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POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES IN THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ANDMANAGEMENT
MBA Programme
At HKUST, management education is designed to provide students with the skills and tools necessary to direct and manage organisations, whether large or small, public or private, domestic or international, for-profit or not-for-profit, and with a means for envisioning the future and realising objectives. An important component of this education is the Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme. It is available on a full-time and part-time basis.
The MBA programme cultivates the student's ability to deal successfully with the challenges and opportunities presented by continued technological development and globalisation. While providing students with skills and knowledge to operate successfully in today's environment, the programme also prepares them to cope with the challenges of the future. The approach utilised is designed to meet Hong Kong's needs in the transition from a labour-intensive to a technology-based economy. The School of Business and Management builds and maintains close relationships with the professional management community to prepare strongly motivated individuals for highly skilled managerial roles.
Designed to provide a balance between theory and practice and between individual and team approaches to management questions, the MBA programme is structured to provide a broad base of general management skills on which specialised skills may be developed. Thus, both generalists and specialists can meet their individual career preparation goals. Students not only develop analytical and conceptual tools for innovative problem solving, but also build up confidence and develop interpersonal skills to interact effectively in difficult and complex situations. Various teaching techniques and methods, such as lectures, computer simulations, case discussions, and individual and group projects, are used to provide students with an intellectual as well as an experiential background.
Admission
Applicantsfor admission to the MBA Programme are expected to have completed a bachelor's degree from a university or approved institution or have obtained qualifica- tions considered by the School to be equivalent to a first degree. For applicants who are employed, their employment history will play a critical role in the admissions process.
Demonstrated proficiency in the English language is important for successful completion of the programme.
In addition to the documentation required by the University (see page 14), applicants to the MBA Programme must submit the following:
(a) the score obtained on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) (Note:
applicantsshould instructthe EducationalTesting Service to send the score to the School of Business and Management, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Code Number 0369); and
(b) the score obtained in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the lnternational English Language Testing Service (IELTS) (Note: only for appli- cants who attended educational institutions where the language of instruction was not English and whose first language is not English).
School of Business and Management
Fees for the 1994-95 academic year
The full-time tuition fee is 524,000 per annum. In addition, it is expected that full- time MBA students will be charged approximately 53,300 per year to cover the costs of residential seminar lodging and meals, photocopying materials and other sundry ex- penses. Programme fees for part-time students are HK536,OOO per annum, which cover tuition fees, costs of conference centre lodging and meals, expenses for Saturday luncheon presentations and speakers' honoraria. Fees may be paid at the beginning of the academic year at registration or in equal instalments at the beginning of each semester. In addition, each new student is required to pay a deposit of 5300 as caution money on first registration. Charges will be made against this deposit if there are any unpaid claims against the student, such as outstanding library dues. Except for caution money, all fees are non-refundable.
Curriculum
As a programme of professional management education, the MBA curriculum requires rigorous study, creativity and imagination, analytical thinking, problem diagnosis and solution, and teamwork. The MBA Programme aims to Drovide an environment in which students develop competence in functional management disciplines such as finance, marketing, operations and technology management, accounting, human re- source management; general management perspectives and an ability-to approach situations from the perspective of the entireorganisation; acomprehensive understandina of organisations and the skills essential to managing and working effectively with sophisticated awareness of thecomplex global, technological, industrial, and governmen- tal environments in which organisations operate; and sensitivity to the economic and social responsibilities of management. Full-time students are expected to complete the Programme in two years. Part-time students are expected to finish the Programme in three years.
The carefully designed curriculum is structured so that students proceed through the required courses in a sequence, to building upon skills and conceDts Dresented in earlier courses. The MBA cur;iculum has threehain components: MBA core, advanced electives, and field study.
The MBA Core
The MBA core provides basic knowledge of management functions that every manager must understand, and builds a foundation for advanced study in selected areas.
Classroom education is balanced by opportunities for practical application using the Hong Kong business community as a laboratory. Core courses provide students with both the functional field and basic conceptual and analytical toolsneeded to address management problems.
In addition to core courses, special courses and career development pro- grammes are offered throughout the academic year to provide students with insights into business environments and broad industrial experiences. These include tailor-made in- house management seminars on topics such as negotiation skills, leadership, conflict management, career planning; Saturday luncheon presentations where outside business executives are invited for talks and discussions twice a month: and manaaement
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communication courses to enhance oral and written skills.
