The Flexibility to Succeed: How AIB Enables Students to Thrive in Busy Lifestyles

In the 2025 CEO Magazine Global MBA Rankings, AIB secured a Tier 1 Global Status for the fourth consecutive year. This accolade reflects AIB’s continued excellence in delivering high-quality online MBA programs. In their most recent issue, CEO Magazine spoke with AIB about how our online MBA model is making postgraduate study more accessible. Designed for working professionals, AIB’s flexible approach helps students balance study with work, family, travel and other commitments. We’re pleased to share the full article below.

The Flexibility to Succeed: How AIB Enables Students to Thrive in Busy Lifestyles

“I don’t have time” is one of the most common reason professionals put off pursuing an MBA. At the Australian Institute of Business (AIB), the learning model addresses this challenge by offering a highly flexible online format. 99% of alumni agreed, saying the format made it easier to study while managing other responsibilities.

With insights from Associate Professor Mulyadi Robin, AIB’s Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), and Dr Alicia Stanway, Discipline Lead in HRM and Industry Engagement Manager, this article explores how AIB’s structure makes postgraduate education achievable without sacrificing personal or professional commitments.

Additionally, through three inspiring alumni stories, we’ll see firsthand how AIB graduates achieved success while balancing work, family, travel and study.

The AIB Approach

Short, Strategic Learning Cycles

AIB’s MBA programme follows an eight-week subject format, providing a structured yet adaptable learning experience that fits seamlessly into the lives of busy professionals. Major assessment deadlines are strategically placed in the same week every term, creating a consistent, predictable study pattern. This regular cadence helps students plan ahead and balance their workload effectively.

The inclusion of a one-week break after each subject also gives students a chance to reflect on what they’ve learned and recharge before starting the next subject. This balance between intensive learning and scheduled breaks helps maintain motivation and prevents burnout.

100% Online Learning, 24/7 Access

AIB’s 100% online MBA is designed to be truly flexible, allowing students to study anytime, anywhere. Learning is self-paced, so students can move through content in a way that suits their schedule. There are live webinars scheduled outside of standard work hours which provide structure and real-time interaction but are not compulsory. For added flexibility, all sessions are recorded ensuring that those with demanding schedules can participate fully without falling behind.

The programme is delivered through AIB’s innovative Student Learning Portal. The portal offers 24/7 access to learning materials including videos, podcasts and other resources. The myAIB app adds another layer of convenience making it easy to study on the go. Students can download modules and full subjects to view offline and receive notifications for assessments and webinars. Audio versions of course content make it possible to learn while commuting, exercising, running errands or even while waiting at school pick-up—turning everyday moments into learning opportunities.

Alicia offers some practical advice for those undertaking the MBA:

“Plan the ebbs and flow of work commitments, family events and assessment deadlines. You’ll find your groove in terms of whether Sunday sessions or studying in the pockets of your time will work best but never leave an assessment to the last minute. When feeling the pressure, remind yourself of why you started in the first place to keep that momentum.”

Freedom to Start, Stop and Accelerate

Unlike traditional universities with rigid semester schedules, AIB offers 12 start dates throughout the year, allowing students to begin their MBA without waiting months for the next intake. With multiple entry pathways available including previous academic qualifications or relevant professional experience, getting started is straightforward.

AIB gives learners the freedom to set their own pace. Generally, students concentrate on one subject at a time, allowing for deeper engagement and understanding without the pressure of managing multiple subjects. This focused structure supports completing the MBA online within two years. However, AIB offers extra flexibility with the option for students to accelerate or slow their studies as needed. Eligible students can choose to study two subjects at once, enabling them to finish the MBA in just 12 months. In addition, it’s possible to take breaks between subjects if life demands it, with the flexibility to stop and restart studies according to personal circumstances.

Immediate Application, Lasting Career Outcomes

AIB stand outs for their practical, hands-on learning approach guided by experiential principles from Kolb’s model. Their MBA is designed around authentic assessment tasks, situated in contemporary professional contexts. This allows students to reflect meaningfully on their own professional experiences and challenges. This approach is supported by industry-aware academics who not only bring subject matter expertise but also specialise in leading online teaching methods, ensuring learning is both relevant and immediately applicable.

