Is an MBA worth it? An MBA is a substantial investment, but it pays dividends—in more ways than one.
The financial return is clear, with alumni achieving massive salaries soon after graduating. But the MBA is also a rich and practical learning experience, one that develops cross-cultural collaboration skills, global networks and even business ideas.
Here are six reasons why getting an MBA is worth it. In this article, we use the top-ranked MBA program at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) as an example:
1. Return on Investment
MBAs do not come cheap. However, the return on investment is large. Of the Classes of 2017 and 2018 from the MBA at HKU, for example, 98% were employed and many switched functions, locations or industries.
The largest crop of the MBAs went into financial services or consulting, both high-paying sectors. According to the Financial Times’ 2020 MBA ranking, the average salary achieved by HKU alumni three years after graduating is $129,702 across sectors, at purchasing power parity.
With the tuition fee for the HKU MBA being about $76,000, alumni can recoup the investment fairly quickly.
2. International Study Experiences
Hong Kong is an ideal place to launch a career in Asia, an economic powerhouse. Nearly half of HKU’s 2017 and 2018 MBA graduates were employed in Hong Kong, with another 13% working in mainland China and 21% in other regions of Asia, such as Japan. Another 10% worked in Europe and the Americas.
The HKU MBA program has abundant international study experiences, with the one-year MBA including a semester (four months) at either London Business School, Columbia Business School in New York, or Fudan University in Shanghai.
3. Global Networks
The HKU MBA draws a diverse intake of students from across the globe, with 98% of students coming from outside of Hong Kong. The 55-strong cohort represents 13 nationalities, with an average age of 29 and with several years of work experience.
The diverse cohort adds to a global network of alumni. For instance, there are regional chapters in Singapore, India, Europe, North America and the UAE, among other global locations. The chapters help students advance their career, support their transition to a new location, and keep in touch with the school, which offers extensive career services.
4. Widen your Perspective
The HKU MBA uses the Asia-focused case study method as its primary teaching tool, with students pouring over real corporate dilemmas in groups. The diversity of the participants enriches the learning experience through group discussion, widening perspectives and challenging beliefs.
This way of learning also builds confidence, with debate often passionate. In addition, the case study method builds cross-cultural communication skills that are crucial for any aspiring future global business leader.
5. Experiential Learning
At HKU, you won’t be a bookwork. The program includes experiential experiences, putting academic theory into practice in the real world. For instance, the MBA includes the China Immersion Program, with company visits, executive talks and cultural tips on the mainland.
This is a valuable learning and networking opportunity, with students speaking to business leaders at top firms, learning about their business challenges and their recruitment needs. Students will also learn about the local cultures and societies in different regions of China.
6. Launch a Business
An MBA is not just for budding corporate titans: many students use the degree to launch their own business. The HKU MBA program includes the Business Lab elective, an opportunity for students to pursue their passion for entrepreneurship.
It serves as a way to incubate MBA students’ business ideas, putting into practice everything they have learned during the degree. Entrepreneurs and investors are brought into the classroom throughout the elective, who provide advice and networks too. Industry guests include managers from Google, LinkedIn and JPMorgan Chase.
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) - MBA Programmes HKU Business School
Student
Verified
23/02/2023
On Campus
Academic
Very good academic, caes course amazing, ccs are all amazing, professors are excellent, the architecture and infrastructure is splendid, people here are awesome, made some really nice friends, and teachers support us
Hatim
Verified
6/02/2023
On Campus
Diversified culture
I highly recommend The University of Hong Kong to students all around the world because of their diversified culture, teaching standards, and the people which make the learning experience better every day.
Student
Verified
6/10/2017
A place where you best understand local and international cultures
With plenty of experiences available, HKU provides a plenty of experience for me to explore our own and other countries culture. She has excellent teaching and research staffs in the Department of Ecology and Biodiversity. Time allocate to students are considered sufficient and staffs are ready to reach anytime.
