Masters

Business Administration (MBA): Traditional Program

Blended

Overview

When you earn an MBA from Illinois State University, you’ll join a worldwide network of highly successful alumni. Whatever your career goals, we can help you take the next step forward.

We know how hard it is to balance work, family life, and school. That is why we format our courses to give you the best learning opportunity with the most flexibility possible.

In our traditional program, each class meets for 90 minutes in a live classroom setting on a weeknight. The rest is delivered online asynchronously. You do the work when it works best for you. You get ongoing live contact with your professors, but without having to be in class full-time. Balancing all the competing demands in your life just got easier.

Time to completion varies according to the course load you choose each semester.

Our student population includes working professionals, people coming straight out of undergraduate programs, and international students from around the world. This unique blend of perspectives gives you the breadth of experience you need to compete in an increasingly globalized business environment.

Simply put, nothing prepares you for your future better than an Illinois State University MBA.

Other MBA Options

Corporate Program (CMBA): This option offers a flexible, accelerated way for working professionals to earn an advanced degree in business.

Panama Program: We’ve partnered with Quality Leadership University to offer our MBA program to professionals working in Panama City, Panama.

Point of Pride

The College of Business is among the elite top 2 percent of business schools in the world to have both business and accounting accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International.

Christine Knuth
(309) 438-2960
State Farm Hall of Business 201

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Discover what life as an Illinois State graduate student is like.

How to Apply

University Admission Requirements

A student applying to a master's program must:

have earned a four-year bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a college or university that is accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting association, or do so within one academic year
present unofficial transcripts from each college or university other than Illinois State at which graduate, undergraduate, or non-degree credit was earned. The unofficial transcript should be easily readable and clearly indicate degree(s) awarded, courses and course grades for each term. If accepted, official transcripts can be emailed from the university to GraduateAdmissions@IllinoisState.edu or mailed in a sealed envelope to: Illinois State University, Graduate School, 209 Hovey Hall, Campus Box 4040, Normal, IL 61790-4040.

International students can learn more about specific application requirements by visiting the Office of Admissions.

Additional Program Admission Requirements

To be considered for this program, you must meet the following requirements.

GPA

A cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for either the last 60 hours of your undergraduate coursework or any previous work in a master's program is preferred.

Reference Contact Information

Submit the names and email addresses of two references for letters of recommendation within the online application.

Resume

Upload your current resume that describes your professional experience.

Essay

Submit an essay that includes the following information:

Your professional goals and how the MBA degree will help you achieve them
An explanation of what you gained professionally and/or personally from the experiences detailed in your resume (1 -2 paragraphs)

GMAT

Submit your official GMAT scores or a completed petition to waive the requirement.

Program Preference

Indicate which MBA option interests you:

Traditional MBA Program (regular full-time or part-time, on-campus program)
Corporate MBA Program (non-traditional weekend program)

For the corporate MBA program, visit the MBA website for program details and dates for new cohort enrollment.

English Proficiency Scores (International Students Only)

The minimum score for the iBT TOEFL (or its equivalent) is 80 or above, though the program recommends a score of 90 or better. The IELTS will be considered in place of the TOEFL.

Application Deadlines

Spring Term — December 1
Summer Term — April 1
Fall Term — August 6; international students should apply no later than one month before the semester begins

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Graduate Assistantships

The University provides graduate assistantships as a means of financial support. They are intended as a way to facilitate a student's progress to degree while providing important professional development.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an assistantship a student must, generally,

be admitted unconditionally as a degree-seeking student into a graduate academic program, or have a minimum of 120 undergraduate hours if in an integrated degree program
be in good-standing
be enrolled full-time (typically at least 9 credit hours during the fall or spring semesters, or at least 6 hours during the summer session).

Benefits

Graduate assistants receive

monthly wages paid in the form of either a stipend or an hourly wage
a waiver for 100% of tuition during a semester of appointment
a waiver for up to 12 credit hours of tuition for the summer term immediately following a fall or spring appointment

Costs & Funding

See Student Accounts for information on tuition and fees. Funding for graduate students is available from several different sources. Students who have been admitted from contiguous states including Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin will receive in-state tuition.