In September last year, UIC ushered in the first batch of 30 taught master's degree students, majoring in Professional Accountancy and as well as Communication. In a blink of an eye, they have completed their studies and will start a new journey.
Master of Professional Accountancy graduates
Master of Arts in Communication graduates
Among these postgraduates are those that have completed their undergraduat study at UIC and continued their UIC adventure. Some decided to continue to pursue what they were studying in their undergraduate fields, while others chose cross-professional challenges to study a major for their Master’s degree that is different from their undergraduate degree. After one whole year, they have gained knowledge, friendship and have a better direction for the future.
During 2019-2020, the Graduate School will offer three taught postgraduate programmes. They will be the Master of Science in Data Science in addition to the Masters of Professional Accountancy and Communication. Below are the sharings of the professors and students of the first class of taught master's programmes.
The professors
Dr Wang Yang
The Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcc) programme at UIC is committed to cultivating students into elites in the accounting profession with an international perspective and comprehensive management skills. I am fortunate to teach the Cost and Management Accounting course in this Master's programme.
Dr Wang Yang
I was very impressed with the graduates of the first Master of Professional Accountancy programme as they were in a good learning atmosphere and they brought a serious attitude. Some students, despite their non-business undergraduate majors, are able to overcome various challenges in a limited semester, and to make maximum use of the abundant resources provided by the the Division of Business and Management (DBM). They actively discuss and solve problems encountered with their professors, and as a result they have achieved satisfactory results.
Mr James Ebel
As a seasoned professional and a veteran of teaching in China, our initial cohort looked on paper to be a bit of a challenge. They had very disparate backgrounds, some had worked, some had not. Some had very high levels of English and others still struggled. As a professor this disparity required some creativity in the classroom, but no let up on expectations. My experience is that anyone can be led to higher expectations if they are motivated correctly. I determined that in a class of 13, I could identify the motivation points for each student, leverage this and get everyone to a solid understanding of Branding, my expertise. This approach worked well, and I was pleasantly surprised to see students sparking to the idea of being treated as emerging colleagues, not college students.
Mr James Ebel
That’s not to say that everything went smoothly. In any group there are personality clashes, something illuminated by the pressures of graduate education. And, because some students had been away from the classroom for several years, it took time for them to get back in the “groove.” These are minor issues, when the overriding objective is to learn practical knowledge that could be put to use immediately. While all our students won’t be spending Chinese New Year together, all developed a respect for each other as professionals. To get along in the real world this a valuable lesson to be learned.
My year with our first cohort was one that can never be repeated. And, in retrospect it was successful. As we move forward with the master’s degree in Global Strategic Communication we won’t be resting on our laurels. We live by the adage that we are “pleased but never satisfied.” That means we enter 2019 with the expectation that next year’s teaching and learning will be even better.
The students
Zhang Hong - "I will apply the knowledge of my MPAcc studies to work in the future."
In the blink of an eye, I have graduated from UIC. The days of graduate study have both been busy and happy. The MPAcc teachers are very kind, had answered my questions, and interacted a lot with us during class. They understood how to care about our study and life and helped us overcome difficulties.
Zhang Hong
The programme is certified by HKICPA QP and CPA Australia, giving us more directions and choices in the profession. In addition, the programme also arranges professional lectures and high table dinners, allowing us to learn more about industry practices and future development while learning.
I am very fortunate to be able to take the MPAcc programme at UIC, and I am also grateful to meet such good teachers and classmates. I will apply the knowledge of my MPAcc studies to work in the future, and I hope that the younger students of the next year will have a good time here.
Xu Fei - "I had a new understanding of the profession of accounting, and also gained friendship."
I graduated from Hong Kong in 2018 with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting. I recall that one of the most important reasons for choosing UIC was that UIC's teaching model is the same as that of Hong Kong. It is all taught in English, and the instructors also have professional knowledge to help me learn more. During this period, I have made significant progress in all aspects. When I was presenting, I was not embarrassed. I had a new understanding of the profession of accounting, and also gained friendship.
