During your first year as a Kelley MBA, you’ll join one of our six career foundation Academies, immersing yourself in business or consumer marketing, consulting, capital markets, strategic finance, or supply chain and digital enterprise.
How can you set yourself up for career success? Start with Kelley's Academies.
Through your Academy, you will:
- learn about and visit companies in your field
- network with industry veterans
- familiarize yourself with trends
- build skills you'll need to succeed
- complete a company-based consulting project similar to what you'll conduct during your internship
And there’s more. You’ll receive one-on-on mentoring from your Academy director, work with a career coach who has industry expertise, and receive ongoing support from a second-year MBA mentor.
You can enhance your first-year Academy experience with optional first- and second-year academies focused on industry exposure and skill development. Thanks to our Academies, Kelleys know what they can do with their MBA long before graduation and have the experience to show recruiters what they can bring to a position. See our outstanding employment stats.
Which Academies are right for you?
Each of our Academies is unique, and your choice depends on your career goals. We encourage you to explore all of them—the career-focused first-year Academies, optional PLUS Life Sciences Academy (also for first-year MBAs), and optional Entrepreneurial Innovation Academy and Leadership Academy (for second-year MBAs). Watch the video and webinar for each Academy and ask our students about their Academy experiences.
Business Marketing Academy
Specialized training in B2B transactions
First-year Academy
Consumer Marketing Academy
Brand management and consumer product marketing immersion
First-year Academy
Strategic Finance Academy
Strategic and financial skills for any industry
First-year Academy
Supply Chain and Digital Enterprise Academy
Optimize efficiencies locally and globally
First-year Academy
High-Tech Academy
Tech sector business career exploration
Optional first- or second-year Academy
Plus Life Sciences
For careers in healthcare, pharmaceuticals and life sciences
Optional first-year Academy
Entrepreneurial Innovation Academy
For top innovative minds
Optional second-year Academy
Leadership Academy
Strategic visioning, coaching and development
Optional second-year Academy
"Because of my experiences in the Consumer Marketing Academy, which included a project similar to the one I was later assigned during my internship with General Mills, I felt like I knew what to do on day one."
Cassie Deguzman, MBA’21Associate Brand Manager, General Mills
A bridge between classes and MBA jobs—before you graduate
The Academy Experience
Kelley's one-of-a-kind Academy program is an experience-based, mentorship-driven bridge between what you learn in your MBA coursework and how you'll use it in your post-MBA career.
Description of the video:
Speaker:The Kelley Academy Experience is an innovation you won't find in many other MBA programs. And it's one that enables you to discover where your personality, skills, and interests best fit within business. That's because the Academies provide a series of deep experiential opportunities that give you real-world access and insider insights into the industry you're pursuing, while simultaneously promoting profound professional development to prepare you for your next level career goals.
All full-time Kelley MBA students participate in one of the first year Academies: Business Marketing, Capital Markets, Consulting, Consumer Marketing, Strategic Finance, and Supply Chain. You can also boost your Academy experience with the PLUS Life Sciences program, offering healthcare, pharmaceutical, and life science industry immersion. There is no set formula for choosing your Academy and major. You can opt to develop expertise in one field in an Academy that aligns closely with your major. Or you may want to develop flexibility in an Academy that allows you to cultivate a second skillset. The choice is yours.
You can also select an optional second year Academy to further develop your skills in the Entrepreneurial Innovation Academy or the Leadership Academy. Your Academy directors are experts in their field, and provide valuable mentorship and industry connections. Each Academy's career coach has industry specific experience and will work with you one-on-one to help you develop and refine your goals. And second year MBA students provide an additional layer of peer coaching to help you avoid common mistakes.
During Academy Fridays, you will learn core industry skills that you can exercise in real world situations, including high stakes consulting projects, global leadership opportunities, nationwide visits to top companies, and extensive networking with industry veterans and Kelley alumni. You'll also participate in two separate Academy meets, during which time you'll focus on professional development and get an inside look at major companies in your industry.
Rich in experiential learning, the Academy program enables you to build lasting momentum for your career. You won't find a more immersive opportunity to develop the core skills and industry connections that you need to get the internships and careers you want.