Online Business Schools in Illinois (MBA)

Lewis University delivers degrees at the associate, undergraduate, master's, and doctoral level to over 6,500 students. Lewis offers its 36-credit MBA through fully online and blended formats in five 8-week sessions per year. Students who enter the MBA program without an undergraduate business major may have to complete up to 21 credits in foundation courses, though students may be waived from some foundation courses depending on their previous undergraduate coursework. Apart from the foundations, the MBA requires 24 hours in core courses, nine credits in any of 12 concentrations, and three credits in electives. The GMAT is not required for admission.

Lewis is one of the only MBA programs in Illinois that offers dual degrees, giving students the opportunity to combine an MBA with either a master's of science in nursing or a master's of science in information security. These joint MBAs allow students to complete two master's degree programs in significantly less time than taking the two degrees separately.

Concentrations

• Accountancy
• Finance
• Healthcare Informatics
• Healthcare Management
• Human Resources Management
• Information Security
• Information Technology Management
• International Business
• Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Operations Management
• Project Management

McKendree University offers students the choice of two degree tracks: a general MBA degree and an MBA in human resource management. The completely online 36-credit degree consists of 12 courses presented in eight modules over an eight-week timeframe. The MBA program may be completed in one year.

Admissions requirements include an undergraduate degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher from a regionally accredited school. Students who apply to the program without a business major must complete a set of foundation courses in accounting, economics, marketing, management, and statistics. All applicants must submit three letters of recommendation, a resume, and a personal statement. McKendree does not require the GMAT or GRE and accepts up to 12 transfer credits for courses taken at another graduate institution. Out-of-state and in-state students pay the same tuition rate.

Concentrations

• Human Resources

National Louis University, a private, nonprofit institution, offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate programs to over 8,000 students in seven locations in Illinois and Florida, and online. Its 39-credit MBA program offers concentrations in Entrepreneurship and Nonprofit Management in addition to the general MBA. Students may choose between two different delivery formats: the fully online option provides the greatest flexibility and convenience, and the blended format enables learners to complete the MBA through a combination of online courses and occasional classroom attendance. Illinois-based students in the blended MBA meet face-to-face every other week each term.

Students must take 21 credits in core courses including Managerial Economics, Macroeconomics, Managerial Accounting, Financial Markets, Financial Management, Strategic Marketing, and Technology and Leadership. Applicants to the MBA program must have an undergraduate degree with a 3.0 GPA and submit two letters of recommendations and a personal statement outlining their professional goals.

Concentrations

• Entrepreneurship
• NonProfit Management

Chicago-based North Park University delivers undergraduate and graduate degrees to over 3,000 students. North Park offers a fully online degree requiring 36 credits consisting of 13 core courses and five electives. Core courses include Organizational Behavior and Ethics, Marketing Analysis and Consumer Behavior, Financial Decision Making, Multi-Sector Convergence and Social Responsibility, and Strategy for Competitive Advantage. Students also have the option to choose from 16 certificates in business and nonprofit areas.

North Park also offers rolling admission to the MBA program, with coursework beginning three times per year. Applicants who have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited postsecondary school with a 3.0 GPA or better do not need to submit GMAT or GRE scores. Students with undergraduate GPAs lower than 3.0 may qualify for provisional acceptance. All applications must include two letters of recommendation and a personal essay.

Concentrations

• Accounting Certificate
• Church Administration Certificate
• Conflict Management Certificate
• Economics Certificate
• Finance Certificate
• Fundraising Management Certificate
• Healthcare Management Certificate
• Higher Education Administration Certificate
• Human Resources Management Certificate
• International Business Certificate
• Leadership Certificate
• Marketing Management Certificate
• Nonprofit Finance Certificate
• Nonprofit Governance Certificate
• Nonprofit Management Certificate
• Nonprofit Marketing Management Certificate
• Operations Management Certificate
• Organizational Development Certificate

Northeastern Illinois University serves over 12,000 commuter and online students in more than 70 undergraduate and graduate programs. With 18 years of experience in distance learning, NEIU offers one of the AACSB-accredited online MBA programs in Illinois.

Students can enroll in the MBA program full or part time through online, hybrid, or traditional classroom settings. The 33-credit online option features the same class offerings as the other formats, including 24 credits in core courses such as information systems and technology, managerial accounting, corporate finance, marketing management, applied business research, and business strategy and policy, along with nine credits of electives.v

Applicants must have a bachelor's degree with a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher and a GMAT score of at least 450 or an equivalent GRE score. Two letters of recommendation, a statement of career goals and objectives, and a resume must accompany applications.

Concentrations

• Accounting
• Finance
• Management
• Marketing

From its original campus location in Bourbonnais, Illinois, Olivet Nazarene University has grown into a comprehensive private institution offering more than 30 programs online and in over 100 different locations throughout the Midwest. It delivers a fully online 36-credit accelerated MBA that students can complete in 18 months by taking two eight-week classes each session. Students may also opt for a 24-month program requiring only one class per term. The online degree consists of 12 courses, with concentrations in leadership, healthcare, corporate communications and media strategy, nonprofit management, and intercultural competence. Students select one elective, satisfied through either a research project or a Global Business Experience. This global immersion focus makes ONU one of the only online MBA programs in Illinois to feature an international travel option.

