At the Center for the Business of Life Sciences, we believe in the power of student talent

Kelley MBA students who want to augment their degree with real-world life sciences training and connections are encouraged to apply to join the Life Sciences Academy. Participating students:

• Study industry trends in class and meet policymakers who are shaping the future of the industry
• Learn about the healthcare value chain and the life science ecosystem
• Meet executives from leading companies such as Anthem, Baxter Healthcare, Boston Scientific, Catalent, Cook, Deloitte's Healthcare Consulting practice, Eli Lilly, Humana, Johnson & Johnson, Labcorp, Reckitt, Roche Diagnostics, and Zimmer Biomet
• Gain hands-on experience by completing consulting projects with both startups and established life sciences companies
• Take advantage of industry networking opportunities at Life Sciences Collaboration Conferences, organized by the Center for the Business of Life Sciences together with 15-20 corporate partners
• Learn and work cross-functionally with teammates from healthcare, science, and informatics graduate programs
• Receive ongoing mentoring from the Academy director and alumni, including members of our Industry Advisory Board

Learn more about the Full-Time MBA Program's Life Sciences Academy. The experience will jump-start your life sciences career.

IU graduate students who are passionate about careers in the life sciences and want to better understand the business side of life sciences companies should consider the CBLS Graduate Associates program. This highly competitive program welcomes applications from a variety of degree programs outside Kelley including biology, chemistry and other relevant sciences, informatics, law, and the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Admitted students will work side-by-side with Kelley's business students on practical and challenging projects related to discovery, development, and commercialization of life sciences solutions.

Graduate Associates take two, 1.5 credit hour life sciences courses that present an array of special opportunities to interact with the top leaders in the field of life sciences. Those who are accepted and meet program requirements receive a Certificate in the Business of Life Sciences from the CBLS.

Exceptional applications will be considered throughout the academic year.

Application Process

To apply for the Graduate Student Associates program, you must provide the following documents:

• a one-page description of your education, experience, and passion as it relates to a career in life sciences and an explanation of your desire to take our business courses to supplement your education; 
• a tentative plan, by semester and year, for when you plan to take each of the two courses required for the certificate; and 
• an autobiographical sketch and/or resume including any majors, minors, concentrations, or other academic programs you expect to complete at Indiana University. (The document should include quantitative measures, including your cumulative and major GPAs, and qualitative measures of past academic work. Also include the date of degree completion.)

Should you have any questions about the program or the application process, you are encouraged to contact Kelli Conder at kconder@@iu.edu or George Telthorst, CBLS Director, at gtelthor@@iu.edu.

Program Requirements

Requirements

In addition to successfully completing the two courses prior to graduation, students must participate in an average of one experimental program per semester during their time as Student Associates. Such programs include conferences, workshops, industry association meetings, trade shows, internships, research projects, consultancies, and articles written for CBLS. Upon completion of the two courses, you will be contacted by CBLS and asked for a report of your experiences for each semester you were in the program.

Student Associates completing the coursework requirements and the experiential requirements will be given a Certificate in the Business of Life Sciences by the CBLS. Certificates are awarded annually at IU Life Sciences Day at Kelley.

Note: While the CBLS Student Associates Program involves coursework, it is not an academic option of Indiana University. Students who are accepted may add this activity to their resumes, and they will receive certificates of completion upon successfully fulfilling all requirements.

Coursework and Teaching Style

Through your coursework as a Graduate Associate in CBLS, you will gain plenty of hands-on experience with life sciences companies and organizations as you work with your fellow students in interdisciplinary teams solving real problems. One recent project, for example, required students to provide a business plan for a new medical innovation, a cancer biomarker.

Guest speakers are a vital component of classroom learning. We bring in a range of successful leaders in the life sciences industry. The courses feature a variety of guest speakers, most of whom are successful leaders in the life sciences industry.

