FAQ

A: There is one intake every year. The Fall Term starts in September at the HKUST campus.

For quality assurance and an optimal learning environment, each class is kept to fewer than 70 students.

For a 2-credit course, there are a total of 28 contact hours. There is usually one class per week for each course, so it takes 8 weeks (with the final week allotted for examination) to complete a course of 2 credits.

Yes, but credits for exempted courses have to be replaced by electives. Some courses can be exempted for students who have obtained certain qualifications with proof provided, such as transcripts and syllabi of courses, when the content and level of the previous courses are equivalent to those of the exempted courses and satisfactory grades were achieved. Subject to the approval of the MScICSM Academic Director, students may apply for course substitution of no more than four courses (8 credits) in the program.

The part-time study mode is mostly for working executives in Hong Kong or nearby regions. It takes normally two years to complete the part-time program. Students in the part-time study mode are recommended to have at least two years of full-time post-qualification work experience.

The students of the full-time study mode are mostly recent graduates or junior professionals who dedicate their full attention to the master study. Student are expected to complete the program in one year.

Yes, students who do not have the right to reside in Hong Kong are required to apply for a student visa for entering into Hong Kong and studying a full-time master degree program. The Program Office will coordinate with the Fok Ying Tung Graduate School to arrange student visas for all incoming students upon admission and prior to the commencement of the program.

The visa will cover the first academic year of study for full-time students. Students on a one-year full-time program who extend or defer their study will need to apply for a student visa extension, or even reapply for a new one if their visa has expired.

Internships provide invaluable practical experience, enabling full‑time students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world business projects and problem-solving. Full‑time students are encouraged to pursue internships after they have adapted to their academic workload and can manage their time effectively. Yet, a university’s endorsement for an internship will need to be sought through the MSc Career Development Office.

Some locations require students to get a work visa in order to do an internship. Students are recommended to coordinate with the company which offers the internship for application of the work visa, if needed.

To facilitate students' entry into the professional world and assist companies in finding the right candidates for recruitment, the MSc Career Development Office provides dedicated career services and advice for both internships and graduate employment.

Yes, you have to submit the online application form including application fees, and copies of supporting documents by the application deadline. Only scanned copies of the supporting documents are required at the application stage. It is strongly recommended that applicants make use of the document uploading function on the online application platform to submit soft copies of documents.

The GMAT or GRE are highly recommended for application, and you are required to take TOEFL or IELTS unless your first language is English or your qualification is awarded by a university or an institute where the language of instruction is English. You are advised to have the test scores ready when you submit the application. Otherwise, please schedule your tests as early as possible and put your scheduled test date on the application. In any case, you should submit your scores within one month after the application deadline.

If you are being admitted, you are required to submit the original documents and/or the certified true copies, with official imprint and signature, by the issuing authorities.

GMAT/ GRE is not compulsory for admission but highly recommended for application. There is no minimum score required for admission.

Your GMAT/GRE result is valid for 5 years prior to the commencement of study.

We accept all types of GMAT/GRE test results.

A TOEFL/IELTS score is required if your first language is not English or your degree or equivalent qualification was awarded by an institution where the medium of instruction is not English.

Applicants have to fulfill English Language requirements with one of the following minimum proficiency attainments: 
•    TOEFL - Internet-based Test (iBT): 80 (for tests taken prior to 21 January 2026) or 4.5 (for tests taken from 21 January 2026 onwards) *
•    TOEFL - Paper-based Test (pBT): 550 
•    TOEFL - Revised Paper-delivered Test: 60 (total scores for Reading, Listening and Writing sections)
•    IELTS (Academic Module): Overall score: 6.5 and all sub-scores: 5.5 *

*Refers to scores in one single attempt only. Test at home option is not accepted.

 Your TOEFL/IELTS result is valid for 2 years prior to the commencement of study.

•    GMAT - The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST Business School, Other master's programs, Full-Time
•    GRE - 3834
•    TOEFL - 0170
•    IELTS -
1. Name of department: HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School
2. Name of institution: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology  
3. Address: Room 6418, (Lift 25-26), Academic Building, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong (No postal code is required for Hong Kong)

Please note that applicant is not required to send in the score report during application. Instead, the Program Office will ask for the certified true copies when you are being admitted into the program.

As two references are required, applicants should nominate referees based on their current academic or professional status. Referees must be individuals who know you well and can comment on your academic ability, character, and suitability for postgraduate studies. The requirements are as follows:

•    Current Students: 2 academic references
•    Graduated 1–2 Years: 1 academic reference + 1 work reference
•    Graduated 3 Years or More: 2 work references

For the academic references, you are required to give us the name and the contact method of the referees in your online application. Once you have submitted your application, the system will send an invitation email to the referees directly and ask them to fill out the references for you on the online application system. We highly recommend you to communicate with your academic referees for their earliest reply. We will only review the application once all the documents have been received. In case the referee did not receive the referee form, you may resend the referee form to them via the system. The referees can upload a scanned copy of the written reference letter as supplementary information. The scanned copy of the written reference letter cannot be used to replace the online reference form.

Yes. An online interview will be arranged for shortlisted candidates. Phone interview requests are not accepted.

If you are attending the interview, you should bring along the original copy of your personal identity document for verification, in addition to any essential supporting documents that you have not provided to the Program Office.

Eligible candidates will be considered for scholarships automatically. Students' eligibility for the scholarship will be assessed after an online application has been submitted and an interview has been conducted on a case by case basis.

On-campus accommodation at HKUST is not available due to heavy demand. Students will have to explore short-term off-campus accommodation. The Student Housing and Residential Life Office will help to provide information on short-term off-campus housing options for non-local students.

Details: https://offcamphouse.hkust.edu.hk/

We strongly recommend students to have a personal laptop. There are, however, several computer barns on campus equipped with over 100 computers. Those who intend to buy a laptop can join the notebook ownership program on campus (discounted sales of laptop computers to students at the beginning of the academic year), though it will take some time before the product can be picked up.

The campus is just 10 minutes’ ride away from the nearest Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station at Hang Hau. A supermarket, banks, bookstore and food outlets are also available on campus. The city center, Central, can be accessed by bus or minibus from campus within 45 minutes.