AIB understands leadership and impact beyond the classroom require more than the ability to recall information. That’s why its MBA replaces traditional, theory-heavy exams with practical, work-based assessments. Students use their own professional context as the foundation for their learning, solving actual business problems as they study. This structure not only aligns with what employers value, but leads to stronger learning outcomes and higher student satisfaction. In their most recent Alumni Insights Survey, 97% of alumni found the AIB MBA practical and 83% experienced career progression.

Alicia illustrates this with a real-world example:

“We want to blur the lines between assessments and real-world application so that the effort invested into building that business capital is immediately applicable in practice. For example, developing and implementing a strategic business case for an evidence-based performance gap in eight weeks (the same timing as AIB’s subject model) is a real tangible outcome. However, the unexpected benefit is scaling systems thinking by developing a greater awareness of the interplay between business units, rather than viewing functions and departments separately. When systems thinking is combined with research and analytical skills, it stimulates decision velocity, which not only leads to increased confidence in engaging in strategic conversations with other leaders but also raises our value when looking for internal mobility or career changes.”

How AIB Maintains Quality While Offering Flexible Learning

While flexibility is a key feature of AIB’s MBA programme, it is never offered at the expense of academic rigour or educational quality. The academic integrity and relevance of every subject is rigorously maintained through expert design and continuous review. AIB consistently outperforms national benchmarks in the Student Experience Survey (SES), Australia’s only comprehensive government-endorsed survey of current higher education students. In the most recent results, AIB achieved a 90.9% rating for overall educational experience, significantly higher than the national average of 79.2%. Teaching quality was also rated highly, with AIB scoring 92.8% compared to the national average of 83.8%.

Mulyadi explains further:

“Quality underpins everything we do at AIB. Each subject is carefully designed and regularly reviewed with input from both leading academics in their fields, as well as input from industry leaders and peak bodies (e.g. Australian Human Resource Institute). This facilitates regular updates, ensuring subjects stay current and practical, while remaining industry relevant.

Our online learning platform is backed by expert teams comprising of educational designers, educational technologists and subject specialists. This allows us to deliver engaging, high-quality content tailored for online delivery. Further, our continuous improvement is driven by student feedback and measured against national and international benchmarks, so students know they’re receiving an excellent education while studying on their own terms.”

Support That Helps You Succeed

Studying online doesn’t mean studying alone. At AIB, students have access to a wide range of resources and services designed to help them feel connected and motivated throughout their studies. Their commitment to student care is reflected in the national Student Experience Survey, where AIB scored 86.8% for student support—well above the national average of 80%.

Mulyadi shares AIB’s approach to student support:

“Student success is at the heart of what we do at AIB. From day one, our structured orientation programme equips students with essential skills for online learning. Throughout each subject, students have ongoing access to Subject Coordinators and Online Learning Facilitators for expert academic guidance. Dedicated Academic Skills Advisors and Librarians provide additional support in research, writing and study skills. Recognising life’s unpredictable nature, our friendly Student Central team offers practical assistance—like extensions or temporary study breaks—ensuring students always have support close at hand, whenever needed.”

Alumni Case Studies

How Candice Balanced Study with Raising Three Children

Candice Crawford was a well-established healthcare professional when she made the decision to return to study. At the time, she was working full-time and a sole parent to three young children, but rather than seeing these responsibilities as barriers, Candice saw them as motivation. She wanted to stay competitive in her field, continue progressing professionally and set a good example for her children. The search for a suitable MBA was extensive as flexibility wasn’t a preference—it was a requirement.

“AIB offered the most flexibility and the course content aligned with my experience and career goals. The remote study model enabled me to plan my study around my children and work. The staff and lecturers were extremely helpful and fast to respond to my questions. I appreciated the way in which the AIB team understood and accommodated my needs.”

Candice didn’t just manage to balance study with life; she set herself an ambitious goal to complete the course work within 12 months. She achieved this by approaching the programme with a high level of discipline and organisation. Meal prepping, carefully coordinating school needs and maintaining her exercise regime all helped create space for success.

“My MBA opened up many opportunities that would not have been possible otherwise. It gave me the opportunity to assume statewide leadership roles, lead large transformation projects, strategic reviews, COVID response projects, become a Board Director of an amazing charity and many other exciting projects. In my everyday job, pretty much everything I do, I’m utilising some of the skills that I learnt in the MBA.”

