Hi there,

I just wanted to gather some more information on the part-time MBA program @ HKUST, and also to see if anyone on this forum has any general experiences they wanted to share from the part-time program?

I'm wondering if this is a better route for me, as my current company is willing to pay a portion of my tuition expenses and I would prefer to be employed to pay off my tuition.

Is there any loss value if I chose the part-time program over the full-time one?


Thanks for your advice!

Hi 7jai,

It depends on your goal of doing an MBA. A full-time program is for students who want a more significant career change (industry, function or location switch, etc). It offers a very diverse class and a more global experience in general. It requires students to take more credits for an intensive training by studying more courses and having the options to go for exchange and internship. Students are expected to have more training through other channels like student clubs and enrichment activities.

Part-time program targets working executives with considerable work experience as well as a better developed career who are looking for a career advancement than a major change in career function or industry. In terms of loss value, part-time students wouldn't have time to go for an exchange or participate in enrichment activities. They aren't required to take as many courses as full-time students as well.

Here is the class profile 2012 for your reference.

Full-time class profile 2012:
Average age: 30 (26-34*)
Average working experience: 6 years (3-9*)
% of non-HK nationality: 98%

Part-time class profile 2012:
Average age: 31 (28-34*)
Average working experience: 8 years (5-11*)
% of non-HK nationality: 48%

* typical range

Hope this helps. Feel free to let us know if you have any other questions.

HKUST MBA Admissions Team

Thank you very much for your response!

My goal for pursuing my MBA is to continue growing in the field I am already in. I'm presently working in a regional managerial role for a top global CPG firm (Finance/Accounting function), and would like to continue learning to better myself for my organization/field. I wouldn't call myself an executive, as I only have been working for 5-6 years; but most of my experience are with top CPG firms, and are all upward progressional moves/promotions to my present Regional Manager role.

With that said, I have a few more questions:
1) Is the part-time MBA admissions at HKUST more competitive than the full-time stream?
2) Is HKUST looking for much more experienced individuals for the part-time stream, than what I had mentioned about my own experience?
3) Is there a difference in what the admissions committee looks at when they evaluate full-time/part-time MBA applicants?

Thank you again for taking your time in helping me choose the right stream to pursue!

Hi 7jai

You are welcome. Below please find our advices.

1) Since part-time program and full-time program attract different applicants with very different profiles, it’s hard to compare the competitiveness directly. In general, the admissions for both programs are very competitive, especially with our program becoming a top 10 in the global ranking in these recent years.

2) It’s difficult to say without getting sufficient information of you. The admissions committee will take into consideration the whole profile of the applicants including the work experience, academic background, GMAT score, work reference, essay writing and interview performance among other areas when assessing the applicants. Work experience is one of the criteria but its quality rather than quantity is more important to us.

3) The admissions committee looks at 3 areas- potential, contribution and matching when they are assessing candidates. Potential such as your leadership potential, communication & presentation skills and international exposure, etc. Contribution refers to your selfless contribution to the classmates or if you are a strong team players, etc. Matching is about whether your goal is realistic & feasible and if the program can help you achieving your goal. The areas the admissions committee looks at are the same for part-time and full-time programs. However, since 2 programs target different needs of students, the considerations in the matching part might be slightly different.

I hope the above helps. If you would like to receive some personal advices based on your background, we would suggest you to register for an individual consultation. Our MBA consultants would be happy to discuss your plan with you. Please go to the link (http://www.mba.ust.hk/asp/intake2014eve ... _cv.asp?at) for consultation registration. Submission of CV is required.

Please contact us if you have other questions.

HKUST MBA Admissions Team