Why choose the Otago MBA?

Start your academic adventure with the Otago MBA - online or on campus.

High rankings

Otago MBA rankings

The Otago MBA is internationally recognised, and our graduates are aligned with those from the best business schools in the world. For its small class size, the Otago MBA punches above its weight as a world-class MBA and the top MBA in New Zealand. (QS World Rankings)

The ongoing commitment of Otago MBA to meet the ever-changing needs of future business leaders saw the programme ranked:

• Online MBA #1 in world for Class Experience (QS, 2021-2022)
• 26th best online MBA globally (QS, 2022)
• NZ’s #1 on-campus and online MBA (QS, 2022)

University of Otago rankings

The University of Otago is consistently ranked in the top 200 universities of the world by the QS World University Ranking, which places Otago in the top 1% of universities in the world.

The University has also been rated 5 star plus by QS Stars. This is the maximum rating achievable under the QS Stars System, which takes into account the quality of Otago's facilities, teaching, graduate employability, internationalisation, and inclusiveness.

Dual EQUIS and AACSB accreditation

Worldwide, less than 100 business schools hold dual EQUIS and AACSB accreditation. Otago Business School is one of them.

Business schools that are accredited by either EQUIS or AACSB, to say nothing of being accredited by both, are considered the best in the world. Accreditation is an assurance that a qualification stands up to a set of rigorous standards, an indicator of exceptional quality and commitment to continual improvement to maintain that high status. Because business operates globally, it is imperative that an accredited Master of Business Administration can be easily recognised anywhere in the world.

Career prospects

The career prospects at the end of the Otago MBA academic adventure for both domestic and international students are excellent. Our alumni are an illustrious bunch which the Otago MBA is proud of. Many of them progress on to be highly successful in their fields.

Among our most famous alumni is, of course, Graeme Hart, multi-billionaire and richest man in New Zealand. We celebrate his success with pride – inevitably so, since he developed his strategy for his business while at the Otago MBA.

A survey of our alumni painted an excellent picture. It showed that most of them found jobs within three months of graduation. With the versatility of the Otago MBA training, they established their careers in a wide range of industrial sectors and job functions all over the world.

Many take home six-figure salaries a year after graduation. Based on their salary figures and the low cost of undertaking the Otago MBA, most break even on their MBA investment within a year!

More importantly, they reported positive impacts on both their lives and careers.

View the results of our Alumni career and salary survey

Meet some of our graduates

Classroom experience

The University of Otago provides a special educational environment for MBA study. It is New Zealand's oldest and most-respected university, and New Zealand's top university for research. In terms of university rankings, Otago is always among the top 1–3% in the world.

Our vibrant campus lifestyle and world-class facilities attract highly-talented students and lecturers from all over New Zealand and abroad. Our MBA offers an excellent student experience for our full-time, part-time and online students with our hands-on teaching style, professional development opportunities and extracurricular activities and support.

Both on-campus and online students benefit from our highly interactive and immersive teaching style. Either in-person, or via our video conference teaching platform Engageli, our students are able to attend engaging lectures, share interactive discussions with classmates and join in break-out sessions. Our students enjoy diversity in class and supportive teachers.

The rigorous curriculum is delivered by lecturers who are carefully selected for both strong practical experience and academic excellence and ensures that our students are well-equipped with the essential skills needed to succeed in the corporate world.

Meet the Otago MBA management and administrative team