MBA - Accelerated

Tailor Your Learning

Students in the Accelerated Program have the certificate dependent on their professional goals!

1. Project Management

Our project management graduate certificate provides students a focus on how to carefully plan and organize efforts to accomplish a specific, one-time effort.  Students will:

• Make data driven decisions to optimize the business process
• Gain understanding of the structure, decisions, and actions found in operations management, including product decisions, analytical techniques, scheduling, and inventory & quality control
• Learn to analyze a business process and implement improvements
• Gain mastery of project planning and control through the application in a workplace

As part of the project management certificate, students work with a Fortune 100 company to earn an internal Green Belt Lean Management Certification.  Students are then prepared to take the Six Sigma Green Belt Certification exam upon completion of the program.

2. Data Analytics & Business Intelligence 

Our data analytics & business intelligence graduate certificate will prepare students to start processing data that organizations produce and turn it into usable information, using the latest statistical & modeling tools to serve stakeholders' interests.  Students will:

• Learn how to apply and use data strategically
• Design tools that assist in making high value, high stake decisions
• Combine the power of instinct and experience with the science of data and analytics

Take an MBA Class During Your Senior Year!

Millikin University undergraduate students in the Tabor School of Business, or students with an Arts Administration, Music Business, or Sport & Recreation Management major, may take an MBA class during the senior year. 

Contact Jaclyn Cantwell, Director of the MBA Program, at jcantwell@millikin.edu, 217-424-3503, or stop by ADM-Scovill 105E.

To register, please complete this form: Concurrent Enrollment Registration Form

** Video produced by Gum Photography **

Millikin's MBA program begins with an intensive review of topics (also known as Bootcamp) before beginning five, 8-week units containing two or three courses each. Students move through the units and courses in teams, start to finish. The MBA Program is 40 total credit hours.

Prior to starting: 

• MB501 - Bootcamp (1 credit)

Unit 1: 

• MB535- Business Analytics
• MG570 - Operations Management (3 credits) or MB538 - Data Mining (3 credits) 

Unit 2: 

• MB520 - Globalization & World Economics (3 credits)
• MG567 - Process Improvement (3 credits) or MB537 - Data Visualization for Business Application (3 credits) 

Unit 3: 

• MB510 - Personal Values & Business Ethics (3 credits)
• MB530 - Financial Fundamentals (3 credits)
• MG575 - Project Management (3 credits) or MB536 - Business Forecasting & Planning (3 credits) 

Unit 4: 

• MB540 - Financial Accounting (3 credits)
• MB550 - Strategic Marketing Analysis (3 credits)
• MB560 - Cases in Financial Decision Making (3 credits)

Unit 5: 

• MB590 - Business Strategy (3 credits)
• MB600 - Capstone (3 credits)
• MB610 - International Immersion (3 credits)

View MBA Course Descriptions

Graduate Assistantships (GAs) are made available each year in the Accelerated MBA Program, providing much-needed experience for graduate students while increasing their future employment options.  Graduate assistants typically serve in a support role at Millikin while completing the Accelerated MBA program.

Applications for 2025-2026 Graduate Assistantships are now OPEN.

* To apply for a GA position, you must first be admitted to the MBA Program *

Apply for a Graduate Assistantship

** Video produced by Gum Photography **

Types

Graduate assistantships are offered in both academic and administrative areas.  Assistantships provided through academic departments typically involve teaching responsibilities.  Assistantships in administrative offices involve research and a variety of office-specific tasks.

Graduate assistantships may be available in the following Millikin campus departments/offices (but not limited to):

• Admissions
• Alumni & Development
• Athletics
• Campus Life
• Center for Entrepreneurship
• Center for International Education
• College of Fine Arts
• Information Technology
• Kirkland Fine Arts Center
• Marketing & Media Relations
• Student Development
• Tabor School of Business

Selection and placement of graduate assistantships will be determined by the end of April (prior to the June start date), based on enrollment of each Accelerated MBA cohort.

Eligibility 

• To be eligible for a graduate assistantship, a student must be admitted to the Accelerated MBA program.
• Students who receive an assistantship must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 hours of graduate level course work during a regular semester.
• Maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA throughout the Accelerated MBA Program.
• Graduate assistants will not receive the Millikin Alumni Scholarship in conjunction with the GA tuition waiver.

Responsibilities

• Assistantships begin when classes begin in June and continue through graduation in the following May.
• Work a minimum of 20 hours per week (schedules will be determined by the GA and supervisor).

Tuition Waiver

• The graduate assistantship provides a student with a tuition waiver of 30% for courses enrolled in.

Stipend

• Graduate assistants earn a monthly stipend of $500, as long as they are enrolled full-time.

Housing

• Discounted housing is available for graduate assistants in the Woods at Millikin. The Woods is a privately-owned apartment complex that partners with Millikin for on-campus housing. The GA is only responsible for paying the deposit and utilities. 

Timeline

• APRIL 1: GA applications due
• MID-APRIL: Interviews
• END OF APRIL: GAs selected and placed
• FIRST OF JUNE: GAs begin employment

More information

• Contact Jaclyn Cantwell, Director of the MBA Program, at 217.424.3503 or jcantwell@millikin.edu.

"The opportunity to gain valuable work experience in an ever-growing information technology industry, earning reduced tuition and obtaining a fast-track master's degree are just a few reasons why the Graduate Assistantship Program is excellent for making your professional dreams come true."

- John Pirelli '19/MBA '21

“The opportunities to have reduced tuition, earn money and work for the Marketing Department, all while obtaining my MBA, are invaluable assets that are helping me become a successful career professional.”

- Sophia Schwalbach '19/MBA '20

When does the Accelerated MBA program start and how long is it?

• The Accelerated MBA program begins in June of each year and ends 12 months later, in May of the following year.

What's the Accelerated program like?

• It's designed for recent graduates or younger professionals from ALL majors.
• You will start the program with a review course (referred to as Bootcamp) of core business topics to ensure that all graduate students have the same knowledge base at the start of the program. The program is then divided into 5 units.
  • Each unit is 8 weeks and consists of two or three classes.
  • Each class meets in-person once a week for 3.5 hours each (days and times will vary each unit).
  • Classes will not meet during holiday breaks.
• Students can choose between two certificates: Project Management or Data Analytics
• Students have the opportunity to travel internationally as part of the curriculum.
• The average cohort size is 15 students.

What if I have to miss a class?

• You can attend class remotely when "life happens!"  Our MBA classroom, designed with high-tech equipment, allows MBA students the flexibility to attend class virtually, as well as watch a recording of class.  **Please keep in mind this is not to be used as a permanent arrangement.**  

How many credit hours are required in the program?

• 40 Total Credit Hours.

How much does the program cost?

•  and choose the "Graduate" tab for tuition information.

Is financial aid available?

• Yes!  Click here

What are the admission requirements?

When is the deadline to apply for the Accelerated program?

• April 1 of each year.

How do I apply?