Delivering the future of our space and security sectors

Future Builder Award: A new degree seeks to respond to the evolving realms of space, cybersecurity and defence.

University of South Australia dean of postgraduate programs Lan Snell.

To meet the growing need for leadership skills following the massive Australia- UK-US AUKUS defence agreement, the University of South Australia has developed the Global Executive MBA in Defence and Space (GEMBA) degree.

Designed for both uniformed and civilian personnel in defence and related industries, the 18- month postgraduate degree is intended to equip students with advanced skills in a range of subjects, including cybersecurity, space systems and defence procurement.

Launched in 2022, the degree program includes in-person residencies at universities in all three participating nations: Australia, the UK and the US.

University of South Australia dean of postgraduate programs Lan Snell says the degree was conceived at the university about four years ago, when the AUKUS agreement was first mooted. University of South Australia leaders saw the potential in the rapidly evolving market, she says.

“These leadership capabilities will be needed because the projects we’ll be working on are procurement projects that will outlive our professional lifespan,” she says. “These are multi-decade projects. They require a whole different set of leadership capabilities.”

University of South Australia’s imminent merger with the University of Adelaide means that by 2026, the combined university will be one of Australia’s largest, Snell says, while at the same time, South Australia is consolidating its leading position in the realms of defence and space via the Lot 14 technology precinct and the Osborne advanced naval shipyard.

Professor Lan Snell, Dean of Programs, at the University of South Australia.

Snell says the defence and space MBA degree was developed in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University in the US, which is regarded as one of the leading US institutions in robotics and cyber geopolitics; the University of Exeter in Britain, known for its teaching capabilities in defence; and industry players around the world.

Academics from all three universities collaborated on the structure of the degree, Snell says, and the residencies at each of the three universities have “unique points of difference”.

“There’s been a high level of interest from companies like BAE, Boeing, Raytheon Australia and Lockheed Martin,” Snell says. “From an organisational perspective, they’re really interested in developing, professionally, their senior talent.”

The first cohort of global executive MBA students will graduate in April, and this group of students is mostly from the defence sector, Snell says. In the future, the university expects a total of about 30 students per year, 10 from each of the three participating nations. Students are usually senior-level, experienced managers in finance, supply chain, procurement and talent; some of them are in uniform but many are not, she says.

The two-week residencies in Adelaide, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, London and Exeter provide the arena for immersive learning. “For people who are really busy professionals, that lock- away environment is so important for their learning,” Snell says. Students have immediate access to global networks and the three governments are closely involved.

Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd gave a keynote speech at a GEMBA residency in Washington DC on the second day of his ambassadorship in the US, and former foreign minister Stephen Smith, now High Commissioner to the UK, has also been in contact. “We’re exposing the students to a whole different level of network with both government and industry leaders,” Snell says.