Master of Business Administration (with specialisations)

The MBA that uses examples from your workplace. Get a prestige qualification grounded in practicality. Specialise in accounting, strategy, HR, leading people, marketing or transformation.

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About the Course

The Master of Business Administration from Charles Sturt University is the perfect combination of theoretical knowledge and applied problem-solving. You’ll use examples from your workplace to bring your learning to life – and deliver immediate value to your organisation and career.

Course Entry Requirements

Applicants are required to have:

  • An undergraduate degree from a recognised Australian tertiary institution (or equivalent) in a business discipline

OR

  • An undergraduate degree from a recognised Australian tertiary institution (or equivalent) in ANY discipline and relevant work experience in a role that requires some supervisory and/or discretionary decision making responsibility.

Applicants without a bachelor degree qualification may be admitted to either the Graduate Certificate in Business Administration or (for international students requiring an Australian student visa) the Graduate Diploma of Business Administration on the basis of a combination of:

  • Prior post secondary study and/or professional attainment

AND

  • Significant relevant work experience

Upon successful completion of the Graduate Certificate/Diploma, students will then be eligible for admission to the Master Business Administration and receive credit for applicable subjects.

Course Structure

Recommended study pattern

The twelve subject (96 point) MBA consists of seven core subjects, a capstone unit and an opportunity to complete a specialisation or electives. The course structure provides students with the ability to tailor their degree to suit their needs and career aspirations.

Core Subjects: Students need to complete all seven (7) Core subjects listed below plus one Capstone subject.

MGT501 Contemporary Management

MGT510 Strategy and Planning

ACG515 Accounting for Strategic Decision-Making

MKT501 Marketing for Managers

ECO511 Economics for Business

MGT536 The Leadership Experience

MGT540 Facilitating Change

Plus one Capstone subject from:

MGT598 Strategic Business Research

MGT547 Ethics of Corporate Governance

Completion of any four of the core subjects allows students to exit with the Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (32 points).

Completion of the seven core subjects and one capstone subject allows students to exit with the Graduate Diploma of Business Administration (64 points).

Specialisations / Restricted Electives:

Students may choose to complete one of the designated Specialisations or select a combination of subjects totalling 32 credit points in value from the Restricted Electives and / or Specialisations within the MBA program.

Students who complete one of the designated Specialisations will graduate with the Specialisation name on their testamur.

Specialisations

Accounting & Finance

Four subjects from:

ACG512 Data Analysis for Financial Decision-Making

ACG513 Contemporary Cost Accounting for Management Decision-Making

FIN516 Corporate Finance

FIN530 Financial Markets and Instrument

JST546 Fraud and Financial Crime

LAW504 Business and Corporations Law

Data & Strategic Planning

Four subjects from:

MGM513 Business Data Analytics and Storytelling

INF461 Introduction to Data Mgmt, Governance, Standards & Ethics

ITC575 Foundations of Big Data Analytics

MGT553 Project Management OR ITC505 ICT Project Management

MGT580 Forecasting and Risk Assessment

MKT563 Big Data and Marketing Analytics

Human Resource Management (AHRI accredited)

Four subjects from:

HRM502 Human Resource Management*

HRM528 Strategic Human Resource Management*

HRM550 Evaluating Human Resources*

HRM552 Organisational Behaviour

HRM560 HR Development

LAW515 Law of Employment*

*Required for AHRI accreditation

Leading People

Complete 32 points from:

MGM501 Theory to Practice of Leadership (8 pts)

MGT549 Toxic Leadership (8 pts)

HRM552 Organisational Behaviour (8 pts)

HRM531 Organisational Politics (8 pts)

MGM509 Implementing Change (8 pts)

HRM545 Skills of Conflict Resolution (8 pts)

Students may wish to select the equivalent of 8 points from the following micro subjects:

MGM502 Leading Change (2 pts)

MGM503 Motivating and Influencing People (2 pts)

MGM506 Strategic People Management (2 pts)

MGM511 Transformational Leadership (2 pts)

PSY549 Building Personal Resilience (2 pts)

Marketing

Complete 32 points from:

MKT563 Big Data and Marketing Analytics (8 pts)

MKT525 Digital and Social Media Marketing (8 pts)

MKT510 How and Why: Consumers and their Behaviour (8 pts)

