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- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Business School’s academic partnership with Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University tops 2022 FT EMBA ranking
- Professor Hui Kai-lung, HKUST Business School’s senior associate dean, says programme’s creative East-meets-West teaching approach and global perspective set it apart from competitors
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The latest annual ranking of the world’s top 100 executive master of business administration (EMBA) degree programmes for senior executives has rated the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA programme in Hong Kong No 1 for the 11th time.
The programme, offered jointly by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Business School and Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, reclaimed the top spot in the 2022 Financial Times (FT) EMBA ranking, published last October – moving up from second place in the 2021 ranking.
“We love being ranked No 1, but it’s never really been our main goal,” says Professor Hui Kai-lung, senior associate dean and academic director of Kellogg-HKUST EMBA programme.
“What we care more about is how our students will continue to grow – perhaps by advancing further in their career journey, or by creating new ventures that have a positive impact on society and the environment.”
The record-setting achievement of the programme is a testament to its founders’ vision and the shared commitments of the two schools in nurturing global top business leaders
World-class curriculum constantly evolves
The annual FT’s ranking, based on data provided by global business schools and their alumni three years after completing their programmes, takes into account factors including salaries, assessments of career services, aims achieved, the quality of academic research, gender balance and the international diversity of both students and faculty members.
Hui says the continuing success of the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA programme – which was launched in 1998 and is based primarily at HKUST’s hillside campus overlooking Clear Water Bay, in the New Territories – is the result of careful planning to ensure it offers students an outstanding experience.
The curriculum is constantly being updated and refreshed to match the rapidly evolving international business environment so senior executives are exposed to emerging trends and technologies, he says. A few years ago, for example, the programme introduced a technology course that offers students first-hand experience of frontier technologies such as analytics, blockchain and artificial intelligence.
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The continued success of this programme underscores our dedication to constant innovation and reinvention amid a rapidly changing environment
“We keep abreast of the latest trends and developments in the market, and develop courses based on what we consider to be important in the near future,” Hui says. “We also invite experts from the respective fields and specialities to lead the course.”
The programme also recently launched a monthly workshop series in which either faculty members or industry leaders visit the class to give a talk on a trending topic.
The workshops, focusing on a wide range of relevant topics such as behavioural finance and consumer psychology, give students deeper insights into emerging trends such as natural language processing – computer programming able to understand human language as it is spoken and written – and the metaverse, the next-generation version of the internet, including shared, three-dimensional worlds.
Hui says the workshops will help faculty members gauge whether they should expand these one-off seminars into a more formal course and include it in the curriculum.
Diversity fosters stimulating environment
The East-meets-West programme also stands out because of its global outlook and focus on diversity. Although it is based in Asia, the students come from all over the world and many different backgrounds, and include seasoned business and media leaders, medical professionals and artists. Hui says this diversity helps to foster a stimulating environment that is conducive to learning and developing new skills.
“Our programme’s ethos is ‘High Impact, Low Ego’, which really underscores the mindset of the people who participate,” he says. “They come here with an attitude to learn, exchange ideas and broaden their horizons so they can have a stronger impact in future,” he says.
The programme fuses leading Western academic knowledge with top industry experts, who know how to apply that knowledge to Asia. This diverse learning environment and the students’ seniority make it absolutely world class
Students also take part in a mandatory global elective, which sees them visit a different city to attend classes alongside those from five other partner programmes. More than 40 global elective classes are available within the Kellogg network, hosted at nearly 20 locations in other US cities, mainland China, Canada, Portugal, the United Kingdom, India, and Germany. Students from the different partner programmes fly to a particular destination to take part in the global elective together.
“Just imagine the cultural diversity, the cultural exchange, and the different business perspectives from the different regions this offers – it is tremendous,” Hui says. “This kind of global exposure, supplemented by our top-class faculty, has really given the students an unmatched experience.”
Flexible approach to learning overcomes challenges
Providing students this sort of global exposure over the past few years as a result of the global travel restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, was very challenging, Hui says. As they were often unable to attend classes in person in Hong Kong, a “satellite classroom” concept was introduced as part of remote learning.
Our students are renowned for having the agility to create opportunity out of disruption. They gain the advantage of international viewpoints, local expertise and exposure to various markets and industries
It saw groups of students from different cities brought together during the same online Zoom meetings to encourage the cross-border exchange of ideas. Those people whose classes were affected by Covid-19 restrictions were also given the chance to take part in face-to-face classes, even after they had graduated.
With pandemic restrictions now easing, students will now once again be able to take full advantage of the unique international perspective and expertise offered by the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA programme.
“Both business schools are highly regarded in their respective regions, which means a combination of the best-quality faculty and academic experience from both the East and West,” Hui says. “This unique partnership attracts plenty of ambitious individuals who are looking to further excel in their careers, which also contributes to the EMBA programme’s success.”