Accounting and finance: numbers game adds up to a brilliant future in Hong Kong

Although Baptist University Hong Kong is a fairly young higher education institution, which gained university status in 1994, it has proved its mettle by ranking 26th on the global QS Top 50 Under 50 2020 list, which rates universities under 50 years old. Its school of business is among the top 25 business schools in Asia-Pacific, as ranked by the Financial Times. It is dedicated to whole-person business education and its programmes enhance graduates’ skill sets and boost their employability.

“The school offers a master of science in applied accounting and finance, which combines the best of both worlds in applied finance and accounting and is unique in Hong Kong. It equips students with in-depth and the most up-to-date accounting and financial knowledge and develops their analytical, judgmental and conceptual mental processes. At the same time, they polish their practical and management skills, which will support their career development,” says Dr Tan Weiqiang, programme director, master of science in applied accounting and finance (MScAAF), at Baptist University.

Students complete eight compulsory courses – four in each discipline – and two elective courses that offer them more in-depth knowledge of accounting and finance while adding to their understanding in a particular area depending on their career goals. One non-unit bearing course will widen their exposure and bring them up to date on various current business issues.

“On the one hand, we prepare students to advance further in their professional career or to continue their studies in the relevant fields. On the other hand, we facilitate students’ participation in the relevant professional qualifying examinations,” says Tan. “Their understanding of the conceptual and practical issues relating to both accounting and finance disciplines is going to be nurtured in the teaching and learning process.”

The school works with several international professional accounting bodies, which periodically review the programme’s structure and widen the range of exemptions from professional examination. They include the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), CPA Australia, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Institute. Graduates can apply for exemptions on a number of papers and certificates, as well as operational and management-level exams.

The school is among just 1 per cent of business schools worldwide with triple accreditation by the US-based Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).