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The AIB MBA
Designed for busy working professionals, this fully online MBA course is highly flexible and delivered with interactive, bite-sized content and personalised student support.
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Course overview
Excel your career as a leader in the finance sector, as a financial specialist in your field or a corporate decision-maker in your organisation with the AIB MBA (Finance).
Whether you already have a degree in finance or are looking to the AIB MBA (Finance) as your first credential in the field, the specialised MBA will boost your career in all general and specialist areas of finance, including banking, investment, accounting and superannuation.
Covering more than just the numbers, this specialised MBA will guide you through the universally-used theoretical frameworks and data-driven techniques relevant to modern private sector companies, the public sector, and not-for-profit organisations.
With each finance topic mastered, you’ll find yourself more empowered than ever before to make smart financial decisions that can drive the success of your team, department and organisation – now and well into the future.
As well as mastering corporate finance, investments, markets and institutions, you’ll deepen your understanding of the close relationship finance has with all other business areas. This includes integrated learning across marketing, human resources management, corporate governance, operations and project management – an essential toolkit for building your influence as a leader, executive or business owner.
Graduate with one of the most well-respected qualifications globally – the MBA – and the specialist expertise to excel in your finance career.
Why do an MBA?
No matter what sector you’re in, innovation and technology have created a world that is rapidly changing. It has become increasingly challenging to have the most up-to-date knowledge and experience to stay ahead of the competition.
A Master of Business Administration degree is a highly-regarded postgraduate qualification that teaches foundational business and leadership skills, as well as specialist knowledge, providing you with a pathway to career success.
Why should I study the AIB MBA?
The AIB MBA is a practical MBA for working adults. With no exams, you’ll instead learn from the practical application of theory to real life business problems often based on your organisation or business. An approach designed for immediate career impact.
Both our MBA and the MBA (Human Resources Management) awards have been accredited by the Australian HR Institute, highlighting their quality and industry alignment. Through these programs, you’ll gain the skills to understand and apply advanced business theories, think critically, solve complex problems, lead with confidence, and make strategic decisions that drive success for your team and organisation.
Our MBA opens many doors with both current and prospective employers giving you more opportunities for career progression, higher salaries, starting your own business and more.
There’s no limit to what you can do with an MBA from AIB.
*AIB’s standard study load is 1 subject per term with 6 terms per calendar year. To complete the MBA in 12 months, eligibility criteria apply.
| Delivery | Online |
| Number of Subjects | 9 core subjects and 3 elective subjects |
| Duration | 12 months accelerated or 2 years standard study load* |
| Start Dates | 12 intakes a year |
| Stages | 3 stages with 2 exit points |
| Entry Requirements | Prior degree or prior experience |
The AIB MBA with flexible entry and exit options
The AIB MBA can be broken into 3 stages: a Graduate Certificate in Management (GCM), a Graduate Diploma in Management (GDM) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA), offering flexible entry and exit points.
One of our Course Advisors can provide more information and discuss your individual circumstances
The subjects you’ll study
There are 8 core subjects you’ll undertake prior to moving on to your electives, allowing you to tailor your experience to suit your personal, career and business goals. You’ll conclude your MBA with Project, the capstone subject.
Core Subjects
Specialisation Subjects
Project*
Complete the 8 core subjects listed below. Additionally, you’re required to select 3 electives from the electives tab and complete the capstone Project.
Leadership (first subject)
The subject provides a scholarly and in-depth knowledge of the dynamics of leadership and how it applies to contemporary leadership practice.
On completion of this subject participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced understanding of leadership theories, concepts, and practice, including both traditional and contemporary forms of leadership.
- Critically evaluate various modes of leadership with consideration of ethical and socially responsible practice.
- Effectively communicate and apply relevant leadership principles to address diverse needs of various stakeholders.
- Develop a critically reflective leadership model for your own development.
Strategic Management (second subject)
This subject provides comprehensive knowledge of the strategic management process and gives exposure to the concepts and frameworks that are used in understanding a company’s competitive position in domestic and international markets, and the development of new strategies.
On completion of this subject participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of contemporary strategic management theory, concepts and principles.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how strategy formulation and strategy implementation processes work in contemporary organisations
- Conduct an analysis of the internal and external environment of the selected organisational context, using appropriate strategic management theories, frameworks and principles to inform future direction.
