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University of South Australia (UNISA)

Adelaide , South Australia ,Australia

Master of Business Administration

The UniSA Master of Business Administration (MBA) has been designed for experienced managers and enterprising leaders. It has a strong practical focus on senior management decision-making and embeds the latest in management research.

As part of your studies, you will gain real-world insights through access to academic and industry experts, benefit from a curriculum informed by current research and further your professional practice to maximise your career progression. You will have the opportunity to engage with a cohort of experienced peers from diverse industry backgrounds in a highly interactive learning environment.

You will deepen your expertise in fields such as strategy, marketing, finance, leadership, law, international business, and ethics and sustainability, providing you with valuable learnings you can apply in real time to transform your career.

You can also choose to specialise your MBA in Marketing, Finance or Human Resource Management.

Our fully-flexible MBA allows you to tailor your studies to suit your individual needs with the option to complete your degree full-time, part-time, online, face-to-face or in mixed mode.  

As a guide, full-time MBA students generally undertake two courses per study period and part-time students undertake one course. Studying the MBA full-time will normally take 18 months, however you can fast-track your study and finish in just 12 months. Part-time students taking one course per study period can typically complete the MBA in three years. 

The MBA degree comprises nine compulsory core courses, two electives and a final capstone experience. A course runs for the length of a study period, and our academic year is divided into four study periods of 10 weeks each.

All MBA courses have an applied focus. They draw on real-life business case studies, and you are encouraged to use industry and workplace based issues for assessment tasks. Courses also feature visiting industry leaders who will lead discussions around contemporary business problems.

The final Strategic Industry Project requires you to plan and execute a project for a Board or senior management group. It is your opportunity to demonstrate the proficiency and integrative knowledge you’ve gained in your MBA studies. The courses provide an opportunity to apply your knowledge, engage in real-world learning experiences, and stimulate personal and professional development. You can also select your electives from a wide range of postgraduate courses delivered across the University.

Campus Information

Adelaide- City West

On the edge of Adelaide’s central business district, City West houses studies in business, law, art, architecture, design, Indigenous cultures and Australian society.

Intakes

  • Jan
  • March
  • June
  • Sep

Application Processing Time in Days: 14

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

Teaching and Research

UniSA has an excellent reputation in teaching and learning and an enviable record of achievement in graduate employability. Our teaching focuses around preparing students to be work-ready through relevant and industry-informed curricula. UniSA ensures its teachers motivate, challenge and stimulate students’ learning, with our research activity informing our teaching across our broad discipline profile.

Teaching and learning excellence are at the centre point of our promotion criteria, performance management practices, and approaches to rewards and recognition for our academic staff.

Research at UniSA is inspired by challenges and opportunities, partnered with industry and communities, and underpinned by excellence. Our academics engage in interdisciplinary teams to translate their research into meaningful outcomes. Contributing to a research environment that is vibrant, responsive and outward-facing are the University’s research themes. The themes link our research strengths and address local and global socio-economic needs:

  • An age friendly world
  • Transforming industries
  • Scarce resources
  • Cancer
  • Healthy futures
  • Transforming societies

Our flagship institutes and strategic alliances include the Future Industries Institute, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, Sansom Institute for Health Research and the Centre for Cancer Biology. Further information about our enterprising research and research centres and concentrations can be found at our Research page.

Industry Connections

Real solutions don’t happen without great partnerships. We have partnered with local icons and international heavyweights to drive the advancements behind a better society. Across the University, we seek to match our research capability and strengths with the opportunities, challenges and needs of our partners, and maximise the mutual benefits of engagement.

With a growing presence on Adelaide’s cultural calendar and as a partner across arts, culture and sporting events, we’re acting on a social mission to enrich our society. Our campus spaces stimulate and foster creativity and innovation, support new models of learning, support our enterprise researchers and connect with the community.

Professional staff

As a professional staff member you get exposure to the research and teaching at UniSA, and work closely with leading academics who through research and teaching, are shaping the professionals of the future.

Professional staff support both staff and students, and this ranges from career advice services to students, finance, HR, marketing, facilities and management, research support – all of these areas are critical to supporting the day-to-day operations of departments and the university as a whole. There are numerous benefits and opportunities for personal development at UniSA.

PSW Opportunity

NA

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

Applicants seeking admission to the program will normally have:
a) A minimum of three (3) years full time management experience and a recognised university Bachelor degree or equivalent professional qualifications;
or
b) A Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of South Australia with an average of at least Pass Level 1 (55%) across four (or more) courses, or an equivalent qualification from the University of South Australia or from another recognised university;
or
c) The Program Director may, under exceptional circumstances, accept candidates with substantial and proven managerial and/or entrepreneurial experience who have demonstrated the potential to meet the learning requirements of the MBA.

All applicants are also required to submit a detailed curriculum vitae or equivalent with at least one referee who can validate work experience.