Kellstadt Graduate School of Business

Kellstadt Graduate School of Business
Name	Kellstadt Graduate School of Business
Established	1969
Type	Private
Parent	DePaul University
City	Chicago
State	Illinois
Country	United States
Campus	Lincoln Park; Loop

Kellstadt Graduate School of Business is the graduate business school within DePaul University located in Chicago, Illinois. The school offers professional graduate degrees and executive education drawing students from regional centers such as the Loop, the Lincoln Park neighborhood and metropolitan Cook County, with partnerships across United States and international alliances in China, India, and Mexico. The school is named for benefactors associated with the Kellstadt family and aligns with DePaul's Catholic Vincentian heritage connected to the Congregation of the Mission and civic institutions like the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

History

Kellstadt traces roots to DePaul's postwar expansion influenced by leaders from the Great Depression recovery era and executives from the Sears, Roebuck and Company, Marshall Field and Company, and Macy's, Inc. retail traditions. The school's development involved trustees and donors connected to the Kellogg Company, the Kraft Foods Group, and brokerage firms tied to the legacy of the New York Stock Exchange and Chicago Board Options Exchange. Its curriculum evolved during the 1970s energy crisis and the 1980s financial deregulation period to include executive programs paralleling initiatives at Harvard Business School, Wharton, and Stanford Graduate School of Business. Expansion phases included new facilities near the Loop and collaborations with municipal entities such as the City of Chicago and nonprofit partners like the Economic Club of Chicago.

Academic Programs

The school offers master's and doctoral programs comparable to offerings at Columbia Business School, Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and Chicago Booth. Degree pathways include a Master of Business Administration, specialized masters in Finance, Marketing, Accounting, Information Technology, and programs in Supply Chain Management and Real Estate with course design influenced by case methods used at Harvard Business School. Joint and executive degrees echo models at INSEAD, London Business School, and IE Business School. Professional certificates and continuing education mirror executive development delivered by institutions such as Wharton Executive Education and MIT Sloan Executive Education.

Research and Centers

Research centers and institutes host faculty projects aligned with corporate partners including the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and KPMG. The school's centers engage multidisciplinary research similar to centers at Carnegie Mellon University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and New York University. Topics span corporate finance influenced by findings published in Journal of Finance and marketing analytics comparable to work in the Journal of Marketing Research. Centers collaborate with policy entities like the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and trade groups such as the National Association of Realtors.

Accreditation and Rankings

The school maintains accreditation standards aligned with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and federal reporting criteria paralleling those used by U.S. News & World Report, Financial Times, and The Economist. Rankings reference methodologies similar to those applied at Princeton University and benchmarking comparisons involving University of Michigan Ross School of Business and Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Accreditation processes have involved peer review with institutions such as AACSB International member schools and regional assessment bodies tied to the Higher Learning Commission.

Faculty and Administration

Faculty profiles reflect scholars with prior appointments at Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Stanford University, and international appointments at London School of Economics and HEC Paris. Administrative leadership has included deans drawn from networks including the American Assembly, Brookings Institution, and advisory boards populated by executives from McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, and Boston Consulting Group. Faculty research publishes in outlets like the Harvard Business Review, Strategic Management Journal, and Academy of Management Journal and often involves grant partnerships with agencies such as the National Science Foundation and foundations like the Graham Foundation.

Student Life and Organizations

Student organizations parallel those at peer institutions including chapters of Beta Gamma Sigma, Toastmasters International, and professional clubs focused on Venture Capital, Private Equity, Investment Banking, and Entrepreneurship. Student engagement includes case competitions modeled on the Harvard Business School Case Competition and internships with firms such as Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, United Airlines, Boeing, and Chicago-based corporations like United Continental Holdings and McDonald’s Corporation. Career services coordinate recruiting events similar to those run by CareerXroads and national conferences like the Graduate Management Admission Council fairs.

Alumni and Notable Graduates

Alumni have held executive positions at organizations including Exelon Corporation, AbbVie, Abbott Laboratories, Walgreens Boots Alliance, PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, Allstate, and UnitedHealth Group. Graduates appear among board members of nonprofits such as the Chicago Community Trust and civic leaders engaged with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Field Museum. Notable alumni profiles often reference leadership roles in multinational firms comparable to leaders from General Electric, Ford Motor Company, and Caterpillar Inc..

Category:DePaul University Category:Business schools in Chicago