Regions

A Destination Guide to Earning your MBA in Australia

Explore Australia’s Top Business Schools with nationally recognised MBA programs and your best career opportunities in the regions they serve.

Overview

Historically, a major determining factor in where students went to school (particularly for graduate work like an MBA) came down to what schools were nearby. It’s one thing to travel across the country, or even the world, to study when you’re an undergraduate and basically still a kid. But by the time you’re making the decision to explore an MBA, you may feel entrenched where you are, be it because of a career you’d like (or, financially, might need) to continue while you study, or because of personal or family obligations.  

For many, that will continue to be the case, but online learning has been steadily growing over the past decade and it took a rather gigantic step forward as a result of 2020’s global pandemic, where everyone got used to doing almost everything remotely. Now, often the only hurdle to studying wherever you’d like is a reliable internet connection.  

So, whether you’re looking to stay close-to-home or in a certain city or region for on-campus learning, or if you’re just looking for the right program and are willing to study anywhere in Australia remotely, we’ve provided a look at the MBA landscape for every region of Australia. And while Sydney and Melbourne’s metro areas combined may hold almost half of Australia’s entire population (and contain some of its best and most iconic schools) there’s great MBA courses to be found all over the country.  

So, explore all these schools have to offer. We’ve supplied just a snapshot of some of the great MBA programs available in Australia and there’s always more to explore, but we think it should give you a strong indication of what’s out there. As always, consider which is the best program for you, and dig deep in each school’s website to discover up-to-date information on tuition, financial aid, and other details you’ll need to know to make an informed decision about your educational future.  

New South Wales (and Australian National Territory) 

As always, New South Wales remains Australia’s most populous and economically powerful state, making it the perfect location to pursue an MBA. New South Wales (or NSW) is a regional powerhouse with easy access to Asian markets and Sydney, NSW’s capital and the country’s largest city is known for its professional and financial services, information and communications technology and creative industries such as museums, publishing, media production and broadcasting. Sydney has become the de-facto capital of the Asia-Pacific region as 60% of all business headquarters in the region call the city home, as does is also home to the Australian Securities Exchange. 

Of course, there’s more to the state than just Sydney. In addition to other NSW cities like Newcastle to the north and Wollongong to the south, the Australian National Territory (home to Australia’s national capital, Canberra) is an enclave nestled within NSW as well. A bustling city all its own, Canberra is home to some great MBA programs and is a perfect location for students who want to use their developing business skills in the public sector.  

Queensland

Queensland’s capital city, Brisbane, is thriving with industry not just in business and financial services but also in the construction, education, government, health, and retail sector. In fact, those 5 industries alone make up more than half of total employment in the capital city. The wealth of economic diversity makes Brisbane a wonderful place to earn an MBA and begin or growing your career in business administration. 

Victoria

With its rapid growth, Melbourne, Victoria’s state capital and signature city, may be close to overtaking Sydney as Australia’s largest city, but it’s still often in its shadow in many things. Collegiate education isn’t one of them. By many metrics, the University of Melbourne is the best and most prestigious university in the country while Monash University is the largest.  

For those pursuing an MBA and concerned with the state’s industry landscape when they graduated? Victoria is a state filled with dynamic industries in fields as extensive as professional and scientific services, financial and insurance services, accommodation and food, health care, public administration, and information media. 

Western Australia

Western Australia is the largest state in Australia by area, but among the smallest by population, leaving a considerable 79% of the population in Perth. When considering making Perth your home, it may be important to recognize it is home also to many mining and mineral companies. That mining, of course, takes place outside of the capital, but the metropolitan city supports the research and engineering that governs the mining outside of town.  

Between iron ore mining, and oil and gas drilling, Western Australia provides almost half of the country’s exports, so don’t believe that being on the west coast instead of the populous east coast won’t provide you with economic opportunities.  

South Australia

As a result of South Australia’s huge swaths of mountains, deserts, and protected Aboriginal lands, a whopping 77% of South Australians call the coastal capital city of Adelaide home. It might not surprise you that the vast majority of universities in the state are located in the greater Adelaide metro area.  

South Australia is renowned as a cultural and festival hub, with its iconic wine regions like Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, Currency Creek, and Kangaroo Island some of the most celebrated in the world. It should be no surprise then that some South Australian MBA programs have taken notice. The University of Adelaide’s business school offers an MBA specifically for the wine business, a program you’d be unlikely to discover anywhere else outside of France, Italy, and California. 

The Northern Territory and Tasmania 

The Northern Territory (with its sprawling savannas and tropical wetlands) and Tasmania (with nationally-protected dense forests making up half the island) may be on opposite ends of the country, but they have one big thing in common: only one sparsely populated metropolitan area. Despite more moderate means, these regions are still home to one university per with well-developed MBA courses worth spotlighting in this listing: Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory’s capital of Darwin, and The University of Tasmania in Tasmania’s capital city, Hobart.