Survey data from The University of Queensland Business School confirms that their Master of Business Administraion (MBA) students are driven by innovation, impact and global ambitions to study the master's degree, as opposed to financial gain.
Compared with global MBA students, twice as many UQ business students were motivated to study an MBA because they aspired to be "impactful innovators", meaning they wanted to have a positive social impact. And a third more were "global strivers", which aligned them with qualities such as leadership. Only 7 per cent of UQ students were "respect seekers" – that is, focused on personal ambition – compared with 27 per cent of the global group.
Summing up the findings, the survey authors said: "It could be inferred that UQ MBA students care more about global opportunity, revitalising their careers and bringing new ideas to life as a motivator, as opposed to monetary motivations or status."
An Australian Financial Review article investigates the rising trend for MBA motivators driven primarily by impact, over financial benefit.
