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BACKGROUNDER:
Kelley Direct Online MBA Program/General Motors pioneer program
WHAT: Indiana University's Kelley School of Business will soon begin enrolling General Motors employees in its Kelley Direct Online MBA program and will offer material tailored to the company and the auto industry. This is the first time that a specialized version of the program, developed by the school and Kelley Executive Partners, has been offered to a major industrial client. The Kelley Direct Online MBA program originally was piloted with corporate members of the school's Kelley Executive Partners consortium, which included BAA, Cinergy, Federal Express, Allison, Kimball International and Rolls Royce. Students in its first publicly-offered class are nearing completion of their first year in the program. Kelley Direct was one of the first online master of business administration programs available from a top-ranked business school. It has been featured in leading publications such as Business Week and The Financial Times.
HOW: The Kelley Direct program is the only such graduate management program offered by a top 20 business school that is delivered entirely over the Web. Among the tools used are discussion and debate forums, online testing, audiostreaming and videostreaming, simulations and time-revealed scenarios for case-based learning. Course materials, including audio and video presentations and virtual tours, may be accessed directly from the Web. Students enrolled in the regular program must come to the IUPUI campus for one week at the beginning of each school year, but GM's students will be exempted from this requirement. The program uses only full-time tenure track faculty, and many of them have been recognized for the quality of their teaching in other Kelley School programs.
A unique feature of the Kelley Direct Online MBA is its use of a customized, Web-based learning tool, developed by the school, that integrates MBA program content into an imaginative computer environment. Students engage in authentic situations with believable characters in a narrative revealed over time.
Students currently in the program include those from locations as divergent as Indiana, Hawaii, California, Germany and Finland. They include a U.S. Navy legal officer who will be earning his degree from aboard an aircraft carrier, a company's chief financial officer, a nuclear scientist, a husband-and-wife duo, and several entrepreneurs.
Unlike residential MBA programs, students in the program do not take a break during the summer. If students remain on track to complete the program on time, they will do so in 21 months, or just under two years.
WHY: IU and Purdue will help the world's largest vehicle manufacturer and Indiana's largest employer to meet its challenge of developing managers with technically focused managerial skills, who are able to meet rapid changes in the marketplace. Jobs at GM and elsewhere will require advanced degrees, and these positions will be in high demand nationwide in coming years. The fastest growing and largest job growth occupations nationwide include computer engineers, systems analysts, database administrators and top executives.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 2 million job openings in the United States in 2008 will require a professional degree, and more than 11 million job openings will require work experience plus a bachelor's or higher degree. In Indiana, by 2006, it is projected that 13,350 more top executives and general managers will be needed.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How do the qualifications for the Kelley Direct Online MBA compare with those for traditional residential programs offered by the Kelley School of Business?
The qualifications are very similar. Taken into consideration are an applicant's scores on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), work experience, grade-point average and references. Like those applying to a residential MBA program, applicants must write an essay that explains their reasons for enrolling. General Motors employees enrolling in the program must meet the same requirements as other students enrolling in the Kelley Direct Online MBA program.
How does the curriculum for GM employees differ from that of other Kelley Direct students?
Course content for a few courses will emphasize business issues and situations that are more applicable for students employed by GM. The ability to tailor course content is due to the fact that GM is so large that Kelley Direct will be able to offer "GM" sections of courses offered in the curriculum.
What makes the online environment attractive?
Unlike in the past, students do not have to leave their employment or find the time to spend in a classroom to obtain an MBA. The Web gives professionals the flexibility to enhance their skills based on their own schedule. The Kelley Direct Online MBA allows students to manage course work around busy travel and family schedules.
For GM employees who have been identified as benefitting from graduate study in business, enrolling in the Kelley Direct program will enable them to receive a high quality business education. They will be able to proceed with their education while continuing to perform their job duties at GM, and thus creating opportunities for advancement within the company.
How does this new cooperative program contribute to Indiana's overall endeavor to attract and retain corporate and technology partners?
This cooperative program is just one example of how Indiana's research universities are serving state employers by improving the skills of their young professionals. In addition, the combined excellence of Purdue's engineering programs, when coupled with the Kelley School of Business' strength in business administration, provides the state of Indiana with an educational resource.
As many institutions move quickly into providing distance learning, some concerns have been raised about the quality of their programs. How is this not a diploma mill?
High admission standards and the rigor of the program attest to its quality. In GM's case the population of employees is highly qualified, based on their work experience and record of academic success. Before being admitted to the Kelley Direct program, students will have earned a previous master's degree from other top institutions that include Purdue University, Carnegie Mellon University, Kettering University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Michigan.
Unlike students in an executive MBA program, GM employees are not guaranteed admission into the Kelley Direct program. They must apply through the same process as other students who are not GM employees.
What kinds of degree programs are being offered by other partner universities?
Other graduate degree programs that will be made available by other universities to GM employees focus on design engineering, systems engineering, manufacturing engineering, information technology, manufacturing operations and finance. The Kelley Direct MBA degree will serve to complement the education GM employees gain from their other studies.
(George Vlahakis, 812-855-0846, gvlahaki@indiana.edu)