Besides academic, she has various subsidised programmes that allow students to explore. This credit should be given to GenEd (general education) Office to provide different interesting programmes. These ranged from guest speaker giving talks on China-Hong Kong relationship; Contemporary art in Asia; or holding mini forum on geopolitics. Most, if not all, of which are free of charge!
Student
Verified
1/10/2017
Life at HKU
Pursued the SHS degree at HKU, academic and clinical staff members were very devoted and passionate. The academic program is under constant reviews, staff members are open minded and willing to modify the program with regards to students' opinions. Career prospect is good. Uni life is fruitful, many different activities for students to choose. Great facilities supporting learning.
Student
Verified
29/09/2017
Student Life in HKU
As an Accounting and Finance year3 undergrad student in HKU, the university provides lots of opportunities for me to learn and explore my interests.
You could join a wide variety of activities, like being an committee member of societies and joining hall activities. As for me, I chose to join the winter exchange programme, be a committee member, and did volunteering servic and had latrine construction and volunteer teaching in Ghana, Africa. I also organized lots of activities for societies and had lots of meetings with company representatives. As for school work, it is okay normally but definitely u got a lot busier during November and April. You got a lot more free time compared to CUHK and HKUST. And of course, this is considered as the most ‘international’ uni in HK in a way that I could make friends coming from different countries.
Just wanna add, HKU has a good location for foodie as its near Central, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui. For those who love night lifes dont miss this. I didnt speak of anything i dislike coz there isnt anything i dislike much, but if I do have to say, it is the hall life of many local students, such as having cheers at night and never sleeps that may disturb others.
Student
Verified
2/09/2020
Blended
Academics
I think it’s a great university that gives you a lot of opportunities in terms of academics as well as extracurricular activities. The education system is fairly westernized and the professors are good for the most part.
Student
Verified
3/11/2017
International, stratified and political
Adequate resources and very convenient campus with sufficient channels to expand your social and professional circle. Also politically active, and perhaps too biasedly so. Its law school is firmly established, with the longest history in Hong Kong. Practical and professional training, with a constant atmosphere of anxiety and competition that encourages a relatively focused and narrow vision of career outlook. Good range of extra curricular activities available.
Student
Verified
12/10/2017
Life in HKU
HKU provides students with lots of opportunities in multidisciplinary researches and experiences. This encourages students to widen their horizons and prepare for the future. The programme I attended organised both local and oversea field trips that allowed me to have the first hand experiences of relative aspects. It was very useful for my later career.
Student
Verified
6/10/2017
BSocSc
I am a graduate of the BSocSc programme several years ago. I appreciate that the programme provided a flexible choice of majors and minors. Even I was admitted into social sciences programme, I could explore various streams of studies in and out of the social sciences faculty, including global studies, human resources, politics, science and music. I did a double major in psychology and sociology. Among all learning experiences in lectures, tutorials, field trips…, I would say the internship experience was one of the most memorable part of my university life. The faculty offers a credit-bearing internship programme in which students can go to various NGOs to work on social issues, ranging from poverty, education to adjustment of ethnic minorities. Students can be placed locally or overseas, depending on placement quota, their personal preference and past experience. I went to a social service agency that serves adults who are intellectually challenged and have autism spectrum disorder. It was an eye-opening experience in observing how different professionals work together to provide training for those people and reflecting on how psychological knowledge could come into play. I was also able to gain some hands-on experience in leading an activity.
There are more and more internship opportunities for university students. It is just another way to gain practical experience apart from applying for interns in government agencies or business companies, especially in organisations that would not openly recruit interns but only work with tertiary institutions.
It should be noted that for some majors/courses, there are really a lot of people studying. When I was an undergraduate back then, we often expected a lecture with 100+ students and a tutorial with nearly 20 students. If you favour close student-teacher interaction in small classes, you may look into the enrolment of particular courses.
