Scholarship recipient, Krichelle Oaklands, and Deputy Director of Development, Yvonne Clark, speak about scholarship and grant opportunities at UniSA. For more information, visit www.unisa.edu.au/scholarship

The University of Western Sydney offers a Bachelor of Tourism Management. Lecturer Poll Theerapappisit talks about the Tourism course, and the opportunities for students

10 Students from UNSW Law School talk about why they chose to study law.

Interview with a student studying his Bachelor of Management at the University of South Australia.

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To learn more about Studying in Australia, contact Mamoun (feel free to write in English or Arabic):
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Watch Video for News Story

These sites provide accommodation to students looking for accommodation in Australia:

Australian Homestay Families looking for Students:

Adelaide: 50 families currently looking for students
http://www.Adelaidehomestaysearch.com/

Perth: 99 families currently looking for students
http://www.PerthHomestaySearch.com

Brisbane: 237 families currently looking for students
http://www.BrisbaneHomestaySearch.com

Melbourne: 234 families currently looking for students
http://www.MelbourneHomestaySearch.com

Sydney: 190 families currently looking for students
http://www.SydneyHomestaySearch.com

Online Master of Business Administration (MBA)

There isn’t many ‘online’ MBA courses in Australia – (there are plenty restricted for Canadian and United States students), so I’ve been searching over the past few days for online MBA courses that Australians and Internationals can study at, and here is the best one’s that I’ve found including the price (excluding exams), Time Limit to complete, Unit’s required, Entry Requirements, Certificates, and Website – in order of my personal preference and reasons.

1. Edinburgh Business School, Scotland

Edinburgh Business School (EBS) is my first choice, even though it’s not physically located in Australia. EBS is internationally recognised and fully accredited in the UK and Australia, the EBS MBA makes it "top of my list" because you have as long (or as short) as you like to complete the MBA (no completion dates), can get certification as you go, does not require any pre-requisites like a Bachelor degree, and is extremely affordable.. it also allows you to sit the exams in over 350 centres worldwide. If you don’t have experience or an undergraduate degree, you qualify for the MBA by completing the Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration which also forms part of the modules to gain the MBA – or you can exit with that qualification. Perfect for the working professional, I really like this one.

9 Units – (7 x Core, 2 x Electives) =  AUD$18,000

International Students (incl Australians): £800 per course(9 x £800) =  AUD$18,000

Entry Requirements: None.

• Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration (1 x Core + 2 x Core or Electives)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (1 x Core + 3 x Core or Electives)
• Master of Business Administration (3 x Core)

Core Units: 
Accounting 
Economics 
Finance 
Marketing 
Organisational Behaviour 
Project Management 
Strategic Planning

Elective Units: Corporate Governance, Credit Risk Management, Derivatives, Financial Risk Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, Practical History of Financial Markets, Quantitative Methods, Corporate Reputation, Branding & Managing People, Developing Effective Managers & Leaders, Employee Relations, Human Resource Development, Human Resource Management, Influence, Managing People in Changing Contexts, Managing People in Global Markets, Negotiation, Performance Management, Consumer Behaviour, International Marketing, Marketing Channels, Marketing Communications, Marketing Research, Principles of Retailing, Sales Force Management, Services Marketing, Alliance & Partnerships, Competitive Strategy, Leadership 

Exams Held: Over 350 centres worldwide.
Time Limit: As long as you need.
Website: http://www.ebsglobal.net

2. Southern Cross University, Australia

Southern Cross University is my 2nd choice for affordability and lots of elective choices and that the university has a good reputation in Australia – one that Australian employers would recognize. It’s downfall would be that the degree has a time-limit and that you have to complete each unit and exam during tri-semesters making it a difficult for busy working professionals to be able to keep-up. 

12 Units – (6 x Core, 6 x Electives) =  AUD$19,200 

International Students: AUD$24,000

Entry Requirements: Bachelor + 1 Year Professional Work Experience or Demonstrated academic or professional standing equivalent to the above.

• Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (4 Units)
• Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (8 Units)
• Master of Business Administration (6 x Core + 6 x Electives)
• Master of Business Administration (Advanced) (Extra 4 Units = 16 Units)

Core Units: 
Foundations of Management
Leading and Managing People
Marketing Management
Strategic Management
Accounting and Finance for Managers
Strategic Information Systems

Elective Units: Economics for Management, Corporations and Securities Law, Legal Studies, Action Research and Evaluation (double-weighted unit – 24 credit points), Organisational Behaviour, Qualitative Research Methods, Quantitative Research Methods, Entrepreneurship, Management of Small Enterprises, New Venture Creation, Intellectual Property: Management & Commercialisation, E-Business for Managers, Project Management, Strategic Knowledge Management, International Business, International Marketing, International and Comparative HRM, International Finance for Managers, Human Resource Development, Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, International and Comparative HRM,Business to Business Marketing, Strategies in Marketing Communications, Marketing in Retail and Service Environments, Business Accounting, Corporate Reporting, Managerial Accounting, Taxation Practice, Corporate Finance, International Finance for Managers, Sports Law, Performance Management in Sport, Sport Marketing and Public Relations, Event and Facility Management, Critical Issues for Management, Corporate Governance, Managing Sustainable Organisations, Contract Management in a Global Context, Global Procurement, Logistics Management, Project Management, Operations and Quality Management, Asset Management, Risk Management, Asset Management, Risk Management, Contract Management in a Global Context, Global Procurement, Logistics Management, 

Time Limit: Have to do it by Unit, Each unit = two assignments and a final exam to be completed during the trimester.
The assignments may be case analysis, research studies, business reports, project plans or other related tasks.
Website: http://www.scu.edu.au

3. Chifley Business School, Australia 

Chifley Business School is my 3rd choice, the price is really great for an online MBA in Australia, and you can do the exams in countries other than Australia – not as many as EBS, but has most of the major countries, and every city in Australia. The pricing for International students is not hefty either which is a good change from the other Uni’s – although this one isn’t a ‘university’ so may not hold as much weight in the eyes of “Australian employers" as say Swinburne or Southern Cross. 

12 Units – (8 x Core, 4 x Electives) = AUD$17,400

International Students: AUD$19,200

Entry Requirements: An Undergraduate Degree 

• Graduate Certificate of Management (2 x Core + 2 x Electives)
• Graduate Diploma of Management (4 x Core + 4 x Electives)
• Master of Business Administration (8x Core + 4 x Electives)

Core Units A: 
101: Financial Management 
102: Management Perspectives 
201: Economic Decision Making 
202: Business Law

Core Units B: 
306: Strategic Management 
401: Marketing 
402: Contemporary People Management 
423: e-Business Strategy

Elective Units: 301: Research Project, 302: Employer based Unit, 303: Project Management, 304: Business Planning for Innovation, 305: Operations Management, 307: Management of Professional Services, 403: Managing Information Systems, 404: Pathways to Organisational Best Practice, 406: Corporate Finance, 407: International Business Strategy, 410: Strategic Management in Services, 430: Leadership, 431: Leaders as Decision Makers, 501: Advanced Project Management, 601: Pharmacy Practice and Planning, 602: The Australian Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Environment

Exams Held: Australia, New Zealand, Bangalore, Bangkok, Beijing, Chennai, Dubai, Dunedin, Fiji, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Mauritius, Mumbai, New Delhi, Santiago-Chile, Shanghai, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India

Time Limit: 3 – 10 Years
Website: http://www.mba-distance-learning.com/

4. Swinburne Uni, Australia 

Swinburne University is my 4th choice.. the price is very expensive compared to the others, there is not much flexibility in that they choose which core units you do for both the Graduate Cert and Graduate Dip and they do not offer many elective units. It also doesn’t offer International students a way to do the online course, and you must have a 5 year manager position or Bachelor degree to get in. If you do this on-campus however, you can complete it in 2 years, which is a plus, and the on-campus costs for International students is very reasonable. 

14 Units – (12 x Core, 2 x Electives) =  AUD$32,550

International Students: AUD$20,250 
(not offered online for International Students – International students holding student visa must study full-time on-campus)

Entry Requirements: 5 Years Manager Position or Bachelor Degree 

• Graduate Certificate of Business Administration (4 Core Units – not your choice)
• Graduate Diploma of Business Administration (4 Core Units – not your choice)
• Master of Business Administration (12 x Core, 2 x Electives) 

Graduate Certificate Units: 
HBM480 Strategic and Entrepreneurial Marketing 
HBC480 Accounting Information and Managerial Decision Making 
HBO480 Leading 
HIT8036 Business Information Systems for a Rapidly Changing World

