Australian Education Minister Christopher Pyne has today officially launched the Australian Institute of Management’s new online MBA in Adelaide.
The new $40,000 online MBA is designed to deliver a real return on investment, allowing managers to start and complete their study flexibly, with options including starting at any point during the year, a “just-in-time” delivery as they develop in their working roles, or in as little as 12 months.
AIM CEO Daniel Musson FAIM says he expected the Government’s proposed university deregulation will cause students to take a much closer look at the return on investment of any courses they undertake.
“Deregulation will sharpen the need for the higher education sector to adapt their mindset to put students at the centre – like other industries have with their customers,” Mr Musson said.
“The traditional MBA model has relied heavily on an institution’s brand and research reputation to convey value to customers,” said Mr Musson, “But there has to be a much clearer link between education and professional outcomes. This is why AIM has designed a new online MBA to offer people already in the workplace a flexible course model which is grounded in on-the-job course work.”
The AIM Online MBA focuses on a practical application of knowledge and peer collaboration and is delivered in a student-centred way with flexible start dates, tailored learning programs and online interactions. It has been carefully crafted to ensure the ROI of each component is clear.
“AIM’s Online MBA is designed with the needs of both students and their employers in mind, which we believe will give it a considerable advantage in the market,” says Mr Musson.
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Education Minister Christopher Pyne said it was a great pleasure to launch AIM’s MBA program.
“AIM has more than 70 years’ experience developing, supporting and promoting the profession of management and leadership across Australia. A community of over 13 500 professionals is a very impressive membership base,” he said.
“AIM is obviously well aware of the need to move forward and to reinvent itself and its courses in an increasingly competitive global environment, demonstrated by the $1 million investment in the new programme I am launching today.
It is also pleasing to learn that the institute has recently been granted approval for VET FEE HELP funding. This means AIM students studying VET courses will now have access to income-contingent loans.
He said AIM had taken the initiative to make the most of new technologies and adapted its traditional face-to-face MBA programme to an online form.
“This will make the course accessible to many more potential students and increases AIM’s national and international competitiveness,” he said.
This flexibility is particularly important to AIM students where, for example, in 2013, 95 per cent of students enrolled in the South Australian Division courses were part time and more than 90 per cent of students were over the age of 30.
He said AIM’s online MBA course was a prime example of an Australian higher education institution being innovative, flexible and grasping their destiny.
“I have no doubt your insight and investment will reap rewards for your institution and will further increase the number of students studying an MBA at a time when Australia’s need for quality managers and business leaders is growing.
Details about AIM’s Online MBA can be found at www.aim.com.au/mba.
