University of Illinois Gies College of Business logo

Master of Business Administration (iMBA)

University of Illinois Gies College of Business logo

Master of Business Administration (iMBA)

University of Illinois Gies College of Business

Final Spring Deadline: February 6

Start your application for a March start or request more information.

Apply

Accredited diploma

Offered by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

24-36 months

72 credit hours of graduate coursework

100% online

Hands-on learning from anywhere, no travel required

Approx. $24k total tuition

$347 per credit hour

A deeply engaging online MBA from a public university powerhouse.

With education from an Illinois MBA, you will be prepared for a variety of managerial and executive positions. Our graduates have gone on to work for Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Walmart, and MGM resorts. Whether your passion lies in the travel industry, engineering, or healthcare, the iMBA will set you up for success in roles across all industries and sectors. 

Named the “#1 Biggest B-School Innovation of the Decade” by Poets&Quants

What’s in this degree program?

18 courses (72 credit hours) accredited by the Association for Advancing Colleges and Schools of Business (AACSB)
Participate in live lectures with faculty, team projects, and weekly office hours
Achieve business mastery, gain lifelong leadership skills, and build a global network as you work alongside classmates and faculty
Career-focused curriculum designed to build the leadership and management skills needed to help you thrive in today’s business environment
Complete 4 core specializations and also choose 2 additional specializations from a range of focus areas and electives
Learn from world-class Illinois professors and industry educators from top companies like Google

Summer/Fall 2025 Deadlines:

  • Summer Deadline: March 6, 2025
  • Fall Priority 1 Deadline: April 3, 2025
  • Fall Priority 2 Deadline: May 1, 2025
  • Fall Final Deadline (August start): June 5, 2025
  • Fall Final Deadline (October start): August 7, 2025

Upcoming Events:

Have questions? Please contact Gies College of Business at giesonline@illinois.edu or attend an upcoming event.

Final Spring Deadline: February 6

Start your application for a March start or request more information.

Apply

Accredited diploma

Offered by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

24-36 months

72 credit hours of graduate coursework

100% online

Hands-on learning from anywhere, no travel required

Approx. $24k total tuition

$347 per credit hour

Accredited diploma

Offered by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

24-36 months

72 credit hours of graduate coursework

A deeply engaging online MBA from a public university powerhouse.

With education from an Illinois MBA, you will be prepared for a variety of managerial and executive positions. Our graduates have gone on to work for Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Walmart, and MGM resorts. Whether your passion lies in the travel industry, engineering, or healthcare, the iMBA will set you up for success in roles across all industries and sectors. 

Named the “#1 Biggest B-School Innovation of the Decade” by Poets&Quants

What’s in this degree program?

18 courses (72 credit hours) accredited by the Association for Advancing Colleges and Schools of Business (AACSB)
Participate in live lectures with faculty, team projects, and weekly office hours
Achieve business mastery, gain lifelong leadership skills, and build a global network as you work alongside classmates and faculty
Career-focused curriculum designed to build the leadership and management skills needed to help you thrive in today’s business environment
Complete 4 core specializations and also choose 2 additional specializations from a range of focus areas and electives
Learn from world-class Illinois professors and industry educators from top companies like Google

Summer/Fall 2025 Deadlines:

  • Summer Deadline: March 6, 2025
  • Fall Priority 1 Deadline: April 3, 2025
  • Fall Priority 2 Deadline: May 1, 2025
  • Fall Final Deadline (August start): June 5, 2025
  • Fall Final Deadline (October start): August 7, 2025

Upcoming Events:

Have questions? Please contact Gies College of Business at giesonline@illinois.edu or attend an upcoming event.

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Is the iMBA program right for you?

iMBA graduates come from all walks of life, from all different industries and sectors. If you’re a skilled student looking to expand your knowledge base with applicable real-world experiences and can demonstrate how the iMBA from Illinois can support your professional success, you are encouraged to apply. The program is highly engaging with weekly collaborative projects to reflect a real-world experience.

The iMBA program is a fit for career advancers whether you’re looking to excel in Education, Finance, Healthcare, or Manufacturing. Ideal applicants are emerging business leaders and innovative thinkers who can contribute unique perspectives to course discussions.

Learn about admissions requirements

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A World-Class MBA Under $25,000

  • $24,984 USD tuition total Tuition for other MBA programs can easily exceed $200,000. With the iMBA, you'll save substantially on your total cost while pursuing an MBA from a leading program.
  • Pay-as-you-go You pay tuition only for courses you're enrolled in. If a scheduling conflict arises, you are free to take a term off and won’t be charged during that term.
  • Financial aid & scholarships Gies College of Business and Coursera have partnered to offer a limited number of competitive scholarships covering 70% of tuition for select students. If you’re a U.S. resident, you may also qualify for student aid.