School o f Business and Management
Advanced Electives
Advanced electives, selected from course offerings in several curriculum areas, comprise aboutaquarter of the MBA programme. They allow students to develop in-depth expertise in accounting, business economics, finance, human resource management, information management, international business, marketing, management policy, man- agement science, and operations and technology management. Students can choose to concentrate on accounting, information and systems management, economics, finance, management of organisations or marketing.
Accounting plays an important role in financial communication and control within an enterprise, and between the enterprise and the investor. It also provides an essential tool with which society and government evaluate and control economic behaviour.
Students may choose to follow a publicaccounting stream and pursueacareer in auditing, taxes, or administrative consulting services; or the managementlcorporate accounting stream, where students focus on internal audits, and systems and procedures studies.
Whichever path they choose, MBA graduates with an accounting emphasis are likely to enter careers in high-level management in corporations, accountancy firms, government, and not-for-profit organisations.
Problem-solving in the practice of business management requires a firm theoreti- cal base in economics~ In private firms, managers are guided by economic principles in makina decisions on almost all asDects of their business such as production, investment, emplo;ment, budget forecast, and marketing choices. In agencies, managers likewise rely on economic analyses in their design, determination, and assessment of public policies. MBA graduates who choose the economics emphasis will serve both the private and public sectors in a wide range of management positions.
Finance provides a study of issues in corporate finance investments, financial markets and institutions and the international financial system. Applications in this area of study include the functioning of the securities market, portfolio management, manage- ment of banks and insurance com~anies. and multinational finance. MBA araduates in finance are equipped to work in corporate financial divisions, commercial banks, invest- ment houses, and private and public research institutions.
The marketing function is crucial to the health and survival of any organisation.
With basic concepts of marketing operations and strategic planning, managers can help an organisation to decide which consumer groups it should serve, which products or services it should produce, as well as the levels of promotional effort, pricing and other considerations in sales promotion. MBA graduates in marketing assume positions in brand management, product management, new product development, sales force management, advertising and marketing research.
lnformation and Systems Management covers two major areas of study:
lnformation Systems and Management Operations. lnformation systems play a central role in integrating the communication, data processing and information processing across all functions in organisation. They not only suppc? current application requirements, but also enable the transformation of oraanisation work and human oraanisation to meet the ever-changing demands of the mar&tplace. Managing this requires a broad range of skills from the highly technical to the strategically business-oriented. Students who choose information systems as their concentration will be prepared to enter careers involving the development and marketing of information products and services, as coroporate managers, entrepreneurs, or management consultants. Management Op- erations includes both management science and operations and technology manage- ment. Management science plays an important role in managerial decision making by
School of Business and Management School o f Business and Manaeement
applying the formal scientific methods of analysis and synthesis. Areas of study include model building, probability theory, simulation and optimisation methods. Students mav
Winter Session
MGTO 545 Managerial Communication either chooseitheoreticai orientation or apply the &nceptsto a particular area of interest
such as finance. Operations and technology management emphasise managerial
decision-making in production or operations and its inter-relationshi~s with other oraani- 2 credits
sational activities such as strategy planning, inventory management, and project man-
agement and control. Spring Semester
ACCT 552 Legal Environment of Business [2-0-0:2]
ECON 512 Managerial Macroeconomics [3-0-0131
FINA 512 Corporate Finance [3-0-0:3]
ISMT 561 Operations and Technology Management [3-0-0:3]
MGTO 523 Management of Organisatiw- [3-0-0:3]
FREE Elective [2 credits]
Management of Organisations covers many areas of contemporary manage- ment thought and practice. students can explore current issues facing generaimanagers today: executive development and leaders hi^. manaaement of human resources. strat- egy iormulation and implementation, comparative management systems, and interna- tional business. MBA graduates with emphasis on management will be equipped with modern management concepts and tools to serve in a broad range of managerial positions in areas such as general administration, corporate development, strategic planning, human resources, and project management.
Field Study
16 credits Second Year
Fall Semester As the capstone requirement of the MBA Programme, second-year full-time
students and third-year art-time students particioate in a field studv. The studv Drovides MGTO 541 Management Policy
(3) FREE Electives
[3-0-0131 [ I 0 credits]
students with an ipportunity to integrate and apply their accLmulated skills in a professional setting outside the classroom. Working in teams under the guidance of faculty advisors, students conduct a thorough study of a client organisation, including diagnosis, evaluation, and solution of some of its most critical management problems.