- Critically evaluate and recommend different strategic alternatives and suggest an appropriate and ethical pathway for an organisation to build and sustain competitive advantage.
Marketing Management
This subject discusses the importance and strategic role of marketing in today’s globalised and digital business environment. Students learn practical skills that impact on business growth, like how to analyse the market context in which a business or enterprise is operating, segment the market, select an appropriate target market, and recommend strategic and tactical plans that co-create value for the selected target market
On completion of this subject participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding of contemporary marketing theory and practice.
- Evaluate marketing concepts and organisational issues to make evidence-based decisions on creating value for customers.
- Apply innovative marketing approaches, techniques, and ethical perspectives to recommend an evidence-based solution to the problem of capturing value from customers.
- Communicate marketing knowledge, skills, and ideas to others in writing clearly, persuasively, and credibly.
Operations Management
This subject provides an in-depth knowledge of issues critical for the efficient and effective management of operations in service, public, manufacturing, not-for-profit, and other sectors. The subject covers operations management principles, frameworks, and contemporary topics.
On completion of this subject participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced understanding of operations management principles, frameworks, and contemporary topics.
- Critically analyse and evaluate operations management issues.
- Clearly, concisely, and credibly communicate operations management knowledge to others.
- Apply relevant principles and frameworks to develop innovative and evidence-based solutions for complex operations management issues.
Financial Management
This subject prepares students for effective financial management in organisations. At a foundational level, the subject introduces how a manager can interpret financial statements, identify trends and utilise financial tools and techniques to improve decision making, alongside non-financial considerations including ethics.
On completion of this subject participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of core contemporary financial management theory, techniques and practice.
- Critically evaluate and effectively communicate recommendations to address financial management issues.
- Apply financial management theory and techniques to professional practice in an ethical manner.
Strategic Human Resource Management
This subject will prepare students for the continuously evolving nature of work in uncertain times and the challenges and opportunities that this presents for organisations in meeting the strategic needs of a diverse workforce.
On completion of this subject participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced understanding of strategic human resource management theory and its application in practice.
- Critically evaluate and recommend improvements to existing human resource management strategies.
- Identify and evaluate different perspectives and contemporary trends, and their impact on strategic HRM.
- Design and effectively communicate an evidence based human resource management initiative with consideration to ethical concerns.
Corporate Governance*
This subject examines the development, concepts, and significance of the concepts and practice of Corporate Governance, and organisational governance within the context of organisational capacity building.
Pre-requisites: Three AQF Level 8 subjects must be completed before attempting Corporate Governance
On completion of this subject participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced understanding of contemporary corporate governance theories, principles and regulatory frameworks.
- Use corporate governance theories and frameworks to interpret the key corporate governance responsibility, structure and function in practice.
- Critically evaluate corporate governance structure and practices with consideration of needs of various stakeholders, corporate ethics and social responsibility.
- Effectively apply and communicate relevant theories and frameworks to ensure sound and ethical corporate governance decisions in practice.
Project Management*
This subject develops the critical skills, capabilities and knowledge required to successfully manage projects across all stages of the project life cycle, applicable to all industries: service, public, not-for-profit, private, and other sectors.
On completion of this subject participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced understanding of project management principles, frameworks, and critical awareness of contemporary approaches needed for managing and leading projects.
- Critically evaluate, analyse, reflect on, and synthesise information to address complex project management issues in specific contexts.
- Research, adapt and apply relevant principles and frameworks to develop innovative, ethical, and evidence-based solutions to improving the management of projects.
- Clearly, concisely and credibly communicate project management knowledge to specialist and non-specialist audiences to inform practice.
Corporate Finance*
The objective of the subject is to provide an integrated framework and analytical tools that are used by the firm managers to make financial decisions that improve firm value.
Pre-requisites: Financial Management
On completion of this subject participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced understanding of contemporary corporate finance theory, analytical frameworks and practice.
- Critically analyse and effectively communicate complex corporate finance issues and recommend improvements to inform professional practice.
- Plan and prepare a substantial evidence based corporate finance report in an ethical manner.
Financial Markets and Institutions*
This subject presents a detailed overview of the features of modern financial and monetary systems, and enables an in-depth understanding of complex institutions, markets, and securities that are part of them.
Pre-requisites: Financial Management
On completion of this subject participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced understanding of contemporary financial markets and institutions theory, analytical frameworks and practice.
