The Kelley School of Business (KSB) is an undergraduate and graduate

business school A business school is a higher education institution or professional school that teaches courses leading to degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, s ...

for

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

and Indiana University Indianapolis. As of 2022, approximately 13,538 full-time undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled on its Bloomington campus, as well as 1,596 students at the

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

campus. In addition, more than 800 students study for graduate degrees through the school's online MBA and MS programs as part of "Kelley Direct". As of 2025, Kelley School of Business has more than 133,000 alumni worldwide across 105 countries and five continents.

History

In March of 1902, the university trustees decided to establish a commercial course within the Department of Economics and Social Science starting the next school year, replacing the last two years of the regular university course. Upon completion of the new curriculum, a special certificate in addition to the ordinary diploma would be granted. The A separate school was established as "School of Commerce and Finance" of Indiana University in 1920 with 70 students enrolled. It was subsequently renamed "School of Business Administration" in 1933 and "School of Business" in 1938. In 1997, it was renamed "Kelley School of Business" after alumnus E.W. Kelley, chairman of the Steak 'n Shake Company, who had given a donation of $23 million. Initially, it was housed in the Commerce Building constructed in 1923 (William A. Rawles Hall since 1971), moving to the Business and Economics Building in 1940 (called Woodburn Hall since 1971), and finally to today's Business School building in 1966. The first graduate degree offered by the school was the

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

in Business which was approved in 1935. In 1947, the first MBA was offered, replacing the Master of Science in Business and the Master of Commercial Science. In 1950, the first doctoral degree, the Doctor of Commercial Science, was awarded. Although classes had been held in Indianapolis since 1961, it wasn't until the fall of 1974 that the School of Business officially expanded to Indianapolis. It resides in the Business/Spea building on the IUI campus. During the expansion, it was said that the school is "one school, one faculty, one curriculum in two locations". Therefore, rankings which apply to the school's Bloomington campus, also apply to its Indianapolis campus (for the programs they both share). The dean's office is located on the Bloomington campus, but two positions, Executive Associate Dean - Indianapolis and Associate Dean of Indianapolis Research and Programs, were created to lead the Kelley School of Business curriculum, faculty and programs at IUI. In 1980, the

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

reported Indiana University as one of the top four undergraduate business schools in the nation.

21st century

Completed in 2003, the $33 million Graduate and Executive Education Center provides facilities to the Kelley School's graduate and executive education students. In 2003, the Kelley School partnered with the

Scotts Miracle-Gro Company The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Marysville, Ohio, where O.M. Scott began selling lawn seed in 1868. The company manufactures and sells consumer lawn, garden and pest control products, as ...

to launch Bloomington Brands, a unique

brand management In marketing, brand management refers to the process of controlling how a brand is perceived in the market (economics), market. Tangible elements of brand management include the look, price, and packaging of the product itself; intangible element ...

work-study program for both undergraduates and MBA students. Participating students manage the Osmocote Plant Food brand under contract from Scotts. Bob Stohler, a former Scotts executive, instructs and oversees the students. Students manage all marketing variables for the Osmocote brand, including the selection of product formulas, sizes, packages, and

pricing Pricing is the Business process, process whereby a business sets and displays the price at which it will sell its products and services and may be part of the business's marketing plan. In setting prices, the business will take into account the ...

, as well as the development of marketing strategy,

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

, media purchase and selection, promotional activities, and consumer research. Brands students work closely with multiple business functions at Scotts. In the summer of 2005, interim Dean Dan Smith was appointed to be the new dean of the school, replacing Dean Dan Dalton who stepped down in 2004. Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington

Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington

On March 30, 2012, the Kelley School renamed its Undergraduate Building Hodge Hall in honor of James R. Hodge who had given $15 million to help renovate and expand the facility. The $60 million expansion and renovation of Hodge Hall broke ground in May 2012 and opened in the fall of 2014. The Eli Lilly Foundation donated a substantial amount as well. In June 2012, Dan Smith stepped down as dean of the school after serving as dean for seven years to take a new position as president and CEO of the Indiana University Foundation. On May 9, 2013, interim dean Idalene Kesner was announced as the new dean of the school. Kesner is the first woman to serve as dean In February 2025, it was announced that Kelley accounting department faculty member, accounting professor, and current vice dean Patrick E. Hopkins would be taking over from Ash Soni as the dean of the Kelley School of Business, effective March 17, 2025.

