IU MBA Columbus FAQ
Pre-Program Questions:
Program Questions:
Personal Questions:
Outcome Questions:
Q: Must I have an undergraduate degree
in business to enter the MBA program?
A: No, any undergraduate degree from an accredited institution is sufficient
for application to the IU MBA program at IUPUC. You may need additional
pre-requisite work, however, in math, computing, accounting, and/or statistics.
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Q: Who will teach the IU MBA courses
at IUPUC?
A: Current faculty will teach the fall semester courses. Ph.D.s in the
discipline areas will either be added as full time faculty as the curriculum
is ready for them or be added as adjunct faculty from the community or
the parent institution (IUPUI or IUB). Since quality faculty are the cornerstone
of a quality program, academic excellence and applied experiences will
be key factors in identifying future faculty.
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Q: How long will it take to complete
the IU MBA program at IUPUC?
A: The program is 45 credit hours - completed over three years, while
students continue working full time.
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Q: How much time is spent in classes
per week?
A: During
each fall and spring semester, students take 6 credit hours, or two
classes, attending classes two evenings a week. During the first Summer
Session, students take one three-credit-hour class which meets two
evenings a week. One semester each year, students take a
one-credit-hour intensive, which typically meets one Friday evening and
the following Saturday.
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Q: How do I know if I will be able
to balance time among my job, my home and family, and taking two courses
a semester?
A: This,
of course, is something that only you can answer, since people need
different amounts of time for different activities. Sharing experiences
and perspectives from others who have gone before may be useful. If you
would like to communicate with alumni or current students who have
agreed to share their experience with potential MBAs, you may contact
the IU MBA Columbus office for contact information for students who have
circumstances similar to yours.
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Q: Must I have all the prerequisites
completed before I apply to the IU MBA program at IUPUC?
A: At least informal GMAT scores must be included in the application submitted by May 1. Applicants must be registered for all pre-requisite courses prior to submitting their application. The pre-requisite courses should be successfully completed no later than the end of the summer semester prior to the fall semester Program start.
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Q: Can the prerequisite content be completed via
alternatives to taking three-credit-hour undergraduate courses?
A:
Graduate one-credit-hour courses are available for accounting and
statistics A501 and K501 respectively. Other alternatives may be
explored with MBA faculty, such as validation of experience using these
foundation tools.
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Q: Can international students take
the IU MBA at IUPUC?
A: Yes. TOEFL scores should be sent with the application for admission
to the MBA Program. Any analysis of background materials will be done
by IUPUI offices. Turnaround time for these applications take longer so
the application deadline is March 1st. Students from other countries who are planning to come to
the USA to study and need to be full time students cannot be accommodated
in this program; they should contact IUPUI or IUB for additional information.
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Q: What is the cost of the IU MBA
program at IUPUC?
A: See the Web site
financial
information for this years tuition and fees, which are set by the
Indiana University Board of Trustees annually.
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Q: Will part or all of the MBA
program be available on line?
A: Technology will be used to enhance the courses and curriculum of the
IU MBA program at IUPUC. Most courses will be supported by OnCourse, the
software program which supports the IU academic environment, making many
course elements available via the Internet. In addition to syllabi and
schedules, interactions with faculty and fellow students is facilitated.
Courses in their entirety will not be delivered via the Internet, however.
If you are interested in an on line program, please visit IU Kelley Direct
at http://kd.iu.edu/
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Q: What is the deadline for submitting
my application?
A: For
entry into the fall cohort in the IU MBA program at IUPUC, applications
should be received in the Business Programs Office in Room 116 by May
1. Applications begin to be reviewed in early May and will continue to
be received and reviewed until the cohort is full or we reach the August
1 deadline. If you are planning to begin your MBA in the fall at IUPUC
but are having problems with this time line, please email the Division
of Business at business
iupuc.edu or call 812.348.7273. We generally do
not have a spring admission cohort.
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Q: How big will the MBA classes
be? What is a cohort?
A: Students will progress through the MBA program as a cohort of about 25 students, taking classes as a group that stays together throughout
the program. A lock-step program refers to courses offered in a specific
sequence, with the whole group of students, or cohort, taking the courses
together - no flexibility, the sequence and timing is set. If for some
reason a student must stop out of the lock-step program, he or she may
be able to join a following cohort to complete the IU MBA at Columbus.
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Q: May I transfer courses that
were taken at another institution to IUPUC as part of the IU MBA? From
another IU campus?