MKT587 A Deeper Dive into Marketing Practice (8 pts)

MKT586 Agile Thinking for Marketers in a Disrupted World (8 pts)

Students may wish to select the equivalent of 8 points from the following micro subjects:

CCI503 Social Media Strategy (2 pts)

CCI550 Media Production for Community Engagement (2 pts)

CCI551 Networking and Building Partnerships (2 pts)

CCI552 Developing Media Relationships (2 pts)

CCI553 External Communication Strategies (2 pts)

CCI554 Strategic Event Management (2 pts)

Organisational Transformation

Complete 32 points from:

MGM509 Implementing Change (8 pts)

MGM512 Transforming Services and Operations (8 pts)

MGT584 Leadership in Teams (8 pts)

MGT553 Project Management OR ITC505 ICT Project Management (8 pts)

MGT583 Managing for Sustainability (8 pts)

Students may wish to select the equivalent of 8 points from the following micro subjects:

CCI507 Data Driven Storytelling (2 pts)

CCI553 External Communication Strategies (2 pts)

MGM502 Leading Change (2 pts)

MGM504 Designing, Implementing and Evaluating Projects (4 pts)

MGM506 Strategic People Management (2 pts)

MGM511 Transformational Leadership (2 pts)

Research Stream (not a specialisation)

Students who are interested in pursuing Doctoral-level studies on completion of their MBA are recommended to select the following subjects as restricted electives/electives:

MGT598 Strategic Business Research (from the Capstone)

MGM513 Business Data Analytics and Storytelling

EMG506 Literature Review (16 points, delivered over 2 sessions)

Restricted Electives:

The remaining 32 points can be selected from the subjects contained within the Specialisations above or from the list below. All subjects are 8 credit points unless otherwise specified.

ACG508 Accounting Standards, Application and Disclosures

ACG509 Global Perspectives of Accounting

ACG510 Ethical Auditing and Assurance

ACG511 Interpreting and Communicating Accounting

ACG512 Data Analysis for Financial Decision-making

ACG514 Ethics, Governance and Developments in Accounting Thought

AHT404 Climate Change Impacts, Mitigation & Adaptation

COM538 Communication in Organisations (16)

COM539 Issues, Crisis and Reputation (16)

COM540 Corporate Culture, Stakeholder and Change Communication (16)

EEL500 Mentoring, Leadership and Change

EMG506 Literature Review (16)

EMT503 Leadership in Learning and Teaching with ICT

ENM422 Environmental Assessment & Auditing

ENM443 Resilience Thinking & Ecologically Sustainable Development

ESA501 Mapping the Field of Educational Leadership

ESA502 Educational Leadership in Contemporary Organisations

ESA503 Leading Educational Change

ESA504 Education Policy Analysis

ESA513 Leading Learning

FIN531 Investment Analysis

FIN563 Estate Planning

FIN564 Superannuation and Retirement Planning

HRM512 Values and Conflict in Organisations

HRM514 Cross Cultural and International HRM

HRM534 Contemporary Issues in HRM

HRM540 Theory of Conflict Resolution

HRM563 Developing Workforce Capabilities

INF463 Introduction to Data Tools and Analytics

INR501 Industrial Relations in Context

INR502 Contemporary Relations in Industrial Relations

INR503 Industrial Relations in Practice

INR517 Legal Frameworks of Employment Relations

ITC540 Telecommunications Management PG

ITC560 Internet of Things

ITC561 Cloud Computing

ITC563 IT Management Issues

ITC568 Cloud Security and Privacy

ITC578 Dark Web

ITC593 Network Security and Cryptography

ITC595 Information Security

ITC596 IT Risk Management

ITE518 Agile Project Management

JST412 Financial Crime Control and Risk Management

JST462 Corporate Governance

JST542 Criminology of Financial Crime

LAW516 Dispute Resolution: Methods and Results

LAW517 Mediation: Processes and Uses

LAW519 Negotiation Skills

LAW533 Taxation Principles and Application

LAW540 Australian Law and Legal System

LAW545 Taxation Strategies

MGI511 Project Management Fundamentals

MGI512 The Project Lifecycle

MGI530 Foundations of Business Analysis

MGI531 Project Recovery

MGT552 Leadership and Social Impact

MGT559 Contemporary Issues in Leadership

MGT568 Difference and Leadership

MGT569 The Leadership Challenge

MGT579 Power and Leadership

PHL401 Critical Reasoning

PKM562 Environmental Policy

PSC420 Water Policy and Management

CSU STUDY CENTRES IN SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE

ON CAMPUS

International students enrolled in the Master of Business Administration as full time on campus students in Australia, undertake their program at one of the Charles Sturt Study Centre locations in Sydney or Melbourne. Students follow the same course structure as listed above. Students should note that the capstone unit MGT547 Ethics of Corporate Governance may not be offered every year. Specialisations offered at Study Centre are limited to the following options:

