Kenyan high commissioner Stephen Tarus received his master of business administration in strategic procurement yesterday from the University of Canberra.

''I think the most challenging thing is managing time,'' he said.

''I must say the university has put in place very good mechanisms to accommodating students with family and work commitments.''

Mr Tarus graduated with his wife, Jane.

Another graduate from yesterday's UC ceremony at Parliament House, Olympian Nathan Deakes, agreed managing time was important for those studying.

''I guess I learnt very quickly to become a good time manager,'' he said.

''Obviously with my training being so difficult and lots of travelling, even at times when I thought I could do some study, I found myself too tired to concentrate.''

If studying while working full-time is tricky, doing both while raising a young daughter would be the work of comic book heroes, yet that is the story of Melissa Guilfoyle.

''I graduated from my first degree in 2007 and had my daughter six months before I graduated,'' she said.

''After that, I did a diploma in corporate governance from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.''

She went on to complete a master's degree in forensic accounting at the University of Wollongong.

''I've just finished the graduate diploma in legal studies from the University of Canberra,'' she said.

She said the university was very accommodating of her daughter, letting her sit in on lectures.

''She's probably seen more lectures than most students … the university has done wonders for students with children and parents that work full-time,'' she said.

Not satisfied, she plans to undertake even more study, including the bar exam and eventually a doctorate.

Other prominent graduates today include world champion gymnast Phillippe Rizzo and Prime television's Madelaine Collignon.