Hong Kong’s professional education sector is still among the best in the world. The city’s status as an international metropolis puts its universities at an advantage when it comes to professional education, as the business world has become increasingly globalised.

The city is home to some of the most prestigious and established, as well as up-and-coming, business schools in the world, offering great executive MBA (EMBA) and doctorate of business administration (DBA) degrees for experienced professionals looking to take their careers to the next level.

One example is the Baptist University (HKBU) DBA, which has quickly grown into a world-class programme.

“The HKBU DBA is a well-structured professional doctorate programme designed for practising managers and professionals who aspire to be practitioner-scholars who are not only steeped in management theories, but also have a high calibre of business execution,” says DBA programme director and HKBU associate professor Dr Wu Wei-ping.

He adds that the programme gives managers and professionals an opportunity to experience rigorous academic challenges, develop their analytical and research skills, and broaden and deepen their management knowledge within the context of the latest research on business management.

“With the combination of taught courses and the application of rigorous research methods, participants will learn how to effectively lead change, make strategic decisions and enhance corporate accountability in the dynamic business world,” Wu says.

More specifically, the programme will provide participants with new managerial skills, strengthened analytical and critical thinking, a greater appreciation of the importance of business ethics, the ability to conduct independent research on business/management topics, and greater competence in strategy formulation – including an expanded ability to generate creative ideas and lead change.

The HKBU DBA is completed on a part-time basis so that students can study while maintaining a strong career focus. The hours are flexible depending on each student’s schedule, and the programme can be completed within 3-6 years, for a reasonable HK$678,000. Scholarship opportunities are also available.

Admission requirements include an MBA or master’s degree in business-related subjects from a recognised university, and a minimum of 10 years’ managerial or professional experience at an appropriate level, as well as proficiency in the English language.

According to Wu, two of the programme’s strong points are its small class sizes (around 10 students) and strong international focus.

“Most of the textbooks, teaching materials and business cases used are either international or internationally oriented,” he explains. “We also have many international faculty members and teaching members from top international universities.”
Wu notes that these international elements “give a solid international perspective to students’ knowledge which affects their management and business styles” and adds that many students have gone on to work at multinational firms upon acquiring the DBA.

In addition, students will have the privilege of forever being a part of the prestigious HKBU DBA Alumni Association.

“DBA graduates will receive newsletters with updates on new achievements of the university, School of Business and the DBA programme itself,” Wu says. “Some have been appointed either as a part-time lecturer or an adjunct associate professor, participating in teaching and learning within HKBU. Many of them come back to the university to participate in research seminars or collaborate on research projects with their former supervisors. As a result, some of them have co-authored some high quality international academic journal papers.”

Another local university, City University (CityU), has had its DBA running for more than 13 years. In that time, it has quickly grown into one of the top DBA programmes in the entire world.

“As the director of one of the most prestigious DBA programmes in the world, I am constantly asked the question ‘what makes the CityU DBA so unique?’” says DBA director and professor of management Muammer Ozer. “I always give the same simple answer: ‘Our professors and students’. We are very proud of our world-renowned professors with their extensive global expertise and in-depth China knowledge.”

According to Ozer, while other DBA and postgraduate programmes are usually taughtbased, the CityU DBA is a largely researchbased degree.

“As a result, we mainly teach how to research in a given field to gain an in-depth understanding in that area,” he says. “And because this is a research-based programme, we constantly update our curriculum to incorporate the latest research methodologies and paradigms into our teaching.”

Ozer notes that the CityU DBA is designed for “senior executives who are eager to engage in rigorous business research with practical and societal impacts”. Because of the programme’s high ranking, and in order to ensure quality and enough one-on-one attention between students and teachers, the programme is extremely selective.

“It is always a challenge to have the ‘right’ mix of students,” Ozer says. “Because we are more concerned about quality, our focus is not about attracting a large number of applicants, but selecting people with different backgrounds and research interests to maximise cross-learning. As a result, we are looking for senior business executives with a passion to solve important business problems with societal impacts.”

Ozer says that because the CityU DBA is so heavily research-based, the programme has a powerful impact on the global business world.

“Research is universal and the research that our students generate usually contributes to the universal body of knowledge,” he says. “And any researcher around the world can use the research generated by our students and build their own research around it.

“Because our students will have access to the latest knowledge that is highly practical, they can immediately apply this knowledge to their own career.”

In addition to the practical benefits afforded by research, CityU DBA students will also become part of the prestigious alumni network, allowing them to form lifelong friendships and business connections. According to Ozer, former students look back at their DBA experience with incredible fondness. “After someone enters our programme, he or she becomes a lifelong member of our DBA family.”

The CityU DBA is delivered on a part-time basis so that students can focus on maintaining and broadening their careers, and can be completed over the course of four years or more, depending on the student’s schedule. The course costs HK$774,210 and the average class size is 15.

Applicants are expected to posses a master’s degree in a business-related discipline from a recognised university in good standing, and a substantial amount of professional work experience, some of it at a senior level.