- Critically analyse and effectively communicate improvements relating to financial markets and institutions issues.
- Plan and present a substantial evidence-based financial markets and institutions report in an ethical manner.
Investment Management*
The objective of the subject is to provide comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge on investment management. The subject covers major theoretical concepts, namely, modern portfolio theory, diversification, and equilibrium models of security prices. The subject also includes macroeconomic and industry analysis, pricing of main financial derivatives, and evaluation of portfolio performance.
Pre-requisite: Financial Management
On completion of this subject participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced understanding of contemporary investment management theory, analytical frameworks and practice.
- Critically analyse and effectively communicate complex concepts, investment management issues and recommend improvements to inform professional practice.
- Plan and undertake a substantial evidence-based report in an ethical manner.
The objective of this capstone subject is to undertake a project related to the chosen area of professional focus. Students will identify an appropriate workplace or industry related research problem or opportunity, conduct a concise review of theories and frameworks, engage in identifying secondary data, analyse the data and present findings in a formal business research report.
Pre-requisite: A minimum of 10 MBA subjects (all AQF level 8 subjects and at least 4 AQF level 9 subjects) must be completed before attempting the Project.
On completion of this subject participants should be able to:
- Critically examine contemporary business theory and practices related to an identified enterprise (or industry) problem or opportunity.
- Demonstrate ability to apply innovative approaches, techniques, ethical perspectives, and the use of secondary data, to an identified enterprise (or industry) problem or opportunity.
- Critically evaluate business (or industry) concepts and synthesise existing research, theory, and secondary data to advise business stakeholders on business solutions.
- Communicate evidenced-based recommendations to stakeholders clearly, persuasively, and credibly.
*When scheduling your timetable, please note that some subjects have pre-requisites that must be successfully completed prior to commencing the subject.
In addition to an MBA in Finance, the following specialisations are offered by AIB: Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Entrepreneurial Management, Human Resource Management and Marketing Management.
Prefer not to specialise your MBA degree? That’s ok – our general MBA option allows you to mix & match elective courses to tailor your study program.
Multiple start dates
With the flexibility and convenience of 12 start dates every year you can start your MBA when it suits you.
Upcoming start dates
Study at your own pace
At AIB, students have the flexibility to study at the pace that suits them. Unlike other institutions, we offer many intakes throughout the year, plus the ability to speed up your studies with concurrent subjects, subject to meeting our eligibility criteria or slow it down to make it achievable for you, and schedule breaks in as well when you need them. The AIB MBA is truly flexible to your schedule.
There are 12 MBA terms per year at AIB, with each term running for 7 weeks followed by a 1-week break. Students typically spend around 150 hours per subject (or about 20 hours per week) to complete their MBA, but this varies, depending on your personal level of experience and education.
Learn more: MBA Hours Per Week Study Calculator
Want to know more about the AIB MBA?
Assessments
The assessments in our MBA include written assignments and reports, recorded presentations, case study analyses and online quizzes. As a practically-focused business school, all of AIB’s assessments are practical in nature, and we have a strong focus on authentic assessment methods.
This means that you can base your MBA assessments on your workplace, industry or a professional scenario you’ve been in, so that your MBA learning has real world context and application. In many cases, students are able to use their assessment research and reports to start enacting change in their workplace while studying.
MBA entry requirements
You don’t need a degree to qualify for an MBA- your experience counts!
Applicants must have ONE of the following:
Minimum 5 years experience
A minimum of five years of relevant work experience, which includes at least three of years management experience, or significant technical experience.
An advanced diploma
An advanced diploma or associate degree (AQF Level 6) or learning equivalent to an AQF Level 6 qualification and at least three years of relevant work experience.
A bachelor’s degree
A bachelor’s degree (AQF Level 7) and at least two years of relevant work experience.
Minimum GMAT score of 550
Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) with a minimum score of 550 and at least three years of relevant work experience.
Alternatively, applicants may get direct entry into the MBA if they meet the appropriate MBA entry requirements.
In addition, students must have access to a computer that meets the following requirements.
AIB is not a CRICOS-registered provider and is unable to enrol Student Visa holders.
Studying an MBA (Finance) has definitely contributed to the value proposition I’m able to offer potential employers. Committing to study an MBA shows employers that you are a long-term thinker and you have the ability to utilise unique strategic, analytical and financial skills to help take the organisation forward.
