| Â Â COURSE SUMMARY | |
| Â Â Qualification / Award | BU51 Master of Business (Research) |
| Â Â Course Duration | 2 years full-time |
| Â Â Credit Points | 96 credit points (8 units + a master thesis) |
| Â Â Delivery | On Campus |
| Â Â Available to | Domestic (FEE-HELP available)/International |
| Â Â IELTS | 6.5 with no band less than 6.0 |
| Â Â CRICOS Code | 091315E |
| Â Â Financial Information | Course Fees Page |
| Â Â AQF | Level 9 |
| Â Â Key Dates | Application Deadlines and other Key Course Dates |
This is an advanced coursework and research program in organisational leadership. Coursework will consist of one year of study in leadership/management as well as research preparation; followed by a year to complete a research thesis. The course offers progression to the PhD program.
Reasons to choose this program:
- Builds your research abilities
- Leadership development â you will create your own leadership development plan to build on your skills
- Leadership portfolio â that you can share with current and prospective employers showcasing your skills and projects
- Pathway to doctorate studies
Course Units
The course structure is based on four semesters (each of 12 weeks duration), with four subjects/units representing a full-time study load in the first two semesters, followed by the one-year masters thesis. The course comprises:
4 compulsory Discipline units (24 credit points);
1 compulsory Ethics unit (6 credit points);
3 compulsory Research Methods units (18 credit points);
and 1 compulsory Thesis unit (48 credit points).
English Language Proficiency
Applicants who have not completed an educational qualification in English will be required to demonstrate English proficiency as per the table below:
|  Examination | Minimum Score |
| Â Â IELTS | 6.5 with no band less than 6.0 |
| Â TOEFL iBT (Internet-based) | 79* with no score less than 60 |
| Â PTE Academic | 58 with no score less than 50 |
Applicants with Higher Education
Educational Prerequisites
- Master degree (AQF Level 9) from an Australian higher education institution; or Bachelor (Honors); or
- A qualification recognised as equivalent by the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR); or
- Other qualifications and experience as may, on application by the student, be deemed equivalent to (a) by the Academic Board of the Institute.
A studentâs entry qualification need not include studies in business, management or related fields, but studies in these fields would be an advantage.
CREDIT AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING (RPL)
If the applicant is successful they will be issued an offer letter and a written agreement. Students will need to respond to the offer within 6 weeks. This is done online and a confirmation will be emailed back to the applicant. At this point, applicants are welcome to apply for Credit or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). If you are eligible for credit or RPL, you may be exempt from completing some units and you may be able to finish your degree in a shorter amount of time.
Please refer to the Credit and Recognition of Prior Learning Policy reference.
Download the Student Selection and Admissions Policy and Procedure.
Graduates will be well-equipped to pursue further academic study in organisational leadership or a related area should they desire to pursue an academic career. Graduates will also be equipped to seek employment in leadership and management roles in government and non-government organisations and corporations. Other potential career options, depending on the research focus of the student, include those in consulting, finance, policy analysis, market research, data analytics, technology transfer, and technical and professional writing.
FIRST SEMESTER
Organisational behaviour is the study of how people as individuals and in aggregate determine the character, dynamic and effectiveness of an organisation. This unit is designed to provide students with an in-depth introduction to the broad range of theory, research, and practise in organisational behaviour. The unit aims not only to provide a better understanding of how individuals, teams, and organisations function, but to elucidate the role of leaders in organisations, the role that individual personality and motivation play in organisational structure, and how group and team dynamics shape organisational goal outcomes and individual performance.
The aim of this unit is not to provide a definition of leadership, but to discuss key aspects of the concept and their implications, in particular, the idea of a âleaderâ as a role, or a person with particular qualities, or as a process; or, as is considered at length in this unit, a fluid combination of all these elements, the precise combination of which at any time and in any one situation will vary according to a host of factors, not the least of which is how people view themselves as âleadersâ and/ or âfollowers.â Central to this unit is the view that in understanding how leadership is conceptualised and has been enacted, what âworksâ and what doesnât, we can better understand our own leadership behaviour and that of others. As well as addressing the history and theories of leadership, the unit discusses the core themes and debates at the centre of contemporary leadership research. In seeking to understand a biblical approach to leadership, the unit analyses the difference between leadership and management, and how leaders are defined by, and define, organisational culture and stakeholder expectations. Particular attention is paid to the concept of âmindfulnessâ in leadership, of awareness of context, an ability to reflect on the perspectives of self and others, and of the importance of learning from action as well as action learning.
