Master of Business Administration (MBA)

The Master of Business Administration at The Institute of International Studies (TIIS) is a two-year postgraduate degree for people who want to run teams, units or whole organisations. It sits at AQF level 9, so it assumes you already have a bachelor degree or equivalent work experience. You study business at a management level: accounting and finance for decision-makers, marketing, organisational behaviour, operations, strategy, economics and data-informed decision-making. The exact units and their credit points are set out in the course structure on the official TIIS page and the CRICOS register entry (107617M), check there before you apply.

How the degree is structured

Australian master's degrees are built from units of study, each worth a set number of credit points. A two-year MBA usually runs across four semesters or trimesters, with full-time students taking three or four units per term and part-time options spread over a longer period. Most programmes finish with a capstone unit, a strategy or consulting project where you work on a real business problem, or a research project or minor thesis if you take the research pathway. Some students use that final project to pitch to an employer or to test a business idea.

Skills you build

You learn to read a balance sheet and a cash-flow forecast without flinching. You learn to size up a market, cost a project, lead a team through change and write a business case that a board will actually read. Group work is heavy in an MBA, so you get plenty of practice negotiating, delegating and presenting. Assessment is a mix of exams, reports, presentations and the capstone.

Who it suits

This suits early-to-mid-career professionals moving into management, people changing industry, and those running a small business who want formal grounding. International students should note the Student visa work rights: 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream lets eligible graduates stay and work in Australia. English proficiency is required, IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common coursework-postgraduate standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and TIIS's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the visa itself. Confirm current entry requirements, unit lists and fees on the official TIIS page and the CRICOS register.

• General manager or operations manager, running a business unit in retail, logistics, manufacturing or professional services.
• Management consultant, advising clients on strategy, process improvement or market entry for firms in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
• Project manager, delivering infrastructure, IT or change projects in construction, government or financial services.
• Business development manager, finding new markets and clients in technology, education, health or export industries.
• Finance or commercial analyst, budgeting, forecasting and investment analysis in banking, insurance or corporate finance.
• Marketing or product manager, owning a product line or brand in e-commerce, media or consumer goods.
• Human resources manager, recruitment, workplace relations and organisational development.
• Start-up founder or small business owner, using the capstone project to test and launch a venture.

Australian employers in mining, agriculture, tourism, education, healthcare and technology all hire MBA graduates, and the subclass 485 visa gives eligible international graduates time to build local experience after study.