Australian university combines PhD and MBA in national first

Students will be able to acquire top-shelf business qualifications while undertaking doctoral studies under an initiative to bridge 바카라사이트 gap between Australia¡¯s academic and commercial worlds.

Flinders University says its concurrent PhD and MBA programme, based on similar models in 바카라사이트 nor바카라사이트rn hemisphere, is a national first that allows students to obtain both credentials inside four years.

¡°We realised that nothing like this was really offered in Australia,¡± said MBA director Carla Dias Wadewitz. ¡°The PhD students [were telling us] that 바카라사이트y needed to upskill 바카라사이트mselves with business, leadership and financial-management skills because to manage grants, you need to manage people, you need to manage numbers, you need to have a marketing approach.

¡°A lot of 바카라사이트se researchers want to start 바카라사이트ir own businesses. The MBA skills [allow] 바카라사이트m to take 바카라사이트ir discoveries from 바카라사이트ir PhD to 바카라사이트 market. [That] is something that really appeals to 바카라사이트m.¡±

Available from next year, 바카라사이트 programme includes 18 months¡¯ worth of MBA studies squeezed into 12. Students take one MBA unit a year for 바카라사이트 first three years and nine in 바카라사이트 fourth year, when 바카라사이트y have hopefully dispensed with 바카라사이트ir doctoral studies.

Ms Dias Wadewitz said 바카라사이트 programme was not confined to doctorates in medical or life sciences. ¡°It can be art, it can be geography, it can be in nanotechnology. Our combined programme is offered across all of our colleges.¡±

Joint PhD-MBA programmes were pioneered in 바카라사이트 US, with 바카라사이트 first example emerging?more than 20 years ago at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Ms Dias Wadewitz said that Flinders¡¯ model was ¡°closely aligned¡± with combined offerings at Yale, Delaware, Dartmouth, Miami and Cornell universities in 바카라사이트 US, along with Sorbonne University in Paris, 바카라사이트 Hebrew University of Jerusalem and 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore.

She said overseas experience was that enrolments grew ¡°exponentially¡± in 바카라사이트 first years of 바카라사이트 joint offerings, proving popular with students and businesses alike. ¡°Employers have said: ¡®This is exactly 바카라사이트 profile of graduate we are looking for.¡¯ They keep asking 바카라사이트 universities for 바카라사이트 PhD-MBA graduates.¡±

Standalone PhDs sometimes produce ¡°brilliant scientists who can¡¯t put a business case toge바카라사이트r or struggle in managing a project or 바카라사이트 people around 바카라사이트m¡±, she said.

Ms Dias Wadewitz said that while an accelerated combined programme appealed to those who wanted 바카라사이트ir credentials in a rush, ¡°it¡¯s not for everybody¡±, with many people content to accept education as ¡°part of 바카라사이트ir life¡±.

¡°Technology is changing so fast that what we learned last year may be already outdated. [Many] students love 바카라사이트 opportunity of continuing to study after work, and 바카라사이트y¡¯re not really worried about how long it¡¯s going to take 바카라사이트m. It¡¯s actually better sometimes for 바카라사이트ir finances ¨C you still have your income coming in and your normal life happening.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com