Accounting & Finance

Four subjects from:

ACG512 Data Analysis for Financial Decision-Making

ACG513 Contemporary Cost Accounting for Management Decision-Making

FIN516 Corporate Finance

FIN530 Financial Markets and Instrument

LAW504 Business and Corporations Law

Data & Strategic Planning

Four subjects from:

MGM513 Business Data Analytics and Storytelling

ITC575 Foundations of Big Data Analytics

MGT553 Project Management or ITC505 ICT Project Management

MGT580 Forecasting and Risk Assessment

MKT563 Big Data and Marketing Analytics

Human Resource Management

Four subjects from:

HRM502 Human Resource Management

HRM528 Strategic Human Resource Management

HRM550 Evaluating Human Resources

HRM552 Organisational Behaviour

HRM560 HR Development

Marketing

Four subjects from:

MKT563 Big Data and Marketing Analytics

MKT525 Digital and Social Media Marketing

MKT510 How and Why: Consumers and their Behaviour

MKT587 A Deeper Dive into Marketing Practice

MKT586 Agile Thinking for Marketers in a Disrupted World

Organisational Transformation

MGM512 Transforming Services and Operations

MGT584 Leadership in Teams

MGT553 Project Management OR ITC505 ICT Project Management

MGT583 Managing for Sustainability

Note - Not all subjects will be available every year. Study Centre students may be eligible to complete other specialisations or other restricted elective subjects listed in the twelve subject MBA via a combination of on-campus and online study.

Restricted Electives:

The remaining four subjects can be selected from the subjects contained within the Specialisations above or from the list below. All subjects are 8 credit points unless otherwise specified.

ACG508 Accounting Standards, Application and Disclosures

ACG509 Global Perspectives of Accounting

ACG510 Ethical Auditing and Assurance

ACG511 Interpreting and Communicating Accounting

ACG512 Data Analysis for Financial Decision-making

ACG514 Ethics, Governance and Developments in Accounting Thought

HRM514 Cross Cultural and International HRM

ITC540 Telecommunications Management PG

ITC560 Internet of Things

ITC561 Cloud Computing

ITC563 IT Management Issues

ITC563 Cloud Security and Privacy

ITC566 Database Systems

ITC578 Dark Web

ITC593 Network Security and Cryptography

ITC595 Information Security

ITC596 IT Risk Management

LAW533 Taxation Principles and Application

MGM507 Project and Stakeholder Communication

MGM508 Agile Project Management and Recovery

Award requirements

As a Charles Sturt University student, throughout your course you have a responsibility to continue to develop skills in English language, literacy and numeracy as appropriate to your discipline. This ongoing development will enable you to effectively participate in your course and graduate prepared to enter the workforce.

Master of Business Administration (with specialisations)

To graduate students must satisfactorily complete 96 points.

Develop applied knowledge

Our Master of Business Administration (MBA) is grounded in the real world. Practical assessments and projects align with the business needs of industry today – including your workplace. Past examples include the development of a COVID-19 risk management plan for an aged care facility and a change and project management plan for the integration of new technology into a large scare not-for-profit.

Build your professional network

Throughout the course, you’ll engage with your fellow students to share your knowledge, create professional contacts and collaborate on projects – and develop one of the most essential skills for leaders in the 21st century: collaborating across sectors.

Work with industry experts

You’ll join a community of researchers, academics and students making things happen across the business world and in communities. For example, you’ll learn about Charles Sturt research in workplace wellbeing; human resource management; consumer behaviour in the service sector and NFP environments; the integration of technology into supply chains, as well as water and commodity pricing – and a range of other initiatives.

Choose from one of six specialisations: Accounting and Finance, Data and Strategic Planning, Human Resource Management, Leading People, Marketing, or Organisational Transformation.