If today’s MBA doesn’t help you understand and respond more effectively to the uncertainty and complexity that is today, then what good is it? An MBA, you have noticed, is no longer exclusive. Gaining a MBA from a reputable university, however, is still hard work. And the reasons to enrol in an MBA program are becoming more varied just as the number of your friends and colleagues studying MBAs increases. Oddly enough that makes the qualification more and more attractive to employers. “That’s because MBA degrees are becoming increasingly relevant to more industry and globally-focussed organizations,” explained Professor Catherine Smith, Dean of Business & Law at Central Queensland University (CQU), an internationally awarded Australian higher education provider.

“To an employer today an MBA signifies that you’re flexible, you welcome change, you’re motivated, you have a real understanding of the way things work,” Professor Smith added.

The content of today’s MBA is changing.

“Students today, especially those in their early thirties and forties already have considerable management experience. They need to study while working (via part-time, distance learning programmes) and travelling across the Asia-Pacific. And they tell us they need a quality student experience with more and more emphasis on the value of that qualification,” said Smith.

Any quality MBA program should expose you to new and innovative management ideas and methodologies. It will provide you with management tools and techniques. And you will learn to communicate clearly and analyse problems, before developing solutions. Plus you come away with a better understanding of the basic functions of an organization. But which ones will provide you with those things they don’t normally teach at university? When you investigate an MBA – and you should investigate – look beyond all that’s usually offered and see if you’re likely to gain some team-working skills, or learn something about why your colleagues may lack motivation, or the problems stress can cause you and your staff. “I mean if an MBA today doesn’t help you understand and respond more effectively to the uncertainty and complexity that is today, then what good is it?” said Associate Professor Debbie Clayton, Dean, International Programs, CQU.

Central Queensland University MBA students are often surprised at the benefits offered by this pioneering higher-education provider, which delivers programs in Singapore, China, Fiji and across the Asia-Pacific through distance learning. It also has 12 campuses and learning centres in Australia.

“Our programs take into consideration the students’ own experiences, so immediately they see their own situations. That makes them more effective managers and employees. It’s very powerful,” added Dean Clayton.

The learning and study-habits of MBA students ensure that even after graduation, those with a postgraduate degree from an organization like Central Queensland University will outperform those without a similar qualification.

“As an overall appraisal, [CQU] meets up to my expectation. The lecturers were experienced and highly committed in their professionalism of work....This greatly enhanced our depth of understanding,” said Lim Ye Amos, CQU graduate and technical Specialist at Hewlett Packard, Singapore.

Good universities are constantly reviewing and updating their own MBA programs in consultation with professional bodies and industry organizations. Central Queensland University, for example, is planning to introduce a new Master of Management degree consisting of a seven-course specialisation, one core course and one elective, in 2005. While the university continues to offer a “traditional” MBA, it also intends to restructure its program with enhanced core courses and specialisations for more focussed MBAs. It also expects to offer extended Honours and Research degrees in business to more students. The number of Business research higher degree candidates enrolled increased by 57% from 2002 to 2003 Remember to research programs and courses carefully, and often. Look for flexible, reputable, quality degrees that meet your immediate and future plans. Like Debbie Clayton said, if MBAs don’t respond more effectively to the uncertainty and complexity that is today, then what good are they? Central Queensland University provides educational and research services to increasingly mobile, skilled and demanding customers throughout Australia and the Asia-Pacific. It is a young, energetic, welcoming university serving 21 000 students from 120 countries. CQU is rated among the best in the Australia for overall graduate satisfaction and teaching quality. Its graduates are employed at or above national levels and are among the highest paid university graduates in Australia. The University’s programs – designed to meet the needs of an international workforce – are modelled on teaching and learning excellence, flexibility and personal attention.