IE vs. Indiana Kelley: Comparing 2018’s Top Online MBA Programs

The top-ranking schools in the QS Distance Online MBA Rankings 2018 are Spain’s IE Business School in first position, and North America’s Indiana (Kelley) in second.  IE remains top of the table (it achieved first place in the 2017 rankings), but Kelley has climbed up the ranking this year, taking the place of Warwick Business School, who slip down to fourth place.

Both programs excelled in certain ranking indicators, with IE achieving the highest score for employability in the table. Kelley, whose online MBA course began in 1999, achieved a perfect score in the ‘establishment in online market’ indicator.

How do these courses compare for a potential student? Read on to find out…

Study inside the (virtual) classroom

Both courses take a blended format, offering both online and face-to-face interaction. In IE’s case, the course is 80 percent online and 20 percent face to face. The on-campus lessons are at the university’s Madrid campus, with the course including two face-to-face periods here, as well as one optional global face-to-face trip, the Global Immersion Week.

The Global Immersion Week gives students the opportunity to pick one of four destinations where they can get an entirely new perspective from inside companies and industry leaders. Other face-to-face sessions are immersive 10-hour days in a series of seminars, workshops and conferences.

The online component is both synchronous and asynchronous, as students can watch pre-recorded lectures as well as take part in dynamic high-participation live video conferences and online discussion forums.

At Kelley, students use video-conferencing technology to participate in live lectures with classmates (100 percent of courses are initially delivered live), or they can watch recorded lectures on their own schedule.

Teaching is from the same faculty members who teach in the Kelley School of Business residential degree programs, something that Ramesh Venkataraman, Professor of Information Systems, Associate Dean of Information and Instructional Technologies, Chair of Kelley Direct MBA and MS Programs at Kelley, emphasises as a real strength of the program:

“Many of the faculty who teach in the online MBA program have 12 or more years of experience, leading to great comfort teaching online learners, and a community of faculty where best practices in online teaching and learning are shared regularly.”

Kelley also offers a dual degree option, where you can earn a specialized master’s degree by taking an additional 12 credit hours for a total of 63 credits. Specializations offered include business analytics, finance, marketing, and global supply chain management.

Study outside the classroom

Networking is a key part of the program at Kelley. Students can connect with Kelley Direct alumni and other MBAs during student-hosted Global Connect Nights. Kelley Connect Weeks – two mandatory one-week residencies in Bloomington, Indiana – allow students to meet classmates and professors. According to Venkataraman, “we work to ensure that online students are just as much a part of the Kelley family as students who complete their degrees on campus”.

Much like IE, at Kelley you can choose to get real-world international consulting experience by choosing to undertake an optional week-long AGILE (Accelerating Global Immersion Leadership Education) course where you work with business owners in emerging economies. You can also choose to consult with major US firms (including some Fortune 500 companies) by enrolling in an optional weekend immersion course.

Another optional face-to-face trip offered by Kelley is the Washington Campus Program, which is a one-week course in Washington DC where you can meet policy makers and advocates in the city, which is ideal for students who work in the non-profit sectors, trade associations, and within the advocacy community.

Both courses offer career coaching, with IE’s in-depth Global MBA Three-Step Career Transformation Program going some way to explaining why their course is so highly ranked for employability. The first step is the ‘kick off and wake-up call’ simulation, which is a six-hour assessment-based simulation where you get to know your strengths and weaknesses, identifying how you can develop your leadership potential. The second step consists of three coaching and career advisory sessions, spaced out throughout the year, while the third step features industry- or region-specific mock interviews.