Master of Management

The Master of Management at the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS) is a two-year postgraduate degree for people who want to move into management or sharpen the skills they already use at work. It sits at AQF level 9, which means it builds on a bachelor degree or relevant professional experience rather than starting from scratch. You study business administration subjects, think strategy, marketing, finance, organisational behaviour, operations and people leadership, and you can shape the degree around the industry you work in or want to enter. ICMS runs its courses with a strong professional focus, and the college's campuses and industry links around Sydney give you a practical setting to test what you learn.

How the degree is structured

Like most Australian master's degrees, this one is built from units of study, each worth a set number of credit points. You need to pass a required total of credit points to graduate, usually spread across semesters or trimesters. A two-year master's typically includes core units everyone takes, a set of electives or specialisation units, and a capstone unit or project in the final stage. The capstone is where you pull the whole degree together, often a real business problem, a consulting-style project or a research report. Some students take the option of a longer research thesis if they are considering a doctorate later. Confirm the exact unit list, credit point total and any majors on the official course page, because these details are set by the institution and can change.

Work-integrated learning and industry

ICMS has a long history of work-integrated learning, and postgraduate business degrees in Australia often include a placement, internship or industry project as part of the credit points. That means you might spend part of your degree working with an organisation on a live issue rather than only sitting in lectures. The college's Sydney location puts you near a large business and tourism sector, and its industry connections are one reason students choose it. If placement is a required part of your course, the institution will tell you how it is arranged and what you need to do to be eligible.

Who it suits

This degree suits early-career graduates who want a management qualification before stepping into a team leader role, and it suits people already working who want to formalise their experience and move up. It also works for international students who want an Australian qualification and the chance to work after study. On a Student visa you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and after graduating you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, which lets you stay and work in Australia for a period set by the Department of Home Affairs. English requirements for entry are typically IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall for a coursework master's, though some fields ask for higher; ICMS also accepts TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and its own English programmes. The Student visa itself has a separate English threshold set by the Department of Home Affairs. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 078929F, check there and on the official ICMS page for the current figure and intake dates.

Graduates of an Australian master's in management move into roles across most industries, because the skills are general and the qualification is recognised by employers. Typical jobs include:

• Business or management consultant
• Operations manager
• Project manager or project coordinator
• Marketing or brand manager
• Human resources manager or people and culture adviser
• Business development manager
• Retail or hospitality manager
• Financial analyst or commercial analyst
• Supply chain or logistics manager
• General manager in a small or medium business

In Australia, the industries that hire most heavily from this group are professional services and consulting, banking and financial services, retail and consumer goods, tourism and hospitality, health administration, technology, and government. ICMS's own background in hospitality, tourism and events means its graduates often find work in those sectors as well as in broader business roles. Some graduates use the degree as a step towards a doctorate or a research career, but most go straight into management or specialist work.