Master of Business Administration (Leadership)

What you will study

To earn the Master of Business Administration, you must successfully complete units totalling 72 credit points as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 6 credit points. 

You must complete 10 units and one capstone project. Each unit is designed to take 144 hours to complete, which equates to 12–18 months of full-time study for the full course. You will have up to five years from enrolment to complete the course at your own pace.

• People, Leadership and Culture
• Disruption, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Communication for Leadership Success
• Strategic Marketing
• Accounting for Business Decisions
• Contemporary Leadership
• Global Economics
• International Business Law
• Strategies for Business Leaders
• Social Innovation
• Leadership Capstone (12 credit points)

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

To be eligible for entry into the course, applicants must have one of the following:

• A completed bachelor's degree in any discipline from an Australian university or college or equivalent.
• A completed graduate certificate or diploma from an Australian university or college or equivalent.
• A recognised diploma and two years of relevant business experience.
• Five years of relevant work or managerial experience.

Relevant work experience should include understanding how a business operates, which consists of a working knowledge of a range of areas such as human resource management, budgeting, project management, financial reporting, process management or other relevant professional experience.

English language requirements

Applicants are required to provide evidence of completion of one of the following criteria:

• A secondary qualification (Year 11 and 12, or equivalent).
• An Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) diploma-level qualification.
• Bachelor's level qualification study for at least two years full-time with a minimum overall GPA of 4.0 completed within Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Ireland, or the United States of America.

If you do not satisfy any of the above criteria, you will need to undertake an English language proficiency test and achieve the following scores below:

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic): The overall band score was at least 6.0, with a minimum of 5.5 in each subset.
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): Requires 550 or better overall and a minimum TWE score of 4.5 (Paper Based Test), or 75 or better overall and no score less than 17 (Internet Based Test).
• Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): Requires an overall score of 54 with no sub-score less than 46.
• Occupational English Test: Grades A or B only in the four components.

English test results remain valid for no more than two years between the final examination date and the commencement date of study. They must appear on a single result certificate. Each student will be assessed individually.

Recognition of Prior Learning

You may be eligible for recognition of prior learning if you have previously studied or have relevant work experience. This will help reduce the number of units you need to study to finish your course. Contact the university for more information.

Outcomes

Career outcomes

An MBA is the degree of choice for an astute business professional’s employment portfolio. Graduates of CQUniversity’s MBA (Leadership) have skills in the strategies, practices and key communication skills underpinning effective business leadership.

Completing this course allows graduates to accelerate and advance their careers across various domestic or international business management spheres.

Learning outcomes

• Evaluate business theories from a leadership perspective to improve business performance.
• Apply contemporary leadership theories to business practice to analyse and solve problems.
• Communicate effectively to build a culture of confidence, integrity and innovation in an organisational environment.
• Develop and communicate business strategies to effectively achieve strategic outcomes.
• Innovate in legally and financially responsible ways to solve problems and create new opportunities.
• Reflect critically on ethical behaviour in a leadership role, including demonstrating understanding and empathy in diverse environments.

Fees and FEE-HELP

Estimated first-year tuition fee in 2026: $22,464  (domestic full-fee paying place)

A student’s annual fee may vary in accordance with:

• The number of units studied per term.
• The choice of major or specialisation.
• Choice of units.
• Credit from previous study or work experience.
• Eligibility for government-funded loans.

Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.

FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.