School of Business

As a premier school of business administration, we seek to provide an educational experience that emphasizes academic rigor, experiential learning and student engagement and prepares students to be engaged citizens in a global community.

• As an ACBSP accredited business school, we are part of a diverse community of students, faculty and community partners that promotes intellectual growth and a desire to serve.
• We believe that learning occurs both inside the classroom and with experiential, project based activities.
• We emphasize and support student engagement that develops students as future business professionals and leaders.
• We support initiatives to insure academic success for all of our students.
• We support creative activity that advances our disciplines, impacts business practices and enriches student learning.
• We value faculty with professional experience and a desire to pass that on to future business leaders.
• We value networking and participation in professional and community organizations that enhance our professional competencies and build our communities.

We serve our students, their parents, and the community by producing ethical, talented, innovative contributors who will enhance and accelerate the development of the state of Indiana, the entire nation, and the broader world community. We work hard to increase the value of degrees from the School of Business and truly serve as the responsive partner for business and civic leaders. Every aspect of what we do is based on advancing our School’s quality using best practices and the passionate commitment of an outstanding and talented faculty. This is integrated into a standard-setting engagement with the business community, where business executives, employers, government, civic, and philanthropic-minded leaders appreciate and rely on our students as the mechanism to implement their individual and collective visions of leadership for our community.

All entering freshmen in the School of Business can declare their major areas and are assigned an academic advisor in the Center for Advising & Student Achievement. A program of study is developed for each student and may lead to either a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting, business administration and management, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems and applied business analytics, marketing, operations and supply chain management, or sports marketing.

The School of Business has an applied, experiential curriculum that incorporates Applied Business Projects into a number of courses every semester. In these projects, students work with a business client partner in a consulting role to accomplish a project for the client business. Students prepare reports and do presentations of their work to clients. This helps prepare students for similar responsibilities when they transition to their professional careers.

Students in any major are encouraged to consider fulfilling an internship experience, which may be eligible for academic credit under the designated number of BADM-450.

A day student can complete requirements for a bachelor's degree in four years if the curriculum guide as outlined by the school is followed.

A mathematics placement examination, to determine the student's specific level of knowledge, is administered to all new students and all transfer students who have not already demonstrated mathematics proficiency at their prior institution. The school encourages students who plan to continue graduate work to take upper-level mathematics courses. Eight hours of college math, which includes statistics, are required for School of Business bachelor's degree majors.

Business programs leading to the Associate in Science degree are offered in business administration and information systems and applied business analytics. A day student can complete requirements for an associate degree in two years if the curriculum guide as outlined by the school is followed.

Curriculum guides listing policies for admission, progression, and degree requirements are available for all business majors. Grade requirements for business majors are listed on curriculum guides. Requirements for business minors are listed on a separate curriculum guide and in this catalog. A grade of C- or above is required in all business major and minor courses.

ACBSP Accreditation. The University of Indianapolis, through its School of Business, is nationally accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) and is a member of the Association to Advance Collegiate School of Business (AACSB) International.

All majors in the School of Business are required to complete the following courses in addition to the required courses for their major area.

• ACCT 210 Financial Accounting
• ACCT 212 Managerial Accounting
• BADM 100 Freshman Experience (day students only)
• BADM 230 or BADM 233 Business Law or Business Law:  Partnerships & Corporations
• BADM 350 Career and Employment Strategies
• BADM 439 Business Policy and Strategy
• CIS 151 Introduction to Information Systems & Applied Analytics
• ECON 110 Microeconomics
• ECON 111 Macroeconomics
• FIN 210  Finance
• MATH 150 or MATH 180 or MATH 190  Finite Mathematics or College Algebra & Trigonometry or Calculus & Analytical Analytical Geometry I (all courses fulfills general ed core requirement)
• MATH 220 Elementary Statistics
• MGT 281 Management
• MKTG 290 Marketing
• SCM 210 Principles of Operations & Supply Chain Management

The Accelerated BS/MBA Program offers students the opportunity to complete the requirements for both the bachelor’s and the master of business administration degrees within five years. Students will follow the standard sequence of courses for both the general education core and the business core. Beginning in the junior year, students may substitute MBA courses for undergraduate business courses as described in the Accelerated BS/MBA Course Outline. The MBA courses will satisfy the requirements to be awarded a BS in business administration. Upon completion of the BS degree, students will complete the course requirements to be awarded the MBA degree.

