Westfield Washington Schools, in conjunction with Indiana State University Scott College of Business, will host informational meetings about the in-person professional MBA program offered only in Westfield starting in September.
A virtual lunch and learn session will be held at noon Jan 18., and an in-person session including free dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 1 in the WWS Community Board Room at 19500 W. Tomlinson Rd.
Kyle Rice, executive director of graduate programs, said that Indiana State offered the program for more than 10 years in Plainfield, but it was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been on hold for the past few years. Rice said that WWS Superintendent Paul Kaiser wanted to offer college courses in Westfield.
“Westfield’s location and growth make this partnership a great opportunity for Indiana State to deliver on our promise, which is to transform the lives of students within Indiana and beyond,” Scott College of Business Dean Terry Daugherty stated.
The 30-credit-hour program offers eight core courses and two specialty classes taught by Scott College of Business professors over five semesters, taking around 20 months to complete.
The eight core classes cover topics such as management practices, data-driven decision-making and marketing strategies. The two specialty courses will be designed around available faculty and the interests of those in the program.
The program will end with a capstone, or dynamic strategy course, which, according to Rice, is designed as one group project, which will draw on everything the students have learned,
“It’s a traditional, full-blown MBA program just in a different model,” Rice said.
A cohort of around 20 students with varied backgrounds and experiences who are employed full time will meet once a week from 5:30 to 10 p.m., with the rest of the coursework being done virtually.
“Students are completing the MBA with the same people they start it with,” Rice said. “The program aims to build connections without being tied into being a full-time student.”
One exclusive of the program is executive career coaching by Right Management, which is a benefit traditional MBA students don’t receive.
“The coaching is really something that sets us apart,” Rice said.
Rice also said the program is geared toward those with three to ten years of work experience who may need an MBA to move up or are looking at an opportunity to move into a different position.
“The other group I would really like to reach is HR managers or decision makers at organizations,” Rice said. “We want to be that professional development opportunity, and organizations in Westfield can say to their employees, ‘You don’t even have to go that far.’”
Indiana State offers a preferred partners program that doesn’t cost an employer anything but gives employees a 15 percent discount on coursework, including the professional MBA.
Applications are open at apply.indstate.edu. To register for one of the informational sessions, visit apply.indstate.edu/portal/mba?cmd=event.
