MBS Orientation Program
Welcome to the World Class!
This is the start of an exciting journey. At MBS you will learn from outstanding faculty, meet and develop invaluable networks with your peers and encounter transformational personal and professional opportunities. We encourage you to take full advantage of the opportunities available.
The MBS Orientation Program runs over five-days and will provide you with essential course planning information, deliver core skills for graduate study and introduce you to the vibrant MBS student community and the wide range of services, programs and activities available exclusively to MBS students.
You are expected to attend the full Orientation Program and can choose to register for sessions relevant to your needs by referring to the Program Overview section below.
Program Overview
Day 1 - MBS Orientation Day: Monday, 25 February
- Welcome from the Deputy Dean MBS and Academic Program Directors.
- Receive course planning advice and details of course requirements.
- Meet fellow students and faculty staff over refreshments at the exclusive MBS Welcome Function.
Please note that there are different start times depending on the degree you are enrolling into. Please view the Orientation Day Schedule for information about which Group your degree falls under. Registration is essential - you will be asked to select your group number, please ensure that you select the right one. You must also register your non-attendance if you are not able to attend.
GROUP 1: Register for Orientation Day
GROUP 2: Register for Orientation Day
Day 2: Tuesday, 26 February
- Core study skills workshops (click links to learn more and register):
Research Skills and Premium Resources
If you’re new to the University of Melbourne or the field of business and economics, this session is designed for you. It focuses on advancing your research skills to comprehensively search for information and introduces you to the range of premium business and economics library resources available to graduate business students.
Register for the 9:00-10:45am session
OR
Clear & Effective Spoken English
Is English your second language? Do you lack confidence with your English pronunciation and spoken English? Join this session for practice, tips and tools to improve your English pronunciation and spoken English skills. Speech Pathologist Georgie Taylor will help you understand what you should improve and how to do it. Learn about speaking clearer, confident English for job interview performance, workplace communication and day-to-day life.
OR
- Social event (click link to learn more and register):
Campus Tour
Hosted by our wonderful MBS Student Ambassadors, get a guided tour of The Spot and FBE, with tips on getting around, best places to study, eat and just hang out.
Day 3: Wednesday, 27 February
- MBS Core Study Skills Workshops - This day long program includes all three workshops:
Working in a Team for your Assignments
The ability to work collaboratively as part of a team is critical to success as a student and in the workplace. This workshop will provide you with an understanding of how to work effectively as a team. It will help you identify and utilise the strengths of the individuals within the team to achieve common goals and will also consider ways of working inclusively across cultures and strategies for managing conflict productively within teams.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Critical thinking is one of the most highly valued skills in business, and improving critical thinking is a key ambition of business education. This workshop will help you understand better what critical thinking is, and provide some useful tips and techniques for improving your critical thinking.
Research to Writing: Skills to Produce Evidence-Based Analysis
A practical, hands-on workshop that covers the research to writing process for graduate business students. Based on an assignment topic, this workshop steps you through the process of integrating research evidence into your writing. This workshop requires your active participation in writing a sample paragraph, reviewing other participants’ writing, and gaining feedback on your writing.
Day 4: Thursday, 28 February
- Core study skills workshop (click links to learn more and register):
Maths Refresher: Introduction to Business Mathematics
Prerequisite: Year 10 mathematics
Designed for: Students with a minimal mathematical background or who think they would benefit from a refresher course.
Workshop Overview Topics will include: * Numeric operators including exponents, fraction and decimal form, percentages, and logarithms * Terminology and notation, relations and functions * Functions in Microsoft Excel, tables and graph * Exponential functions, applications of exponential functions,inverse functions, and the logarithm function. * Examples from Business disciplines
Please note: Workshop will include problem solving as well as theory therefore students are expected to bring a calculator to the session. Session notes and any additional supporting materials will be supplied online. Understanding this content is a pre-requisite for the Business Mathematics workshop later in the day.
Maths Refresher: Business Mathematics
Prerequisite: Introduction to Business Mathematics unit.
Designed for: Students whose academic background is in a discipline other than finance. Students requiring a 'refresher' in statistics and/or financial mathematics, particularly those students new to the Graduate Diploma in Finance, Master of Finance or the Master of Management (Finance).
Workshop Overview: The focus of this program is to develop your skills in applying mathematics to elementary financial problems. Four fundamental concepts used in financial mathematics will be explained: cash flows, rate of return, interest rates and time value of money.
Please note: Workshop will include problem solving as well as theory therefore students are expected to bring a calculator to the session. Session notes and any additional supporting materials will be supplied online.
Day 5: Friday, 01 March
- Core study skills workshop (click link to learn more and register):
- Maths Refresher - Business Statistics Part 1
- Maths Refresher - Business Statistics Part 2: Continuation of Part 1.
Maths Refresher: Business Statistics Part 1
Prerequisites: No background in business statistics will be assumed. Quantitative skills equivalent to that required of a Bachelor of Commerce graduate
Designed for: Students whose academic background is in a discipline other than finance, or require a 'refresher' in statistics and/or financial mathematics, particularly those students new to the Graduate Diploma in Finance, Master of Finance or the Master of Management (Finance).
Workshop Overview: Graduate finance subjects have a strong emphasis on quantitative techniques in financial analysis. If your academic background is in a discipline other than finance, you may not be familiar with business statistics. The focus of this program is to develop skills in elementary business statistics.
Please note: Workshop will include problem solving as well as theory therefore students are expected to bring a calculator to the session. Session notes and any additional supporting materials will be supplied online.
Please note: Resources from the sessions (where available) can be accessed on the LMS - see the link under ORIENTATION CORE STUDY SKILLS WORKSHOPS available by Tuesday 05 March.