Admission to the program requires a bachelor's degree with a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Students do not need an undergraduate major in business to apply to the program.

Concentrations

• Leadership
• Healthcare Administration
• Public Relations
• NonProfit Management

This small, Catholic-sponsored university, based in southwestern Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi River, offers a fully online MBA. This 30-credit accelerated degree may be completed in one year through 10 courses offered in 10-week sessions. Students may study at their own pace, completing a total of six core courses and four electives, but all classes must be completed within five years.

Admissions requirements include a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, two letters of recommendation, and an autobiographical statement describing work experience and career goals. Students with a 3.0 or higher GPA in undergraduate courses do not need to submit GMAT or GRE scores. Quincy's MBA program accepts no more than three courses transferred from other graduate programs. As one of the online MBA programs in Illinois approved by the American Institute of Public Accountants, the program offers interested students the opportunity to fulfill the 150-credit requirement for the CPA exam.

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale offers an AACSB-accredited master's degree program. This rigorous fully online degree uses a specially designed cohort platform where students move through a 16-course program as a group, taking each eight-week course at a time sequentially. Students take two courses in the fall and spring semesters and one course in the summer. In addition to these courses, students take one managerial skill class each semester. Students take these managerial skill courses in eight modules, delivered every two weeks throughout the fall and spring semesters, and in one module each week during the summer session.

The program offers a 42-credit general MBA or a 43-credit MBA with a specialization in Agribusiness Economics. Students can expect the same course content offered in the on-campus MBA, taught by many of the same faculty.

Concentrations

• Agribusiness Economics

The University of Illinois, Springfield offers 21 master's degrees including a 36-credit MBA. This program requires completion of eight core courses delivered in a blended format and four electives offered fully online. The on-campus component for the blended courses requires course attendance some evenings at the UIS campus. While the program does not require a written thesis, students must pass a culminating business strategy class with a grade of B or better to graduate. As one of the online MBA programs in Illinois with AACSB accreditation, the UIS Master's in Business Administration degree program offers a rigorous curriculum focusing on globalization and technological advances in the marketplace.

Admission requirements include a GMAT of 400 or higher, three letters of reference, a resume, a personal statement, and a GPA of at least 2.5 in undergraduate coursework. Students without business prerequisites from their undergraduate coursework may apply for provisional acceptance.

Concentrations

• Business Intelligence
• Business Process Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Human Resources
• Information Technology

The flagship of the state's public institutions, the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana serves over 47,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The University of Illinois online MBA features a distinctive design of fully online and cohort-delivered components. The completely online component, delivered through the Coursera platform, consists of asynchronous courses with no on-campus requirements. The second component, delivered through the Illinois Compass 2G platform, provides live sessions and group assignments. For each eight-week Illinois course, students compete two four-week courses on the Coursera platform. Students must complete both components for a total of 72 credits to earn a degree. The MBA offers several specializations, including strategic leadership and management, value chain management, managerial economics and business analysis, global challenges in business, and digital marketing.

Entrance requirements consist of a bachelor's degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA from an accredited program, a personal essay, three references, and three years of professional experience. GMAT or GRE scores, while not required, are strongly recommended.

Concentrations

• Strategic Leadership & Management
• Managerial Economics And Business Analysis
• Value Chain Management
• Financial Management
• Global Challenges In Business
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation
• Digital Marketing

The University of St. Francis, with its main campus located in Joliet, Illinois, has offered online learning since 1998. Its Masters of Business Administration, recognized as one of the best online MBA programs in Illinois, can be completed in 12 to 18 months. Applicants to the online program must have completed a bachelor's degree with a 2.75 GPA from an accredited regional university. One letter of recommendation, a resume and a personal statement should accompany the application. Entrance to the MBA program also requires two years of full-time employment in a management position or appropriate Peregrine Inbound Exam score.

The 36-credit online MBA requires 12 hours in core courses, 12 in competency areas, and 12 in a selected concentration. Students can select a concentration in accounting, business analytics, finance, healthcare administration, human resource management, logistics, management, and training and development.

Concentrations

• Accounting
• Business Analytics
• Finance
• Healthcare Administration
• Human Resources
• Logistics
• Management
• Training And Development
• Accounting Certificate
• Business Analytics Certificate
• Finance Certificate
• E-learning Certificate
• Human Resources Management Certificate
• Logistics Certificate
• Training and Development Certificate
• Training Specialist Certificate

Western Illinois University boasts an enrollment of over 10,000 students in undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level degree programs. One of the online MBA programs in Illinois delivered in both a fully asynchronous and a hybrid format, WIU's degree can be completed in two years or less. The 100% online program, delivered through WIU's Desire2Learn (D2L) course management system, requires no face-to-face sessions and takes approximately two years to complete. The hybrid option, blending online classes with on-campus meetings, can be finished within one calendar year. Hybrid courses run for eight weeks in length, and require two half-hour campus meetings every two weeks, on a weeknight or a Saturday morning. Available concentrations include accounting, management, supply chain management, and information systems.

Qualifying students with the appropriate undergraduate background in business-related courses can waive up to 21 hours of foundational core courses to complete all requirements in just 33-credit hours.