Master of Business Administration

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Your path to leadership

The world’s best organizations are seeking creative thinkers, collaborators and problem solvers - leaders with empathy and imagination. Our cutting-edge MBA is designed to develop these qualities. We’ll set you on the path to business leadership and prepare you to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Meet Tina Dochana

"It really gave me the tools I needed, and now I can clearly say that I can go out and help anyone out with their startup. I see the world differently because of MBA it's enabled me to become a leader and I feel confident in my skin now."

Preparing you to lead in a dynamic, changing world

Launch your business career with a unique, industry-connected MBA program run by Australia’s largest business college.

Develop skills that matter

We’ll coach you in the fundamentals. And we’ll help you develop essential contemporary business skills - collaboration, entrepreneurship, creative problem solving and innovation.

Discover your creative potential

With Australia’s most established design thinking component, our MBA program is a leader in teaching this high-value business discipline.

Join our community

Discover RMIT’s distinctive culture - people oriented, industry connected and global. Build your international networks and increase your understanding of cultures and trends.

Your RMIT MBA experience

Be guided by authentic, accessible lecturers who care about your journey. Master the fundamentals of business management and the creative skills of design thinking. Build friendships and business networks among a supportive student cohort.

What you will study

Equip yourself with the key skills and competencies required to become a leader in your chosen industry.

This program starts with a series of courses that introduce key business concepts, before building towards more complex projects that will allow you to showcase your understanding of corporate strategy and design-led thinking.

Students can complete an RMIT MBA program through 2 years of full-time study, or on a part-time basis. Online and flexible learning options are also available.

learn the fundamentals of:

• Corporate leadership
• People management
• Business consulting
• Corporate marketing
• Financial analysis

RMIT’s Master of Business Administration is tailored towards producing managers equipped with the skills to lead so it was my first choice. Classes are designed to foster a range of learning styles and include plenty of both theory and application opportunities.

– Nicholas Bartholomeusz , RMIT Master of Business Administration graduate

Learn here, succeed anywhere

At RMIT, we understand the importance of providing students with real-world experiences and the skills to succeed in a rapidly evolving job market.

RMIT’s focus on industry-based, practical learning has seen our MBA program ranked in the top 5 MBAs in Australia, and our online MBA 14th in the world in CEO Magazine's 2017 global rankings. RMIT is also recognized as being among the top 100 institutions in the world for the teaching of business and management programs.

Details

A program designed to guide your development as a business leader.

The RMIT MBA is a challenging 1.5-year (full time) program designed to build real-world business skills and creative problem-solving techniques.

Your journey begins with the business fundamentals - Leadership and Management, Marketing, and Financial Analytics. You’ll be guided through these essential areas by committed lecturers who care about your progress.

You’ll also discover your creative side in RMIT’s renowned Design Thinking for Business course. (Australia’s most established design thinking course). This inspirational course will transform the way you think about problem-solving, and give you the confidence to attack complex business problems in new ways.

After completing courses in areas such as Strategy and Management of Technology and Innovation, you’ll finish the program by building consulting and management skills that you can take directly to the market.

Courses such as Business Research Design and Business Consulting are complemented by challenging electives that will sharpen your capabilities.

You’ll graduate with a sound understanding of business fundamentals, an entirely new perspective on creative problem solving, and a set of real-world business skills that you can immediately apply in professional situations. (RMIT MBA graduates are widely acknowledged as job-ready by the business community).

How you will learn

Our MBA program consists of 10 core and two elective courses delivered across three study periods - semesters one and two, and a spring/summer period.

Full-time students complete four courses per study period, with classes typically held during the day. Part-time students complete two or more courses per study period with classes usually held in the evening. Collaboration is increasingly recognised by employers as a critical leadership skill. So our MBA students progress as a group and often work in teams.

You will experience a variety of teaching and learning approaches during the program, including lectures, tutorials, working independently and in teams. Lectures deliver a comprehensive review of the latest thinking and world's best practice, while tutorials provide opportunities for facilitated discussion. Factually based case studies are important components of RMIT's MBA courses and bring authenticity to your learning experience.

Your Melbourne-based classes will usually be held in the beautiful heritage-listed Emily McPherson College Building, on the corner of Russell and Victoria streets in the Melbourne CBD. (Melbourne is one of the world’s most liveable cities, and a great place to study an MBA). Facilities include an exclusive MBA lounge (The MBA Edge). This new MBA lounge was created for group and individual study. It includes comfortable seating, screens for presentations, shared iMac, and a spacious balcony. Our facilities also include an additional student lounge, teaching theatres and classrooms with the latest multimedia technology, and a rooftop patio with views of Melbourne's CBD. Classes may also be held at the award-winning Swanston Academic Building, or at other locations within RMIT's City Campus.

