The Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia presents its students with a five-pillared philosophy when considering the business school’s approach to business leadership education. Darden utilizes a spontaneous and deliberate educational experience that promotes the fostering of an influential voice and confidence amid uncertainty. Students are exposed to a purposeful and concentrated intensity of experience that mimics the modern world of business. Mutual respect and positive intent are of high value at the business school. The last two values of the Darden School of Business include a commitment to proximity and immediacy to business practice and dedication to purpose and honor. The business school subscribes to the university’s Honor System.
Through Darden’s unique case method and experiential learning, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral students will grapple with real-world issues facing leading organizations today. Business school students will analyze, synthesize, and make hard decisions with less than ideal information. The program faculty will orchestrate interactions between classmates and draw out the problem-solving wisdom to arrive at the optimal solution.
Education
While Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia in 1819, the business school at the university took on the name of Darden School of Business in 1955 in honor of famous state Governor Colgate Whitehead Darden Jr. Today, the business school maintains a student body of 960 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. Degree programs at Darden include a full-time MBA with over ten dual-degree options, an Executive MBA, a Master of Science in Business Analytics, and a Ph.D. Students can seek online programs at the business school or attend classes at centers for learning in the San Francisco Bay area, Washington DC, at the school’s main campus in Charlottesville, or Shanghai, China.
Student Life
The alumni group at Darden features over 16,000 professionals residing in 90 countries across the globe. Graduates of the business school enjoy a long tradition of success in business leadership. To date, over 1,700 Darden alumni are serving as presidents, founders, board chairs, or CEOs of organizations. The multiple centers and initiatives at Darden offer students unparalleled access to a community of experts and forums which augment a solid education in business leadership. Some of the initiatives currently offered include the Global Water Initiative, The Institute for Business in Society, and the Business Innovation and Climate Change Initiative.
Online Programs
Darden Online features coursework in the areas of leadership and management, strategy, ethics, and entrepreneurship, marketing, accounting, design thinking and innovation, and product and project management. Courses within Darden Online include Agile Meets Design Thinking, Digital Product Management: Modern Fundamentals, Managerial Accounting Fundamentals, New Models of Business in Society, and Marketing Analytics. The business school’s online MBA is continuously ranked as a top ten among The Economist, Businessweek, and Bloomberg.