Graduate Diploma Units: 
HBS580 Business Strategy 
HBC580 Business Finance and Quantitative Analysis 
HBH580 Strategic Human Resource Management
HBO580 Managing Diversity and Culture 

Master Units:
HBS680 Corporate Strategies and Entrepreneurship
HBI680 Global Business
HBO680 Leadership for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
HBO681 Corporate Governance in a Global Context 

Elective Units:
HBR680 Enterprise Project 1, HBR681 Enterprise Project 2, HBO686 Consulting Processes for Organisations,HBO687 Organisational Change Management, HBS688 Strategy for Competitive Advantage,HBS689 Management and Innovation, HBC687 Finance Risk Management

Time Limit: 2 – 10 Years
Website: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/business/agse/mba-course.htm

There were a few other online MBA courses offered in Australia, that didn’t make it to the list because information on their courses was difficult to find, one course that probably should’ve made it to the list is the RMIT online MBA course which is run by Open Universities Australia (https://www.open.edu.au/).The cost is AUD$31,680 for Australians, AUD$36,720 for International Students, but again, International Students cannot study the online course and can only study full-time.

There are news stories that have spread all over the world and I’m pretty disappointed in the way that Australia is being portrayed. My friends and I were talking and had no idea what was going on, except what was on the news. I love people from other cultures, and had not seen the types of exploitation or violence that was being discussed about in the news, I had to dig through many websites to find out what the media was talking about – on TV it seemed so sinister and scary, and that Indians have to fear for their life, etc..? What is that about, it’s certainly not the reality I know. The media is scaring people from coming here over some robberies and a stabbing of an Indian student. Maybe I’m being naive, but robberies and stabbings happen in capital cities all over the world do they not? Stay safe, don’t go anywhere, don’t do anything? The robberies are happening in one part of Melbourne that even us Aussies hate to travel at night – my sister won’t even let me park in those train stations because of the "dodgy" types that hang out there. It’s not just a racial attack when you are talking about those areas of Melbourne, it’s more a case of avoiding those areas no matter who you are – and the problem is that a lot of international students and unemployed people choose to live in those areas because the accommodation there is very cheap. Of course, the media have a lot to do with the way that everything is being portrayed, and I share a couple of those videos below. You can see ‘one side’ of the story by watching the news, usually a one-sided out of proportion ‘scary’ story – because those are the types of stories that make it "global" and get more ‘viewers’. There are dodgy areas in every country that people need to be extra careful to avoid, and I’m pretty disappointed that this point seems to have been missed. On the upside, maybe by having a police presence in these areas, and other security precautions, it may make those areas safer, so perhaps these news stories will allow more funding to the local police in those areas to be able to make those streets safer, and an overall look at all the problems that all international students face in Australia, could prove beneficial by it being so ‘global news’ right now, especially now that the politicians are now "right in the spotlight" and will have to "Do Something" because of all the media attention.

Overall, despite Australia’s bad-publicity about it, I do believe positive things will come from it, especially for International students.

Exploitation of students by employers, rogue colleges mistreating students, landlords demanding high rents for a small room only, racial attacks involving Indian students followed by an Indian student protest in the heart of Melbourne and outrage in politics while students in India burnt the Aussie flag. It all sounds very `Un-Australian`. But it happened last week and it could happen again. A lot has been said about the robbery and assault of Indian students in Melbourne. [Read Full Article - Source: Kangaruni.com Proud to be Australian?] Is Australia a racist country and unsafe for foreign students?

The following couple of videos is what’s being shown on the news down here in Australia: 

This first video is an 8 minute report about the situation from the ABC news. "Tensions have been simmering for some time now because when the students get here the promised lifestyle is not what they were told back home. The students studying in the capital cities find themselves having to rent houses in the outer suburbs and doing night jobs to make ends meet." “There are many university students which don’t have their college accommodation, so that is why we are going to the suburbs,” 

The second video is another news story from the ABC. This is a news story on International student issues (mainly Indian) in Australia. Also interviews many people including Federation of Indian Students of Australia.

This third video is one I’d really like you to watch if you are reading this. Some Sydney University students went out to interview actual international students to find out what they really think (not just what the media is making headlines) and whether students really believe that Australians are Racists. "We hit the streets for guerilla style interviews to see what real people think."