In additional to our vibrant RMIT campus, you can study part or all of your MBA through RMIT Online. Our online learning platform is purpose-built to let you study anywhere, anytime, with course and lectures that are easy to follow, discussion boards, online forums, electronic assignment submission and access to our library and business journals.

Assessment is ongoing throughout the semester and includes examinations, essays, reports, presentations, group projects, research projects and practical assignments. While group assignments are an important component of every course, the focus of the assessment is weighted towards individual performance.

The MBA program is also offered at RMIT’s Vietnam campus in Saigon, offering up to three intakes a year.

Business mentoring

To assist your career progression and increase your employment opportunities, the MBA provides guidance through a Business Mentoring Program. You will engage in a range of activities including seminars with guest speakers, group work and case studies, individual mentoring and coaching, and career preparation.

The mentoring program covers:

• leadership in the workplace

• power and influence

• judgement in decision-making

• career and self-management

• working in Australian organisations

• working in Asia

• working in a family business.

All business mentors hold at least 15 years of experience, are active leaders in their respective fields, and will provide guidance and support for your working life.

myRMIT

Through RMIT University's online learning portal, myRMIT, you can view online resources and learning activities created by lecturers, access course materials via Canvas, collaborate with lecturers and fellow students, and access your student email account. Educational software, the Learning Hub, other online and digital resources and printers are accessible on-campus via the RMIT wireless network using your own laptop, tablet or smartphone, or via computer facilities on-campus. You will be able to access the same software from home using myDesktop.

Industry connections

Work-connected and industry-relevant opportunities available in our MBA include:

Fastrack Innovation Program

Fastrack is a high intensity 13-week program running every second semester, in which cross-disciplinary teams work with industry experts across innovation, design, business and technology, to co-create solutions to real-world problems. This form of fast-prototyping is designed so that external organisations can tap into fresh thinking from RMIT students.

Postgraduate Business Internship Elective

Take up a position in a partner organisation for one or two days each week over a semester. This position is normally unpaid and is designed to develop your soft skills and increase your overall employability upon graduation.

MBA Research Project

Open to high-achieving MBA students, this course is designed to provide real business projects for students to work on during the semester. These include international projects such as Digital Connectivity for APEC.

I was involved in the APEC research project. I appreciated the opportunity to work on a real research assignment; our findings will be delivered to the APEC summit in PNG and will offer valuable insights that will help support the development of emerging economies with the specific focus on digital innovations. It was great to be a part of such a project and to say that I have contributed. I have also really enjoyed the flexibility to learn beyond the textbooks. - Eryn Behan, MBA Research Project candidate

I thoroughly enjoyed working on a real-life research project for Spotless in Semester 1, 2018. The project specifically addressed the complexities and opportunities that present for Spotless in Public Private Partnerships (PPP’s) within the social infrastructure sector. The project provided an opportunity for a hands-on consultative approach which lead to recommendations that will hopefully drive efficiencies and favourable business outcomes for Spotless. The experience also allowed me to build a network within a sector I find interesting. I would highly recommend the research project for all MBA students. - Steven Mazzarelli, MBA Research Project candidate

Business Consulting Course

Complete an external company project and network with senior members of the business school’s partner organisations.

MBA Advisory Board

Our MBA program is supported by a strong advisory board that helps steer curriculum development to ensure that RMIT MBA graduates are work-ready and prepared to take up challenging positions within the rapidly changing landscape of business management.

The Program Advisory Board is made up of members from Capgemini, KPMG, Spotless, BMW, Ethical Investment Services, Greencap, and from boutique consultancy firms such as Advantage Point Business Advisors.

International opportunities

Study tours are a unique feature of the on-campus program. You can combine an overseas travel and cultural experiences with coursework that is completed in intensive modes, and have this credited towards your degree. Our study tours usually depart during the Australian summer or winter vacations.

Each year, the Graduate School of Business and Law conducts intensive study tours to Vietnam and Spain, equivalent to one 12-credit point elective.

Some of the other opportunities include Robert H. Smith School of Business (USA); Ted Rogers School of Management (Canada), Aarhus University (Denmark) and Thammasat University (Thailand).

If you are planning to include a study tour as part of your program, you are advised to check that you have the required number of student electives or credit points available.