Take a look at this sampling of companies and organizations our previous guest speakers represent:

• Anthem
• Baxter
• BioCrossroads
• Cook Medical
• Covance
• Elanco
• Eli Lilly and Company
• Hill-Rom
• Ice Miller
• IU Health
• Medtronic
• Zimmer Biomet

See program requirements for specific course information.

You don't have to be a Kelley student to take advantage of all that the Center for the Business of Life Sciences has to offer! We encourage all exceptional IU undergraduate students with a passion for a career in life sciences and a desire to become familiar with the business side of life sciences to apply for admission to our Undergraduate Student Associates program.

This highly selective program combines 3 credit hours of life sciences course work with an array of special opportunities to interact with top leaders in the field of life sciences. Participants completing course work and extracurricular requirements receive a Certificate in the Business of Life Sciences from CBLS.

Applications are accepted throughout the year.

Application Process

Interested students may apply at the end of the sophomore year to begin the program the fall of the junior year.

Should you have any questions about the program or the application process, you are encouraged to contact Kelli Conder, Associate Director, or George Telthorst, CBLS Director.

To apply for the Undergraduate Student Associates program, you must provide the following documents:

• a one-page description of your education, experience, and passion as it relates to a career in life sciences and an explanation of your desire to take our business courses to supplement your education;
• a tentative plan, by semester and year, for when you plan to take each of the two courses required for the certificate; and
• an autobiographical sketch and/or resume including any majors, minors, concentrations, or other academic programs you expect to complete at Indiana University. (The document should include quantitative measures, including your cumulative and major GPAs, and qualitative measures of past academic work. Also include the date of degree completion.)

These materials should be emailed to: Kelli Conder. 

Coursework and Teaching Style

Through your coursework as an Undergraduate Associate in CBLS, you will gain plenty of hands-on experience with life sciences companies and organizations as you work with your fellow students in interdisciplinary teams solving real problems. One project, for example, required students to provide a business plan for a new medical innovation, a cancer biomarker.

Our class discussions are lively, and our high-tech classroom locations on the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses allow for interaction between students from both campuses.

Guest speakers are a vital component of classroom learning. We bring in a range of successful leaders in the life sciences industry. The courses feature a variety of guest speakers, most of whom are successful leaders in the life sciences industry.

Take a look at this sampling of companies and organizations our guest speakers represent:

• Anthem
• Baxter
• BioCrossroads
• Cook Medical
• Covance
• Elanco
• Eli Lilly and Company
• Hill-Rom
• Ice Miller
• IU Health
• Medtronic
• Zimmer Biomet

See program requirements for specific course information.

Program Requirements

Course Requirements

Undergraduate Associates are required to take two seven-week CBLS courses in no particular order:

• X418 Global Events and Trends Impacting the Life Sciences Industry (1.5 credits)
• X419 Life Sciences Industries from Research to Patient (1.5 credits)

Each course is offered one time per academic year. X419 meets only the second seven weeks of the fall semester on Tuesday evenings from 6:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. In the spring semester, X418 meets the second seven weeks each Tuesday from 6:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. It is recommended that these courses be taken no earlier than the junior year.

Life Sciences Experience Requirements

In addition to successfully completing the two courses prior to graduation, students must participate in an average of one experimental program per semester during their time as Student Associates. Such programs include conferences, workshops, industry association meetings, trade shows, internships, research projects, consultancies, and articles written for CBLS. Upon completion of these courses, please contact Kelli Conder to report your experiences for each semester you were in the program.

Certificate in the Business of Life Sciences

Student associates completing the coursework requirements and the experiential requirements will be given a Certificate in the Business of Life Sciences by the CBLS. The certificate is usually awarded in the spring semester during the life sciences day program.

Note: While the CBLS Student Associates Program involves coursework, it is not an academic option of Indiana University, so it will not be listed on student transcripts. Students who are accepted to the program may add this activity to their resumes, and they will receive certificates of completion upon successfully fulfilling all requirements.