There are a host of MBA programmes available to students in Hong Kong, and choosing the right programme can be a daunting task. After all, most people will only take one MBA in their lives and nobody wants to find themselves midway through an expensive course only to discover that they may have made the wrong choice.
On the surface, prospective students may feel that one MBA seems very similar to any other.
Almost all business schools in Hong Kong can boast international faculty, an international student body of successful, experienced managers, a large alumni network and excellent prospects for their graduates. Many MBA programmes are now doing increasingly well in the international business school rankings, and have state-of-the-art facilities at superb locations throughout the city.
The similarities are not so obvious upon closer examination of each school's curriculum, method of teaching and the aims of each of its students. Also, each school offers electives in certain areas that they truly specialise in. For example, any prospective student looking to one day become a successful entrepreneur will notice that Chinese University offers excellent opportunities in that area. Students looking for a business school that has a United States-style of teaching would probably look towards the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), which retains an American flavour in its courses. For anyone looking for a global outlook, the University of Hong Kong's MBA New York and London stream could be an ideal choice.
The best way to make the right decision is to talk to the business schools themselves, to ask them to put you in touch with students and alumni, and to visit the school, attend seminars, or lectures, and get as much information as possible. Any school that is not inclined to offer prospective students these opportunities is probably not worth considering.
Adding to the problem of which choice to make are the multitude of overseas schools offering MBA programmes here, either taught by distance learning, by professors flying in to teach modules, or a mixture of the two. Students looking at these courses should also seek as much information from the schools themselves and, as with a traditional programme taught by a local school, meet with students and alumni to get a feel for how they rate the MBA.
'The important thing to consider is which programme is right for you,' explains Professor Richard Petty, of the Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM), an Australian school which offers its MBA in Hong Kong. 'You need to look at what your objectives are and what you hope to get from the MBA.'