UVA Launches Darden Part-Time MBA
The Darden School of Business has launched a Part-Time MBA program based in Arlington, Virginia, and designed for working professionals. The new program will be an attractive option for MBA aspirants based in or near the Washington, D.C., metro area. Darden believes it will attract early-career candidates who are younger than many of the students in the School’s Executive MBA program.
The Part-Time MBA allows students to speed up or slow down their studies as their life and schedule demands. It will have a combination of in-person and virtual classes offered primarily on weekday evenings. That way, learners will have the flexibility to complete the program on the timetable that works best for them.
The first class will begin in late summer 2022. While students can complete the program in as few as 28 months, they may take up to 48 months total. Darden expects that the most common path is likely to take 33 months.
All students will complete a required core curriculum as part of a cohort. After that, they can customize their own experiences via Darden electives — including those offered in other Darden MBA formats.
The core curriculum offers students foundational business expertise in a variety of topics. This includes accounting, ethics, operations, marketing, and strategy, among other subjects. At the same time, a suite of electives enables students to personalize their MBA experience further.
In addition, the Darden Part-Time MBA will include two weeklong residencies and options for global study opportunities. That way, students can expand upon their classroom experiences with an immersive, high-impact trip abroad.
Darden Part-Time MBA Meets Working Students Needs
The Darden Part-Time MBA is the fourth format of the MBA degree, and the degree issued in each format is the same Darden MBA. As with Darden’s Full-Time MBA program, there will be no minimum work experience requirement for the Part-Time MBA.
The school expects that most students will have at least two years of professional experience before enrollment. By contrast, the Executive MBA program has a preferred work experience minimum of five years.
The application to the new Part-Time MBA will launch in August, with the first application deadline in fall 2021. Darden anticipates that test flexibility options for Part-Time MBA program admissions will be in line with existing policies. Those interested may sign-up for additional information.
“The new Part-Time MBA format grew out of a desire to offer another option for students in the D.C. area to pursue the Darden MBA,” says Darden Dean Scott Beardsley.
“This format promises the transformational education experience of one of the world’s top business schools, led by the world’s top faculty, but in a format with maximum flexibility to allow professionals to keep advancing their career and enhance accessibility.”
