Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Indiana Tech has 100 different degree and certificate programs, primarly done online.
They used to offer classes in Warsaw. During and after the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for in-person classes went down while the demand for online classes, with the flexibility it offers, went up.
“We literally have students across the country, border to border, north to south, taking courses with us,” said Jeri Burkhart, executive director of admissions for Indiana Tech. “(Admissions representative) Breanna (Warstler) and I not only service local students, but students around the country.”
However, Indiana Tech still has a location in Warsaw so it can meet with people that are local. “So if they want to meet with us in person, they can. We’ve had a presence in Warsaw for more than two decades and we have relationships with companies here, like Zimmer Biomet, and so we want to maintain that presence,” Burkhart explained.
Indiana Tech recently moved from 2928 Frontage Road to a new location at 3624 Commerce Drive, Warsaw, and celebrated the move with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce and an open house Wednesday. Burkhart said their lease for the Frontage Road building - which is owned by Sullivan Wickley, the developers who own The Marketplace of Warsaw - was up and they needed a different configuration so they ended up moving over to Commerce Drive.
As for what Indiana Tech offers, Burkhart said, “We do programs that are related to career focus, so we do business administration, we do programs in healthcare, we do engineering technology and engineering 100% online, which is very unique in the United States. We’re one of the very few schools that do it. But we also have other degrees like psychology and human services. So, Bowen Center is a partner of ours, so a number of their employees will come to us to get their degree, etc.”
In general, Indiana Tech has about 1,500 traditional students who live on the Fort Wayne campus and have the traditional college experience. For those who are online, Burkhart said Indiana Tech’s numbers have been going up and estimated that they have over 4,000 students.
“So all together, about 5,500 students, but we’re seeing significant growth, especially in students pursuing engineering technology, engineering and some of the healthcare programs that we have,” she said. “I think part of (the reason for the growth) is these relationships that we have with companies because these are full-time employees that are going to school with us. I think that’s part of it. I think also in that online space, the offerings that we have are very unique and, so, if you type in engineering technology 100% online, very few names are going to come up in a search for that.”
Burkhart said Indiana Tech has third-party partnerships with large tuition assistance management companies, and that’s also driving their growth.
On Indiana Tech’s tuition, she said they’re very competitive.
“Undergraduate students, it runs $1,197 for a three credit hour class ... and graduate as well. So you can come to Indiana Tech and do an MBA for roughly $16,000, which is, again, a really competitive tuition cost. Books are included. You don’t have other fees, you aren’t buying equipment, renting or buying books, etc., and so it’s also a very easy tuition cost to understand. And, you can access the course 24/7, fit it around your schedule,” Burkhart said.
Actual professors teach the courses.
“So it’s not you’re teaching yourself. It’s not AI doing it. It’s an actual professor that meets the education qualifications, and we prefer to hire people with industry experience, so they’ve actually done the stuff,” she stated.
Indiana Tech has seen a change in its demographics as far as age.
“We’ve seen that change with online students, where you didn’t used to see very many that were coming right out of high school and choosing to go to school online, but that’s changed because they do a lot of online work, even in the K-12 system,” Burkhart said. “So, yes, we’re seeing it from 18-year-olds all the way up into the 60s, across the whole gamut. And sometimes people are coming back just to grab a skill. ... Sometimes it’s people who want to pursue a certificate, an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree.”
Indiana Tech credits can transfer.
“We’re regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, so our credits will transfer to other similarly situated schools. We also accept their credits coming into us. So from around the country and even international credits if they’ve been evaluated by a third party,” Burkhart said.
To get started at Indiana Tech, a person can either call the Warsaw office, stop in or go to the website at online.indianatech.edu and look at all the offerings or apply.
“We do eight sessions a year, so eight times a year people can start courses, so they don’t have to just do it in August, January or May. And so give us a call because no matter when they’re contacting us, it’s not going to be very long until they could start if they wanted,” Burkhart concluded.
