MBA - beyond the deal
- MBA courses worldwide focus more on entrepreneurship, social responsibility and technology applications, among other business skills
In a world where business is becoming increasingly global, it’s no surprise that an international metropolis like Hong Kong is home to some of the world’s top MBA programmes.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) MBA is a perfect example. The MBA came in at number 14 in the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking earlier this year, making it the highest-ranked MBA programme in Hong Kong. There have been previous successes, too. The MBA was ranked 14 in the 2016 Financial Times ranking, and 15 in 2017.
Programme director professor Chen Tai-yuan believes that science, besides business, plays a part in the success of the MBA. “We are part of HKUST, which is a university as well as a business school. Science and technology are in our DNA,” says Chen, who is also associate dean of the HKUST Business School.
“This element gives companies an indispensable advantage. Our top computer science professors teach our students subjects like artificial intelligence (AI). They learn directly from researchers who are at the frontier of technological development,” Chen says.
More and more MBA applicants are coming from tech backgrounds, Chen notes. “Historically, all our students were working in finance, especially in the bulge bracket investment banks. Now a lower percentage of students come from those areas,” says Chen, adding that students now come from the consulting and technology industries, especially the latter.
