The school was founded in 1955 and named after Colgate Whitehead Darden Jr., a former Democratic congressman, governor of Virginia, and president of the University of Virginia. It is located on the grounds of the University of Virginia. Its faculty use the case method as their method of teaching courses.[2][3]
History
Darden main building, looked upon from the North
The Darden School was the first graduate school of business of the Southern United States when it was founded in 1955.[citation needed] The original business school was nestled in the central grounds of the University of Virginia, before being moved its current location at the North Grounds. Designed by the Driehaus Prize winner Robert A. M. Stern, the Darden school's buildings feature sand-struck Virginia brick, Chippendale balustrades and red-metal standing seam roofs. In 2018, the Sands Family Grounds was inaugurated by the Darden School, in Arlington County, Virginia, in proximity to Washington D.C.'s central business district.[citation needed] The Sands Family Grounds occupy the top two floors of a 31-story skyscraper emblazoned with the UVA Darden Logo, and provides extensive facilities for students and event guests.
Locations
The full-time MBA program is located in Charlottesville, Virginia at the UVA Darden Goodwin Family Grounds, which is roughly two hours from Washington, D.C.
In 2017, it was announced that Darden would establish dedicated facilities in Rosslyn, formerly introduced as the UVA Darden Sands Family Grounds in February 2019,[4] as the new home base for the Executive MBA formats and new M.S. in Business Analytics degree launched with the McIntire School of Commerce.[5]
MBA
Designed for students who seek to strengthen their leadership, business and communication skills, Darden's two-year MBA program combines core and elective courses in Charlottesville, Virginia with opportunities for every student to study abroad.
Admissions
The Jeffersonian corridors along the School grounds
Admission requirements for the MBA include an earned four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. institution or the international equivalent, completion of application forms and essays, GMAT or GRE score, academic transcripts, two professional recommendations, and the payment of a fee. The MBA Class of 2021 has an average GMAT score of 713 and an average GPA of 3.48, and an average age of 27 years old. Of the 335 students enrolled, 33% are international students, 40% are women and 21% are domestic minority students. The School had an acceptance rate of 26% as of 2019.[6]
Employment statistics
A total of 97% of MBA graduates from the class of 2019 received full-time offers within three months of graduation, the median starting salary and sign-on bonus upon graduation was $162,000.[7] Among the graduates, 36% entered consulting positions, 24% obtained investment banking and financial services roles, and 15% entered careers in technologies.[8]
Study abroad
Students are offered study abroad programs as well as Darden Worldwide Courses which offer international immersion courses which are funded by a $15 million gift from philanthropist and donor, Frank Batten.[9]
Executive MBA formats
Designed with a hybrid structure of online learning with in-person residences at the new UVA Darden Sands Family Grounds in the Washington, D.C., area, two formats of the MBA are offered which provide the same degree as the MBA. The EMBA (Executive MBA) is designed for working professionals and the GEMBA (Global Executive MBA) is an option that provides additional global residences compared to the EMBA. Both formats have the same core curriculum over a period of twenty-one months with all students entering in the same cohort each academic year. Global residencies include Brazil, Chile, China, Germany, Japan, Ghana, Israel, India, Estonia and Cuba with changes in locations possible each year.[10]
Darden Executive Education
The inaugural Executive Education program was offered in 1955. Darden Executive Education 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.
#20 Open-Enrollment Programs (Global) - Financial Times 2019[25]
#52 Custom Programs (Global) - Financial Times 2019[25]
Notable alumni
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (August 2023)
