DEFINITION of University Of Virginia Darden School Of Business

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business is the graduate business school at the University of Virginia. The University of Virginia Darden School of Business offers master of business administration (MBA), executive MBA, Ph.D., and executive education programs. The Darden school's MBA program is distinguished by its case-study based teaching methodology. As of 2018, had 671 students enrolled. Most of the school's graduates work in consulting or finance after graduation, although roughly one-third work in general management and marketing/sales.

BREAKING DOWN University Of Virginia Darden School Of Business

The school was founded in 1955. It is named after Colgate Whitehead Darden, Jr., a former Democratic congressman, governor of Virginia, and former president of the University of Virginia. Darden is on the grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va.

According to U.S. News and World Report's college rankings, the Darden School of Business is one of the top business graduate programs in the United States. In 2018, it ranked 13th, near business schools such as UCLA-Anderson, Carnegie Mellon-Tepper, Cornell-Johnson, and UT Austin-McCombs. Darden is also highly ranked by Forbes and BusinessWeek.

University of Virginia Darden School of Business Programs

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business offers MBA, executive MBA, PhD., and executive education programs. The MBA programs is a full-time format with core and elective courses in Charlottesville, with opportunities to study abroad. The executive MBA program offers a combination of monthly weekend residencies in Charlottesville, Virginia, or the Washington, D.C. area, an international residency and distance learning. The master of science in business analytics program is 12-month program for working professionals with a flexible format combining online coursework and in-person residencies in the Washington, D.C., area.

The executive education program was first offered in 1955. Darden’s executive education program offers both short courses and custom solutions, as well as consortia, corporate university design and development, and industry specific partnerships. Short course focus areas include leadership, general management, strategy and decision-making, negotiation, growth and innovation, project management, sales and marketing, financial management and corporate aviation.

University of Virginia Darden School of Business Notable Alumni

Notable alumni of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business include:

  • George David, CEO and chairman of United Technologies Corporation
  • John D. Shafer Jr., president of Dunkin' Donuts
  • Lewis F. Payne, Jr., former Virginia congressman
  • John Strangfeld, Chairman and CEO, Prudential Financial
  • Steven Reinemund, former CEO and Chairman of PepsiCo
  • Mark B. Templeton, President and CEO, Citrix Systems
  • Robert J. Hugin, CEO of Celgene Corporation
  • Mark Sanford, former Governor of South Carolina
  • Thomas Shannon, CEO, Bowlmor Lanes