The pandemic brought temporary challenges for international students travelling to Hong Kong but it has now returned as a top study destination. Here’s why you should consider studying in Hong Kong
As one of the world’s top financial hubs and a key player in international business, Hong Kong has long been a top study destination for MBA students. The city offers world-class education opportunities as well as a vibrant culture and an international community blending a diverse range of nationalities.
The Covid pandemic changed this, however, making inward bound study challenging due to travel restrictions.
But today it’s a different story. Hong Kong dropped virtually all restrictions and reopened for business in the latter half of 2022. In that time, the value of listings on the Hong Kong stock exchange rose four times higher than in the previous half of the year, while everyday life also largely returned to normal.
So is Hong Kong back to being a top MBA study destination? BusinessBecause spoke with two students on the MBA at HKU Business School—Hong Kong's top-ranked MBA degree—to find out why you should consider studying in Hong Kong in 2023.
1. Life in Hong Kong is returning to normal
Sandwiched between a picturesque seafront and towering cliffs—great for hiking—lie the tightly packed streets and skyscrapers of Hong Kong.
Its unique landscape and reputation as a dynamic and enterprising city have drawn both tourists and expats for decades. But Gita Sundaresan wasn’t sure she would be able to experience any of what Hong Kong has to offer when she enrolled for an MBA while restrictions remained.
“I was a little cautious about the timing because I knew that Hong Kong is a great place,” she says.
A Singapore native, Gita’s husband had recently moved to Hong Kong for work and she was keen to enroll in an MBA program in her new home. She joined the HKU MBA program in late 2022, and those worries shortly melted away.
“It’s definitely a more comfortable environment we live in now, we are not really affected,” she says. “We attend classes in person so day to day is not affected, we go on public transport, we go to restaurants, it’s all pretty much back to normal.”
2. You can interact with people from diverse backgrounds
With a return to normality, Gita is enjoying life as an MBA student in Hong Kong.
One particular highlight, she says, is the opportunity to interact with a diverse mixture of people—the 2023 HKU MBA cohort comprises 93% international students from more than 20 regions across the globe.
A variety of group workshops, practical team projects, and in-class discussions ensure interaction between classmates and help you build strong connections, she explains.
“It’s been eye opening, especially in terms of having really good cross-cultural discussions.”
The cross-cultural nature of the program has also been a highlight for Kennus Ho, a Hong Kong local who chose to enroll in the HKU MBA to expand his understanding of global business.
“I can learn new logic and thinking methods from my other classmates because we have a very diversified group,” he says. “You can then integrate everyone’s thinking together and that can give you a more globally oriented mind.”
One of the key draws for students looking to study in Hong Kong has always been the blend of cultures that’s present both inside and outside of the classroom.
Across Hong Kong the dominant languages spoken are Chinese, and English—the language of the HKU MBA. The city houses traditional Chinese as well as Western Victorian and Edwardian architecture. Take a trip to a local cafe or food market and you’re just as likely to find a British egg tart or cup of tea, as you are fish balls or wontons.
“Hong Kong has got that blend of East and West, it can be quite unique,” says Gita.
At HKU, the MBA teaches from the perspective of these alternate cultures. Core modules cover business with either a Chinese or global outlook. Electives such as ‘China Business Environment’ and ‘Global Marketing Management’ allow you to delve further into these cultural nuances.
To gain practical insights, students have the opportunity to study one semester at partner business schools on specialist tracks titled: New York, London, or Hong Kong/China.
The culturally diverse experiences on offer can have a large impact on your career opportunities, Gita thinks.
“It [the MBA] can set us up for leadership opportunities in Hong Kong or, for those who want to move out, they can also apply for jobs in New York or London.”
4. You can access exciting career opportunities
Each year HKU MBA students embark on roles across the globe. The class of 2021, graduating job locations included Europe and the Americas. But the majority of students opted to remain in Asia, with 72% securing jobs in Hong Kong.
They entered high-flying careers across several industries. The most popular were consulting, financial services, and technology, with the school’s career services offering connections with local recruiters from top global employers such as Boston Consulting Group, JP Morgan, and PwC.
Gaining access to the wide variety of career opportunities housed in Hong Kong was a key driver for Kennus when choosing where to study his MBA.
“One of the reasons I wanted to do this MBA is because Hong Kong is a good place to get into your career, because there’s always been so many opportunities,” he says.
“We have almost 100 years of this history as a place where it’s open for people to win in business.”
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.
