Considering a master’s degree in business but not exactly sure what to study? Let’s explore UQ’s postgraduate master’s degree options and help you decide which would best prepare you for your future career.
UQ’s diverse range of postgraduate business programs will equip you with the practical experience and future-focused capabilities to excel in your chosen career.
If you’ve already completed an undergraduate degree in business, you might be wondering:
- What master's can I do with a business degree?
- Should my undergrad and postgrad degrees be in the same field?
- Or should I choose a master’s program in a completely new area?
Let’s unpack these questions further.
What master's can I do with a business degree?
If you’ve completed an undergraduate degree in one area of business, you might think it's best to study a postgraduate degree on the same topic. Remaining in the same field for your postgraduate degree affords you the chance to deepen your specialisation.
However, many students take diagonal paths throughout their academic journey. And it may even make more sense to change the study area of your master’s degree if you’re looking to transition between industries or wanting some more variety in your career.
Should my undergrad and postgrad degrees be in the same field, or should I choose a master’s program in a completely new area?
UQ’s portfolio of postgraduate business programs has been purposely designed to include options suitable for a wide range of professional needs. Some of our business postgraduate programs are designed to suit students who are continuing in the same field (specialist degrees), while others are best for professionals switching to a new field (transition degrees).
Intended to equip you with the knowledge and capability to change industries, transition master’s degrees are usually in a completely different field of study than your undergraduate degree. Our transition programs are designed to get you up to speed in your new field of study, without requiring previous knowledge or experience.
For example, after completing a Bachelor of Business Management, you could study a Master of Commerce to transition into a new industry or advance your expertise with a specialist degree like our Master of Finance and Investment Management.
We’d only recommend you complete a master’s degree after previously completing an undergraduate program in the same field if you’ll have the opportunity to diversify and extend your business knowledge and skills in a new area. In many of our business master degree programs, you can do this by specialising in different majors or fields of study.
With this useful context in mind, let’s now explore what business master degree programs are available to study at UQ. The answer to these questions will depend on your reason for studying a master’s degree in business.
Which business master’s program is best for me?
The truth is that the best master’s program for you will be the one that:
- best addresses your reason for studying, and
- prepares you to achieve your future career goals.
To help you decide what to study, we’ve categorised each of the business master degree programs available at UQ by the career goals they will help you address. All these programs are also available to be studied as graduate certificates.
1. Skill specialisation
If you want to challenge yourself intellectually and build mastery by seeking advanced, discipline-specific knowledge to gain a competitive edge in your current role, these are the best business master degree programs for you:
Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
This 1.5-year program will provide you with the ability to identify business innovation opportunities and hands-on experience turning ideas into reality, with the opportunity to specialise in 1 of 5 unique fields or create a bespoke program.
While some students use this program to specialise and upskill in the theory of their area of expertise, others use it to transition from one specialty to another (e.g. operations to strategy roles).
The 5 fields of study you can specialise in are:
- Biotechnology
- Food Entrepreneurship
- Design and Information Technology
- Social and Community Entrepreneurship
- Sustainable Energy.
Master of Finance and Investment Management
This 1-year program will enhance your expertise in the growing finance and funds management sector, accelerating your ability to apply best practice across a wide range of industries.
Despite being a specialist degree, you don’t need to have a background or experience in finance to apply. Other relevant disciplines that will prepare you for success in this program include accounting, commerce, economics, engineering, mathematics and quantitative methods.
Master of Business Analytics
Drawing on a blend of business, data science and philosophy, this 100% online program is designed to help business professionals future-proof their careers, with opportunities to specialise in analytics leadership, technical application and the responsible use of data.
Despite being a specialist degree, you don’t need to have a background or experience in business analytics to apply.
Kyara Ramraj enrolled in the program with an undergraduate degree in science and computer engineering.
“Working in the technology industry, it's important to continuously upskill and learn the latest techniques,” she says.
“This course teaches the latest concepts and techniques and combines data analytics with business and management. I require this variety to pursue my goals.”
2. Career change
If you want to pivot into a new industry or profession, transition into a new career path, or start your own venture, these are the best business master degree programs for you:
Master of Business
This 2-year program combines transferable business capabilities, practical experience and specialist knowledge in your choice of up to 2 from 9 diverse business fields to launch a new career or accelerate into a management role. Available fields to specialise in:
- Advertising
- Human Resource Management
- Information Systems
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- International Business
- Law for Business
- Leadership
- Marketing and Organisational Sustainability.
For example, if you have been working as an engineer, you can study this program and specialise in Advertising and Marketing to transition to a marketing manager role. Or, regardless of the industry you work in, you could complete the Human Resource Management and Leadership fields of study to move into a more senior management role.
Master of Commerce
This 2-year program will build your practical and theoretical knowledge of the accounting, information systems and financial services industries to prepare you to move into senior technical and management roles. You can specialise in any of the 3 areas (Applied Finance, Information Systems, Professional Accounting) or combine 1 field of study with your choice of up to 8 electives.
Master of Tourism, Hotel and Event Management
This 2-year program will equip you with the connections, practical experience and industry expertise to launch or advance a successful global managerial career in events, travel, hotels and tourism. Deep dive into a particular area of interest and hone your expertise with 1 of 3 specialist fields of study: Event Management, Hotel Management, or Travel and Tourism Management.
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
This career-accelerating program will equip business leaders for success in any field and can be tailored to suit your goals, with the chance to create a unique study plan that flexes with changing work and life priorities.
The program has helped students from a wide range of industries and roles transition into new positions and industries. Some examples include defence force personnel and business owners shifting into corporate leadership roles, or those with specialist skills in healthcare or engineering transitioning into consulting and executive roles.
Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
For David Elchuk, finding the right master’s degree in business to pivot in his career meant moving from Canada to Australia.
"I chose to study the Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation because I wanted to augment my degree in biotechnology and start a business," he says.
"There weren't any similar programs in Canada, and it was worth the trip."
I was able to customise my course load based on my undergraduate study to focus on specific courses. You can request to take a course outside the curriculum if it aligns with your major, interests or future career path.
If you’re looking to explore a field further in future by completing a higher degree by research (HDR), any of these career change programs will provide you with a pathway to do this.
3. Leadership aspirations
These business master degrees can be a pathway to more senior leadership, management or executive roles – roles that require a broader understanding of managing across all business functions. For example, these programs are ideal if you’re a doctor who wants to become a senior lead in health management, or to run a chain of practices, or to commercialise an invention.
Whatever your background, these 2 programs can help you make this move.
4. Local legitimacy
A fourth reason you may be considering studying a master’s degree in business, is if you’re new to Brisbane or Australia. If you’ve immigrated from interstate or overseas, you may be hoping to gain “local legitimacy” by studying at a prestigious institution in the area.
Any of our business postgraduate programs will help you achieve this goal and connect you with new, highly valuable peer and industry networks. UQ attracts the best and brightest minds, and our graduates are respected leaders in a multitude of industries.
Still have questions about which master’s degree in business is right for you? Read our list of things to consider, including cost, graduate outcomes, reputation, entry requirements and more.
