The results are in on the best MBA courses in Australia, as the Australian Financial Review recently released its BOSS magazine MBA rankings.
Taking the tops spot on the list was the University of Sydney Business School’s MBA, which was ranked as the nation’s number one program of its kind, followed by the University of Queensland Business School and Melbourne Business School.
In welcoming the ranking result, the Dean of the Business School Professor Greg Whitwell said that it had “served to reinforce the School’s preeminent position as a provider of leadership oriented executive education”.
“In 2013 we entered a crowded and highly competitive field with a program that focused on personal as well as professional development and we are proud of what we have been able to achieve,” Professor Whitwell said.
“We are a school that wants to make a positive difference and we have again shown that we are able to do so.”
In April, the schools that chose to participate received a detailed questionnaire asking them for data on a range of areas, including: entry requirements; the education level of enrolling students; the academic qualifications, business experience and research output of teaching staff; accreditations held by the school; and class sizes.
At the same time, MBA alumni were asked to participate in a multiple-choice questionnaire which asked detailed questions about their satisfaction with their course and the level of improvement they believed it had made to their business skills. It also asked them whether they felt their MBA was value for money.
Of the new students enrolling in Sydney Business School’s MBA program, 3.2% were international students and more than 45% were female, according to the AFR’s figures.
“We are particularly pleased with the way we have been able to address the MBA gender gap” Sydney Business School MBA Director Professor Guy Ford said.
“While most programs have a 30 to 35 per cent female participation rate, we have achieved a gender balance through our strong commitment to diversity of inclusion.”
The business school’s fees came in at $61.5K; the most expensive ranked MBA course was Melbourne Business School, which the AFR measured as $85.5K.
Sydney Business School’s ranking success comes in the wake of its decision to launch a full-time MBA program next year, which will focus on the skills to “lead in an increasingly complex and volatile world”.
“As with our current part-time program, next year’s full-time MBA will focus on developing skills around creativity, critical analysis and a systems approach to problem solving. We will also work to develop the personal and interpersonal skills needed to lead effectively,” Professor Whitwell said.
“We feel it is our responsibility to nurture future leaders who can thrive in a world subject to more change and uncertainty than ever before. A full-time MBA is an important vehicle for us to do so,” he said.
BOSS MBA Schools Rankings – 2017
The University of Sydney Business School
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #1 | 600 | 94 | 3.2% | 45.7% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 25 | 90.9% | 100% | 1973 | $61.5k |
UQ Business School, University of Queensland
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #2 | 624 | 130 | 8.5% | 27.7% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 30 | 81.5% | 70.4% | 1972 | $57.1k |
Melbourne Business School
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #3 | 540 | 249 | 24.5% | 36.1% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 52 | 94.7% | 63.2% | 1963 | $85.5k |
Griffith Business School, Griffith University
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #4 | 468 | 233 | 0.9% | 39.9% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 18 | 100% | 57.9% | 1992 | $51k |
Adelaide Business School, University of Adelaide
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #5 | 516 | 80 | 6.3% | 36.3% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 17 | 73.3% | 100% | 1963 | $57k |
QUT Graduate School of Business
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #6 | 504 | 62 | 3.2% | 33.9% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 28 | 75% | 96.4% | 1989 | $55.4k |
University of South Australia Business School
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #7 | 368 | 90 | 1.1% | 38.9% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 23 | 100% | 68.2% | 1980 | $45k |
Curtin Graduate School of Business
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #8 | 432 | 146 | 9.6% | 41.8% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 36 | 66.7% | 75% | 1988 | $47.4k |
School of Business & Law, Central Queensland University
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #9 | 576 | 35 | 22.9% | 34.3% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 30 | 98.9% | 88.9% | 1988 | $40.6k |
Bond Business School
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #10 | 577 | 48 | 54.2% | 39.6% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 26 | 80% | 80% | 1989 | $54.2k |
Deakin Business School
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #11 | 396 | 244 | 2.9% | 37.3% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 16 | 93.3% | 33.3% | 1981 | $50.5k |
La Trobe Business School
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #12 | 432 | 153 | 25.5% | 41.8% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 25 | 71.9% | 31.3% | 1994 | $53.3k |
Sydney Business School, University of Wollongong
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #13 | 408 | 40 | 35% | 52.5% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 14 | 80% | 93% | 1988 | $47.2k |
School of Management & Enterprise, University of Southern Queensland
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #14 | 624 | 303 | 52.1% | 32% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 25 | 93.3% | 26.7% | 1990 | $32k |
Victoria Graduate School of Business, Victoria University
| Rank | Class contact hours entire course | New students enrolling | New international students | New female students |
| #15 | 432 | 46 | 30% | 45.7% |
| Average class size for core subjects | Teachers with PhD | Teachers with current business experience | Year first offered | Annual Fees |
| 19 | 100% | 42.1% | 1992 | $35.7k |
