MBS is Melbourne University’s graduate school of management, but has an unusual hybrid ownership model, reflected in representation on the board of directors, with the university owning 45 per cent and various business interests 55 per cent.
Founded in 1955 to provide executive education, it offered Australia’s first MBA 10 years later and in 2004 merged with the Mount Eliza business school. Nowadays it bills itself as the "leading provider of management education in the Asia-Pacific region".
Located in the suburb of Carlton, close to the central business district and famed for its Australian Football team, cafes and cake shops, MBS also has offices in Sydney and Kuala Lumpur.
It offers a full range of graduate and executive programmes including a senior executive MBA run across 18 months with seven modules in Melbourne and others in Asia, Europe and North America. A master's in analytical management was launched in 2018, which also saw a comprehensive review of MBS business and economics programmes led by Peter Nash, former chairman of KPMG. An early finding from the review was that there was much less demand for online provision than might be expected, and that business is more interested in the debate, challenging and sharpening of ideas which goes on in the classroom.
Students for the last 10 years have taken part in the Melbourne Business Practicum, a programme of in-company intensive projects with leading companies in the city intended to help develop soft skills. The Practicum, which offers credits, was extended to Sydney in 2018. Alumni include numerous significant figures from Australian business and Bill Shorten, currently leader of the opposition Labor Party.
