Executive Dean of the University of Queensland’s Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, Professor Andrew Griffiths. Image Credits: University of Queensland.

The Business School at the University of Queensland (UQ) was the first in Australia to gain accreditation from AACSB International and EQUIS. Based in Brisbane, the school houses over 200 experts and a variety of degree programs and courses.

Faculty and students of the school combine social responsibility and entrepreneurship to develop solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues, such as diversity in the boardroom, sustainable development and improving healthcare. This commitment to creating change is echoed by the Executive Dean of UQ’s Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, Professor Andrew Griffiths. According to him, the perfect UQ Business school student should be curious about the world and a committed changemaker. “I’d like to see students who have integrity, the capacity to process information and make informed decisions to positively transform business and society.” he says.

Along with a focus on innovative solutions, the Business School at UQ is renowned for its research. The school’s research on business & management, tourism, and information systems has been classed as ‘well above world standard’ by Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment this year. Their researchers explore a wide variety of topics, ranging from accounting, business and finance to interdisciplinary and boundary pushing areas such as designing the future of service organisations and patient-centric healthcare.

In particular, UQ and its Business School are dedicated to developing practices and solutions focused on sustainability. The UQ campus has committed to become energy neutral by 2020 with a 22,000 solar panel farm in the works.The Business School emphasizes sustainability in its research, with one of their disciplines dedicated to sustainable tourism and an interdisciplinary research theme focusing on building sustainable businesses. Their business magazine, Momentum, regularly publishes articles on how to develop sustainable and ethical business practices.

“Our focus in business education is to ensure our future leaders, managers and executives not only understand the issues at the core of sustainability and climate change, but that they understand how these issues will impact and shape business and society – now and in the future.” says Executive Dean Grifitths.

With over 90 years of history and a commitment to fostering courageous thinkers, UQ Business School offers a range of degree programs, spanning undergraduate, postgraduate, research and MBA programs. It also has Executive Education courses and short courses on different leadership skills. Luckily, UQ and the Business School offer a variety of scholarships, for MBAs and executive education degrees alike. Keep an eye out for updates on the BGM scholarship database for opportunities to attend the school.