Business Practicum

Eligibility

• You are enrolled into an approved graduate degree
  • Students enrolled in an approved MBS graduate degree are eligible to apply. Please check the University of Melbourne handbook (click on Further information > Related Handbook entries. If your course is not listed, you will need to seek approval from your Program Director) or with Course Planners at Stop 1 if you are unsure whether the Business Practicum can be taken as part of your current degree.
  • Students enrolled in the Master of Engineering (Biomedical, Electrical, Mechanical, and Software streams), Master of Information Systems and Master of Information Technology are eligible to apply.
  • Other non-FBE students are not eligible to apply for any FBE practicum subjects without the prior approval of the Subject Coordinator. Proof of approval must be emailed to mbs-practicums@unimelb.edu.au before the application close date. Late approval submissions will not be accepted and applications without the required approval will be withdrawn. Please note: students undertaking the Master of Commerce (Finance) are generally ineligible to apply, due to limited elective options available in the course.
  • Students who have already completed one Graduate Practicum subject may apply to take another but will be placed on a waiting list and only offered a place based on availability
• Your Weighted Average Mark (WAM) is 70% or higher

  Due to limited spaces, entry into the Business Practicum is competitive. Selection is based on a WAM for all postgraduate subjects successfully completed at the selection date, and is contingent on permission from the Subject Coordinator.

  The minimum WAM requirement for the subject is 70% and the Selection Committee considers the following when allocating places:

  • academic performance
  • an overall match of skills, experience and interests to the available projects.
• You have completed a minimum of 50 credit points
  Students enrolled in a MBS program or eligible non-MBS program must have completed a minimum of 50 points of their program at the time of application.
• You have space in your study plan for this subject

  Before applying, you should ensure there is space in your study plan for this subject. You can do this by adding the subject as ‘planned’ although this is not a requirement at the time of application.

• You are available to attend an interview if you are successful in the shortlisting stage

  Students who are successful in the shortlisting stage will be invited to attend either an in-person or online interview (dependent on COVID-19 restrictions at the time of scheduled interviews). You must attend an interview if you wish to be considered for a place in the Business Practicum.

• You have prepared your CV and had it reviewed

  Students who receive an official offer for the Business Practicum must submit a CV with evidence that the CV has scored a 'green' rating on the University of Melbourne's Smart Resume platform. Find out more about preparing your CV.

  EmployMe provides tools, resources and videos to build your skills in job seeking, resume building, interview performance and more.

• Step 1

  Login to Sonia Live using your University of Melbourne student credentials: https://unimelb.sonialive.com/.

  Click on Faculty of Business and Economics.

• Step 2

  Click on the Placements tab on the menu bar at the top of the page and search for the placement group you’re interested in applying for (e.g., for the 2022 Winter intake, this will be called 2022 Graduate Practicum_Winter).

  Please note that the Graduate Practicum placement group will only appear in the Placements screen if applications are currently open for an upcoming intake. If the subject does not appear in the list, it is likely that applications have not yet opened or have already closed. Check the key dates section above to find out when applications are open for this intake. If you  leave the placement group, we will withdraw your application.

• Step 3

  Click the green + Join option. This will give you access to the subject application form which can be found on the Forms tab. You may need to refresh your browser for this to appear.

• Step 4

  Complete all fields of the application form and click submit. Please ensure you take note of the application due date as we do not accept late submissions.

• Step 5

  After the subject application closing date, applications will be shortlisted and students will be emailed an outcome within 7 working days.

Frequently asked questions

• Can I apply if I don’t have any consulting experience?

  Yes, there is a full selection process to determine your eligibility and suitability for the program. Selection is not based on existing consulting experience.

• I want to take an online intensive subject over summer/winter while also completing a summer intensive /July intensive Business Practicum. Is this okay?

  No, Business Practicum participants enrolled in the summer or winter intake will not be permitted to enrol in any other subjects that run in the same period as the Business Practicum intake. Both summer and winter intakes are intensive and will require 100% commitment from students.

  Please note: This relates to the intensive stream (Summer or Winter) only. A normal subject load can be undertaken with the semester-long Business Practicum stream (Semester 1 or Semester 2).

• Can I choose the company or type of project?

  No, students are allocated to teams and companies with specific projects. However, students are given the opportunity to advise their areas of interest which we endeavour to consider when allocating teams. Students will not be allocated to a project where they do not have the technical skills required. Most projects are multi-disciplinary.

• Can exchange students apply?

  Exchange students can apply, and if they meet the criteria be interviewed. However, they will be placed on a waitlist and only receive an offer if there is spare capacity in the section.

• How much does the Business Practicum cost?

  The cost of the Business Practicum is a standard University subject.

  However, there will be additional costs associated with the travel component of the June 2023 BP for accommodation, flights, meals, and other incidental travel expenses. More detail about specific costs will be provided to students at a later date.