Theories of organisational learning address the processes which lead to (or prevent) changes in organisational knowledge, as well as the effects of learning and knowledge on behaviours and organisational outcomes. Organisations are shaped by complex learning processes which combine current experiences with lessons learned in the past. From an organisational change perspective, organisational learning is an organisation-wide continuous set of processes events that enhances the collective ability to perceive, comprehend, and respond to internal and external events. The strategic link between organisational learning theory and organisational change is that, in order to be competitive in a changing environment, organisations must adapt to survive and prosper, and that adaptive change is a consequence of organisational learning.
The focus of this unit is primarily on organisational change â incremental and modular change (organisation development) and fundamental organisation-wide strategic change (transformation) â and change agency, in particular, change leadership.
In the spirit of the Parable of the Talents, stewardship is not about risk avoidance, but how best to maintain and, where possible, add value to that with which one is entrusted. In a business context, this view is captured by two notions, corporate âsocial responsibilityâ and âgovernanceâ. âStewardshipâ has a wide range of meanings that are very much context -dependent. However, no matter what the context, all notions of stewardship reflect John Wesleyâs view of âthe good stewardâ as one who exercises responsible and dutiful management of something entrusted to oneâs care, whether it is a company or the state of the world, with a view to maintaining and/or enhancing its value for future stakeholders, be they shareholders or generations yet to be born. In a corporate context, stewardship is the process through which directors, managers, shareholders and/or others seek to influence organisations in the direction of long-term, sustainable performance that derives from contributing to human, environmental and social well-being. âCorporate social responsibilityâ is in some ways the secular articulation of the âoutward-lookingâ perspective of stewardship. âGovernanceâ refers to the procedures and practices associated with decision-making, performance and control, which provide structures and satisfy expectations of accountability and compliance in organisations. It is, so to speak, the âinward-lookingâ perspective of stewardship. While mindful of the external legal, socio-political and ecological environment in which an organisation operates, the perspective taken in this unit is that an organisationâs governance function is essentially introspective and focused on the proper management of the organisation in the pursuit of shareholder value and/or stakeholder interests. In other words, governance is as much a matter of risk minimisation as it is a process for ensuring probity. The unit discusses governance and corporate social responsibility through the lens of stewardship, understood as a willingness to be held accountable for the well-being and enhancement of the interests of others.
SECOND SEMESTER
Foundation skills for Academic Research:
This unit is designed to help students to conduct effective research and analysis in real workplace situations, and to apply key concepts of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to research and assessments in other units. Students will learn how to define and scope problems so that they may be investigated in a methodical and valid fashion, and, in particular, how to prepare research proposals, conduct literature reviews, and select, and justify, relevant research methodologies.
In keeping with a business context, all quantitative and graphical problems are presented in MS Excel format, and students are not required to use dedicated statistical tools other than those used in normal business practice. The assessments for this unit are all linked to the central concept of the development and preparation of a research proposal relevant to a business setting.
This unit addresses methodological and data collection issues related to the research proposal developed in the unit Business Research Proposal and Literature Review. In particular, it concentrates on the details of how the proposed research is to be undertaken. Students will develop the workflow of the proposed research, frame research questions, identify objectives and hypotheses, which techniques and tools will be used for data collection, and how data will be interpreted, analysed and presented.
The first part of the unit will concentrate on finalising methodological issues. As soon as the student and his or her supervision committee agree that the research methodology has been finalised, and all relevant institutional and ethics clearances have been approved, the student will commence data collection.
This unit takes as its starting point the introduction to research proposal development given in Business Research Methods. Students are required to develop a research proposal and related critical literature review for supervised research that will be undertaken in future units.
In consultation with an appointed supervisor, students will select a research project that is achievable in terms of available time, resources, access to relevant sources and appropriate internal and/or external supervision. The proposed research must be relevant to studies undertaken by the student in the course in which this unit is being taken.
48 credit points
| Â Applicant background |
2019 Semester 2 | |
| Number of Students | Â Percentage of all students | |
| Â (A)Â Past higher education study (includes a bridging or enabling course) |
1 | 1% |
| Â (B)Â Past vocational education and training (VET) study | 0 | 0% |
| Â (C)Â Work and life experience (Admitted on the basis of previous achievement not in the other three categories) |
0 | 0% |
 (D) Recent secondary education:
|
0 | 0% |
|
0 | 0% |
|
0 | 0% |
| Â Â International students | 368 | 99% |
| Â Â All students | 369 | 100% |
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