Admission Requirements. Admission to the Accelerated BS/MBA Program will be by application only. Students should apply during their sophomore year of study; however, applications will be accepted and considered for students applying during the junior and senior year. In addition to completing the written application, students will be required to take the GMAT exam and achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50.

Requirements for Graduation. Students must complete all University and School of Business requirements for graduation prior to receiving the BS degree. In addition to fulfilling the requirements for the BS degree, students must complete a total of at least 154 credit hours before receiving the MBA degree. Graduate business courses must comprise at least 36 of the total credit hours. Students must fulfill all University and School of Business requirements for graduation prior to receiving the MBA degree. At least 15 graduate credit hours must be taken after completion of the BS degree. Students may take additional courses in order to complete an MBA major. The program is designed so students can complete both the BS and MBA degree requirements within five years. Admission to the program and graduation do not require strict adherence to the five-year schedule. Students may take more than five years to complete the program.

Tuition and Fees. All courses taken prior to completion of the BS degree will be billed at the undergraduate tuition rate. All courses taken after completion of the BS degree will be billed at the graduate tuition rate.

Accelerated BS/MBA Course Outline. Students will be required to take a course of study that includes taking graduate and undergraduate courses concurrently. The course outline described below may be modified, consistent with the unique circumstances and prior coursework of an individual student. Students are required to consult their academic advisor prior to registering for any course. A proper sequence of courses is required for students to complete the degrees in the five-year time frame. Students accepted into the Accelerated BS/MBA Program may substitute graduate courses for specific undergraduate courses.

Optional Course Substitutes

(Requires the approval of an academic advisor and the director of Graduate Business Programs.) Students who are unable to complete the course substitutes for Foundation BS/MBA courses may request alternative courses instead. 

MBA Required Courses

• MBA-611 Business Intelligence (3 credits)

• MBA-620 Quantitative Business Tools (3 credits)

• MBA-660 Operations Strategy (3 credits)

• MBA-670 Marketing Strategy (3 credits)

• MBA-680 Corporate Financial Theory (3 credits)

• MBA-690 Strategic Analysis (3 credits)

9 credit hours of electives

The School of Business offers a number of its programs at various locations around the globe. Specific programs should be consulted for a current list of international University partners.

Careers are available in private and governmental accounting for students who earn a bachelor’s degree by following the  accounting curriculum guide listed below. Completion of the traditional 120-hour program will qualify graduates to pursue multiple professional certifications such as Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). Those who graduate with 120 hours and later decide to pursue CPA licensure are encouraged to matriculate in a master’s degree program to complete the extra 30 credit hours necessary for admission to the CPA exam.

The University of Indianapolis is an accredited university that qualifies graduates with 150 hours of completed coursework to take the CPA exam in order to obtain public accountancy licensure in the state of Indiana. (Students planning to take the CPA exam outside Indiana should contact those other state Boards of Public Accountancy for CPA licensure guidelines.) The School of Business Accounting major complies with Indiana state requirements of offering at least 24 hours of accounting courses (in Financial, Auditing, Taxation, and Managerial). In addition, the Accounting major requires, according to Indiana regulations, at least 24 semester hours of Business Administration and Economics courses over and above the required Accounting courses. The state of Indiana does not count internship credit toward this 24-hour requirement of Business Administration and/or Economic courses.

State of Indiana CPA exam candidates must complete an additional 30 hours of coursework beyond those courses found in the curriculum guide above. Two options are available:

1. Commit to a fifth year of study for purposes of earning an MBA. The University of Indianapolis offers an accelerated BS/MBA degree designed to meet the state of Indiana’s 150-hour requirement. (See Accelerated BS/MBA Program Requirements.)

2. Earn a bachelor's degree with a double major to accumulate 150 hours.

Accelerated BS/MBA Program (Five-Year Program)

The Accelerated BS/MBA program offers students the opportunity to complete the requirements for the bachelor of science degree in business administration and management and the master of business administration degree within five years. Students will follow the standard sequence of courses for both the general education core and the business core. Beginning in the junior year, students may substitute MBA courses as described in the Accelerated BS/MBA Course Requirements. The MBA courses will satisfy the requirements to be awarded a BS in business administration. Upon completion of the BS degree, students will complete the course requirements to be awarded the MBA degree.

