MBA update: executive summary of Indiana graduate business programs.

AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF declining interest in MBA programs from both students and recruiters, things seem to be turning around for the traditional measure of higher business education. That's good news for the Indiana schools offering MBA programs and for those seeking the advanced degrees.

According to the 2006 MBA report just released by BusinessWeek, both job offers and average salaries are improving for graduates, with job offers up 20 percent over 2004 and salaries increasing almost 10 percent to $95,000 among the nation's top schools.

Three MBA programs in the Indiana consistently rank among the top in the nation, and BusinessWeek ranks the Kelley School at Indiana University at No. 18, the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University at No. 24 and the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame at No. 26. The University of Chicago's program topped the national list for 2006.

"This ranking places Kelley in the top 1 percent of all business schools nationwide. While we are pleased with this ranking, we are by no means content and will continue to find ways to make a great program even better," says Kelley School dean Dan Smith.

Those rankings are similar to findings from The Wall Street Journal's annual survey of corporate recruiters, which determined that Purdue's Krannert School is fourth among 51 business schools in its regional ranking, measuring schools where recruiters draw primarily from the region in which they are located.

"This survey means much to me because it reflects the feelings of more than 4,000 recruiters," said Richard A. Cosier, Krannert School dean and Leeds professor of management. "Recruiters' perceptions reflect highly on our students' work ethics and their value added to corporations around the globe."

The Wall Street Journal ranked Indiana University's Kelley School of Business 15th and the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza School of Business 28th in the same regional category Thunderbird-The Garvin School of International Management, the Arizona-based school with five international campuses, got the top regional ranking this year.

Indiana University

Kelley School of

Business

Bloomington

www.kelley.iu.edu/MBA

The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University has approximately 400 full-time MBA students at its Bloomington campus and an additional 360 part-time students at the IUPUI campus in Indianapolis.

The incoming MBA class of 2008 includes a diverse group of 203 full-time students, ranging in age from 21 to 42 with an average of five years of full-time work experience. International students make up 41 percent of the class and 27 percent are women and 15 percent are minorities.

Academies are an integral feature of the Kelley MBA program. They blend advanced coursework, sector-focused experiences, special projects, field trips, industry speakers and direct involvement with the senior practitioners on their advisory boards. They are available in a variety of areas, including business and consumer marketing, corporate finance, entrepreneurial management and supply-chain management.

One of the distinguishing offerings at Indiana University is collaboration with other fields of study and a collection of joint programs, such as both a three-year and four-year JD/MBA program, a three year MBA/MA program with focus on international business and a three-year MBA/MS program in telecommunications.

In addition, the school has established a number of online MBA programs called Kelley Direct, which features customized degree programs for major companies such as Cummins, General Motors, Ingersoll Rand, John Deere and United Technologies. Kelley Direct also features joint degrees with other schools, including partnerships such as: online MBA for Michigan ME/MBA, online MBA for Purdue MSE/MBA, online MBA for Purdue MS in food and agribusiness management/MBA, online MBA for Thunderbird MIM/MBA.

Purdue University

Krannert School of

Management

West Lafayette

www.mgmt.purdue.edu/

Purdue University's Krannert School of Management has approximately 350 full-time students in its two-year MBA program that uses in-class experience including numerous simulations of management decision-making scenarios, extensive interaction between the faculty and the students, personal communication and presentation skills enhancement, and team exercises. In addition to the in-class experience, there are various programs for continued growth, including a Friday Management Development Series aimed at bringing leading-edge practices and emerging topics to the students.

Specializations and customized focus in the MBA program is encouraged through a variety of concentrations, which include accounting, finance, marketing, strategic management, operations management, information systems, e-business, and human resource management. The program also allows students to combine areas of interest into a variety of interdisciplinary options.

Purdue also has more than 100 students participating in its executive MBA programs, which include its original executive master of business administration (EMBA), the international master in management program (IMM) which teams up with three European universities and the weekend executive master of business administration (WKND), a "traditional" weekend MBA program.

