FAQ

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

The intake is expected to be around 50-70 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. Check out program schedule.

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 taken within the past 7 years, 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 credit transfer of no more than three courses (6 credits) in the program.

We normally do not encourage students to extend their length of study. However, we do offer study extensions for students who cannot complete the program within the defined timeframe because of health reasons. All students must complete the whole program within 5 years.

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. Students can 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’s degree program. The Program Office will coordinate with HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School to arrange student visas for all incoming students upon admission and prior to the commencement of the program. The duration of the student visa will cover the whole period of study in the program.

Students can opt to take up an internship to be conducted in the summer after they have completed all courses of the program.

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.

In order to facilitate students’ entry into the world of work and help companies track down the right profiles for recruitment, career services and advice are provided on 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.

GMAT/GRE is NOT compulsory for admission but highly recommended for application. As applicants come from different academic backgrounds, different education institutions, and different countries of origin, the GMAT/GRE score allows us to assess their academic ability to participate in an international program. Extensive research also supports the GMAT/GRE as a consistent measure of how well an applicant will handle postgraduate studies, particularly required courses.

If an applicant does not have GMAT or GRE scores, he/she will still be assessed during the interview.

You could first submit your application and indicate in the application form your scheduled test date. You are advised to schedule the GMAT/GRE within a month after the application deadline. An unofficial GMAT/GRE score report will be available right after the test and you can upload the report in the application system for our reference.

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.

For TOEFL, a score of 550 (paper test) or 80 (internet test) is required. For IELTS, a minimum score of 6.5 (overall) and 5.5 (sub-scores) is required.

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:

Name of department: HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School
Name of institution: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology  
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 applicants are not required to send in the score report during application. Instead, the Program Office will ask for certified true copies when you are being admitted into the program.

You do not have to apply for the Admission Scholarship. Every applicant is considered by the Admission Committee for the admission offer and scholarship simultaneously. Applicants who receive and accept the admission offer will be considered for the Admission Scholarship.

As two reference letters are required, you should nominate two academic referees who know you well and can inform the University about your academic ability, character and capacity for postgraduate studies. The instructors from the courses of your undergraduate/postgraduate studies and/or the current or past employers/supervisors are also eligible to be your referees.

Yes. A face-to-face interview or video interview via internet will be arranged for shortlisted candidates residing in Hong Kong. Phone interview requests are not accepted.

On-campus accommodation at HKUST is not available due to heavy demand. Students will have to explore short-term off-campus accommodation. The University’s 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.