Accounting major options other than the Accelerated BS/MBA program

Indiana CPA candidates who do not enter into the Accelerated BS/MBA program can pursue a double major as a way to obtain the 150 hours necessary to qualify to take the exam. Suggested second majors are Information Systems; Entrepreneurship; Finance; Marketing; Operations and Supply Chain Management; and Sports Marketing. With summer courses, students may complete their entire 150 hours in four years while earning a bachelor’s degree with multiple majors.

Accounting curriculum guide

Business Administration and Management (Bachelor's) Major curriculum guide

Business Administration - Associate Major curriculum guide

The core emphasis of the finance major is to determine the most effective approaches to maximize the value of a firm. This is accomplished through an understanding of theoretical concepts, quantitative analysis, and practical application of financial principles using problems, cases, guest lecturers, and projects. The finance major will prepare the student to pursue careers in corporate finance, commercial or investment banking, securities management, financial planning, real estate finance, or insurance and risk management. It also will provide an essential base of knowledge for management in other disciplines or small business ownership. Also, the UIndy Student Fund course allows students the opportunity to manage a live portfolio of money, which represents a portion of the University’s endowment.

Finance Major curriculum guide

The program is focused on teaching applied business analytics, which uses a variety of techniques to evaluate information to support decision-making in an organization. Courses utilize cutting-edge software tools from companies such as SAS, Tableau, and Microsoft in the classroom. Students also learn a generalized methodology that covers the phases of the analytics process. Analytics skills are applicable to a wide variety of disciplines such as marketing, supply chain management, education, human resources, politics, and health as organizations strive to make better decisions using internal and external data. The Applied Analytics focus of UIndy’s Information systems curriculum also makes it an excellent option for a minor. UIndy offers an associate degree in Information Systems & Applied Analytics as well.

Information Systems & Applied Business Analytics Major curriculum guide

Information Systems & Applied Business Analytics-Associate Major curriculum guide

A major, minor, or concentration in marketing will prepare the student for a wide variety of opportunities. Some pursue graduate studies and others go on to careers in product management, sales management, electronic commerce, advertising, public relations, marketing research, consulting, international marketing, retail management, or marketing for nonprofit organizations. Courses in marketing also have been helpful for students coming from other areas of study, such as psychology, communications, graphic design, and athletic management.

There is a strong practical orientation to our program. More than 80 percent of our students do at least one internship where they apply coursework to business. In addition, most of the marketing faculty have extensive marketing experience and maintain contacts with the business community.

Good communication skills, a strong interest in people, and comfort with situations that frequently change are among the key characteristics of people who are successful in marketing careers. In order to complete a marketing major in a timely manner, it is important to take MKTG-290 by early sophomore year. Also, MATH-220 or its equivalent should be taken by the first semester of the junior year.

Marketing Major curriculum guide

This program is for students interested in cutting-edge business strategies that integrate internal and external logistics across many manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, retailers, transportation providers, and third-party logistics firms to increase productivity and to obtain a competitive advantage for all parties involved. Students will learn a combination of skills in strategic sourcing, operations management, logistics, project management, and quality management, as well as quantitative analysis for decision making.

Operations and Supply Chain Management Major curriculum guide

• Accounting Minor
• Business Administration Minor for Non-Business Majors
• Economics Minor
• Finance Minor
• Information Systems & Business Analytics Minor
• Marketing Minor
• Marketing Minor for Non-Business Majors
• Operations and Supply Chain Management Minor

The Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership provides learners the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge to be effective leaders. Leadership skills empower learners, provide opportunity to enhance their daily living, increase their mobility within current employment settings, and develop their potential for employment in different work environments and recognizes the importance of leadership in the organization and the fact that followers prosper under effective leaders in all situations. We believe in a holistic, ethical approach to leadership that encourages collaboration, trust, listening, and empowerment.

Organizational Leadership Major curriculum guide

The Bachelor’s in Business Administration provides a student-centered experience for adult learners with previous college experience that offers a course of study tailored to adult individual needs, and that is focused on the enhancement of professional careers in business.

Business Administration Major curriculum guide