The new Master of IT/Master of Commerce intersects the worlds of Engineering and Business to set you up for success.
UNSW has introduced a first-of-its-kind dual postgraduate business and IT program, set to empower graduates to pursue cutting edge solutions and managerial roles in IT and Business industries.
ճMaster of IT/Master of Commerce has been designed by UNSW Engineering in close collaboration with UNSW Business School, in direct response to both industry and student demand for marrying greater technical skills with business and managerial acumen. Plus, it provides a fast track into a double Masters if you’re a postgrad student with prior learning and experience in IT, Engineering and Business.
Professor Mark Uncles, Senior Deputy Dean (Education & Student Experience) at UNSW Business School says, "Across the globe we see abundant evidence of growth opportunities at the interface of Information Technology and Business. This is the frontier for so much innovation by entrepreneurial start-ups, to corporates and multinational enterprises, through to public sector organisations. Recognising these trends, UNSW has brought together experts from our world-class Engineering and Business faculties to equip postgraduate students with the know-how and skill-sets to take full advantage of these opportunities."
More industry demand for tech and business skills
Professor Maurice Pagnucco, Deputy Dean Education, UNSW Engineering, says, “This dual program prepares postgraduate students for the industry demand within organisations, providing them with greater technical skills as well as business managerial skills, enhancing their career prospects."
According to Matthew Ellis, Head of Engineering at Macquarie Group, the worlds of technology and business are increasingly interconnected: “Technology is a key enabler for creating a better future and business leaders are expected to understand more about technology. Similarly, technology leaders are moving into senior business roles where they directly influence business strategy and prioritisation.”
“Most ‘tech’ companies, including disruptive technology businesses, operate in an existing business paradigm so graduates need to equally understand technology and the broader business.”
In response to industry demand, UNSW’s dual postgraduate degree in IT and Commerce is the first of its kind in Australia, combining the two most in demand disciplines. This brand new dual Masters degree in IT and Engineering aims to provide you with the foundational knowledge and skills to apply key technical knowledge to a business and commerce-focused environment.
According to Asanga Lokusooriya, Partner in Cloud & Digital - Digital Innovation & Cloud Engineering at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC),
“The graduates will be both tech-savvy and commercially astute, and will have the necessary skills to deal with the complexities of emerging technologies and their economic impact.”
Dual degree for a successful future career
Looking to the future, it’s clear that there’s an inherent need to close the gap between technical knowledge and managerial application. As Matthew Ellis says, “There is often too much focus on the technical skills in terms of which cloud providers you are certified in or what technologies you have used. The two most important skills for IT professionals are 1) a solid grasp of the fundamentals and 2) an ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.”
A high level of job growth in IT and Engineering management roles is projected, requiring intimate knowledge of project management balanced with tech skills. Managerial roles in any organisation will need you to be proficient in both project and people management, and a leader who is also ahead of advancements and developments in technology.
“The intersection of business and technology is digital, and modern businesses are digital businesses, from banking, to healthcare, to manufacturing,” says Asanga Lokusooriya from PWC. “This leads to accelerated growth and adoption shifting large ecosystems to new paradigms. Change of this scale needs more professionals with the ability to articulate the implications of these new technologies in the context of both engineering and economic impact. The far reaching implications of such great technological change is demanding the professionals of tomorrow to understand, interpret and articulate the full spectrum of technology impact on a global scale.”
Ideal if you’re looking to make a move into the IT sector, or to strengthen existing skills in combination with business proficiency, UNSW’s Master of IT/Master of Commerce blends postgraduate coursework with key industry opportunities to enhance career prospects.
“We expect graduates from our distinctive MIT/MCom to be at the forefront when it comes to shaping the IT-Business interface,” says Professor Mark Uncles.
Managerial roles in tech companies need strong business acumen
Commenting on the ever-changing IT industry, Matthew Ellis highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for managers within tech companies: “Most ‘tech’ companies still operate in an existing business paradigm, like hospitality (AirBnb), retail/consumer goods (Amazon), media and content (Spotify, Netflix). We need people who both understand the technology but also understand its business area deeply.”
Meeting at the intersection of business and engineering, the dual Master of IT / Master of Commerce offers you unlimited career paths. And as Matthew Ellis says, “demand is already exceeding supply” when it comes to roles for IT professionals with business acumen.
Choose your specialisation, build your future
With 21 specialisations to choose from, follow your passion for areas such as E-Commerce Systems and Financial Technology for the rapidly growing “Fintech” industry (think: AfterPay and CryptoCurrency), Digital Transformation with Database Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Business Strategy, and many more options to build the future you see for yourself.
This dual Masters program will empower you with real-world practice, and give you an edge if you’re already on a career path in the industry. Either way, you’ll be well ahead of the competition.
UNSW Alumnus David Nguyen has worked for the likes of Atlassian and Microsoft since graduating, and says that companies are looking for smart and creative engineers who can not only build advanced computer systems, but also understand the impact of their technical choices from the perspective of the business and consumer: “This degree program will attract ambitious and entrepreneurial minded graduates who understand the mutual overlap of IT and commerce in building and sustaining a technology business.”
As a Group of Eight university, UNSW is well-equipped to offer this world-leading graduate program presented by the School of Engineering, which is ranked first in Australia for engineering. In collaboration with UNSW’s School of Business, ranked first in Australia for Accounting & Finance, this program will skyrocket graduates towards a successful future career in the industry.
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Master the technology of today, create the technology of tomorrow, and lead digital transformation and business strategy with a dual postgraduate IT and commerce degree at UNSW.