A premier MBA program that is affordable, heavily interactive, and completely online from one of the world’s 30 most powerful university brands.
The fully accredited iMBA is heavily interactive, with live global classrooms, team projects, and personal contact with top professors. The 800+ students in our iMBA family represent more than 40 countries and 40 states across the USA.
The iMBA organizes content into self-contained packages we call Specializations, which cover Core courses in leadership, strategy, economics, accounting, and finance. These Specializations will help you hone your foundational executive management abilities. Special tracks are designed to develop your future-forward vision in areas like digital marketing, innovation, and globalization. As you complete a Specialization, you’re ready for immediate impact in that area. Together, the Specializations create a complete MBA, a complete leadership package.
At under $22k, the program is an incredible value and has been called a 'breakthrough' by Poets & Quants, a leading authority on management education.
Who is this degree for:
With the innovative iMBA program, we have reimagined MBA education and created an MBA program that makes the online experience a new kind of educational experience. The program welcomes people from varied backgrounds, be it arts, science, music, engineering, finance, accounting, consulting, marketing, medicine, military, and many more. The iMBA is for anyone who wants to enhance their business acumen and leadership capabilities either to change careers or just get better in their profession and understand the business side of things.
Tuition:
Tuition [total: 18 Courses/ 72 credit hours] $18,000 Fees
| [Coursera ID Verification fees- 6 specializations] | $2,844 |
| Books/Supplies/case packets | $1,000 |
| Estimated Total | $21,844.00 |
- Tuition is based on $250/credit hour. Tuition and fees are subject to change. The tuition figures found here are based on 2016-2017 rates.
- Fees are for Coursera ID verification that students must pay at Coursera: $79 for each 2-credit hour course or $158 for a 4-credit hour course.
- Books/supplies, and other expenses are only estimates. Please note that financial aid may not be approved for the total expense levels.
Additional travel expense may be incurred depending on student participation in immersion, alumni, and networking events.
24-36 months
18 courses plus three capstone projects
~$22,000
Completely online
Start your application
The next cohort starts on August 2018.
Early admission deadline:
Round 1: Friday, February 9, 2018
Round 2: Friday, March 23, 2018
Round 3: Friday, May 4, 2018
Benefits of applying earlier:
- Time to get all application materials submitted on time
- Gain feedback earlier
Final Deadline:
Monday, June 11, 2018
* The program has two official start dates throughout the year, in January and August.
Students can begin as non-degree students at any time throughout the year.
Academics
To earn the MBA degree, you’ll complete six Specializations and three capstone projects, one of which will be a program-wide experiential learning capstone. Four Specializations are core to the MBA degree. Two Specializations are areas of focus that you may choose from the options below.
- 18 courses plus three capstone projects
4 projects- 24-36 months
Some of the projects you'll do...
Strategic Leadership and Management Capstone
You will develop a strategic business action plan to manage a portfolio of recently-acquired businesses as part of a core corporate strategy.
Managerial Economics and Business Analysis Capstone
You will assist a US-based manufacturing firm in identifying a target country for possible international expansion.
Value Chain Management Capstone
You will create a business plan based on a comprehensive analysis of how accounting, marketing, and operations work together to influence a firm’s value chain.
Financial Management Capstone
You will analyze an actual business situation, taking the vantage point of a company, and develop a financial management plan.
The degree experience is...
The same courses you’ll find on campus, with the flexibility to learn when and where you want.
Collaborate with a global network of industry leading classmates, instructors, and alumni.
Innovative courses with lectures from some of the world’s best instructors and hands-on projects.
Practical courses designed to help you master skills that you can start applying to your career right away.
When you graduate, you’ll be able to:
Emerge with new and improved leadership and business skills
Have greater career opportunities in front of you
Be more visible in the eyes of recruiters
Take advantage of Illinois’ large alumni network
Admissions
Requirements
Applicants for the degree program must have:
- Bachelor’s degree or US equivalent
- 3 years professional work experience
- 3 professional letters of recommendation
- Submit resume, essay, and online application
Application Process
The first step in the application process is to fill out the online application and attach all required materials (copies of transcripts for all higher education, resume, essay, and names with emails for your recommenders). The admissions committee will then review your materials and potentially invite you to an online interview. After the potential interview and application is completed, the admissions committee will notify you of our final decision. If you are looking for admissions support, we offer online office hours, an admissions checklist, webinars, email support, and phone support to help you with your questions.
