Pictured | Bernard Kulemeka | M.B.A., Management and Administration Studies | B.S., Biological Sciences, IU South Bend, 2000 | Blantyre, Malawi (hometown)
Club Affiliation | Michiana Bicycle Asociation
Volunteer Activities | Community Service Leader; Needs for Neighbors Food Pantry (Praise Fellowship SDA Church

Mission Statement

As the Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics:

We are the business school where learning is transformative for a diverse body of Michiana students supported by faculty and staff delivering high-quality and innovative academic programs.

We seek to be the preferred and widely-recognized supplier of business graduates for the Michiana region based on the quality and innovativeness of our programs.

We are producers of a wide-range of academic knowledge relevant to practitioners and academics.

We are the facilitator and primary support provider of economic growth in the Michiana region through meaningful engagement in business development activities.

Vision Statement

The Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics at IU South Bend aspires to be the best regional business school in the nation, recognized for academic excellence, and for contributing to the overall development of our region and our broader environment.

We will achieve this vision by:

• Providing rigorous and relevant programs that are intellectually grounded, innovative, integrative, technologically advanced and global in perspective
• Preparing students for successful leadership roles
• Collaborating with stakeholders to align our teaching, scholarship, and service to the needs of the community
• Serving as a primary source for creating and applying business knowledge to promote regional economic development.

Admission

Graduate business programs admit only those students who demonstrate aptitude, ability, and scholarship. Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree and take the standardized Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).

For the Admissions Committee to consider a candidate for admission into one of the graduate business programs, the applicant must submit the following materials:

• Online application: www.iusb.edu/portal/apply
• Official transcripts of every college or university attended. The graduate business office obtains Indiana University transcripts.
• Two letters of recommendation.
• Official score report from the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
  Students can get a GMAT waiver if they qualify, rather than the 450 score.
• A nonrefundable application fee.

Admission standards into graduate business programs are maintained by selecting only those candidates who can successfully complete a rigorous and competitive academic program. The program is accessible only to those students of demonstrated aptitude, ability, and scholarship. Admission decisions are based on a composite evaluation of the applicant’s:

• GMAT scores
• Undergraduate academic performance measured by GPA
• Two letters of recommendation
• Personal essays
• Professional work experience/résumé

The committee encourages submission of additional supporting information. Applicants whose native language is not English must submit an acceptable Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score or successfully complete Level 12 of The Language Company program.

Interested students must submit all application materials on or before the following deadlines:

Semester | Deadline

Fall | July 15 (Module 1); September 15 (Module 2)
Spring | November 15 (Module 1); January 15 (Module 2)
Summer | April 15

Admitted candidates may enter the program at the beginning of any regular semester.

Enrollment Restriction

No graduate student (except those officially admitted to graduate business programs) is allowed to take more than 6 credit hours in graduate business courses under any circumstances.

Academic Standing

Graduate business students whose grade point average (GPA) falls below the 3.0 requirement are placed on academic probation for one semester. If the student’s GPA is not raised to the 3.0 level, the student may be placed on additional probation, or may be dismissed from the program. If at any time a student’s GPA falls below 2.25, automatic dismissal takes place.

Credit Transfer

Graduate business students may transfer a maximum of 9 credit hours into their graduate program. For coursework to be eligible for transfer, the class must be taken at another AACSB accredited college or university. All classes must be preapproved. The approval process requires the submission of the course syllabus and possibly other course-specific materials. The student is notified in writing if the approval is granted. Only those courses in which a student receives a grade of B or higher transfers. Upon successful completion of a preapproved course at another institution, the student must request that an official transcript be sent to the Office of Graduate Business Programs showing a grade of B or higher. Upon receipt of said transcript the Office of Graduate Business Programs will complete the transfer and notify the student.

Fast-Track Program Option

This option is geared toward recent graduates and is available for students fully admitted to the MBA degree program. Students admitted under this option will be waived from all prerequisite courses (subject to evaluation of transcripts by the Admissions Committee to determine eligibility requirements have been met) and will have the cost of their GMAT reimbursed ($250) upon satisfactory completion of 6 graduate credit hours in the program.

• Undergraduate degree in business (earned no more than one year prior to the semester of admission) and a CGPA of at least 3.35 from an AACSB accredited business school, OR undergraduate degree in business (earned no more than one year prior to the semester of admission) and a CGPA of at least 3.65 from a non-AACSB regionally accredited school.
• GMAT score of at least 450.