A: A maximum of two courses, or 6 credit hours, may be transferred into
the IU MBA at IUPUC - such transfers must be individually approved by
the Head of the Division. Transfers from other IU campuses will be individually
addressed during the early years of the IU MBA program in Columbus. Since
the Columbus program is just starting and is a lock-step course progression,
people who have completed substantial coursework may be too far ahead
of the program development at IUPUC for this to be a useful completion
alternative.
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Q: How recently must the prerequisites
have been taken? Are any variations allowed?
A: Prerequisite coursework and the GMAT must have been completed during
the last 5 years before application to the IU MBA program at IUPUC. Academic
study prior to this time window (courses taken earlier than 5 years ago)
may have been validated by strongly related coursework or work experience
during the 5-year time frame. Other tests taken for graduate work, such
as the GRE, do not substitute for the GMAT. If you believe you may have
circumstances that support a waiver of the prerequisite requirement, you
may submit a request for waiver to the MBA Review Committee through the
Business Programs Office.
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Q. Is there a minimum score required
on the GMAT?
A: While you should do your very best on the GMAT, the results of that
exam are not used for screening purposes for the IU MBA at IUPUC. The
application is reviewed in total, with all aspects considered in admission
decisions - academic record, work experience, references, and essays,
along with the GMAT. For additional information about the GMAT, you may
visit their Web site at www.GMAT.com.
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Q: Can I go full time or take extra
classes to finish the IU MBA program in less time?
A: The IU MBA at IUPUC is a part-time program designed to be completed
while students continue to work full-time. Courses are offered in the
lock-step pattern defined in the MBA curriculum, so alternatives or
additional MBA courses are addressed individually. If you are looking
for a full-time program, please visit the
IU MBA at Bloomington which
is a full time residential program.
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Q: What type degree will I have
when I finish the IU MBA at IUPUC?
A: Completion of the MBA program at Columbus will earn students a Master
of Business Administration degree from Indiana University. The diploma
will indicate it is awarded by Indiana University, Columbus, Indiana. The program of study is general management,
sometimes referred to as general business administration, and does not
have areas of specialization.
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Q: Can I have an area of specialization
or a major within the business area in the IU MBA program at IUPUC?
A: The IU MBA program of study at IUPUC is a general management program;
it does not have areas of specialization or focus. If a student desires
to take additional coursework beyond the 45 credit hours in a particular
business functional area, such as accounting or finance, we will work
with other providers, such as the IUPUI MBA program, to provide an
additional series of courses toward the end of the Program at IUPUC.
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Q: How does the IU MBA program
at IUPUC relate to the Kelley programs at IUPUI and IUB?
A: Each of the IU campuses around the state that has an MBA program which
brings unique characteristics to the IU MBA program there. Generally speaking,
the programs are independent, serving a specifically identified market.
Accordingly, they are not openly transferable, though students may move
from one campus to another at certain points in their programs with appropriate
approvals. Only the Indianapolis and Bloomington campuses carry the Kelley
designation, a name brand awarded when Mr. Kelley made a significant contribution
to the School a few years ago. Dan Dalton, Dean of the IU Kelley School
of Business, designed the IU MBA program for the Columbus campus.
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Q: How can I determine which IU
MBA program is best for me?
A: For some individuals, the full-time residential program at Bloomington
is right; for others the completely online program available through
Kelley Direct is best. For still others, earning an IU MBA locally, gaining
the IU quality while retaining the convenience of local coursework while
continuing to work, is the best of all possible worlds. Talk with your
supervisors and mentors at your work and in your profession, consider
your plans for your career, talk with academic advisors - gather as much
information as you need to make a decision. Then go for it!
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Q: Will the MBA program at IUPUC
help me make connections and network with business and community individuals
in the Columbus region?
A: Absolutely. The design of the program is to integrate functional content
with policy and strategy, in the academic environment and in 'real world'
settings. Business partners will be involved with the Business Programs
in presentations, case study participation, and more casual networking
opportunities.
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Q: Is the business community supportive
of the MBA program in Columbus?
A: Certainly. The business and government community was instrumental
in bringing the IU MBA to IUPUC. Largely through their efforts, in conjunction
with IUPUC leadership and Kelley School of Business administrators at
IUB and IUPUI, the IU MBA program was authorized to be offered in Columbus
by the Commission on Higher Education in 2000.
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Q: If I have questions about policies
or procedures, how do I find answers?
A: Policies developed or modified specifically for the Columbus campus
will be on line at the IU MBA at IUPUC Web site. Until a student handbook
has been developed specifically for the Columbus campus, please refer
to the IUPUI information which continues to be in effect for IUPUC,
http://www.kelley.iupui.edu/evemba/Handbook.cfm
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