Programmes
A pioneer in leading a business degree programme integrating Hospitality and Real Estate in Asia
The Hospitality and Real Estate programme is positioned as a business programme with an industry focus and it is, to the best of our knowledge, the only undergraduate programme in Asia that offers an integrated curriculum that will put you in high demand in both the hospitality and real estate industries. You will develop a keen eye for asset investment and service standards, and gain the holistic ability to steer high-level projects that bring value to your clients.
Widen career path with competitive edge
While the Real Estate stream focuses on planning, developing, and investing in the assets (e.g. buildings and properties), the Hospitality stream focuses on the service element — how to improve service quality, ensure customer satisfaction, and enhance organisational performance. Gain both managerial and investment perspectives through a curriculum that effectively balances theory and practice.
Nurturing leaders to reach the highest and professional standard in two fields
Offering a rich curriculum marrying theory with experiential learning opportunities, HRE puts students right in the heart of the fast-paced hospitality, tourism and real estate industries. Through connections with key professionals and real service environments, and participation in high-level lectures and presentations led by experienced practitioners, you will learn the latest trends while building up your own dynamic professional network.
Developing Visionary and Caring Leaders for the Hospitality and Real Estate Industries
CUHK’s HRE programme is the only business programme in Hong Kong and Asia that integrates hospitality and real estate education.
‘We created a unique programme in the Asia-Pacific region. To the best of my knowledge, no other universities except Cornell offers programmes that integrate these two concepts,’ said Prof. David Chan, Director of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management.
He pointed out that the programme is designed to develop professional leaders for the hospitality and real estate industries. In particular, the school’s vision is to capture the emerging business and career opportunities when the two industries are becoming more connected through property planning and development, business operations, marketing and customer relationship management, technologies, talent training, and many other ties. ‘On one hand, running a hotel nowadays is not just about understanding customers and employees, it also requires knowledge and skills in managing expectations of hotel investors and property owners. On the other hand, many real estate developers are keen on building hotels, serviced apartments, shopping malls and all kinds of commercial properties. To get higher returns from these hospitality assets, property developers and investors also need to understand how people-oriented sectors work,’ said Professor Chan.
The programme aims to help students develop critical thinking and a strategic vision for the industries that balances business profitability and the market need for innovation and sustainability. The courses offer a strong business and innovative education for the students. In addition to business foundation courses, the programme also offers industry-focused courses taught by faculty members as well as industry senior executives, such as Real Estate Investments, Real Estate Valuation, Management of Lodging Facilities, Shopping Mall Investment and Management, Food & Beverage Management, Hospitality Revenue Management and Analytics, Facilities Development and Management. Professor Chan further emphasized the importance of embracing the innovation opportunities in the hospitality, tourism, and real estate industries and designing creative learning activities for students to develop their leadership competencies. ‘A strength of our programme comes from the reputation and resources of the CUHK Business School,’ Professor Chan commented, ‘We offer a strong academic curriculum. In the meantime, we have an extensive and close industry network and have taken great efforts to engage our students with industry business practices, ensuring that our students are well-recognized among industry stakeholders.’
Through the Distinguished Speakers Series incorporated under the HRE curriculum, senior executives including CEOs, Directors and Presidents are invited to share their business insights with students. Through the series, students do not only gain knowledge from business insiders but also see it as a networking opportunity for their career engagement.
Professor Chan explained that internship is incorporated in the curriculum to equip students with real-world work experiences. Students are required to complete two credit-bearing summer internships prior to graduation. These learning experiences are generally three-month long but also include six-month or longer. Many international internship opportunities are also granted to students.
The majority of students are placed in globally branded hotel chains, theme parks, property developers, real estate and hospitality consulting firms, events and tourism related companies and banks.
In addition, four exclusively designed exchange programmes are offered for students to study in the Asia-Pacific region and North America. The programmes include the Asia-Pacific Hospitality Management Programme, a partnership programme with Thailand’s Mahidol University International College and Australia’s Queensland University, and exchange arrangements with Cornell University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), National University of Singapore and Ritsumeikan Asia-Pacific University in Japan – all of them provide top-ranking hospitality and real estate programmes in the world. The programme has also arranged theme-based study trips and short-term summer courses to Taiwan, Japan, and Australia in the past two years and continues to explore new destinations for cross-cultural and experiential learning.
In order to give students more international exposures and challenges in the real estate stream, the school has been supporting our students to participate in the Cornell International Real Estate Case Competition organized by Cornell University in consecutive years and with our team winning the championship in 2016. The School also hosted the Cornell CUHK Regional Real Estate Competition, Asia in 2018. This is another valuable opportunity for students to interact with overseas students, teachers, and industry experts.
Managed by students and supported by professional chefs and service team members, F&B outlets (The Gastronomy Club and a café named ‘The Stage’) are other special features of the programme. Students have many opportunities to apply their marketing, finance, and HR knowledge and skills on real business situations to solve problems.
Published: Summer 2017
Last Updated: Summer 2021