Business degree aimed at Aboriginal and Torres St Islander leaders of future

A new business degree at the UTS Business School designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander professionals will accept its first students this spring.

The Bachelor of Business Administration is aimed at professionals wishing to gain a degree qualification and maximise their career options.

"This new and exciting course is specifically designed for leaders of the future, who aspire to move into senior or executive positions," the Dean of UTS Business School, Professor Roy Green, said. "It provides the skills to manage enterprises and organisations of the future, taking into account Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives."

The Director of UTS's Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, Professor Michael McDaniel, said the degree would build upon students' workforce expertise and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community knowledge.

"The Bachelor of Business Administration is designed to provide rigorous study in a professional, cohort-based environment," Professor McDaniel said. "Those admitted into the course will be involved in collaborative study with other Indigenous people who are business administrators, managers and leaders in their own right."

The executive-style course is primarily for business administrators, managers, emerging leaders and aspiring executives, who will come from the private sector, the public sector and community-based organisations. Prospective students may come from any part of Australia.

The program will be taught in "block" or residential mode, where students attend classes at UTS for three six-day blocks per semester as part of their studies. For students who meet eligibility criteria, the cost of travel, some meals and accommodation will be covered.

UTS Business School Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning, Associate Professor Chris Bajada, said this would allow students to come away from their day-to-day responsibilities for short periods to focus on developing their academic capacity.

"As part of their studies they will work on 'project' subjects designed to challenge, consolidate and deepen understanding of the core business functions, how they interrelate and how they are applied in workplace or business settings," Dr Bajada said.

Completion of the Bachelor of Business Administration degree will open up postgraduate opportunities, such as the UTS Masters courses and the MBA program at UTS Business School.

Professor McDaniel said graduates would become exceptional managers, strong leaders and "change agents" of the future within the wider Australian community.

"We believe that Indigenous education is not only about creating opportunities for Indigenous people, but is equally about creating opportunities for all Australians to gain a deeper understanding of Indigenous Australia – the most ancient thread in our national fabric," he said. "It is about taking us all into the future. It is about nation building."

For more information about the course, including admission, visit this page.