Advance your career in Business

  • Gain leadership skills as you learn to improve existing processes and learn to develop and implement a vision for your future career.
  • Courses are grouped into specializations, structured so that you learn skills in combinations that mirror how you’ll actually use them on the job.
  • Graduates of the iMBA program become one of over 800,000 global alumni in the Illinois network.

Advance your career

25% average salary growth

At a time when a 2 percent raise is often the norm, Gies iMBA graduates report an average raise of 25 percent during and immediately after their program, showcasing an instant and significant return on investment that stands out.(2023 survey)

65% received a promotion or job offer

Many business schools track job placement post-graduation. At Gies, since most iMBA students already hold jobs, we instead find out how many received a promotion or took a new job. 65% of iMBA graduates report starting a better job upon finishing, showcasing the immediate ROI of a Gies iMBA degree.(2023 survey)

Positive recruiter outlook

Nine out of ten corporate recruiters expect the demand for business school graduates to remain high or increase in the next five years. (GMAC)

Qualify for in-demand jobs

  • Chief Executive

  • General Manager

  • Financial Manager

  • Management Analyst

Top employing corporations for professionals with business degrees are expected to grow by as much as 17% by 2031 in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Career-First Course Design

iMBA courses are grouped into specializations that include readings, live lectures, hands-on projects, and more. 

The program culminates in a capstone project that simulates a real-world business scenario. Courses are designed to help students apply new skills directly to their careers.

Learn more

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Final Spring Deadline: February 6

Start your application for a March start or request more information.

Enroll in a for-credit course today

Want to enroll in the full degree course now and earn transcriptable credit? You can enroll directly with the university as a non-degree student.Enroll in for-credit now

Enroll in course

1. Enroll in course

Explore course options to find the courses that fit your needs

Pursue admission to degree

2. Pursue admission to degree

Fill out a form or application on the university's website and pay to enroll

Get accepted and enroll

3. Get accepted and enroll

Complete the course and earn transcriptable college credit which will count toward your degree learning if you are accepted into the full degree program¹

Transfer credit

4. Transfer credit

You can apply to transfer the credits earned towards your degree program after admission to the program

¹Each university determines the number of pre-approved credits that may count towards the degree requirements according to institutional policies.

Build toward a degree

These courses are part of the degree program. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹

¹Successful application and enrollment are required. Eligibility requirements apply. Each institution determines the number of credits recognized by completing this content that may count towards degree requirements, considering any existing credits you may have. Click on a specific course for more information.

Check out the latest news from Gies College of Business

Poet & Quants MBA Program of the year 2022

The highly innovative MBA program was awarded the Poets & Quants MBA Program of The Year For 2022. Gies is the sixth school to earn our annual distinction as the Program of the Year and only the second online experience to do so.

January 4, 2023

How Kira changed careers with the iMBA

Meet Kira! She’s based in Salt Lake City, Utah. After being passed up for several promotions at her librarian job, she decided to invest in new leadership skills through courses on Coursera. After initial success with these courses, she then applied to the iMBA program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign through the Performance-Based Admissions Track (PAT).

October 11, 2022

How my online MBA helped me land a 43% salary increase—and a spot in the C-suite

Since starting his online MBA program, he’s already landed a huge promotion to the C-suite, as chief marketing officer of MDM Commercial, a reseller and distributor of LG commercial-grade digital displays.

September 29, 2022

An interview with Mesoma Akaolisa, future iMBA graduate

Meet Mesoma, a native of Nigeria. She is currently based in Houston, Texas, and is a rising leader on the engineering team at ExxonMobil.

September 6, 2022

How to ace your MBA application - from the people who actually read them

No matter your end goal, your journey starts with a successful application. So, we spoke with our admissions team to get some MBA application tips to set you apart.

May 31, 2021

Wall Street Journal | Opinion: Right Price Can Make an M.B.A. a Good Buy

The central question posed by “The Pros And Cons of an M.B.A.” is whether the cost is worth it. The decision is much simpler when the price of an accredited M.B.A. is only $22,500, and when one can complete it without career interruption.

January 10, 2021

Illinois iMBA ranks #1 in "The 10 Biggest B-School Innovations Of The Decade"

While applications to U.S. MBA programs declined steadily from 2015 to 2019, Gies’ iMBA enrollment has grown to more than 3,000 students from 92 countries and six continents, after a debut cohort of just 114 students.

August 11, 2020

Online MBA Rankings? No, Thank You, Says Gies

Rankings of online MBA programs are done by U.S. News & World Report, PoetsandQuants.com, and The Financial Times, among several other media outlets. But from the start of the Gies’ online MBA offering, the school has consistently turned down invitations to participate with those rankings.

June 29, 2020

Frequently asked questions

Upon completion of the iMBA program, students receive a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Illinois.

Yes, Gies College of Business is fully accredited through AACSB.

No, the GMAT/GRE is not required for the iMBA program.

Final Spring Deadline: February 6

Start your application for a March start or request more information.