For the second consecutive year, the HKUST Business School’s Master of Science in International Management (MIMT) program is honored to receive the Top 3 “CEMS School of the Year Award 2021”, cementing its reputation as being one of the top master’s in management degree programs in the world.

The top three schools were chosen based on the results of overall student satisfaction across all aspects of the CEMS program in the academic year of 2020/21, as well as a peer evaluation report submitted to all CEMS Academic Directors.

As part of the top-ranked CEMS network, a global alliance of leading business schools, multinational companies and NGOs who work together to offer the best quality Master in International Management degree, the MIMT program had to stand out from 33 other member schools across the globe. Given the challenges brought by the Covid-19, the fruits of labor taste particularly sweet this year.

There are multiple factors as to why the HKUST MIMT program stands out. Some of the highlights include the University’s commitment to the CEMS values and a promise to a first-class global education. The program is also highly recognized as a conductor between the East and the West. Lastly, student engagement is a real priority and the program places great emphasis on this, whether it is in-class learning or extra-curricular activities.

We are happy to have our current students, Yixi WANG and Jacopo FAINI, who are also members of the CEMS Club Hong Kong, to share their fabulous MIMT and CEMS journey.

Yixi WANG (MIMT Home student) chose MIMT as her pursuing master's degree study for the opportunity to travel abroad, which not only offers the hard skills to experience how the international academia feels like, but also the soft skills to interact with different cultures. Another reason is the program’s diversity. “The MIMT cohort is very diverse, provides me with a global vision and broadens my horizon for a better future,” said Yixi.

After joining MIMT, Yixi was surprised to learn how much this program helps on her professional journey. “The career service is really amazing! This not only equips me with interview soft skills, but also offers diverse opportunities for employment with groups of recruiting firms and organizations,” she said. Besides, MIMT provides a platform leveraging renowned recruiters, one of the “Big Four” companies even approached her via LinkedIn for an internship offer.

For the incoming exchange student from Bocconi University in Fall Term, Jacopo FAINI, embarking on the MIMT program at HKUST was the right choice. The program curriculum combines academic theory and business practice, as well as highlights Asia business expertise. “Many courses in MIMT are designed with Asian content to equip us with a better understanding of the Asian business environment,” he explained. Jacopo also appreciates the MIMT’s faculty: “The professors are really nice, I can always interact freely and establish a friendship with them, which is rare in Europe.”

The students shared what CEMS benefits them the most as well. As the President of CEMS Club Hong Kong, Yixi reflected, “riding on the global alliance of CEMS, we can take the resourceful Global Online Elective (GOE) courses from worldwide prestigious CEMS partner universities. I have been attending one GOE in NUS this term, gained fruitful international exposure and made lots of friends from overseas.”

And Jacopo, the Co-head of Events, pointed out that CEMS organized a variety of activities to enrich students’ global network by interacting with different people from various cultural backgrounds. “This is a fabulous opportunity to develop my future career in working with culturally diverse people, which is an essential practice in my hometown, Italy,” he said.

Lastly, Yixi and Jacopo shared their advice for prospective students. Yixi believes that it’s important to be open-minded, brave, and ready to accept new things. “Studying in MIMT is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to discover the big world and to try different new things, so try to push yourself out of your comfort zone and communicate with your classmates as much as possible,” she explained.

Jacopo suggested starting from the beginning, like integrating with classmates, and trying to explore the full possibilities of MIMT and Hong Kong instead of just staying alone. “Remember to make use of the career service, as the career office would arrange various enrichment activities and talks for students to start their careers,” he added.