How KD Works
Kelley’s rigorous curriculum in a flexible, interactive format that works for busy professionals.
Every aspect of Kelley Direct is designed with today’s busy professional in mind, from offering the ultimate flexibility in scheduling and degree completion, to how our courses are delivered. Our dedicated faculty and proven technology platform, along with in-residence Kelley Connect Weeks and opportunities for global immersion, ensure that you will be fully engaged with your professors, your classmates, and the world—both in a virtual classroom environment and in person. Our carefully constructed program design maximizes your learning experience with:
Whether you pursue an online MBA or MS degree, you’ll start your Kelley Direct experience with a Kelley Connect Week. During this intense, in-residence week on the Indiana University Bloomington campus you’ll:
- Build relationships with classmates, faculty, and staff
- Join the Kelley family during the Kelley Induction Ceremony
- Gain exposure to core academic business disciplines, integrated throughout the program
- Sharpen presentation skills through a case competition
In our MBA and MS degree programs, you’ll build a strong foundation with a core curriculum created to develop a complete understanding of business fundamentals. Through the core, you will:
- Build skills in key business disciplines
- Work in virtual teams across time zones and around the world, mirroring today’s workplace
- Interact with professors and classmates in a virtual classroom environment that includes:
Web-Based Meetings: Ask questions or discuss topics in real time during live weekly Adobe Connect sessions. Professors deliver material in Adobe Connect through PowerPoint, Excel, and other documentation. Can’t make the session? All sessions are recorded, so you can watch them around your own schedule.
Discussion Forums: As in residential programs, case discussions through Kelley Direct put your MBA skills to a real-world test. Asynchronous discussion forums led by Kelley professors provide you and your peers time to reflect before posting, and the ability to link to current topical events, providing greater depth to the discussion.
Recorded Lectures: Similar to traditional classroom lectures, technology such as Camtasia allows your professor to talk through a PowerPoint or Excel presentation and write notes on the slides or spreadsheets. Watch the lecture on your schedule, pausing or rewinding to fully understand the topic.
Simulations: Work in a team to make business decisions in virtual markets created by your professors. You’ll see the impact of your decisions on both your company and your competitors in real-world business situations.
Interactive Classes: As with our full-time in-residence programs, much of the classwork in Kelley Direct is done in teams where you’ll have the opportunity to learn from your high-caliber classmates. You’ll develop basic team skills and work in globally-dispersed virtual teams, a vital skill in today’s global business environment.
Global Leaders Network: Learn from leading business executives through Kelley’s Global Leaders Network exclusive library of 1,500 video clips. Hear executives talk about how they have handled the topics you are studying in their career—bringing business issues to life.
If you enroll in the Kelley Direct MBA Program, you will return for Kelley Connect Week II, usually at the beginning of your second year of the program. During this second Kelley Connect Week, you will:
- Apply skills developed in core courses and their first Kelley Connect Week in a live case
- Integrate knowledge from core courses and sharpen presentation skills in front of executives
- Further network and strengthen relationships with peers, faculty, and staff
With 50 courses to choose from, you can customize your education to match your career focus, and gain global experience through courses that include an immersion experience. You have the option to take a course that includes travel to emerging economies or Washington, D.C., for an in-depth understanding of the relationship between business and government, or pursue courses exclusively online.
Your Kelley Direct MBA experience culminates with a capstone team project that:
- Delivers a complete business plan for either a new business or for entrepreneurial activities within a larger organization
- Applies the tools, skills, and knowledge you’ve developed throughout the MBA program
Whether you want to add an MS degree to your MBA, or an MBA to your MS, Kelley Direct offers you the ability to add a dual degree and earn two degrees in less time than it would take to pursue each separately. You’ll gain both the broad management skills of an MBA and the focused skills of an MS degree with as few as four additional courses.