13 credits Winter Session
~ a c h field study team submits a written report summarising its work and also presents its findinas orallv to the client. The field studv reDort satisfies the com~rehensive examina-
(4) SB&M 588 Field Study I [2-0-0:2]
(Includes International Business Game)
2 credits tion requirement for the MBA degree. ~ i k l d study performance is evaluated using the
standards of professional consulting.
Concentrations
The School provides students, both full-time and part-time, with the option of studying for a general MBA programmeoraconcentration in adepartment. Forthe latter, in addition to completing the MBA core courses, a minimum of ten credits of electives specified by the relevant department are required. Those who do not meet the requirements of specific departments may declare Management as their concentration.
All full-time MBA students must also satisfy a distribution requirement of eight credits of electives outside their concentration.
Spring Semester
(4) SB&M 589 Field Study II
(3) FREE Electives
[3-0-0:3]
[ I 0 credits]
13 credits Total core course credits: 42
Total credits: 64 Full-time MBA Curriculum
First Year Fa1 Semester
(1) Students with an undergraduate degree in Accounting or ACCAIAHKSA Certifi- cation should replace ACCT 500 with a two-credit accounting elective.
(2) This course is normally held in the week prior to the start of the Fall Semester.
(3) Electives may be two- to four-credit courses.
(4) Students choose one of the departmental field study courses: ACCT, ECON, FINA, ISMT, MARK or MGTO 588 and 589.
(1) ACCT 500 Accounting Foundations ACCT 501 Accounting for Management and
Financial Decisions ECON 511 Managerial Microeconomics ISMT 501 Manaaement Information Svsterns
Part-time MBA Curriculum ISMT 551 lntrod;ctory Statistics for
sine&
MARK 512 Marketing Strategy and Policy
(2) MGTO 521 Managerial Problem Solving The part-time MBA programme is designed to meet the specialised needs of
working professionals and managers. The programme enrols participants who are 18 credits
School o f Business and Mananement School o f Business and Management
responsible for a diversity of functions within their organisations who have significant responsibility and notable achievements. They are expected to be targeted for complex assignments and career advancement.
The curriculum for the part-time MBA programme is similar to the full-time MBA.
All core courses are required, but eight fewer elective credits are necessary. Participants are expected to share the benefit of their past and on-going work experience with one another while in the programme, and to bring this experience to bear on class discussions and assignments. The educational environment is thereby enriched and part-time MBA students obtain skills and perspectives that extend well beyond theoretical and textbook applications.
First Year Fall Semester
(1) ACCT 500 Accounting Foundations [2-0-0:2]
ACCT 501 Accounting for Management and [2-0-0:2]
Financial Decisions
ISMT 551 Introductory Statistics for Business [3-0-0:3]
(2) MGTO 521 Managerial Problem Solving [2-0-0:2]
Winter Session
MGTO 545 Managerial Communication
9 credits
[2-0-0:2]
2 credits Spring Semester
ACCT 552 Legal Environment of Business [2-0-0:2]
ISMT 502 Highlights in Management Information [2-0-0:2]
Systems
ECON 511 Managerial Microeconomics [3-0-0:3]
Summer Session
FlNA 512 Corporate Finance
7 credits
[3-0-0:3]
3 credits
'I?COI,~ Year Fall Semester
ISMT 561 0peratio1)i and Technology Management [3-0-0:3]
MARK 512 Marketing Strategy and Policy [3-0-0:3]
6 credits
Winter Session
MGTO 544 International Business Game
1 credit Spring Semester
ECON 512 Managerial Macroeconomics [3-0-0131
MGTO 523 Management of Organisations [3-0-0131
(3) FREE Elective [2 credits]
Summer Session
MGTO 541 Management Policy
8 credits
[3-0-0131
Fall Semester
(3) FREE Elective
Winter Session
(4) SB&M 588 Field Study I
3 credits
Third Year
[8 credits]
8 credits
2 credits Spring Semester
(4) SB&M 589 Field Study II
(3) FREE Elective
[3-0-0131 [4 credits]
7 credits
Total core course credits: 42 Total credits: 56
(1) Students with undergraduate degree in Accounting orACCA/AHKSAcertification should replace ACCT 500 with a two-credit accounting elective.
