Business Schools in Indiana

FEATURED ONLINE MBA PROGRAMS

Earn your MBA online through Capella University and serve as a leader in your field. Capella’s accredited online MBA program lets you customize your education by choosing from 11 focus areas most relevant to today’s business leaders. Make your move today by requesting information about Capella University’s online MBA program.

Syracuse University’s online MBA through the Whitman School of Management is designed to give students the analytical and decision-making skills they need to advance their careers in today’s business environment

[email protected], the online MBA from American University is designed for domestic and global business professionals who want to start or advance their career.

Indiana offers a wide range of business programs. You have over 50 schools to choose from offering a diverse range of online and campus-based programs in majors that include HRM, healthcare administration, logistics and SCM, marketing, finance, accounting and more.

Marketing Degree Programs in Indiana

State of Indiana’s Marketing Industry

Indiana is car country. Situated in the heart of the Rust Belt, the Hoosier State relies on two major industries for its economic strength: motor vehicles and life sciences. The recession hit the manufacturing sector hard, but Indiana’s economy rebounded with alacrity and forecasts are rosy, according to Chase’s 2012 Indiana Economic Outlook.

When they’re not working for giants like Cummins and Steel Dynamics, marketers can often be found supporting the pharmaceutical industry. Wellpoint and Eli Lilly – both Fortune 500 monoliths – are headquartered in Indianapolis. Eli Lilly is the state’s largest private employer, according to Forbes in 2012.

Indiana is often cited as a top place to do business – good news for the state’s budding energy, national security and information technology sectors. In Chief Executive magazine’s 2012 “Best & Worst States” survey, Indiana ranked #1 in the Midwest and #5 nationwide.

Job Prospects for Indiana Marketing Graduates

Job prospects for Indiana marketing graduates appear OK. For 2010-2020, the state’s Department of Workforce Development is projecting jobs for public relations managers will grow by 15.6%, PR specialists by 24% and marketing managers by 9.9%. In 2012, market research analysts and specialists debuted at #14 on the Hoosier Hot 50 jobs list.

Income-wise, Indiana falls well behind lucrative states like New York and California. Of course, its costs of living are also 13% below the national average, reports Forbes. In 2011, state numbers put an Indiana marketing manager’s median annual income at $102,300 (compared to the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov) figure of $116,000).

Agency “wannabes” might want to specialize. For example, Finelight – one of Indiana’s top agencies by sales volume – focuses on healthcare. Slingshot SEO – a company that grew 2,391% from 2008-2011 and added 81 jobs – focuses primarily on search and social marketing, according to Inc.

Indiana Schools for Marketing

There are 28 accredited marketing schools in Indiana, seven of them in or around Indianapolis. Here are two to compare:

1. Indiana University – Bloomington (IU) (https://kelley.iu.edu/)

Ranked #23 in “Best Business Schools” by U.S. News & World Report in 2013 (#7 for its undergraduate marketing program), IU’s Kelley School of Business offers a Bachelor of Science in Business, an MBA and a doctorate – all with a major in marketing.

Undergraduates can prepare for the big leagues by interning for Indiana companies, studying consumer behavior in the Customer Interface Virtual Laboratory and competing in case competitions. The Kelley academies offer advanced coursework and hands-on experience for MBA students.

2. University of Notre Dame (ND) (https://mendoza.nd.edu/)

ND’s Mendoza College of Business hit #25 on the U.S. News & World Report business school rankings in 2013. Students can pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in marketing or a one- or two-year MBA.

Like IU, ND organizes internships and semester-abroad experiences for marketing undergraduates. Immersions in Asia and Latin America and inter-term intensives are available for MBA candidates. The college is a 90-minute drive from Chicago.

Professional Marketing Organizations in Indiana

The American Advertising Federation has a strong presence in the Hoosier State, but there are plenty of other Indiana marketing organizations to go around. In addition to organizing social and networking events, many provide continuing education opportunities.

Business Degree Programs in Indiana

Traditionally at the center of the United State’s manufacturing sector, Indiana’s business sector also helps drive the state, and the nation, forward. Local corporations like Anthem, Eli Lilly, and Steel Dynamics have become household names and are at the top of their fields in health care, pharmaceuticals, and steel production, respectively.

Founded in 1993, Steel Dynamics began operating on a small scale, going public and opening its first Flat Roll Minimill Startup three years later. With strategic business leadership, today the company has made numerous expansions, acquisitions, and product diversifications. Based in Fort Wayne, it is currently worth an estimated $4.86 billion and has 7,780 employees.

You will need the right education to work for Indiana’s largest business giants as well as its small and promising new startups. A bachelor’s degree in business, and especially an MBA, are important starting qualifications when looking to land a job in marketing, finance, accounting, HR management or other specialized areas.

