ALTHOUGH education institutions in Australia have been offering Master of Business Administration degrees since the 1960s, it is only in the past five years that it has become hugely popular - with both foreign and Australian students.
There are now more than 35 MBA programmes available in Australia.
While some students hold jobs and study by correspondence or part-time courses, others follow full-time courses.
Australian MBAs follow the general pattern set by their American counterparts, with a common core of subjects including finance, marketing, computing, quantitative methods, communications, organisational behaviour and communication. The courses also concentrate on developing students' ability to think creatively, analytically and laterally, and encourage them to improve their research and communications skills.
Most MBA courses are characterised by an interactive teaching approach which emphasises participation, team work and case studies, rather than using the passive lecture formula.
There are also opportunities for project work in Australian industry, and the chance to work on real management and strategic issues for major corporations or government departments.