Xu Fei
After completing the postgraduate course, I will work in Hong Kong while preparing for the QP exam at the end of the year. I believe that I can use what I have learned in this course, pass the exam, and work in accounting/auditing in the future.
Gong Yi - "Expanding the horizon and laying the foundation for entering the society."
After completing the undergraduate education at UIC, I decided to continue my journey with UIC by choosing to further my studies. I decided to consolidate my undergraduate study in a relatively short period of time, while expanding my horizons and laying the foundation for entering society.
Gong Yi
The students come from different learning backgrounds, with some having rich experience, which will help you to develop different perspectives when discussing group assignments. The compact curriculum also enhances the ability to learn efficiently and manage time. At the same time, the professors also pay attention to cultivating everyone's independent thinking and teamwork, not only to impart knowledge, but also to guide everyone to read more, think more, as well as providing their own analysis.
Regarding future planning, I also hope to stay in college to continue studying or working because I like the learning atmosphere. Fortunately, when I graduated in July, I received a job offer from the UIC’s Division of Business and Management, hoping to enrich myself and improve myself during the next phase of my life.
Qiu Zijuan - "I am extremely fortunate to apply the knowledge of communication that I learned in class to my work"
Last year, I gave up the offer of an MBA at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies to become a UICer. Now I feel very fortunate to have made this choice, and I am honoured to be one of the first UIC graduates of Communication.
Qiu Zijuan
It was a very pleasant experience to be able to return to being a student, and the most enviable thing is to become a UIC graduate student. UIC has everything for students including a good learning environment, a wealthy amount of learning resources, and a curriculum of the combination of theory and practice. Professors from different countries also bring different energy to the classroom, and cultivate our creative, critical and strategic thinking.
This year is a process of exploring and discovering myself, because I have to pay attention to my studies, and often travel abroad for work, therefore time management and mentality adjustment become more important. I am also extremely fortunate to apply the knowledge of communication that I learned in class to my work.
Shi Yi - "Small class teaching and different courses have enabled us to have a good experience in different areas."
As an accounting major, I have been dealing with numbers and reports for four years. For personal reasons, I am lacking the interest now. The news that the alma mater offered a master's degree in communication in the city that I have lived in for four years, where I am familiar with the teaching methods, the professors, advanced teaching equipment and supporting facilities, as well as the high-quality Hong Kong Baptist University master's degree certificate were all attractive. I am here to start a new journey.
Shi Yi
The professors of Communication come from all over the world and have rich teaching and practical experience as well as being full of enthusiasm. Small class sizes and different curriculums have also enabled us to develop well in different fields. The students are very good; some are undergraduates from famous oversea universities, and others are UIC alumni, while some are undergraduates from top universities in China. Most of the students have many years of work experience, but everyone is equally rigorous in academics. The process of teamwork is full of joy, and everyone has established a profound friendship.
The business studies in the past four years have also greatly helped me in the learning process during the year, which made me more comfortable in the data processing and analysis, and the strengths of other students also gave me a deeper understanding. In the future, I hope that I can have the opportunity to learn more skills, continue my studies in the field of communication studies, as well as constantly enrich myself.
Zhou Ye - "The learning atmosphere of UIC is worth experiencing."
I really like the learning atmosphere at UIC. Not only because of the rich learning resources and the faculty resources that are provided by the school, but also the good environment of the whole campus and the collision of ideas between different students and professors. Everyone has their own areas of expertise and special life experience. This is a very special and important part of the learning atmosphere at UIC.
Zhou Ye
Although there have been four years of study experience at UIC, the difference in the postgraduate stage is that there are many people of different ages in the Master's programme, who have had different life experiences and can expand their own world in the process of meeting each other.
I acquired knowledge as well as understanding through thought, experience, and the senses when engaging in group research objectives as we often communicated with each other to ignite our love of academic research. Every professor also communicated with us patiently and enthusiastically, and was able to discuss different academic and social issues, which really made me gain a lot.
The dream is infinite with UIC. Start here, go anywhere. In addition to the Master of Professional Accountancy and Communication, this year UIC's Graduate School also adds a new Master of Science in Data Science.
Editors: Samuel Burgess, Deen He (MPRO)
(with thanks to the ELC)
