Griffith’s Logan campus is expanding in 2020 to offer a brand new business degree, which can be completed in just two years.
The Bachelor of Business Innovation will have a heavy emphasis on entrepreneurship, innovation and community.
Program Director for the new degree, Associate Professor Popi Sotiriadou said it was designed specifically for the Logan region.
“We had a specific goal, to create an innovative degree, so we looked at all the available Griffith Business School courses and strategically selected the best elements to build this unique degree,” she said.
“We also went to Griffith Sciences and the School of Information and Communication Technology to make sure we included courses that meet the demands of the emerging technologies field, like smartphones, eLearning, eHealth, eCommerce, 3D printing, robotics, autonomous vehicles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoTs).
“This course will introduce various cutting-edge technologies and explore the interactions between the technologies and users.
Students will cover the foundations of business as core subjects and learn what these mean for business through a series of industry integrated activities that are relevant to the region around Logan.
The degree is designed to ensure graduates have strong networks within their class group and close extended ties to the community and industry.
“It takes into account specific factors influencing the Logan region including rapid population growth, demographic makeup and student and workforce needs,” said Dr Sotiriadou.
“Students will work directly with organisations and businesses to ensure relevant problem-based authentic learning.
“We will establish a business incubator to further grow these opportunities, which will hopefully be fully operational this time next year.
“We want students to identify and create new business ideas and bring them to commercial reality and discover how to set up and market a successful business venture.
“We want to see our graduates become future leaders of business innovation locally and globally, applying their skills to become entrepreneurs and be at the forefront of cutting edge developments in the business world.”
Pro Vice Chancellor and Head of Logan campus Linda O’Brien said the degree builds on a range of existing strengths, including deep partnerships with local business and industry, particularly the SME sector.
“There is huge potential to put our students into those businesses for mutual benefit, both in growing the skills of those businesses for a contemporary digital world and in terms of our students getting that real world experience in those businesses, which will contribute to their employability,” she said.
“We (also) have such a diverse community, with 50 per cent of people born overseas so there is a real interest in how we bring that knowledge and skills into business innovation and incubation.
“Logan city has just participated in the European commission intercultural cities project and it is in the top 20 in the world compared to like cities in terms of the ways in which we build cultural diversity into what we do and this provides yet another example of how we might leverage that strength.”