that, they spell out global capital - not the financial kind, but a form of vocational and academic capital that allows people to take their place and play a role in an increasingly internationalised environment.
Sometimes postgraduate qualifications are about equipping professionals with  the advanced skills they need to progress in their careers. But often they reflect people's desire to better themselves, to pursue  knowledge for the sake of it - for  personal motives or to add  depth to their education.
The sheer range of the options can be puzzling, though. Do you really need an MBA? Where does an LLM get you? What do you need to do to sign up for an MA, an MPhil or a PhD?
If the articles in this guide help to answer those questions - and more - then it will have achieved its purpose. And having satisfied yourself about what  you want to do, you then have to decide where to do it. That's where the listings at the back of the guide come in handy.
As more  people value knowledge, advanced skills and higher  thinking, so the choices for pursuing them increase. Local colleges and universities offer a range of study paths locally, but there is also the international picture.
Hundreds of overseas courses are offered locally and there is always the option of actually going abroad to pursue studies. This guide covers both the locally offered overseas courses and the range of international destinations.
Professionals in the field are always on hand to offer their advice and spell out the value of postgraduate education. Leo Sin Yat-ming, for example, director of Chinese University's MSc programme in marketing, says advanced learning is vital in the modern, global world.
'The world is changing so fast. We cannot simply sit in the office and repeat tasks we've been doing for 10 years. Continuing education is crucial to survive in the knowledge economy,' he said.
And programme director of the University of Hong Kong's MEd programme, Cheung Kwok-wah, was quick to point out that advanced learning was as much about leadership as it was about personal achievement.
'It is important in today's world. School principals, for example, are not mere managers but rather leaders who need to react to different issues, such as the declining student population, how to create a satisfying working environment for their colleagues, or how to help students get the most from their education. Principals' roles are becoming more and more demanding.'
Whether your field is education, finance and accounting, marketing, arts and humanities, logistics, hospitality, law, health care, or other specialised fields - or you want to gain knowledge simply for its own sake, you need to be focused  on what you want to achieve and where  you can achieve it.
Postgraduate study can open a window on academic, vocational or professional worlds, but more importantly it can offer personal choices and possibilities. Knowledge is a form of empowerment.



How this guide can help you  focus on what you want to achieve