Stand out from the competition by partnering with the top-ranked Kelley School of Business for our custom online MBA program tailored to your organization's needs. When you partner with Kelley to create custom coursework for your employees, you're providing your team with the flexibility to earn their degree part time, while continuing to grow within your organization. Learn how to incorporate both credit and noncredit coursework into custom programming to impact employee engagement and retention.
The Kelley School of Business pioneered high-quality online graduate business education, offering degree programs consistently ranked among the best in the country. And we have a proven record of providing successful, customized programs for a wide range of corporate partners in Indiana and worldwide—for more than 40 years.
Our partners want to work with a university to:
The Partner MBA is taught by the same world-renowned Kelley faculty who teach residential programs. Your employees will grow professionally through:
Companies and organizations that are serious about elevating employees' business skills, recruiting and retaining top talent, and becoming more competitive.
We have several ways that partners can customize an MBA to meet their specific needs:
“At Kelley, online education isn’t just convenient—it’s transformational. We collaborate with our partners to design practical, interactive degree programs that align with their strategic goals and energize their people.”
Carolyn GoernerFaculty Chair, Kelley Executive Education Programs
This program is an opportunity for companies and organizations to create learning opportunities and educational advancements for their employees with a bespoke curriculum.
Unlike other MBA programs, Kelley’s Partner MBA is designed for professional organizations that want to offer high-quality graduate business education to develop and retain its leadership and talent. Students want to make a greater impact on their organization. Networking and career development focuses on internal corporate needs, not helping students find jobs outside of the company.
Our Business Management Graduate Certificate can serve as a stackable pathway to an MSSM, allowing your employees to accrue and maximize their credentials through our courses. Essentially, your employee cohort can begin earning the graduate certificate, go on to earn an MS in Strategic Management, and later, obtain the Partner MBA. Also, depending on our partnership agreement, your employees can take noncredit courses alongside their peers who are earning their MBA through our partnership.
Rates are negotiated based on the amount of customization, which results in a significantly lower cost than comparable programs.
The more employees you have signed up for this educational benefit, the more offerings are available to your organization. For example, if you have 25 employees interested in receiving an MBA through this program, we can completely customize the coursework for your professional institution. With fewer electives and targeted subject matter, the coursework is streamlined to apply directly to your employees.
Employees can take up to five years to complete their MBA. They can adjust their schedule or take a term off depending on other commitments, and depending on employer allowances, they can enter the program during any of the four terms for the degree. Core classes are woven into the curriculum instead of required at the beginning of the program.
The Partner MBA provides a flexible timeline for professionals who are working for your organization. The minimum requirements for the degree are 51 total credit hours, about 6 credit hours per quarter. The coursework is 100% online, with a combination of live-virtual and recorded classes.
Topics covered include:
See how Kelley partners with corporations, associations for professional athletes, and other organizations
Faculty Chair, Kelley Executive Education Programs
Dr. Carolyn Goerner is a clinical professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington. She also serves as the faculty director of Kelley Executive Education Programs and is the John D. Long Distinguished Fellow for KEEP Leadership. She joined the Kelley faculty in 2000 after receiving her PhD in Management and Human Resources at The Ohio State University. Carolyn was a human resource management consultant for 10 years prior to graduate school.
Carolyn designed the new Leading Diverse and Inclusive Organizations co-major within the Kelley School of Business Undergraduate Program. She created the Strategic Human Resources course within the co-major focused on organizational-level practices that enhance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). In addition to Influence and Negotiation courses, Carolyn teaches Inclusive Leadership and Leadership, Teams, and Inclusion in the Kelley Direct MBA Program. Carolyn co-founded the Kelley Women’s Initiative and serves on the Kelley School of Business DEIB Task Force.
Carolyn is passionate about live theatre, IU Football, IU Women’s Basketball, Indy Car Racing, and the Green Bay Packers. She lives in Greenwood, Indiana, with her husband Peter and their dogs, Charlotte and Etta.
Please reach out to us at keeppartner@iu.edu to learn more about Partner MBAs for corporations and other growth opportunities offered by Kelley Executive Education Programs.
