Indiana University Southeast - School of Business

“The value is wonderful and the classes are small” at the Indiana University Southeast School of Business, which provides a great (and inexpensive) opportunity for students, particularly those who are working full-time, to pursue an MBA. The evening classes and curriculum lets students pace themselves according to their availability and work schedules, and the course work is “engaging” with challenging material that “forces us to think about things in different ways and apply that material to our current jobs or see how it would apply to someone in a different role.” A few students say that some of the classes seem a bit rote, but “the school is actively reassessing its courses and seeks to improve in those areas.”

The “dedicated” professors “bring a wealth of personal business experience to class,” “are passionate about what they teach,” and implement real-life examples at every turn of the page. “Professors make all of the difference in the world,” says a student. “They understand that most of us have jobs and families are flexible with our schedules.” They stay after class and “give attention to any topic, small or large that is of concern to their students.” “The fact that our classroom sizes are roughly fifteen to twenty students gives us a great opportunity to get to know both the students and professors on a more personal level,” says a student.

The IUS Career Development Center provides all students in the MBA programs with career counseling, internships, résumé reviews, mock interviews, and job fairs. However, most students at IUS are looking to move ahead in their current positions, so job search- es are not the main concern so much as job skills. Students have the option to call and schedule one-on-one appointments with counselors, or take advantage of the extensive alumni network that IUS provides; the School of Business also conducts a number of CEO Roundtables per year. The school is located near both Indianapolis and Louisville, so there is a wide range of industries and job markets from which students can draw from. Some students do wish that the school would add more alumni guest speakers from the business community, who could “talk about how they have used what they learned in the MBA program in solving real world problems.”

The Graduate Center is located off of the main campus, which “preserves the culture and level of maturity that is needed.” As most people here are working professionals, life is busy and it is “very much a commuter campus” (IUS also happens to have a large crowd of students from Louisville), so “there is little connection between students and the school outside of class.” This doesn’t mean that people are brusque: Students “are extremely helpful and conduct themselves in a way that is very friendly” and “usually socialize with each other and professors.” There is certainly a variety of ages and back- grounds—students “tend to be a mix of mid-career professionals and some younger millennials” and most students are married, many with children—but “everyone works together to achieve the ultimate goal of MBA degree.”