Other global mobility options available for this program include:

Student exchange - we have over 200 exchange partners to choose from

• Short-term mobility program to ESADE Business School in Barcelona - one of the top business schools in Europe

• Global Entrepreneurship and Internship Program (GEIP)

• ACICIS Business Professional Practicum

Duration

• 1.5 years full-time or part-time equivalent (with advanced standing)

• 2 years full-time or part-time equivalent (without advanced standing)

Students undertaking courses in all scheduled teaching periods may be able to complete the program in 12-16 months.

For further information about advanced standing see Credits and Masters exemptions.

Depending on your previous studies and experience you could also be eligible for credit towards your program. Credit granted may reduce the amount of study you need to complete.

Electives and program structure

The Master degree comprises of 10 core and 2 elective courses.

• Undertake coursework that introduces core aspects of business practice.

• Showcase your emerging business expertise and problem-solving ability through compulsory courses in the final stage of the program

• Explore a complex problem, and test and evaluate potential solutions with industry and community stakeholders in the course Business Research Design.

It is recommended that you follow the sequence of courses presented in the enrolment structure.

You will start your MBA journey by undertaking functional courses that introduce business concepts, followed by courses that draw upon the learning activities experienced and knowledge acquired to focus on strategy development. These courses in the latter part of the program allow you to showcase your emerging business expertise.

If you are interested in starting up your own business, you may want to find out more about BUSM4598 Business Skills for Start Ups, an elective course that covers the key stages of enterprise formation from concept through to launch.

Career

As an RMIT MBA graduate, you’re on the path to business leadership.

You’ll find our MBA Graduates working and leading in professional, commercial, industrial, not-for-profit, NGO public administration and start-up organizations. They perform a wide range of roles, including organizational strategy and innovation, management consultancy, international development coordination, and advice and operations management.

Our MBA program is designed to ensure our graduates enter the business world with the full range of real-world skills necessary to be an effective problem solver from day one. To help our students build these skills, we run a number of industry-relevant programs and electives.

Our comprehensive Business Mentoring Program will assist your career progression and increase your employment opportunities. During the program, you will engage in a range of activities including seminars with guest speakers, group work and case studies, individual mentoring and coaching and career preparation.

The mentoring program covers essential areas such as leadership in the workplace, power, and influence, judgment in decision-making, career and self-management, working in Australian organizations, working in Asia and working in a family business. All our business mentors have at least 15 years experience, are active leaders in their respective fields, and will provide valuable guidance and support.

Professional recognition and accreditation

Students and graduates may be eligible for membership of The Australian Institute of Management (AIM). Membership can offer a variety of resources to assist with your future career development.

Admissions

• An Australian bachelor degree or equivalent, or higher level qualification, in a business (or related) discipline from a recognized tertiary institution with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 1.0 (out of 4.0); or

• An Australian bachelor degree or equivalent, or higher level qualification, in a business (or related) discipline from a recognized tertiary institution and a GMAT overall minimum score of 550; or

• An Australian bachelor degree or equivalent in any discipline with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 1.0 (out of 4.0) and a minimum of three years full-time equivalent management experience with supervisory responsibilities*; or

• The RMIT Graduate Certificate in Business Administration.

• Applicants will be required to submit a curriculum vitae (CV).

Fees

Fee summary

The indicative annual tuition fee for full-fee places in 2019 is AU$35,520* per annum.

The indicative annual tuition fee for full-fee places in 2018 is AU$23,040.

This program is offered on a full-fee paying basis only. If you are offered a place, you will need to pay the full tuition costs of your program. However, eligible students (such as Australian citizens or holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa) may apply to defer payment of some or all of their tuition fees via the Commonwealth Government’s FEE-HELP loan scheme.

*Fees shown above apply to 2018 only and are based on an annual full-time study load of 96 credit points unless otherwise noted. A proportionate fee applies for more or less than the full-time study load. Tuition fees are adjusted on an annual basis and these fees should only be used as a guide.

Scholarships

RMIT awards more than 2000 scholarships every year to recognise academic achievement and assist students from a variety of backgrounds.

RMIT is a global university of technology, design, and enterprise. RMIT is a world leader in Art and Design; Architecture; Education; Engineering; Development; Computer Science and Information Systems; Business and Management; and Communication and Media Studies. At RMIT, you'll gain the skills you need today to get the job you want tomorrow. Unlock your potential with blended learning online and on campus.

RMIT was established in 1887 as the Working Men’s College with the aim of bringing education to the working people of Melbourne. Our teaching, learning, and research programs are continually updated so that students, staff, and graduates are equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century. At the same time, we have not forgotten our past as one of Australia’s original educational institutions, and we have remained true to our original philosophy.