Established in the 2003/4 academic year, the Graduate School of Business (GSB) is the first of its kind in Hong Kong. Created to provide a new direction for the development of the Faculty and to enhance its academic profile, it draws on members from the Schools and Departments of the Faculty to provide research degree programmes and taught postgraduate programmes and courses. The GSB also brings together world-class scholars and business leaders and work with major local professional organizations to meet the needs of the business community in light of the rapidly changing business environment.
The GSB offers full-time research degree programmes leading to the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees. The primary objective of the MPhil programme is to educate students at the master's degree level with a view to preparing them for their PhD studies in the near future. The PhD programme is designed primarily to prepare students for a career in academic research and teaching, although it also serves as the foundation for a research career in the business world. There are five areas of specialisation, namely: accounting, finance, logistics and maritime studies, management, and marketing.
PhD training at the GSB is broad-based, it provides the rigorous intellectual foundation essential for future success in academic research. A coursework training of a minimum of 18 credit hours is required, which includes three common foundation subjects and three core subjects in the area of the specialisation chosen. All PhD students are required to complete courses in Research Methodology, Contemporary Topics in Business Research and either Econometric Methods or Research Methods for Behavioural Research. After all coursework requirements are fulfilled, students must write and defend their doctoral theses. The normal period for completion of study is three years.
For senior executives who aspire to become a "scholar-manager", the GSB offers the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme in Hong Kong and the Doctor of Management (DMgt) programme in the Mainland. Combining coursework with a dissertation in a "professional doctorate", both the DBA and the DMgt are part-time research-based programmes with a normal completion period of three years, involving training in research methods, doctoral seminars and research.
To suit the schedule of the working managers, GSB also offers a wide range of part-time taught postgraduate programmes including Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes and Master of Science (MSc) programmes, among which the Master of Professional Accounting is offered in cyberspace through the PolyU's HKCyberU.
The GSB also provides executive development programmes in areas of special interests to senior executives and government officials, including corporate governance, global supply-chain management, entrepreneurship and leadership development.
The Graduate School of Business Office provides administrative support for the operation of the School's 23 programmes, with the various Mainland programmes operating in 7 different locations across the Mainland; and its achievements including seminars, workshops, forums, info days and so on.