University of Notre

Dame Mendoza College

of Business

Notre Dame

www.nd.edu/~mba/

Some 320 MBA students at Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business are participating in its two-year MBA program or a fast-track one-year MBA designed for candidates who have a business undergraduate degree and do not need an internship.

Notre Dame also offers the South Bend and Chicago executive MBA program for working professionals with five years or more of management experience. In addition, Notre Dame students can earn dual degrees in five-year programs for MBAs with engineering or science and a four-year program with the law school combining an MBA/JD.

The school also features "InterTerm Intensives," courses offered in a short intensive periods of less than one week. Such courses in workshop format provide opportunities to develop or extend technical and managerial skills. They can also provide opportunities to study and solve contemporary "live" business problems while gaining certification. InterTerm Intensive courses for the current year include a review of the merger and acquisition process at General Electric, values in day-to-day decision making and corporate citizenship.

While the three nationally ranked programs generate considerable attention for Indiana, they are by no means the only places to secure a quality MBA education in the state. The following schools also offer a variety of MBA programs.

Anderson University Falls

School of Business

Anderson

www.anderson.edu/falls/mba

Anderson University offers an MBA program that can be completed in 22 months. The university also has a three-year graduate program combining the skills of nursing with those of business and leading to two separate degrees, a master of science in nursing (MSN) and an MBA.

Growing demand for the program has led to the creation of five cohort sites in central Indiana, including Carmel, Fishers, Indianapolis-Keystone, Lawrence and Anderson.

Ball State University

Miller College of Business

Muncie

www.bsu.edu/mba/

Ball State University MBA students at the Miller College of Business can complete their degrees as either full-time students for one year or part time students over two years. Concentrations are available in entrepreneurship, finance, project management and information systems.

Ball State's MBA program takes advantage of new distance-learning technologies such as interactive television and Internet broadcasts. Classes are taught on the Ball State campus and televised live at 50 locations across Indiana. Online evaluations have also replaced site-based exams for courses this beginning this fall.

Bethel College

Mishawaka

www.bethelcollege.edu/academics/graduate/mba/

Bethel College offers an MBA program with a schedule that has a flexible format, allowing students to begin at any time during the academic year and suspend study for a session or semester if needed. Bethel's MBA is taught by full-time faculty, or by others who are practicing, credentialed professionals in their fields of study

Butler University

Indianapolis

www.butler.edu/cba/mba/

Butler University in Indianapolis offers an MBA program with concentrations in finance, international business, leadership and marketing. Students generally complete the program in two years and the university offers international trips for course credit to locations including Chile, Paris and Madrid.

Butler also offers a master of professional accounting (MPAcc) designed for students who hold an undergraduate degree in accounting or another business discipline seeking a career in public accounting. A new program, the Butler Business Accelerator, connects students with central Indiana companies that are poised for growth and creates teams of staff, faculty and students who provide consulting services.

Indiana State University

Terre Haute

www.indstate.edu/schbus/tuba/

Indiana State University's MBA program emphasizes both theory and practice and develops skills in problem solving, strategic thinking and the management of organizational change. It targets individuals who hold undergraduate degrees and seek advanced business knowledge and skills. The program includes both full-time and part-time options with concentrations in e-commerce and finance.

Indiana Tech

Fort Wayne

www.indianatech.edu/CPS/graduate/main.aspx

Indiana Tech's College of Professional Studies features both undergraduate and graduate programs, including an MBA with four areas of concentration: accounting, human resources, management and marketing as well as a master of science in management (MSM) and master of engineering management (MSE).

Indiana Tech recently announced it will build a facility in Huntington. In addition to its main campus in Fort Wayne, the College of Professional Studies also has campuses in Indianapolis and Elkhart; offices in Greenwood, Plainfield, South Bend and Warsaw; and classes in more than 25 other locations.

