FAQ

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

We expect to take 50-60 students for a class.

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.

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.

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 University’s Office of Postgraduate Studies 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.

Yes, you have to submit the online application form including personal statement, application fee, and copies of supporting documents by the application deadline in the Online Application System. Only 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/GRE is always 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.
The HKUST MSAC Program Office will only process the application with completed set of supporting documents.
You are required to show the original documents and/or submit the certified true copies, with official imprint and signature, by the issuing authorities when you are being admitted to the program

GMAT/GRE is not required, but it will also be considered if a GMAT/GRE score is available. As applicants come from different academic backgrounds, different education institutions, and different countries of origin, the GMAT or GRE score allows us to assess these applicants’ academic ability for an international program. Extensive research also supports that it is a consistent measure reflecting how well an applicant will handle postgraduate studies, particularly on required courses. The GMAT/GRE result is valid for 5 years prior to the commencement of study.

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

For TOEFL: a score of 550 (Paper-based test PBT) or 80 (Internet-based test iBT) is required. For IELTS: an overall score of 6.0 and all sub-scores 5.5 is required.

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

The HKUST MSAC is a one-year full-time postgraduate degree program. No minimum working experience is required for the students. However, any relevant work or business experience will add weight to the application under consideration. We also recognize the vital importance of recruiting a diverse group of students who will both benefit from and contribute to the program. Rather than selecting candidates based on a preconceived formula like academic performance and work experience, students are selected on the basis of their potential for an international career, how they will interact with each other as a group, how the program matches their individual needs and objectives, and the extent to which they are driven by and embrace success.

As two reference letters are required, you should nominate two referees who know you well and can inform the University about your academic ability, character and capacity for postgraduate studies.

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 asking them to fill out the references for you in 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 are 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.

GMAT- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST Business School, Other master's degree programs, Full-Time or Part-Time

GRE - 3834

TOEFL - 0170

IELTS - Name of department: Postgraduate Outreach and Admissions Team
           Name of institution: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 
           Address: Room 6418, Lift 25-26, Academic Building, 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.

Yes. A face-to-face interview will be arranged for shortlisted candidates residing in Hong Kong. Otherwise, video interviews via the Internet will be conducted. Phone interview requests are not accepted.

If you are attending a face-to-face interview, you should bring along a personal identity document and the official certificate(s) of your degree/professional qualifications, in addition to any essential supporting documents that you have not provided to the Program Office.

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 Office will help to explore information for short-term off-campus housing options for the exchange-in and non-local students.

We strongly recommend that students have laptops. There are, however, several computer barns on campus equipped with over a hundred computers. Those who intend to buy a laptop can join the notebook ownership scheme on campus and purchase one at a discounted price for students, 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. Supermarket, banks, bookstore and food outlets are also available on campus. The city center, Central, can be accessed by bus or mini-bus from campus within 45 minutes.