New UIndy Degrees Target Professionals
Belcher says the new degrees focus on in-demand industries in Indiana.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe University of Indianapolis School of Business says its new accelerated master’s programs will help the business community tap into the talents of career changers and military veterans. Dean Larry Belcher says the degree programs, which focus on practical skills and applied learning rather than theory and research, are currently more common on the coasts than in the Midwest. He says local business leaders will serve on professional advisory boards to make sure the initiative provides students with the skills they will need to advance or change their careers.
The school is currently accepting applications for degrees in Human Resource Development & Administration and Commercial Real Estate Development & Construction Management. Those programs will launch in August. The seven-and-a-half-week courses will include both online and on-site instruction, designed to allow students to complete the requirements while maintaining full-time jobs.
Belcher says the courses target those who want to enhance their skills, but are not necessarily interested in "something as broad as an MBA." The program will focus on experiential and project-based learning. Belcher says, while companies want students with "broad, basic skills" like communication, they are also looking for those who have had exposure to the business world. Industry professionals will teach many of the classes.
The school says the new degrees focus on in-demand industries in Indiana. The human resources program will focus on skills including recruiting, training, talent development and benefits administration. UIndy says there is an increased demand for human resource skills in industries ranging from retail and manufacturing to health care and financial services.
The commercial real estate development and construction management program will cover topics including contract negotiation, construction design, project management and financial analysis. The university says Indianapolis is one of the top markets nationally for commercial construction, specifically because of growth in downtown residential development and mixed-use projects in the suburbs.
In a release from UIndy, Belcher said, "The curriculum is really project-based, not the traditional learn-from-the-book, take-a-test approach. And because these are cohort-based programs that group together people with different backgrounds and career paths, students learn from one another as well as from the material presented."