As with most other MBAs, the course includes sustainability as a separate subject, but it is ingrained across the curriculum.

“We blend it [sustainability] across the course so students can get a 360-degree view across a business of where sustainability and social responsibility lie,” Spanjaard says.

“For example, in the accounting subject, students look at how they might report on the social and environmental impacts of a business.

“In marketing, it’s not just about your social media campaign, but thinking about how you are sourcing raw materials and recycling opportunities for end consumers.”

Flexibility to meet the needs of all students

A key tenet of the UTS Online MBA is that it is designed to be accessible to any student, no matter where they live and regardless of their work and personal situation.

In practical terms, the course consists of 12 subjects – eight core subjects and four electives – in seven-week blocks.

The optional subjects consist of business analytics, digital marketing, health, organisation learning and technology management.

The course takes approximately two years, with the option of a graduate certificate over eight months.

Unlike face-to-face MBAs with fixed annual enrolment, online students can sign up every two months.

“There is no fixed study progression,” Spanjaard explains. “They can come in and can pick up whatever subjects offered for that study period, and it doesn’t impact their learning.”

The first round of graduates is due to emerge from the course, which was first offered in 2022.

“We hope to see them cross the stage [graduate] very soon,” Spanjaard says. To date, the course has attracted students from backgrounds such as communications, marketing, engineering, information science and healthcare.

Other candidates are entrepreneurs and business owners wanting to understand new growth opportunities.

“The old, fixed path was to do a bachelor of business, work in junior management, get an MBA and stay with the same company and get a senior role. Now, [MBA students] are more likely to be re-evaluating where they are in their career, or they are business owners considering their next move.”

Associate Professor Daniela Spanjaard, UTS MBA Online course director

Finding the work/study sweet spot

While the UTS Online MBA course aims to emulate the benefits of face-to-face learning, the course designers were acutely aware the students were choosing online delivery for a reason.

Enrolees usually have full-time jobs on top of their regular family and social commitments.

“They don’t have time to spend two to three hours on campus every week and then go back and study online,” Spanjaard says.

But don’t think that students are left to fend for themselves.

“They are in regular contact with academic staff,” Spanjaard adds. “Every week, there’s an opportunity for online discussions and every fortnight there’s a ‘live’ drop-in session. Students have ample opportunity to learn from industry partners, during live sessions or via recordings.”

Students also have access to their own “student success adviser” for the duration of the study period.

For group assignments, students are allocated buddies for some modules and can share their ideas in smaller virtual “break out” rooms.

Spanjaard says the traditional fixed and linear path is disappearing, with candidates looking to change jobs or even careers.

“The old, fixed path was to do a bachelor of business, work in junior management, get an MBA and stay with the same company and get a senior role,” she says.

“Now, they are more likely to be re-evaluating where they are in their career, or they are business owners considering their next move.”

Spanjaard adds that students are becoming more motivated by philanthropic ambitions.

“There is much greater awareness of doing good for society and building leadership skills in that space, rather than working for a top 100 company,” she says.

With more than 30 Australian universities offering MBA courses, students will learn quickly to avoid substandard offerings.

With this keen competition in mind, UTS is determined to ensure the online course remains relevant to a changing world.

“The idea of the UTS Online MBA is opening doors for graduates and keeping their knowledge contemporary in terms of the issues facing business today,” Spanjaard says.

Discover more at UTS Online.