The Butler MBA Experience

The Butler MBA is more than just a degree—it’s an immersive, hands-on experience designed to equip students with the skills, connections, and real-world knowledge needed to take their careers to the next level. Through a student-centered approach, the program blends rigorous coursework with dynamic opportunities like leadership coaching, business competitions, global study experiences, and high-impact consulting projects. Whether it’s tackling real business challenges in the Gateway Experience, engaging with top industry leaders in the Business Practicum, or shaping the nonprofit sector through the Board Fellows Program, Butler MBA students graduate with the confidence and expertise to lead in an ever-evolving business landscape.

The MBA Student Experience

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Ry Beck Student Story

Earning his MBA online didn’t stop Ry from tapping into Butler’s strong network of students, faculty, and alumni in the heart of Indianapolis. Discover how he connected with his career coach through the Lacy School of Business.

Paola Acre Student Story

Despite living in Chicago and pursuing her MBA online, Paola made monthly trips to Butler just to attend the Saturday Seminars with the Lacy School of Business. Now based in Indianapolis, she’s seizing every opportunity to maximize her MBA experience.

Lynsey DelaCruz Student Story

Balancing a full-time career and family, flexibility was critical for Lynsey when choosing her MBA program. At Butler, “flexibility” doesn’t just mean online—it meant attending classes on campus whenever she could.

Sofia Yarbrough Student Story

Join Sofia as she shares her experience as a Butler MBA student. Hear how she learned supply chain logistics firsthand at the Panama Canal and how she is applying her coursework to her day-to-day at her job at Roche.

Gateway Experience

Butler MBA students kick off their graduate-level coursework by participating in The Gateway Experience. Students work in competitive teams to develop the best solution to a problem faced by the partnering business. This one-time experience takes place over a three-day period and includes a Thursday evening welcome dinner, an all-day Friday research session, and an evening or Saturday library session.

Leadership Coaches

Every Butler MBA student is assigned their own certified leadership coach. Our leadership coaches are experts in their fields and will help hone your leadership skills, provide advice, and work as a sounding board as you work toward professional success.

Business Practicum

The Business Practicum is a three-day course designed to provide students with the opportunity to interact with business leaders and experts on an industry-level business challenge competition. Working in teams, students will analyze a business task to identify potential paths to success and recommend a solution.

Global Business Experience

The Global Business Experience is an optional class that takes students on a weeklong study trip abroad to another country. Students spend 7–10 days gaining cultural experiences, visiting companies, interacting with business leaders and local governments, and visiting tourist attractions, all while earning class credit.

Board Fellows Program

For on-campus students only.

The Board Fellows Program selects up to 15 MBA students each year to sit on the board of directors for Indianapolis-area nonprofit organizations. The Fellows get hands-on community leadership experience and the opportunity to impact the nonprofit sector by completing a project for the organization for which they serve. The Board Fellows Program creates great business leaders and outstanding citizens.

Capstone Experience

The MBA curriculum comes full circle when students enroll in their final course, The Capstone Experience. Students engage in a semester-long consulting project spanning multiple functional areas of business. Using everything they have learned, students must participate in site visits, conduct research, and analyze data to present a solution to the company’s executives. Some past companies that students have worked with include:

Corteva Agriscience
Tom Wood Lexus
Ricker Oil Company
Riverview Health
FlexPac

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