In my opinion, it is difficult for any student studying in capital cities to make ends meet if they are not fully prepared before they come here, it’s hard to get a job if you don’t have the skills (even for locals), harder if you don’t have English fluency because you are ‘judged’ in the interview room and are up against those who are fluent in English, and the living expenses are much higher. Any student coming to Australia who are worried about the cost of living, could consider studying in a quieter, cheaper, rural environment rather than a capital city, the expenses will be much cheaper, although it is much harder to get a job in a rural area as well unless you are not fussy about the kind of work you do.

These types of news stories happen all over the world, not just in Australia, although now that the news has reached global publicity and gone "political", I hope that a greater good will come of it and that more ‘awareness’ is made of the types of problems foreign students and immigrants face in Australia so that good ‘change’ is made to rectify the current problems.

As one of the most multicultural countries in the world, Australia is accepting of all cultures, and all religions and your right to practice your faith without persecution or discrimination is protected by law. University and vocational education and training (VET) institutions often have prayer rooms on campus, and there are many places of worship representing all faiths in towns and cities around the country. 

Although I know that racism exists within Australia (and everywhere in the world), I am one of many who believe it’s not the majority who are racists, and that most people are welcoming of foreigners and find it exciting and interesting to meet with people from different cultures, I have seen first-hand that even those that are vocally against foreigners, are still culturally tolerant and will smile and talk to those that they claim to not like. I have worked with people from almost every country in the various jobs I’ve had over the years and have not seen the problems that are shown on the media now, even when I worked in Melbourne. I’m not naive to think that there isn’t problems at all – I do believe that Australia has a lot of work to do with regards to opening up their understanding of the different cultures, but I also agree that it’s still one of the most safest and best countries in the world to live, work, and study, and is a country that is generally very much accepting and welcoming of people from other cultures.

Related Articles "In the News" this week:

Gilchrist to the rescue
Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney,New South Wales,Australia on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 07:08:21 -0700
A prominent member of Sydney’s Indian community has dismissed as "entirely futile" a planned rally in the city centre today to highlight assaults on Indian …

Indian student body in Australia concerned over ‘anti-Indian Indians’
MSN India, Bangalore,Karnataka,India on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 05:20:46 -0700
Melbourne: An organisation representing Indian students in Australia said Saturday it was "quite disturbed" over how some "anti-Indian Indians" here were …

Cine federation appeals to producers to avoid shooting in Aus
Indopia, India on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 07:11:52 -0700
Mumbai , Jun 6 In the backdrop of attacks on Indian students in Australia, a federation of cine employees&aposunions has appealed to its members and the …

Northeast students question ‘racism’ in India
Smash Hits, India on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 07:08:23 -0700
Guwahati, June 6 (IANS) With stars in their eyes hordes of students from India’s northeast region head towards various parts of the country during admission …

Indians passive by nature? Don’t add insult to injury
WA today, Perth,WA,Australia on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 07:03:28 -0700
INDIAN students have some strange friends in Australia. One major columnist condemned attacks on Indian students last week, deeming them especially odious .

‘No pattern of violence against Indian students’
Times Now.tv, Mumbai,Maharashtra,India on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:11:15 -0700
Bashing and stabbing attacks on five Indian men in Melbourne prompted a mass protest involving earlier this week that gridlocked a major city centre …

Bollywood body boycotts Australia following racial attacks
Smash Hits, India on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 07:08:23 -0700
However, there are those who believe the attacks should not be allowed to affect the Indian entertainment industry’s ties with Australia. …

• The Australian Government has announced the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Endeavour Awards to provide scholarships for the best university students from Australia and Asia.
• In 2008, there were 97,000 Indian enrolments in Australia.
• The Australian government is committing $14.9 million over 4 years to setup this scholarship program. 

The Endeavour Awards are the Australian Government’s internationally competitive, merit based scholarship program providing opportunities for citizens of the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Europe and the Americas to undertake study, research and professional development in any field of study in Australia. Awards are also available for Australians to do the same abroad.

Source: http://www.thaindian.com

More information on the Endeavour Awards scholarship program

Yui Sato is a Japanese student studying marine biology at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.

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To learn more about Studying in Australia, contact Penny & Mamoun (feel free to write in English or Arabic):
Contact (Email) Form | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Skype
Decide what you want .. believe you can have it, believe you deserve it, believe it’s possible for