Jaqquline Lawrie, 3 May, 2023
QUT Business School’s postgraduate business programs are designed for experienced professionals seeking to enhance their business knowledge and skills to advance their careers.
What makes our programs unique are their focus on real-world learning.
Starting from day one, students experience a wide variety of real-world learning opportunities that are designed to enrich their business studies and prepare them for the challenges of the modern workplace.
Guidance from industry experts
One of the many ways we incorporate real-world learning into our programs is through industry expertise.
Our courses are designed in consultation with leading industry experts and regularly feature guest lectures from business professionals across various disciplines.
Professor Gayle Kerr, a Business School advertising and integrated marketing communication academic, is a passionate advocate for industry engagement in learning.
“We offer many real-world learning opportunities for our postgraduate business students to connect and interact with industry,” she said.
“One of these opportunities is our biannual conference called the AMPlification Student Conference.
“Every year we invite all our postgraduate advertising, marketing, and public relations students to come along and attend. The biannual conference features accomplished business professionals from around Australia who share their expertise, provide insights into cutting-edge research methods, and offer inspiring stories of their own paths to success.
Prof Kerr highlighted the exceptional quality of speakers at the conference, which have included top industry professionals as speakers such as:
- - Leigh Terry, CEO of APAC IPG Mediabrands;
- - Ryan Petie, Executive Creative Director of Publicis; and
- - Gai Le Roy, the CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).
Talking to the benefits of embedding real-world learning opportunities like this into the curriculum for our students, Prof Kerr said, “real-world experiences like our AMPlification Student Conference provides students with a practical, real-world perspective that complements what they learn in the classroom.
“The chance to witness influential figures in action and observe their interaction is invaluable, and I'm thrilled that our students have access to such an enriching experience.”
Research-led teaching
QUT Business School’s Associate Professor Frank Mathmann is a prime example of combining research and industry connections in the classroom.
Assoc Prof Mathmann works closely with industry partners, including the Australian Retail Association and Mercedes Benz, which allows him to stay up-to-date on the industry and provide real-world perspectives to the theory he teaches.
“I connect my research to what I teach,” he said.
“An example of this is in my Brand Analytics course, where I talk about how new digital platforms create a lot of relevant data for branding.”
As Frank's research often interlinks with the course curriculum, assessment pieces in his courses are frequently updated to reflect the current real-world projects.
“A lot of my research goes hand in hand with what I teach and focuses on digital platforms,” he said.
“Currently, I am working on papers with influencers and brands that have to rebrand to be more ethical, and examining how ethical brands can go viral.”
By utilising the data collected during his research, students are able to analyse real data and apply the theories learned in class to practical, real-world examples.
Frank explained, "During my tutorials and workshops, I demonstrate how to collect various types of data, analyse it, and leverage it to achieve tangible results for clients."
Integrating this real-world expertise into the classroom offers our students a curriculum that is current and highly relevant to the challenges they may encounter in their future professions. It also bridges the gap between theoretical concepts and practical applications, preparing our students to tackle real-world problems with confidence and proficiency.
Industry-based projects
In many of our postgraduate business units, students are given the opportunity to collaborate with leading organisations on industry-based projects.
Dr Ozgur Dedehayir, a Business School management academic, plays an important role in facilitating several client projects in the postgraduate management units he teaches.
"We intentionally designed two assessment pieces in our management units that encourage students to step out of the classroom and explore real-world scenarios," he explained.
"In these units, students take on the role of consultants and are tasked with analysing and visualising real data from actual organisations to generate new strategic insights.
"This approach not only emphasises their role-play as consultants but also gives them the satisfaction of making tangible suggestions that could impact the real world."
To maximise the impact of the student's work, Dr Dedehayir seeks out local organisations that are already delivering social impact.
By collaborating with purpose-driven organisations, students gain hands-on experience in solving real-world problems while contributing to the larger goal of creating positive, social change.
"These partnerships benefits both our students and the organisations we work with," he said.
"Students are given a valuable opportunity to develop real-world skills while working with meaningful data, while the organisations benefit from their insights and creative ideas.
"It's a mutually beneficial relationship we're proud to facilitate."
Want to take part in this real-world learning?
If you want to discover more about our postgraduate business courses and what they offer, find out more about our degrees below.
