Overview
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is a 16-month full-time programme with a strong focus on managerial relevance, practical application, and personal development. The MBA curriculum is structured to provide a broad foundation across all aspects of the external business environment, which is then built upon through courses in the functional areas of management and strategy, progressing from the external to the internal environment. Critical thinking and decision-making tools and techniques are developed and applied throughout. Wide use is made of practitioners and leaders from within the business community for both teaching and mentoring. The small class size (25 maximum) ensures a large degree of personal mentoring and guidance from staff.
The style of learning is highly interactive, and participants learn as much from one another as from the course leader or facilitator. Students are assigned to teams, which reflect the diversity of professional and educational backgrounds, demographics and work style preferences. These teams work together on projects, presentations, and assignments and learn to understand better their own and other team members' strengths and weaknesses as well as honing skills such as conflict resolution and problem solving.
Information for New Applicants
The course commences each year in early January. The deadline for applications is October for international students, and December for New Zealand citizens and permanent residents.
Contact Details
Subject Area
MBA Schedule
Requirements for the Degree
| Module | Papers |
|---|---|
| Phase 1 | BMBA 502 Marketing BMBA 503 Organisational Leadership BMBA 504 Statistics and Decision Tools BMBA 505 Economics BMBA 506 Human Resource Management BMBA 507 Accounting BMBA 508 Investment and Global Financial Markets BMBA 509 Strategic Planning for International Markets BMBA 510 Leading Sustainable Enterprises BMBA 511 Operational Excellence BMBA 512 International Business BMBA 513 Strategy Implementation |
| Phase 2 | BMBA 540 MBA Business Project plus either a minimum of 60 points for elective papers taken at the University of Otago (grouped together as BMBA 550 MBA Elective Papers) selected from approved ENTR, FINC, MANT, MART and TOUR papers, normally at 400-level, and/or from the PUBH 701 Epidemiology and Biostatistics PUBH 702 Society, Health and Public Policy PUBH 703 Health and Environment PUBH 704 Health Economics PUBH 705 Health Promotion PUBH 706 Health Systems PUBH 708 Social Research Methods PUBH 709 Hauora - Māori Health Issues PHCX 524 Pharmacoeconomics and Drug Evaluation PHCX 541 Medicines Information PHCX 542 Medicines Management HEIX 702 Principles of Health Informatics HEIX 703 Health Information Systems Other postgraduate papers approved by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce) or 60 points from international exchange (the papers involved shall be grouped together as EXCH 000 Exchange Papers) or 60 points for a course of study, approved by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce), at another tertiary institution (on successful completion, a student will be eligible for ad eundem credit for BMBA 550). Note: Entry into specific elective papers will be subject to approval by the head of the host department based on the background of the student applying and on performance in the relevant MBA core papers. |
Regulations for the Degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Admission to the Programme
- Admission to the programme shall be subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce).
- Every applicant must either
- be a graduate, or
- hold an acceptable professional qualification, or
- have experience in management or administration acceptable to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce).
- Applicants will be expected to have first obtained a satisfactory result in the Graduate Management Admission Test.
- Applicants who wish to enter the programme from the Diploma in Business Administration programme will be exempted from the provisions of regulation 1(c) if they have average grades of at least B+ in the six papers taken for the diploma.
Structure of the Programme
- The programme of study consists of compulsory papers from Phase 1 (the core) together with a compulsory business project plus a selection from a list of elective papers or papers from an approved international exchange partner. The core papers, the business project, and the elective papers are set out in the MBA Schedule. Papers to be taken through international exchange must be approved by the Director of Executive Programmes in Business.
- A candidate must normally pass all papers from Phase 1 before proceeding to Phase 2.
Note: A Candidate who enters the programme from the Diploma in Business Administration programme may be permitted to take one or more papers from Phase 2 before completing all papers in Phase 1.
- A candidate with insufficient grounding in Accounting, Mathematics and the use of computers may be required either
- to attend short programmes of instruction, or
- to carry out prescribed reading and study.
A formal examination may be required.
- Before commencing the investigation undertaken for the purposes of the project report, a candidate shall seek the approval of the Director of Executive Programmes in Business for the topic, the supervisor(s) and the proposed course of the investigation.
- A candidate may not present a project report which has previously been accepted for another degree.
Duration of the Programme
A candidate must complete the requirements of the degree within 24 months of commencing the programme.
Examination
- On the recommendation of the examiners, the Director of Executive Programmes in Business may permit a candidate to sit a special examination in not more than three papers from Phase 1 of the programme.
- The project report shall be assessed by at least two examiners. If the project report is assessed as unsatisfactory on first submission, the examiners may recommend to the Director of Executive Programmes in Business that it be revised and resubmitted by a specified date.
- Where the examiners cannot agree on a result for the project report, the Director of Executive Programmes in Business should so inform the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce) who shall reach a decision after consulting a referee.
Exemptions
A candidate who has passed papers for the Diploma in Business Administration shall be exempted from those papers in the programme for the degree which have previously been passed for the diploma.
Variations
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce) may in exceptional circumstances approve a course of study which does not comply with these regulations.
