Course director: Mr Jeff McLean
The course
This masters degree explores application of a specific methodology and systems thinking to organisations and builds on a preliminary year based on the existing Graduate Diploma in Business Management. Provision is made for students to enter the program from other graduate programs and honours degrees. It is available on a full-fee, part-time basis, limited to an initial intake of approximately twenty students with two intakes per year. The course is designed to be completed over two years of part-time study. Apart from satisfying the academic provisions of the preliminary year, intending applicants must have completed a minimum of two years work experience, preferably at a supervisory/management level.
On completion of the course students will have developed the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes to apply systems thinking and continuous learning processes in order to improve the on-going performance of organisations as instruments for achieving economic and social goals.
Objectives
On completion of the course students will have:
* developed competence in the theory and practice of systems thinking and continuous learning as applied to the study of organisations;
* added to the existing body of experience in the areas of organisational theory and systems thinking;
* contributed to the development and monitoring of organisational policy and strategy by using systems approaches to conceptualise and communicate insights into the behaviour of organisations and their interactions with their environments;
* acted as catalysts for performance improvement and continuous learning by working with teams to identify, formulate and discover root causes of complex organisational problems using systems thinking and simulation modelling.
Venue
Part-time classes are offered in evening, weekend, or block teaching modes at Caulfield campus.
Course Structure
The course consists of eight units including six coursework and an integrating research thesis:
* MGM 7500 Systems thinking and theory
* MGM 7510 Organisational learning and leadership
* MGM 7531 Quality systems management
* MGM 7521 Dynamic Ssstems modelling
* MGM 7541 Advanced topics in systems thinking
* Elective
* Integrating research thesis (2 units).
The coursework is designed to consolidate and extend studies in organisational behavour and learning, operations management, strategic management and systems thinking included in the preliminary program. An elective is included to encourage students to explore the application of systems thinking outside of the normal management disciplines.
The research thesis of 8000 words is to be organisation-based. Consequently, applicants are required to demonstrate support for this component from their employers, or from some other suitable organisation.