Completing an MBA in Australia typically takes 17 months (1.4 years), or 2 years for an extended program. Accelerated study reduces the duration to as little as 12 months (1 year).
An MBA in Australia normally takes 1.4 years. Full-time students enroll in four subjects in each of two semesters per year. To complete the 12 subjects required for a standard MBA, a full year is required plus the first semester of the next year.
The time it takes to earn a Master of Business Administration degree is not uniform, with one of the variables being the length of the program. Other considerations include accelerated and part-time study. Let's explore the different options to get your MBA.
Length of an MBA in Australia
| Program Type | Subjects | Accelerated | Full-Time | Part-Time |
| Regular, accelerated | 12 | Yes | 12 months (1 year) | 24 months (2 years) |
| Extended, accelerated | 16 | Yes | 16 months (1.3 years) | 32 months (2.7 years) |
| Regular, traditional | 12 | No | 17 months (1.4 years) | 34 months (2.8 years) |
| Extended, traditional | 16 | No | 24 months (2 years) | 48 months (4 years) |
The length of an MBA ranges anywhere from 12 months to four years. A 12-month MBA has only 12 subjects and students study full-time for all three trimesters in a year. By contrast, four years are required for a 16-subject MBA where a student studies part-time (50% load) for two semesters per year.
Extended and Regular Length
The regular length of an MBA program in Australia is 12 subjects. To be more specific, most programs are structured to have 10 or 11 coursework subjects and a capstone project at the end, which is sometimes double-weighted.
The other common length, which we refer to as extended, is 16 subjects. This is a longer form.
You don't have to do 16 subjects to earn an MBA. Many 12-subject courses are available around Australia. However, some universities only offer 16-subject programs, and others require you to do this many subjects if you haven't studied business and management at university before.
Accelerated Learning
In Australia, a course is accelerated when you study over the summer months. As a consequence, you go from attending two semesters each year to three trimesters. For full-time students, that allows you to increase the number of subjects you do per year from eight subjects to twelve.
A similar accelerated arrangement for online programs is to have six study periods per year, each lasting around two months. Whatever the arrangement, accelerated learning means that you study essentially year-round apart from small breaks between trimesters or study periods.
An accelerated study mode allows a 12-subject MBA to be completed in just 1 year. An extended, 16-subject MBA will take four trimesters, which is 16 months. Accelerated study allows you to finish an MBA in two-thirds of the normal time.
How Long Does an MBA Take Part-Time?
We normally think of part-time study as a 50% load. That means a student attempts two subjects per semester or trimester, and one subject per study period in the case of online learning.
Going part-time doubles the length of an MBA if you study consistently with a half load. A traditional, extended MBA will take four years. An accelerated normal-length course, including many MBA online courses, can be completed in two years.
Is an Australian MBA Worth It?
Taking into account how long it takes to get an Australian MBA, the degree will often be worth it if you are able to capitalise on the qualification.
Graduates are able to enjoy the salary benefits that come from holding a Master of Business Administration degree. MBAs in Australia are estimated to earn around $114k annually. Considering the advantages of an MBA, taking as little as one year full-time, or two years part-time, to earn an MBA seems like a good use of time.
Tuition fees for these programs range from as low as about $30k up to $100k or more. However, it's estimated that the average cost of an MBA is under $50k for both international students and people enrolled in online courses. FEE-HELP loans are also available for Australians to cover up-front costs.