An interview with Dipak C. Jain
Dean of Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

About Kellogg School of Management

Northwestern University is a private institution founded in 1851 to serve the Northwest Territory, an area that now includes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. In 1853 the founders purchased a 379-acre tract of land on the shore of Lake Michigan 12 miles north of Chicago. They established a campus and developed the land near it, naming the surrounding town Evanston in honor of one of the University''s founders, John Evans. After completing its first building in 1855, Northwestern began classes that fall with two faculty members and 10 students. The university includes two campuses located on Lake Michigan: a 240-acre campus in Evanston, the first suburb north of Chicago, and a 25-acre campus in Chicago.

Could you tell us more about your MBA program?

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University was founded in 1908 and is widely recognized as a global leader in graduate business education. The school is home to a renowned, research-based faculty and MBA students from more than 50 countries and six continents. 

Basic facts about the full-time MBA program: 

  • The full-time MBA program is completed over a two-year period.
  • Currently more than 1050 students are enrolled in the full-time program.

33 percent international

31 percent women

19 percent minority 

  • There are 145 faculty members; 96 percent hold a PhD.
  • The most popular areas of study include: 

Management and strategy 

Finance 

Marketing 

  • Kellogg has approximately 85 student-run clubs and extracurricular organizations. 
  • Kellogg has approximately 40,000 alumni worldwide, with more than 80 alumni clubs within 46 different countries. 

In addition to the full-time program, Kellogg includes the Manager''s Program, which is a part-time MBA program; the Executive Manager''s Program, which is an executive MBA; and the Executive Education Program. The school offers three joint degree programs: the Juris Doctor/MBA; Doctor of Medicine/MBA; and Master of Engineering Management/MBA. Additionally, the Kellogg School of Management has alliances with business schools in Europe, Asia and Canada. For additional information please visit, www.kellogg.northwestern.edu

Do you also offer a 12-month MBA program?

Yes, the Kellogg School offers an accelerated one-year MBA program. The one-year program is a twelve-month academic period during which students complete a minimum of 15 classes. It does not include an internship. Approximately, 90 students enroll in the intensive one-year program each September.

What is the profile of your participants?

Students from around the globe are attracted to the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Currently, 33 percent of the student population is international. 

On average, entering students have more than 54 months of professional experience and are 28 years old. 

The Kellogg School is highly selective. The average GMAT score is 700 for the full-time, two-year masters of business administration program. In 2002, the Kellogg School of Management experienced a record number of applications for its full-time program - more than 7,500 applications for approximately 600 full-time slots.

Northwestern is ranked N°1 business school by Business Week. What sets your program apart from other MBA programs?

We view the Business Week rankings as simply one measure of our success. The Kellogg School of Management''s success is due, in large part, to the excellent students and exceptional faculty. Credit also must be given to our extensive alumni network and the partnerships we have developed with corporations around the world.

What business areas do your students generally enter after graduation?

Kellogg School of Management graduates pursue a wide range of professional fields - they are employed in every major industry throughout the world. The most popular career paths are: Consulting, finance, marketing and general management.

What is your school doing to remain at the forefront of business and management thinking?

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University has long been recognized as a leader in graduate management education. More than 50 years ago, the Kellogg School developed the concept of executive education, which has been duplicated by graduate business schools around the world. In the 1970s, again the Kellogg School revolutionized management education when it introduced the team concept into its curriculum. Like its executive education model, business schools have duplicated the Kellogg School''s team concept globally. The Kellogg School is hailed for producing graduates who function exceptionally well in teams, while also being comfortable and successful in taking on leadership roles. 

The Kellogg School continually evaluates its curriculum, and it involves students, corporate leaders, alumni and recruiters in identifying current and future trends to ensure that its program remains relevant. 

For example, leadership is the single most important issue in graduate management education and executive education today. Corporate clients indicate that there is a genuine need for good leaders at every level within their organization. The Kellogg School believes that it is up to business schools to address the need for more effective leaders. The school is stepping up its effort in this area by offering additional programs and curriculum that address leadership in all its programs. These include executive education and the Kellogg School''s two-year, one-year and part-time MBA programs. 

And, of course, academic research that ultimately impacts the business community is critical to remaining an innovator. Of the full-time faculty, 96 percent have a doctorate degree, and the majority has corporate experience through serving as consultants and on boards of directors of both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. In addition to their teaching requirements, the faculty also must conduct and publish original research. 

The Kellogg School of Management also provides non-tenure track faculty positions, called adjunct or clinical professorships. These individuals have corporate or non-profit experience and typically hold full-time professional positions in addition to their teaching responsibilities. 

Kellogg faculty bring together business research and real-world experience to provide an enriching and relevant classroom experience that ultimately benefits the profit and not-for-profit business communities.