(2) This course is normally held in the week prior to the start of the Fall Semester.
(3) Electives may be two- to four-credit courses.
(4) Students choose one of the departmental field study courses: ACCT, ECON, FINA, ISMT, MARK or MGTO 588,589.
School of Business and Management
Format and Schedule
The format and schedule of the part-time MBA is designed to be compatible with the work demands of responsible, busy professionals. Classes are held in Fall and Spring Semesters and the Summer Session on the University campus on Saturdays beginning at 9 am and ending at 5 pm. Typically, two courses are scheduled for each Semester- one course session to be conducted on Saturday mornings and the second scheduled for Saturday afternoons. During the Summer Session, students enrol in one course only.
To enrich the learning experiences and widen the perspectives of the students, members of the business community, political leaders, and faculty experts are invited frequently to give luncheon presentations.
Part-time MBA students are also required to attend a two-weekend, five-day residential management core course prior to the start of the programme in the Fall Semester. For part-time MBA students entering in 1994-95, MGTO 521 Managerial Problem Solving will be held at a conference centre in Hong Kong in mid-August 1994.
Reading assignments will be provided in advance of the course. students will be provided with homework assignments to be completed in small groups after the first weekend.
The courses scheduled for the Fall Semester will commence on Saturday, 10 September 1994 and follow the regular University schedule for the remainder of the academic year. Regular attendance is an important part of course requirements. Each student's input is important as classes are organised for optimum size and diversity of backarounds to increase the value of class discussion. Students who are absent from a sign$cant number of class sessions will not be awarded course credits.
PhD Programme
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the School of Business and Management, is a research-oriented programme to prepare students for a teaching and research career in universities, research institutes, governmental or business organisations. The pro- gramme has a global perspective with afocus on the Asia-Pacific region. In the academic year 1994-95, the programme will cover accounting, information systems, economics, finance, management of organisations, and management operations.
Programme Requirements
In addition to University regulations, the requirements for the PhD programme are:
(a) Specific course requirements are prescribed for the students' major field in order to establish an area of teaching and research expertise. At least five PhD level courses should be taken in the major field before advancing to candidacy. In addition, students are required to take a minimum of three PhD level courses to form a minor field. Those with prior graduate education at recognised institutions may have some of these requirements waived and advance more rapidly.
(b) Students normally take their major and minor field examinations by the end of the second summer, and no later than the end of the third summer unless a later date is approved. Courses are offered to prepare students for these examinations. A major field examination is required for all students; a minor field examination is required if students fail to earn acceptable course grades.
198
School of Business and Management
(c) Each student prepares a research paper in the major field. The paper must be approved by two faculty members of the student's major department, and normally be presented in a formal seminar at the beginning of the third year.
(d) After passingthe field examinations and obtaining approval of the research paper, the student prepares and presents a dissertation proposal before a panel comprising the student's Thesis Committee and two additional members. After the resent at ion, the student prepares a memorandum summarisinq the discus- sion and suggestions made, the'deficiencies and weaknesses of the proposed research. and wavs in which these deficiencies and weaknesses have been orwill beremedied. once the panel approves the memorandum, it becomes a dissertation agreement between the student and the School. The student is then admitted to candidacy and proceeds to complete the dissertation in accordance with the agreement. The thesis must be com~leted and successfullv defended within seven years from the date of entrance into the programme.
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Admission
Applicants for admission to the PhD programme are expected to possess a first degree from an approved university or institution. In addition, an applicant must demonstrate capability for graduate studies by obtaining a satisfactory score in the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or other equivalent test. For applicants who attended educational institutions where the language of instruction was not English and whosefirst language is not English, a satisfactory score in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) is required. Individual depart- ments may also impose requirements on prior educational- background and/or experi- ence. Part-time students who remain employed during their study must demonstrate commitment to the PhD programme at the time of application by providing evidence of
Applicants for admission to the PhD programme are expected to possess a first degree from an approved university or institution. In addition, an applicant must demonstrate capability for graduate studies by obtaining a satisfactory score in the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or other equivalent test. For applicants who attended educational institutions where the language of instruction was not English and whosefirst language is not English, a satisfactory score in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) is required. Individual depart- ments may also impose requirements on prior educational- background and/or experi- ence. Part-time students who remain employed during their study must demonstrate commitment to the PhD programme at the time of application by providing evidence of