Partnerships

The Kelley School has partnered with

National Football League Players Association The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) is the labor unions in the United States, labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by executive directo ...

Women's National Basketball Players Association The Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) is the players' union for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). It formed in 1998 and was the first trade union for female professional athletes. History The Women's Nat ...

MLS Players Association The MLS Players Association (MLSPA) is the trade union, union of professional Major League Soccer players. The MLS Players Association serves as the exclusive collective bargaining agreements representative for all current players in MLS. His ...

Major League Baseball Players Association The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is the labor union representing all current Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held ...

and

United States Rugby Players Association The United States Rugby Players Association, also referred to as the USRPA, is the union of professional Major League Rugby players. United States Rugby Players Association is a member of International Rugby Players Association (IRPA). Referenc ...

to pursue master's program for professional athletes. Jacobs School of Music has partnered with the business school to offer an undergraduate music degree program from fall 2025.

Organisation and Leadership

Deans

* William A. Rawles (1st Dean) *

Herman B Wells Herman B Wells (June 7, 1902 – March 18, 2000), a native of Boone County, Indiana, was the eleventh president of Indiana University Bloomington and its first university chancellor. He was pivotal in the transformation of Indiana Universi ...

* Idalene Kesner (2013 to 2022) * Patrick E. Hopkins (Current)

Rankings

Undergraduate school

The Kelley School of Business undergraduate program is consistently ranked among the top 10 in the country across various publications. In its most recent ranking,

Bloomberg Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'' (and before that ''Business Week'' and ''The Business Week''), is an American monthly business magazine published 12 times a year. The magazine debuted in New York City in Septembe ...

ranked the undergraduate Kelley School of Business 1st among public business schools. Overall, it was ranked the 4th in the nation for its undergraduate B.S. in Business out of more than 100 of the top business schools in America. The prior year, Kelley was also ranked 4th. The 2016 ranking for "Best Undergraduate Business Schools" by Poets & Quants ranked the Kelley School of Business 7th in the nation and 2nd among public schools. Kelley is also ranked 2nd in academic excellence. In 2017, Poets & Quants ranks Kelley 6th in the nation, and 2nd in terms of employment. It lists an acceptance rate of around 37% and an average ACT and SAT of 30 and 1370 respectively. The Kelley School of Business is ranked 8th overall for its Undergraduate Business Program according to '' U.S. News & World Report''. In a 2016 survey of over 1,000 recruiters by

, the undergraduate school was ranked 4th in the nation, 1st among public universities. As of late 2017, 10 of Kelley's business concentrations have been ranked in the top 20. The undergraduate Entrepreneurship & Corporate Innovation major has been ranked 1st among public universities for the last 9 consecutive years. Nobel Prize Elinor Ostrom at Kelley School of Business MBA students

Nobel Prize Elinor Ostrom at Kelley School of Business MBA students

Graduate school

In 2024, the Kelley MBA was ranked 20th overall by U.S. News & World Report. It was also ranked No. 31 Overall (28th in Compensation) in 2024 by ''

''. The Kelley Online MBA consistently ranks #1 overall. In 2024, ''

US News ''U.S. News & World Report'' (''USNWR'', ''US NEWS'') is an American media company publishing news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. The company was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper ''U.S. News'' and ...

'' and '' Poets & Quants'' both ranked it #1 overall. In 2021, the Kelley Online MBA was ranked No. 1 by '' Poets & Quants''. In 2017,

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

ranked the Kelley

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

(MBA) program #22 in the world (17th in the U.S.). The Kelley MBA was ranked 16th by ''

Business Week ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'' (and before that ''Business Week'' and ''The Business Week''), is an American monthly business magazine published 12 times a year. The magazine debuted in New York City in Septembe ...

