The Financial Times, the world’s leading global business publication, today provided further proof of why more professionals are seeing value in the Kelley Direct Online MBA, ranking the program fourth worldwide and second among U.S. institutions.
The program, one of several top-rated offerings of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, moved up three positions in the Financial Times’ overall rankings – from seventh a year ago.
In addition to academic quality – the Financial Times ranked the Kelley school No. 1 in terms of research – students are attracted to the program’s relevance, flexibility, and personal approach, said Ramesh Venkataraman, chair of Kelley Direct MBA and MS programs and the John R. Gibbs Professor of information systems.
“These rankings are just one indication of Kelley Direct’s commitment to deliver high-quality courses and content while providing value to students in many ways,” said Venkataraman, who also serves as the Kelley School’s associate dean of information and instructional technologies. “While most coursework is done online, we provide our students with many opportunities for collaboration that offers them with a practical worldview and with global connections that are essential in business today.
“For example, many of our students choose to take advantage of our Accelerating Global Immersion Leadership Education (AGILE) program, which takes them abroad to work with a fledgling company in an emerging economy, giving them a more global perspective,” he said. “Our students have told us that their experiences in Thailand, South Africa, Cuba, and elsewhere help to distinguish them from others when seeking further career advancement.”
Graduates report salary increases of nearly 30 percent over what they were earning before starting the program, and 64 percent receive promotions.
The FT rankings followed other recent measures of the Kelley Direct’s quality. Three weeks ago, Poets & Quants ranked the school second in its inaugural rankings of the top 25 online MBA programs. In January, U.S.News & World Report ranked both its online MBA program and its Master of Science programs No. 2 among more than 250 schools and universities offering similar degrees nationwide. Last year, QS Intelligence Unit – which also produces the QS World University Rankings – and the Princeton Review ranked it No. 1 in the U.S.
Students in the online MBA program also can earn Master of Science degrees in business analytics, entrepreneurship and innovation, finance, global supply chain management, information technology management, marketing, and strategic management through the dual-degree option.
“We’re pleased that our Kelley Direct Program is a model for online graduate business programs worldwide,” said Idalene “Idie” Kesner, Kelley’s dean and the Frank P. Popoff Chair in Strategic Management. “Our faculty and staff work very hard to create a meaningful, personalized and connected experience that moves our students toward their own true success.”
Kelley Direct MBA program students regularly interact with faculty, both in and out of the classroom, and come to the Bloomington campus for Kelley Connect Weeks during their first and second years. They also benefit from a comprehensive professional development program. Students are assigned an academic coach and a career coach and are required to meet with their coaches at various points in the program.
The admissions process for the Kelley Direct Online MBA includes a holistic review of a student’s academic profile (including undergraduate GPA and GMAT/GRE score), personal statement, resume and letter of recommendation. Promising applicants complete telephone interviews with a member of Kelley Direct’s leadership team. Students have two to five years to complete the 51 credit hours required.