Leadership and teamwork are as vital in business as they are on the rugby field.

And just like elite athletes, top-performing managers need that extra edge gained from finely honed skills to lead their teams and organisations to success.

In competitive business environments where these skills are becoming increasing valuable – and rewarded – managers with a well-rounded business education are boosting their career prospects.

For over a quarter of a century, Australia’s leading business school, the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM), has provided thousands of business men and women with a strong foundation upon which they have built their careers.

The School offers full-time MBA and part-time MBA (Executive) programs, a PhD program, and a suite of shorter, intensive executive and corporate programs.

Rankings and accreditation
In 2002, the Financial Times (UK) ranked AGSM’s MBA (Executive) program as the best part-time program of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region and the number 14 program worldwide. The Financial Times ranked the AGSM’s fulltime MBA program the number one in Australia.

Also in 2002, the AGSM became the first Australian business school to receive international accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation, the international hallmark of excellence in management education.

The MBA for practising managers
The AGSM’s MBA (Executive) program is designed for practising managers who are keen to apply their new skills and concepts to the immediate business world. The program is undertaken part-time and the emphasis is on clarifying and debating issues, transferring learning and sharing professional experiences with class colleagues. Significant professional relationships form through close class contact, syndicate work and residential learning.

The MBA (Executive) program takes between 2½ to seven years to complete depending on a student’s preferred pace of study.

Over 2,200 students are currently enrolled in the AGSM’s part-time MBA (Executive) program, which operates in 11 locations in six Australian mainland capital cities, and in Hong Kong.

The AGSM also offers a full-time MBA program with an innovative curriculum focussed on leadership, teamwork and cross-cultural skills. During the program – which can be completed in 15 to 18 months – many students find they undergo a personal transformation, refocusing and redefining themselves and their careers.

World-class faculty
The AGSM’s 46 full-time and over 100 adjunct faculty are renowned for excellence in teaching and research. They consistently make contributions to leading research and thinking in their fields of expertise. They also maintain close links with the business community in a practical way, bringing insights and experience back into the classroom.

Career networks
AGSM provides a comprehensive career management service through its Career Centre, which provides students with proactive support for the management of their career throughout their lives. This includes: workshops and events, on-campus recruitment; internships, resume preparation, career guidance, and networking and social events.

Over 10,000 AGSM graduates form part of a influential global network of alumni who are regularly invited to participate in activities, reunions and conferences.

Developing Australian Rugby Players
Over 200 Australian professional rugby players can now access AGSM’s programs after a career training scheme was struck with the Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) in September, 2002.

Up to 113 players from Australia’s three Super 12 professional teams – the ACT Brumbies, NSW Waratahs, and Queensland Reds – and approximately ninety up-and-coming academy players have access to this program.

Through each club’s education liaison officer, players are advised on the suitable education program they can undertake to augment their careers, including AGSM’s MBA (Executive) and range of executive programs.

Players can access the scheme throughout their playing careers and up to three years after retirement from international or Super 12 competition.

For more information about the AGSM’s programs please see www.agsm.edu.au