Tuition:
Tuition [total: 18 Courses/ 72 credit hours] $18,000 Fees
| [Coursera ID Verification fees- 6 specializations] | $2,844 |
| Books/Supplies/case packets | $1,000 |
| Estimated Total | $21,844.00 |
- Tuition is based on $250/credit hour. Tuition and fees are subject to change. The tuition figures found here are based on 2016-2017 rates.
- Fees are for Coursera ID verification that students must pay at Coursera: $79 for each 2-credit hour course or $158 for a 4-credit hour course.
- Books/supplies, and other expenses are only estimates. Please note that financial aid may not be approved for the total expense levels.
Additional travel expense may be incurred depending on student participation in immersion, alumni, and networking events.
Start your application
The next cohort starts on August 2018.
Early admission deadline:
Round 1: Friday, February 9, 2018
Round 2: Friday, March 23, 2018
Round 3: Friday, May 4, 2018
Benefits of applying earlier:
- Time to get all application materials submitted on time
- Gain feedback earlier
Final Deadline:
Monday, June 11, 2018
About University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was named one of the world’s 30 most powerful university brands by Times Higher Education. A Wall Street Journal survey found Illinois to be one of corporate recruiters’ five favorite sources of talent in America.
The iMBA is based in the College of Business and also draws its faculty from faculty from other parts of the University as well as select, high-level working professionals. The University has top-ranked schools and colleges not only in business but also in fields including engineering, media, and information sciences.
23
Nobel Prize Winners
425k
Global Alumni Network
#11
public university
Faculty
Aric Rindfleisch
Carlos J. Torelli
Deepak Somaya
Fataneh Taghaboni-Dutta
Gary Hecht, Ph.D.
Gopesh Anand
Gregory Northcraft
Hadi Salehi Esfahani
Hayden Noel
Heitor Almeida
Huseyin Leblebici
Jack Goncalo
Jeff Flesher
Jeffrey Loewenstein
Joe A. Bradley
Joe Mahoney
Joseph A. Petry
Kevin Hartman
Larry DeBrock
Madhu Viswanathan
Marcelo Bucheli
Mike Yao
Oktay Urcan
Patricia Werhane
Raj Echambadi
Rhiannon Clifton
Scott Weisbenner
Vishal Sachdev
What Our Students Have to Say
[Illinois’ iMBA] faculty are world-renowned and it’s a well-respected degree. I thought between the flexibility of being online and the quality, caliber of the education, and the price is very affordable, you really have the trifecta.
Dana Kennedy
I chose the iMBA because of the flexibility the program offers. I have a 2 year old daughter and a 3 hour commute. Time is not something I have a lot of. I have studied on the plane, on the [train], in cabs, and hotel rooms. Everywhere I go I can pick up my course and engage with my classmates.
Eric Kung
The reality in business today is that we’re working in virtual teams. We’re collaborating with people across the state, across the country, across the globe, and I think that in itself is a competency that you can only really learn by participating in teams that are that diverse.
Brad Lindaas
Ready to start your application?
The next cohort starts on August 2018
Early admission deadline:
Round 1: Friday, February 9, 2018
Round 2: Friday, March 23, 2018
Round 3: Friday, May 4, 2018
Benefits of applying earlier:
- Time to get all application materials submitted on time
- Gain feedback earlier
Final Deadline:
Monday, June 11, 2018
Frequently Asked Questions
Upon completion of the iMBA program, students receive an MBA degree from the University of Illinois. It is the exact same degree that students in our residential programs receive.
Yes, the program is AACSB accredited through the University of Illinois College of Business.
No, the GMAT/GRE are not required for the iMBA program; however, submitting a test score is recommended for those with less than three years’ work experience.
The program is 24-36 months, depending on how much time you can dedicate to the program each week.
Total cost of the program is estimated to be under $22,000. This cost includes all tuition, fees, books, materials, etc.
Yes, financial aid through the University of Illinois is available for domestic degree-seeking students. There are scholarships and private loans that can be sought by international students. All students are eligible for university payment plans that allow you to break up your tuition into monthly payments. Please keep in mind that students are only billed each semester for the classes they are enrolled in; there is no upfront payment of tuition.
Not at this time. The program is very affordable and the cost is spread over a two- to three-year period. We do not charge semester or term tuition; the cost is based on the number of courses you register, which allows you to spread the cost of the program over several years. We do encourage all students to seek any private scholarships they would like.