One of the most meaningful benefits of Candice’s MBA was the impact her study journey had at home. She created an environment where learning was a shared experience often sitting together with her children doing “homework,” building study habits and a love of learning that stayed with them.

“Your children will benefit from seeing you work and study hard, even when it seems that you don’t have time. My children were only in primary school when I undertook my MBA, they are now at university and I see the same determination, work and study habits in them that we developed together 10 years ago.”

How Mark Balanced Study While Relocating Abroad

After completing part of his undergraduate degree and a one-year accounting certificate, Mark Ryan stepped into the workforce to support his growing family. Two decades later now a father of four with a wealth of work experience, he decided to return to study to complete what he had started years earlier and position himself for growth in the next phase of his career. Mark chose AIB after thorough research, drawn to its online model, the one-subject-every-eight-weeks structure and the recognition of his management experience in lieu of an undergraduate degree.

“With one course every 8 weeks, it fits the adage of eating an elephant, simply one bite at a time. I was able to find a good balance of home, work and homework to get through everything. There were even weekends when I would take my daughters to figure skating, and I would finalise my assessments in the waiting area or the stands. Minor edits to papers can be done anywhere with the modern productivity tools that we have.”

The MBA reshaped his professional trajectory. After completing his first year, Mark moved from a commercial proposal role into operations, a shift he attributes to the confidence and capability gained from his studies. He applied new skills daily in his evolving role, making the coursework immediately valuable. Then, midway through his MBA journey, an unexpected opportunity came up: a promotion that would require relocating countries from Canada to the United States. What could have been a major disruption became another example of how AIB’s flexibility paid off.

“In late 2023, I accepted a new role as a Division Manager that would mean moving from my home in Edmonton, Alberta to Bellingham, Washington. For the first four months of 2024, I commuted to the US while we were finalising the sale of our home and getting ready for the big move. The flexible study model allowed me to continue to study and succeed whether it was working from a hotel room, a cafe or amongst moving boxes. The ability to take break in Term 4 of 2024 also gave our family the chance to properly settle into our new surroundings after such a life-changing move.”

How Anne Balanced Study with a Travel-Heavy Career

Anne Collishaw has built an impressive career in the Australian Army and the Department of Defence. With a strong desire to advance in her career and plan for life after the Army, Anne decided to pursue an MBA. However, she was unable to meet the contact hour requirements of traditional universities due to her unpredictable schedule and frequent travel for work. Pursuing an MBA while working in such a dynamic environment may sound impossible — but for Anne, the flexible model and applied nature of the AIB programme made it not only possible, but impactful.

“Enrolling in AIB’s MBA was a great decision; without it, I might not have been able to advance my career as I have. One of the most rewarding aspects of the MBA was being able to apply concepts in real-time. Whether it was strategic planning, leadership theory or financial analysis, I found myself immediately using these skills in Defence-related projects.”

Balancing the demands of work and travel didn’t deter Anne. Instead, she turned her mobility into an asset. She made the most of airport lounges, flights and hotels, turning transit time into learning opportunities. She also used digital tools and downloaded resources in advance to stay productive even when internet access was limited.

“In many ways, travel became a unique enhancer of my learning journey. Travelling exposed me to a wide range of leadership styles and operational challenges across different environments, which added valuable context to the theories I was studying. It also gave me quiet pockets of time such as long-haul flights or remote postings where I could focus on assignments or reading.”

More than just climbing the career ladder, Anne’s journey with AIB reshaped her as a leader. Since completing her MBA, she has been promoted in both her Defence civilian and Navy roles. The skills she gained particularly in strategic thinking, stakeholder engagement and business decision-making have proven invaluable in navigating the multifaceted responsibilities she holds across Defence.

“I pursued an MBA to gain a promotion which I recently achieved. During the selection process, my past roles and my studies at AIB were topics of interest. These factors definitely played a significant role in securing my new position.”

This article was originally published in CEO Magazine Volume 47 2025.

The insights were garnered from AIB’s 2024 Alumni Insights Report sent out to 12,040 of AIB’s global alumni who graduated between 2005 and 2024.