When is the best time to start an MBA

At Griffith, we understand that studying as a busy professional can be challenging. Our MBA is designed for students with work and life experience, yet it is exactly these qualities that can make it difficult to study.

However, with many of our graduates reporting benefits including higher salaries, job promotions and greater professional and personal satisfaction, it’s no surprise students often wish they’d started sooner.

The Griffith MBA is flexible and designed to meet your needs. Let us help you to overcome your objections and find a learning approach that suits your lifestyle.

I’m too busy to study …

Students have three options for intake in our ‘standard’ program, while our online accelerated option offers courses beginning every two months.

Between work, family, fitness, friends and more, many of us wonder how we could possibly fit in another commitment. But the Griffith MBA offers multiple options for part-time study, and typically around 80% of our students enrol part time.

Students can select anything from one to four subjects (four subjects = a full-time load), studying either online, on campus or through a combination of both, and students have the flexibility to customise their study schedules.

We also offer an online accelerated program, teaching one course at a time, with short breaks between each.

Check out our tips on making study work for you and take a look at the Griffith online study planner.

I’ve got a young family …

Some of our students choose to upskill while they are taking time out of the workforce to raise a young family. This is an amazing achievement, and, at Griffith, we strive to support our many diverse – and evolving – student requirements.

In addition to different modes of delivery, we also offer multiple intakes into our MBA program. So, if you miss the first semester, you don’t have to wait until the following year – or even halfway through– to get started. Students have three options for intake in our ‘standard’ program, while our online accelerated option offers courses beginning every two months. And with study able to be undertaken fully online – and, in many cases, at times that suit you – new parents can structure their study around their family commitments.

I can’t afford to study …

Study is an investment, there’s no doubt about it. But it’s an investment in your future and the numbers suggest it pays off. According to the annual QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey, professionals with a postgraduate degree earned an average $23,000 per annum more than those with an undergraduate qualification*.

Our Griffith MBA students are also invited to apply for a range of scholarships; search for options here. Domestic students may also be eligible to access the Australian Government’s Higher Education Loan Program to defer full or partial payment of their studies; see fee information for our standard or online accelerated programs.

I’ve never studied before …

If you’ve never studied before, that’s ok, you won’t be alone. Around a third of Griffith’s postgraduate students have no undergraduate degree. We also value your work and life lessons, and we have created alternative pathways for entry into the Griffith MBA program.

Students with relevant professional experience may be able to enrol in our four-subject Graduate Certificate in Business Administration, from which they may choose to progress to the MBA program. Should you continue onto an MBA, it won’t take any longer to complete, as your graduate certificate subjects will all count towards the MBA program.

I haven’t studied in years …

Chances are, if it has been a couple of years (or decades!) since you last studied, you have gained richly in work and life experience in the interim. Our MBA program doesn’t just ‘accept’ enrolments from people of diverse ages and backgrounds, it encourages them. Our courses are tailored to make the most of what you have to offer.

We prioritise creating a strong cohort, where participants are able to learn from and inspire each other. Around 40% of our Griffith MBA students are aged between 40 and 60 years old.

You’ll also find we’ve changed the traditional assessment model. Griffith MBA students don’t sit exams or produce purely theoretical frameworks with no relevance to their working lives. Instead, you will undertake authentic assessment that reflects real-life scenarios.

I’m not sure I have enough experience …

On the other hand, maybe you’re earlier in your career and wondering if you’re ready to start an MBA. While we are quite strict with our admission criteria to optimise the peer-to-peer learning experience, we recommend interested students contact our dedicated MBA advisors, as sometimes our programs may be more accessible than you think.

We’ve developed some easy rules of thumb to help you decide. For entry into our MBA with an undergraduate degree, we apply a 3:2:1 guide. This means you need a minimum of three years of full-time work experience in your industry, two years of relevant work experience in your field of expertise, and at least one year of proven leadership of people or projects.

If you don’t have a degree and you’re interested in the MBA, you can enter via our Graduate Certificate in Business Administration. For entry without a degree, we apply a 6:4:2 guide. So that’s six years’ full-time work experience in your industry, four years’ relevant experience in your field of expertise and two years’ proven leadership of people or projects.

Always check your program’s application page for the most up-to-date admission criteria.

Will an MBA really make a difference?

A Griffith MBA makes a difference straight away! With our authentic assessment that enables students to complete assignments based upon real-life work scenarios, and practical courses that teach essential business skills such as marketing, strategy, finance, economics, leadership and more, our students can begin putting their study into practice from day one.

Our graduates go on to achieve amazing personal and professional success, and we’re immensely proud to play our part in supporting their career growth and transformation. Download an MBA brochure and start imagining your impact today.

When is the best time to start a Griffith MBA? It might be today.

*Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT), 2022 Graduate Outcomes Survey