The Fuqua School of Business of Duke University is the Business School of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Duke University takes indescribable pride in the collaborative environment in which students pursue their MBA at the school, and doubtlessly enjoys the fact that students have taken to calling their MBA community “Team Fuqua”. Apart from their high degree of participation in several facets of the MBA program, students also enjoy the unusual flexibility of their first-year syllabus, which permits them to enroll in five or more elective courses thanks to shortened six-week terms. By all means, Duke University is a great option for applicants with hopes of earning an MBA in a highly collaborative environment as the brand name Duke for MBA is highly respected world over. Hence, the best option for highly qualified applicants who wish to pursue their MBAs and continue their careers in the South.
Admissions and Tuition:
Joining Team Fuqua is a not an easy task, considering the fact that approximately 3,000 applicants apply every year with their petition for getting into – The Fuqua School of Business of Duke University for their MBA program. For this reason, applicants having dreams to join Team Fuqua should do all they can in order to differentiate themselves in this large applicant pool. Given the fact that Duke is focuses mostly on collaborative and community leadership, the most effective way to do so would be to demonstrate the ways in which one could contribute to Team Fuqua. This can be accomplished through application essays and through optional yet highly-recommended interviews, which are generally conducted by second-year students.
By traveling to Durham for an interview, applicants can enjoy a short yet revealing glance of life at Fuqua, and at the same time can express their seriousness about pursuing an MBA at Duke. Obviously, applicants could not accomplish their dreams of getting admission at Duke and compatibility with Team Fuqua unless they have strong academic figures and solid full-time work experience. For instance, the entering class of 2007e averaged an impressive 690 on the GMAT, alongside an average 3.38 undergraduate GPA. Applicants with numbers near or above these averages should be competitive in future application cycles, while applicants with lower numbers should do their best to compensate for their relative numerical shortcomings in other areas. One such area is professional experience, which seems to be a crucial factor in admissions given the fact that 99% of the students in the entering class of 2007 had some full-time experience, while the class as a whole had an average of more than 5 years of such experience. Such experience is of importance as it enhances the learning experience and helps make a better living with the people.
Tuition fees for the 2008-2009 academic year, at Fuqua stood at $44,100, while living expenses, as calculated by the school, came out to be $16,000. Meanwhile, the total program cost of a Duke MBA, including two years of foregone salary, figures to be approximately $230,000, as per the BusinessWeek. Of course, this investment is surely worth the price that Duke MBAs are happy to shell out, thanks to the improved job opportunities that their business education will most likely provide.
Academics and Curriculum:
At Duke, students commence their business education by enrolling in the Global Institute; a three-week set of course that precedes the first-year program and introduces students to Fuqua’s collaborative and fast-paced learning atmosphere. Following this transitionary experience, students enroll in Duke’s first-year program, which allows students to partake in both core and elective courses thanks to the school’s six-week terms. These shortened terms, which set Duke’s program apart from the programs of most other premium business schools, allow students to “explore a chosen area in more depth”, which provides students with a competitive edge as they search for summer internships during their first year and for full-time employment thereafter. Students who wish to gain such in-depth knowledge of a particular area of business can choose to participate in one of Duke’s several specialized concentrations, which are offered to all major functional areas. At Duke, students also get number of opportunities to take their education beyond American borders, thanks to Global Academic Travel Experience program which allows students to spend time overseas while working towards their MBA. Definitely, it can be said that students at Duke will overcome the academic as well as career challenges due to innumerable opportunities, distinguished and experienced faculty at Duke’s.
Quality of Life:
Certainly, most of the students at top MBA programs seem to enjoy their quality of life in business school, and hence, Duke Students are no exception. Durham is praised among students for its low cost of living, as this small and compact city allows them to find suitable apartments near campus for a fraction of the price paid by MBA students in larger cities, and for the town’s safety. However, the Durham is not praised for its nightlife, hence most students make the short trip to Chapel Hill in order to spend a night out on the town. That said, social activities in Durham are not infrequent, thanks to the events hosted by Team Fuqua throughout the academic year. These include popular Fuqua Fridays, in which students can enjoy free food and drinks provided by the school as they mingle and chill out after a long week of classes. Duke’s powerhouse basketball team also creates various social opportunities for students of Fuqua, including events that precede and follow raucous games against North Carolina and the team’s various other rivals. As such, students at Fuqua should have numerous ways to pass their free time while at business school. However it may seem safe to say that students with an affinity for life in the big city may be disappointed by Durham and its offerings.
Employment Prospects:
The Team Fuqua frame of mind is an advantage to students in more than one way as they go about searching for jobs. Employers are well-aware of the collaborative environment at Duke, and hence value the school’s students for their exceptional ability to work in teams in the workplace. Accordingly, more than 150 corporations from all areas of the business arena including giants such as Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and American Express come to Durham to recruit Fuqua students every year. Students for whom on-campus recruiting does not prove rewarding can look to the exciting school’s alumni network, despite its relatively small size. Thanks to alum’s (alum stands for “an alumna or alumnus”) continued dedication to Team Fuqua. and the school’s Career Management Center, up to 85% of Duke Graduates usually have at least one job offer by graduation, and a similar number have secured employment within three months of graduation. Like most of the esteemed academic institutions, Duke sends most of its students to either the finance, marketing, or consulting fields, and also sends a substantial number of students to the general management field. When it comes to location, Duke Graduates seem to enjoy solid employment prospects throughout the country, as a significant number of students typically begin their post-MBA careers in each of the Northeast, South, Midwest, and West regions. For the graduating Class of 2007, initial salaries, including bonuses, were $117,473, a figure that is comparable to the initial salaries of the graduates of most top-ranked business schools.
In Sum:
The Fuqua School of Business of Duke University is extensively considered to be one of the prominent business schools around the world, and is renowned for its emphasis on teamwork and collaborative leadership. which indirectly helps in building up good managers of tomorrow. The school offers solid job and career opportunities in various business fields and numerous geographical areas, and is therefore a solid choice for any highly-qualified applicant who is interested in making a better living from his MBA experience.
Contact Information:
1 Towerview Drive
Durham, NC 27708
Quick Reference:
2009 U.S. News Ranking: 14th (tied with Cornell and Virginia)
Average GMAT score: 690
Average undergraduate GPA: 3.38
Application fee: $185
Application deadline: N/A
Entering class size: 400-450
Yearly Tuition: $44,100 (2008-2009)
Percent of graduates employed 3 months after graduation: 86%
Average starting salary and bonus: $117,473