Corporate positions available in Indiana in August 2015 are shown here with related degree requirements (provided as illustrative examples of qualifications found on job boards throughout the state in August 2015 and do not represent job offers):

  • Sales Manager with Simon Property Group in Indianapolis – MBA with a concentration in sales
  • Budget Analyst with Berry Plastics Group in Evansville – Bachelor’s of Science in Business with a concentration in finance
  • Administration Services Manager with Zimmer Holdings medical equipment in Warsaw – Bachelor’s of Science in Business with a concentration in Human Resources

Preparing for a Corporate Career in Indiana

Knowing the basic foundations of Indiana’s economy will help you tailor your education to a particular skill or sector. While manufacturing is key, sectors like real estate, health care, and local government are also particularly important in Indiana.

The following information shows some of the state’s largest economic sectors broken down by Gross State Product (GSP), which was $336 billion in 2015 alone. This is accompanied by employment numbers for the respective sectors (information provided by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis):

  • Manufacturing – $100.9 billion, 534,256 employees
  • Real estate – $31.6 billion, 139,850 employees
  • Health care and social assistance – $26.0 billion, 422,314 employees
  • Retail trade – $20.1 billion, 396,470 employees
  • Wholesale trade – $18.4 billion, 133,057 employees
  • Management of companies and enterprises – $4.3 billion, 36,537 employees

Many business professional occupational classifications in Indiana rank highly in terms of earnings, concentration and total numbers, according to the following statistics from the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov, 2014):

  • Industrial Production Managers – of all states in the nation, Indiana has the second-highest concentration, and fifth highest total number of industrial production managers
  • Administrative Services Managers – the northern non-metro portion of the state offers the third-highest average income to administrative services managers of all non-metro areas in the nation
  • Marketing Managers – the northern non-metro portion of the state is home to the fourth-highest total number of marketing managers of all non-metro areas in the country

Indiana University

The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University offers a flexible approach to earning your Master of Business Administration (MBA). It’s is a top-ranked institution, accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). In addition to the school’s two-year full-time program, you can also pursue your MBA part time through an evening program on the Indianapolis campus. In fact, Indiana University was the first top-20 business school to offer an online MBA. Through Kelley Direct, online students learn from the same faculty and earn the same prestigious degree as on-campus students. The program requires several intense residencies, but can be pursued from anywhere. After completing the demanding 60 hour program, they join the largest business school alumni network in the world.

Indiana Wesleyan University

Earning an MBA at Indiana Wesleyan University means embarking on a program full of hands-on, individual and team problem-solving challenges. Whether you choose the on-campus option or complete your degree online, get ready for immersion in real-world business issues through classes that will prepare you to become an economic and ethical leader. The 42 semester hour program is usually completed by taking one class at a time in a specified order. The on-campus program is offered at various locations across Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, while the online MBA comes to your door with a scheduled set of classes in an eight week-rotation, books sent to your home and library support online, allowing you to complete your degree online in half the time it usually takes. This online program uses technology to create a collaborative experience. As a Christian university, the school devotes time to the spiritual aspects of business.

Indiana State University

The Scott College of Business at Indiana State is focused on educating future executives and business leaders by emphasizing strategic thinking, problem solving and managing organizational change. You can earn your MBA the traditional way through the vigorous on-campus program or balance work with higher education through the Scott ProMBA. The ProMBA is designed for working adults with five or more years of experience. You will attend some classes at the Indianapolis campus and some through state-of-the-art distance learning. Students with an undergraduate degree in business and proven work experience can complete the ProMBA in 36 hours. The Princeton Review has repeatedly ranked the Indiana State MBA as one of the nation’s best.

Ball State University

The Miller College of Business MBA at Ball State University is founded on the idea of experiential learning. Students take classroom concepts and apply them to real-world situations. Throughout the program, you will interact with business professionals; as part of the capstone requirement you’ll present a business plan in front of a professional panel and will need to earn their approval in order to graduate. Ball State’s MBA program is offered as a full-time or part-time course of study. Ball State is one of the pioneers in distance learning, starting with closed circuit television classes in the 1980s. The online program is every bit as interactive and demanding as the on-campus program, and requires the same coursework. The Miller College of Business is AACSB accredited.

Purdue University

The Krannert School of Management at Purdue University consistently ranks among the best in the world. Students engage with a highly-challenging and comprehensive program and are connected to a global network of successful alumni. The program emphasizes leadership and collaboration with fellow students, faculty and business leaders. Through the Experiential Learning Initiative, students have many opportunities to apply what they’re learning outside of the classroom. Areas of concentration, called “option areas,” are your chance to take a deep dive into one or two specialized fields of study, including accounting, finance, marketing, management information systems, operations, strategic management, human resource management, business analytics, organizational behavior, management consulting, global supply chain management, international management, manufacturing and technology management, technology innovation and entrepreneurship.

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