There will soon be many more NFL football players affiliated with IU.
The Kelley School of Business is partnering with the National Football League Players Association to develop graduate-level programs for current and former NFL players.
Idalene Kesner, dean of the Kelley School of Business and the Frank P. Popoff chair of strategic management, said in a press release that the program can help NFL athletes transition to new careers away from the football field.
“For more than a quarter century, the Kelley school has provided customized programs that have met the needs of many students within a variety of corporate and educational settings,” she said.
According to the release, the offerings will consist of an initial career development program followed by noncredit programs addressing topics such as entrepreneurship, personal finance, real estate and wealth management.
Students then have the opportunity to take part in a four-course certificate program through which they can earn credits that can be transferred to a 30-credit M.S. or a 45-credit MBA program.
The program will be composed of both online and in-person parts.
“Our leadership and innovation in delivering online programs provides the ?flexibility to design a winning experience for these accomplished athletes,” Kesner said in the release.
Those in the NFLPA-Kelley MBA program can partake in many of the same experiences as regular Kelley students.
According to the release, a main component of the program will be the Kelley Capstone Experience, in which students work in teams to apply classroom knowledge to real-world business problems.
NFLPA-Kelley MBA students can also enroll in Kelley’s global immersion courses, which consist of on-campus courses about international topics and study abroad experiences.
According to the release, current global immersion programs involve projects in Botswana, Ghana, India, Myanmar and South Africa.
NFLPA-Kelley MBA students will also have access to the same career services personnel and programs that are available to other Kelley graduates.
“We are excited about the new opportunity the Indiana University Kelley School of Business is offering our players,” NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said in the release. “We pride ourselves in helping our members be knowledgeable about the business of football and putting them on the right path to succeed off the field.”
Neha Ramani
