As a social worker in a multidisciplinary setting, and with previous short exposure to the private sector, I have a strong sense that quality social service demands more than kindness and philanthropy. In order to cope with the complexity of social problems in contemporary society, the profession requires a strategic and analytical mindset and the integration of knowledge from various related disciplines. I find the MSSM programme of HKU as a good platform for me to equip with the relevant knowledge and skills and to pursue my professional development.

The programme offers me comprehensive learning and exposure to a wide range of useful topics. It requires students a thorough understanding and critical thinking on a theoretical basis and research. While at the same time, it offers courses on practical management issues, such as human resources management, finance, and corporate governance. Teaching staff include former heads of social service agency and former senior government officials who share their invaluable experience and insight into the sector. Visiting professors from overseas brought us a global perspective on the development of social welfare and healthcare services all over the world. Fellow students from different professions and disciplines exchange thoughts and widen each other mind.

I enjoy the programme very much and believe it gives me lifelong benefit on both my career and personal development.

The MSS(SSM) Programme is a jumping board of my career path. It equips me with management awareness, skillset, qualification, and interpersonal network for further career development. There are a number of  highlighted features of the programme that I  find them helpful for my  career development.

Practical relevance & application: The Programme equips us with multi-faceted management knowledge (e.g. finance, HR, fundraising, strategic organisational management, social marketing, social policy and management).  The content covered not only enhances my awareness of current social issues and challenges encountered in workplace (e.g. people management, event promotion), but also inspires me to be a reflective learner  by thinking “strategically” and applying the learnt principles/models in solving work-related challenges (e.g. application of leadership models in facilitating communication with juniors, adoption of new communication channels to enhance event enrollment).  After all, the strategic mindset and awareness developed combined with the qualification strengthens my managerial capacity for current position and future career growth.

Integration of arts & sciences: The combination of Management-related modules and Research/Theory-based modules encourage us to learn to be a scientist-practitioner.  For example, in collaborative coursework which my groupmates and I are to explore the effectiveness of a selected social policy, not only did I become more aware of/learn to appreciate the linkage between current issue and policy-making as well as relevant resources (e.g. by reading around newspaper and policy documents, by searching for relevant data sources), but also more “critical” in my thinking (e.g. by deciding appropriate research methods to enable so, by considering ways to enhance current measures) and expression of ideas/concepts (i.e. present thoughts in a logical, organized, and cohesive manner in my written/verbal responses).  The various/holistic transferable/generic skills developed (e.g. research acumen, English writing skills, critical thinking, financial/data analysis) have been useful in current and uptake of different nature of work duties.

I would recommend this programme to:

(i) Current managers and individuals in the social welfare and/or social service sector (e.g. social work, education, public service) preparing themselves for a managerial/executive/administrative position;

(ii) Individuals aspiring for a career transition to social welfare and/or social service sector;

(iii) Individuals from the business-related sector in which work nature is relevant to service delivery

Lastly, I would like to thank for the intellectual insights and inspiring sharing from class and coursework project.  It has been enjoyable and interesting to learn from teachers and classmates from different backgrounds- be it subject knowledge and your work encounters. The two-year Programme can be challenging, and it is definitely a worthwhile one.  I wish you all the best and enjoy the journey!

Originally, I would like to acquire up-to-date knowledge and hands-on skills on the three major aspects of management (service, people, and resources). Undoubtedly, the programme led us far further than that. In the two-year programme in MSS(SSM), the most valuable learning to me were critical analytic skills and knowledge on evidence-based practice. Theories and knowledge are limitless and will be evolving every second. The best knowledge today can be outdated or inapplicable someday. With the critical lens, we can examine the available evidence about different issues, including strategic planning, service development, and service delivery to adopt the best and most suitable one in our service.

The MSS(SSM) is definitely not a spoon-feeding programme. It encourages us to explore aspects that haven’t been  discovered yet. The welfare sector in Hong Kong has unique features including various organisation background, lump-sum grant subvention system, and a wide range of size of NPOs. These features, which are unprecedented create numerous challenges in the non-profit sector. In this programme, we have had  the opportunity to explore these issues with the help of local leaders, as well as  leading scholars from different countries.