'' in 2014; it was ranked fifth for regional MBA programs by the ''

'' in 2007. Poets & Quants ranked Kelley's MBA program 5th in the nation in producing Fortune 500 CEOs. ''

'' ranked its full-time MBA program at No. 15 in the 2012 edition, and at No. 4 among all

public universities A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

. US News & World Report ranks the Kelley MBA 22nd in the nation, 7th among public business schools. Kelley's top-ranked MBA program for full-time residential students has been cited in ''Business Week'' as one of the favorites of corporate recruiters looking for general managers, marketing talent, and finance graduates. The 2017 U.S. News & World Report ranked Kelley's Online Graduate Business Program #1 in the nation, and the online MBA #3. A 2017 report by Crist, Kolder Associates listed Indiana University 5th in producing current

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...

CEOs and 1st in producing Fortune 500 CFOs among public institutions. The Graduate Entrepreneurship concentration has been ranked 1st for three consecutive years. In the 2010 QS Global 200 Business Schools Report the school was indexed as the 24th best business school in North America.

Fortune Small Business ''Fortune Small Business'' (''FSB'') was an American magazine published 10 times per year from 1991 to 2009. It was a joint venture by The Fortune Group at Time Inc. and the American Express American Express Company or Amex is an American b ...

magazine listed Kelley's MBA and undergraduate programs in entrepreneurship #1 among all public universities in the nation in 2009.

Publications

''Indiana Business Review'' was started in 1925 and is published quarterly by the Indiana Business Research Center. The business school also publishes ''Business Horizons'', a bimonthly academic journal first published in 1956.

Notable alumni

Business

* Jay Schottenstein, billionaire and owner of DSW, Inc. and

American Eagle Outfitters American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer headquartered at SouthSide Works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by brothers Jerry and Mark Silverman as a subsidiary of Retail Ventures, Inc ...

Mark Cuban Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American businessman and television personality. He is the former principal owner and current minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and co-owner of 2929 Entertain ...

, billionaire and former owner of the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

* Conrad Prebys, billionaire and property developer *

Todd Wagner Todd R. Wagner (born August 2, 1960) is an American entrepreneur, co-founder of Broadcast.com and founder and CEO of a company called Charity Network which organizes regular Fundraising, fund raisings. He also co-owns 2929 Entertainment with Mar ...

, billionaire and co-founder of Broadcast.com * David Simon, billionaire and CEO of

Simon Property Group Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American real estate investment trust that invests in shopping malls, outlet centers, and community/lifestyle centers. It is the largest owner of shopping malls in the United States and is headquartered in Indian ...

* Cheng Wai Keung, multimillionaire and business magnate *

Jimmy Wales Jimmy Donal Wales (born August 7, 1966), also known as Jimbo Wales, is an American List of Internet entrepreneurs, Internet entrepreneur and former Trader (finance), financial trader. He is a Founders of Wikipedia, co-founder of the non-profi ...

, Co-founder of

Wikipedia Wikipedia is a free content, free Online content, online encyclopedia that is written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and the wiki software MediaWiki. Founded by Jimmy Wales and La ...

and President of the

Wikimedia Foundation The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. (WMF) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, and registered there as foundation (United States law), a charitable foundation. It is the host of Wikipedia, th ...

* Harold Poling, former CEO and Chairman of

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

* Janet Foutty, former CEO and Chair of

Deloitte Consulting Deloitte is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest professional services network in the world by revenue and number of employees, and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, along wit ...

* Gregory W. Becker, Former CEO of SVB Financial Group * John Chambers, President and CEO of

Cisco Systems Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational corporation, multinational digital communications technology conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, m ...

* Frank Popoff, Former President and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company * Jeff M. Fettig, Chairman and CEO of the

Whirlpool Corporation Whirlpool Corporation is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances headquartered in Benton Charter Township, Michigan, United States. In 2023, the Fortune 500 company had an annual revenue ...

