Becoming a master at anything takes time, and that’s often why we never get started. The Masters of Business Administration, or MBA as it’s widely known, is no different. As one of the most comprehensive postgraduate qualifications available, many people mistakenly believe it would take them too long to complete

If this was the case, however, no one would ever get their MBA. The truth is, you could be MBA qualified much sooner than you think. To help you understand how that’s possible, here’s a bit of insider knowledge.

Cash in on your experience

If you were to complete every unit of an MBA through full-time study, it would take around 12 to 18 months. The majority of people prefer to study part-time while they work, so it normally takes around three years to complete the program.

You might feel this is too long to wait, but the good news is you could potentially obtain credit for up to 50% of the qualification. This is done through recognition of prior learning, which takes into account all of your management experience and prior qualifications. If you meet the criteria, you could then complete an MBA in as little as 18 months while studying part-time.

Management experience doesn’t necessarily mean managing other people either. This could mean managing a group of clients, a particular project, or even your own business.

Get qualified as you go

The MBA can be broken down into three stages of qualifications that you receive as you move through the 12 total units in the program.

• Graduate Certificate of Management: the first four units of the MBA program cover broad management theory and practice areas such as leading people, marketing, finance, and operational improvement.
• Graduate Diploma of Management: Once you’ve completed the Graduate Certificate, the next four units build on your knowledge for developing strategy, understanding economics, conducting research, and performing analysis for making business decisions.
• Masters of Business Administration: the final phase of getting MBA qualified involves a capstone unit on corporate strategy and responsibility, as well as your choice of three electives from different focus areas in HR, entrepreneurship, and change management.

Apply your knowledge instantly

Unlike other qualifications, you don’t need to wait until you graduate before you can start applying your new knowledge and skills. In fact, with practical work-based assessments in the AIM MBA program, you could really impress your managers and senior leaders by demonstrating your new found capabilities as it relates to your current role or organisation.

Whether it’s your current employers, or potential new employers, they’ll also be more than impressed that you’ve committed yourself to completing an MBA. A commitment to lifelong learning has become one of the most highly desirable traits in today’s job market, so your decision to study an MBA could be paying dividends much sooner than you think.

The AIM MBA+ enables you to access all of the above benefits, while also granting you complimentary access to our market-leading suite of professional development short courses for up to five years. This means you can also sharpen a whole variety of professional skills such as your communication skills, emotional intelligence, and time management while you study towards your postgraduate qualifications. Coupling academic rigor with professional practice means that with ABS you are likely to see early on in your MBA+, tangible benefits to your career and organisation, plus a recognisable return on your investment in higher education.