Master of Business Administration (Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

This MBA specialises in innovation and entrepreneurship. You'll study how new ventures get off the ground, how established organisations build new products and services, and how to read a market before you commit money to it. Typical units cover entrepreneurial finance, strategy, marketing, operations, and managing people, with an innovation stream running through the degree. Assessment is usually a mix of exams, group projects, business cases and a capstone where you develop a venture or growth plan for a real organisation.

How the degree is structured

Australian master's degrees sit at AQF level 9 and normally take one to two years of full-time study. This one runs for two years, delivered across trimesters or semesters depending on the campus. You accumulate credit points by completing units of study, usually eight to twelve of them, and most MBAs finish with a capstone unit or a research project rather than a thesis. Some students with a prior business degree can apply for credit for previous study, which shortens the degree, ask the institution what recognition of prior learning they allow.

Work-integrated learning

Business schools in Australia lean on industry links, and this MBA is no exception. Expect guest speakers, live case work with companies, and an internship or consulting project as part of the capstone. Sydney's startup scene and the professional services firms in the CBD are common hosts. If you're an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled course breaks. After you graduate, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream lets you stay and work in Australia, provided you meet the Department of Home Affairs requirements.

Who it suits

This degree suits people who want to start something, or who work inside a company and want to lead new initiatives. It also fits early-career professionals moving into management and founders who need the finance and strategy side filled in. You'll need a bachelor's degree or equivalent for entry, and English proficiency, IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common coursework-postgraduate standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and Cambridge C1 Advanced accepted as equivalents. The Student visa has its own separate English threshold set by the Department of Home Affairs. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 112982C. Confirm entry requirements, unit lists and fees on the official course page before you apply.

• Startup founder or co-founder, building a new venture in Sydney or elsewhere in Australia, often through incubators and accelerator programmes.
• Product manager, technology companies, banks, insurers and retailers all hire product managers to take new services from idea to launch.
• Innovation or strategy manager, large Australian organisations run internal innovation teams, especially in financial services, health, mining and government.
• Management consultant, professional services firms in Sydney and Melbourne recruit MBA graduates into advisory roles.
• Business development manager, growing revenue for established companies or scaling a young firm.
• Venture capital or private equity analyst, assessing early-stage and growth investments.
• Operations or general manager, running a business unit, with responsibility for people, budgets and performance.