* Klaus Agthe, Former Chairman and CEO of ASEA Brown Boveri * Michael Szymanczyk, Chairman and CEO of

Altria Altria Group, Inc. (previously known as Philip Morris Companies, Inc. until 2003) is an American corporation and one of the world's largest producers and marketers of tobacco, cigarettes, and medical products in the treatment of illnesses ca ...

and

Philip Morris USA Philip Morris USA is an American tobacco company. They are a division of the American tobacco corporation Altria Group. It has been the leading cigarette manufacturer in the U.S. since the late 20th century. Its major brands include Marlboro, Vi ...

* Randy Tobias, former CEO of

Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company, Trade name, doing business as Lilly, is an American multinational Medication, pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with offices in 18 countries. Its products are sold in approximately 125 count ...

Politics

* Nick Begich III, U.S. representative for Alaska's at-large congressional district *

Evan Bayh Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III ( ; born December 26, 1955) is an American politician who served as the List of governors of Indiana, 46th governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997 and as a United States Senate, United States senator representing Indi ...

, 46th Governor of Indiana * Jerry Abramson, 55th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky * Stephen Akard, Former

Inspector General of the Department of State The Inspector General of the Department of State heads the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State and is responsible for detecting and investigating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the United States Department of St ...

* Deepender Singh Hooda, Member of the Lok Sabha * Shella Bowlin, Cherokee Nation Secretary of State * Khaled Mohammed Salem Balama Al Tameemi, governor of the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates

Academics

* Benjamin J. Allen, 9th President of the

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 90 majors across five colleges. The fall 2024 total enrollment was 9,283 students. The university was initially founded in 1 ...

* Lance de Masi, Former President of

American University in Dubai The American University in Dubai (AUD) () is a private for-profit university in Dubai, United Arab Emirates located in Dubai Media City. Founded in October 1995, AUD offers programs leading to bachelor's and master's degrees. Being the first pr ...

* Ahmed Rashad Abdel-khalik, Professor at

Gies College of Business The Gies College of Business is the business school of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a Public university, public research university in Champaign, Illinois. The college offers undergraduate program, masters programs, and a PhD pro ...

Armed Forces

* Anthony R. Jones, Former

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

* Edward L. Anderson, Former Rear Admiral in

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

* William H. Gourley, Former Major General in the

* Norris W. Overton, Former Brigadier General in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Jurists

* Geoffrey Slaughter, Associate Justice of the

Indiana Supreme Court The Indiana Supreme Court, established by Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution, is the highest judicial authority in the state of Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana Statehouse. In Dec ...

Sports

* John Bitove, founder of the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. * Jordan Franks * Stephen Gostkowski (MBA) * Frank McKinney, Olympic gold medalist * Ali Patberg *

Bryan Witzmann Bryan Witzmann (born June 16, 1990) is an American former professional American football, football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits footba ...

* John Cynn

Notable faculty

Peter Pace Peter Pace (born November 5, 1945) is a retired United States Marine Corps General (United States), general who served as the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pace was the first Marine officer appointed as chairman and the first Marine ...

, 16th

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: appointment; gra ...

* Vikram Pandit, Former CEO of

Citigroup Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services company based in New York City. The company was formed in 1998 by the merger of Citicorp, t ...

* Jerome Adams, 20th

Surgeon General of the United States The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. T ...

Mae Jemison Mae Carol Jemison (born October 17, 1956) is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. She became the first African-American woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavou ...

, former NASA astronaut *

Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American politician who served as the 17th commissioner of the Social Security Administration from 2023 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was th ...

, 61st

Governor of Maryland The governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...

* Timothy L. Fort, Professor of Business Law and Ethics * Alan Dennis * Wayne L. Winston, Professor Emeritus * Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, professor - former Princess of Denmark * David B. Audretsch, professor - award-winning economist, published author, and founder and editor-in-chief of '' Small Business Economics'' * Michael Baye, professor - former Director of the Bureau of Economics for the US Federal Trade Commission * Shelli Yoder, professor - former Democratic Party nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives * John Rau, four-time CEO and Poling Chair of Business and Government Leadership at the Kelley School (2024-25 academic year)

References

External links

* – Bloomington website * – Indianapolis website {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelley School Of Business Business schools in Indiana Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Universities and colleges established in 1920 Education in Monroe County, Indiana Buildings and structures in Bloomington, Indiana 1920 establishments in Indiana