Where Young Leaders, Professionals, and Entrepreneurs Build Enduring Legacy

Professionalising Value-Driven Family Enterprises and Building the Next‑Generation Family Business Ecosystem

The MSc in Family Business Management (FBM) is a pioneering, mission-driven programme designed for aspiring young leaders, professionals, and entrepreneurs seeking to build, lead, and sustain family enterprises in China, Asia, and beyond. The programme equips them with the knowledge and skills to navigate and capture the unique opportunities, while fostering a future-oriented ecosystem and community of professionalised family businesses.

Family businesses underpin economic growth, innovation and sustainability across the region and global. As existing family enterprises continue to evolve and new family ventures continue to emerge – the MSc in FBM responds with a holistic, people‑centred, and globally grounded education beyond management training to focus on the human, governance, and long‑term dimensions that determine whether family enterprises endure across generations:

• Cultivating Individuals with Purpose and Responsibility
• Professionalising the Unique Family–Business System
• Asia‑Rooted, Cross-Culturally Enriched and Globally Connected

Interdisciplinary and Family Business Specific Curriculum

The curriculum adopts a family specific and interdisciplinary lens, recognising family enterprises as overlapping systems of family, ownership, and business.

Through core courses, you will gain a foundation in family business management covering leadership, governance, innovation and entrepreneurship, sustainability, global strategy, impact and philanthropy. Through electives, contemporary topics, and selected topics courses, you can tailor and evolve your learning from generalist understanding to build in-depth specialised capability aligned with your aspirations in areas of family business advisory, new venture creation, emerging technologies, crisis and resilience, communication and negotiation, and cross border family enterprise management. The curriculum also draws the synergies with other MSc programmes in the Business School and across the University.

Experiential Learning with Real-World Application

You will engage in hands-on, practice-based learning that brings family business challenges to life. Through live cases, applied projects, and simulations, you will develop the skills to translate theory into practical solutions and navigate the complexities of family enterprises with confidence and global perspective. Your learning is further enriched by cross-cultural case studies across Chinese, Asian, and Western family firms, as well as a mandatory global immersion module. The FBM Capstone Project offers you a unique opportunity to work closely with real or simulated family enterprises, applying consulting skills and strategic thinking to solve real-world business challenges alongside industry partners.

Staying Ahead: Innovation, Technology and Global Perspectives

The curriculum incorporates forward-looking and contemporary content to equip you with the insights and capabilities to stay ahead of global shifts. You will explore key themes such as innovation, intrapreneurship, and entrepreneurship in family enterprises, digital transformation and emerging technologies, sustainability, ESG and long-term value creation, international expansion, global strategy and cross-cultural governance. Throughout the programme, you are exposed to current and emerging issues, ensuring your learning remains relevant in fast-changing economic, technological, and geopolitical environments. Graduates develop the global mindset and cultural intelligence required to work across families, cultures, and markets.

Industry Connection and Family Business Ecosystem

The programme is closely connected to CUHK’s Centre for Family Business and its extensive network, bridging academic learning with real-world practice. You will gain exposure to family business owners, next-generation leaders, advisors, and entrepreneurs through industry talks, mentorship, applied projects, and networking activities—supporting career exploration, professional development, and long-term relationship building within the family business ecosystem.

Mentorship, Career Development and Community

Being part of the MSc in FBM programme, you are joining a community. You will learn from distinguished faculty members with deep expertise in family business, leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, ESG, and governance, complemented by globally recognised scholars and experienced practitioners. Beyond the classroom, you will benefit from structured mentoring by faculty and industry professionals, leadership development and self-reflection opportunities, and personalised guidance on career pathways in family enterprises, family business advisory roles, and entrepreneurship.

The MSc in Family Business Management at CUHK builds a community of professionals, entrepreneurs and next generation family leaders – transforming family enterprises and new ventures into sustainable platforms of continuity, impact, and legacy across generations.

Curriculum (Subject to the University’s Approval)

To complete the programme, students are required to attain a total of 30 units of 21-unit required and 9-unit elective courses. The elective courses to be offered are subject to change on a need basis.

Graduation Requirements

All students are required to meet all the programme requirements, pass all the assessments and obtain a cumulative overall GPA of at least 2.5 in order to graduate.

Students who obtain a cumulative GPA below 2.5 in the term assessment will be put on academic probation. If the probation is not lifted after two consecutive terms, the student will be required to discontinue his or her studies.

Students who receive a grade D+ or below in a course must repeat it or take an approved substitute course.

Career Prospects

Graduates of the MSc in FBM are prepared to pursue diverse career pathways across family enterprises, advisory roles, and entrepreneurial ventures, contributing to the advancement of professionalised family businesses.