Indiana University--Kokomo

Kokomo

www.iuk.edu/~kobus/MBAProgram.shtml

The Indiana University Kokomo MBA program is one of several IU programs that are separate from the Kelley School. The Kokomo program was established in 1991 and is designed to meet the needs of working professionals and employers in north-central Indiana. IU Kokomo's MBA program fosters effective management of resources in diverse organizational units and settings. Attuned to the regional industry base, the MBA program focuses especially on managing in a changing environment.

Indiana University--South Bend

South Bend

www.iusb.edu/~buse/grad/MBA.shtml

The Indiana University MBA program at South Bend caters to the part-time MBA student by offering a wide variety of courses during the evening hours. Most students hold full-time jobs while attending. The IUSB program provides opportunity for specialization and serves the need of regional employers that compete internationally.

Indiana University--Southeast

New Albany

www.ius.edu/MBA

Indiana University Southeast's MBA program consists of working professionals from southern Indiana and Louisville. The school also offers a master of science in strategic finance (MSSF), an interdisciplinary program catering primarily to finance and accounting professionals in the area.

Indiana University--Northwest

Gary

www.iun.edu/~busmba

Indiana University Northwest's MBA program is a fast-track program designed for individuals who work full-time and want to pursue their graduate degree on a part-time basis. Students with an undergraduate degree in business may qualify to enter directly into the 30-credit-hour MBA core that can be finished on a part-time basis in 20 months. Students will attend classes just two nights per week with no weekend classes required.

Indiana University-Purdue

University Fort Wayne--Richard

T. Doermer School of Business

and Management Sciences

Fort Wayne

www.ipfw.edu/bms/mba/

The Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne MBA program is offered through the Richard T. Doermer School of Business and Management Sciences. The program students an opportunity to attend the acclaimed Grenoble Ecole de Management, in Grenoble, France. The program also features an entrepreneurship certificate and allows students to work with regional firms that are investigating possible entry into a foreign market.

Indiana Wesleyan

University

Marion

caps.indwes.edu/business/mba/

Indiana Wesleyan University offers an MBA program with specializations in accounting, applied management and health-care management. The MBA program emphasizes the acquisition of technical management skills within a peer group or management team context. Each course requires the adoption of an individual and cooperative approach to problem solving. Written problem analysis is required throughout the program, as is the development of presentation skills.

Indiana Wesleyan University is one of the fastest-growing schools in the country and has expanded from its main campus in Marion, building 10 education centers across Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky and offering classes at 80 locations.

Taylor University

Upland

www.taylor.edu/mba

Taylor University's MBA program focuses on key enterprise-level decisions and implementation strategies. Small class cohorts study the duration of the program.

The Taylor MBA program includes international travel opportunities to Asia or Europe, as well as "learning lab" environments where graduate students work with organizations on current business assignments. Students can also complete program projects and assignments via the Internet. Taylor will bring the program to Indianapolis beginning in January 2007.

University of

Indianapolis

Indianapolis

mba.uindy.edu

The University of Indianapolis offers a part-time evening MBA program with concentrations in finance, global supply chain management, marketing, organizational leadership and technology management.

The school also offers an executive MBA program for students who already have management experience and an on-site MBA program for companies that want to provide training for employees at their place of work.

University of St. Francis

Fort Wayne

www.sf.edu/graduate/business.shtml

The University of Saint Francis offers an MBA program that emphasizes individual growth and allows students to progress at their own pace by attending one evening per week or on Saturdays, or a combination of the two. Students can begin graduate study in business at any point in the year and choose from concentrations in accounting, finance, international business, management and marketing.

University of

Southern Indiana

Evansville

www.usi.edu/gradstud/business.asp

The University of Southern Indiana MBA program allows students to develop strategic, behavioral and technical competencies and become superior performers in their business environment. The program also focuses on providing educational experiences that prepare students to effectively engage in issues at the intersection of business and society, such as ethical business practices, globalization and technological change.

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso

www.valpo.edu/cba

Valparaiso University established a new MBA program in 2003 that can be completed in either one year or extended over two to three years for part-time students. The program stresses ethics in its coursework and includes a specialization in accounting. The university also offers a joint MBA/JD degree with its law school that can be completed in four years.