Hong Kong is also the proud home to the Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA programme (KHEMBA), which was ranked the world’s top EMBA last year according to the Financial Times Global EMBA Rankings. The programme is a unique partnership between the University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in the US.

“The programme provides a fusion of the best of East and West, combining leading Western academic knowledge with top industry experts, who know how to apply that knowledge to Asia,” says dean of the HKUST business school, professor Kar Yan Tam. “The power of diversity, and the learning environment that results from the diversity of the class and seniority of the students, is absolutely world-class.”

Meanwhile, Francesca Cornelli, dean of the Kellogg School of Management, notes: “Participation in the KHEMBA programme introduces students to a world community of over 60,000 alumni of the Kellogg School.”

According to professor Kai-lung Hui, KHEMBA lecturer and deputy head and chair professor of the department of information systems, business statistics and operations management at HKUST business school, the programme has changed the lives of many students, even though most of them arrive with successful, established careers.

“Many of our students have experienced so much success in their respective professions that they have become very much bonded to the work,” Hui says. “But sometimes it is important to take some time off, go back to school to learn what is going on in the academic world and, more importantly, get ideas from people in different professions. We provide students with a brand new perspective.”

Hui notes that the KHEMBA is extremely internationally focused; however, HKUST also offers a bilingual EMBA programme with more of a focus on Greater China, and is now offering a new EMBA focusing on Eurasia.

“Our programmes are all very diverse in terms of student body and the sector of the economy that they are coming from,” he says. “At the same time, we try to have some regional expertise and focus. Our programmes are also extremely serious, which I would call a distinguishing characteristic. We focus a lot on our academic content – people don’t just come here to mingle with others.”

Hui also notes that while all three EMBA degrees at HKUST are more heavily focused on specific regions, the nature and the content of the programmes are all globally oriented.

“What we are trying to do is bring the very best knowledge, practice and experience in the entire world to each of these different audiences, who may be located or looking for opportunities in these specific regions,” he explains. “And, of course, the reason we chose these specific regions is because they are the current growth engines of the world economy. The demand, especially for some of these developing regions, is extremely high; and we hope to benefit these regions through what our students have learned.”

On a different note, while Hong Kong as a city, and by extension its universities, have been rocked by protests in 2019, Hui says that strong postgraduate programmes with a global perspective like the HKUST EMBAs become more important during trying times.

“You need to have a global perspective and broaden your exposure in order to understand why an economy or society might face challenges like this,” Hui says.

In addition, because of the school’s global connections, HKUST EMBA programmes are very mobile, allowing them to hold classes regardless of circumstances.

“At times like this, where there might be uncertainty surrounding certain regions in Hong Kong, we can readily move classes to nearby regions in an ad hoc manner,” Hui says. “For example, next month we will be holding classes in Macau. And because we have so many international students who are flying to Hong Kong anyway, it’s almost an advantage for us to be able hold classes in such a mobile way, as is the nature of our programmes.”

Another top EMBA programme, which happens to be the oldest in Hong Kong at more than 26 years, belongs to The Chinese University (CUHK). According to professor Andrew Chan, EMBA programme head, the course is in line with CUHK’s global vision and mission “to combine tradition with modernity, and to bring together China and the West”.

“The programme is built around six established pillars – theories, practices, internal network, external network, strategic perspectives and social contribution,” Chan explains. “The programme continues being innovative to keep pace with the dynamics of the marketplace.”

CUHK’s EMBA was ranked 24th in the world last year by the Financial Times, up five spaces from last year, thanks in part to its strong international focus. According to Chan, over the past few years, students have taken study trips to Germany, Denmark, Israel, Myanmar and Silicon Valley in the US.

Furthermore, CUHK’s EMBA has partnerships with two top Asian universities – National Taiwan University and Peking University in Beijing.

“This is to widen students’ perspectives on business in Greater China,” Chan explains. “Last year, we conducted the ‘Greater China EMBA Elite Study Week’, which was the first event of its kind worldwide. The three universities are taking turns to host a study week in their home region. We provide a platform for the three groups of EMBA students in Greater China to interact and develop friendships.”

Another of the programme’s strong points is its focus on innovative thinking. Although most of the students hold prestigious job titles or are entrepreneurs, many are looking for ways to come up with new business ideas. For this reason, CUHK partnered with the Institute of Design Knowledge to offer an elective course called “Design and Innovation Management” this year.

“This is an EMBA programme rooted in this region,” Chan says. “Many of our graduates are still doing business in Hong Kong, the Greater China region and in Asia-Pacific. The programme is tailored for business elites working in the region. But while the focus is regional, the training is global.”

The programme is available part-time only and is completed over a two-year period. The total cost is HK$640,000, and scholarships are available. Students are expected to have a bachelor’s degree and at least seven years of business or relevant work experience, including five years in a managerial position.

Class sizes usually range from 45-50 people, which means there will be ample networking opportunities, in addition to joining the robust CUHK EMBA Alumni Association following graduation. According to Chan, applicants aren’t limited to the business/finance sector, as last year’s class had professionals working as doctors, engineers, accountants, lawyers and architects.