Go To Businessweek.com
Full-Time MBA Profile Publish Date 05/27/12

Duke University

Fuqua School of Business

  • Program Basics

  • SCHOOL BASICS

    • Graduate business school enrollment:

      • Total: 1,713
      • Full-Time MBA: 887
      • Executive MBA: 594
      • PhD Program: 85
      • Other graduate degree programs:
        • Other
      • Master of Management Studies; Master of Management in Clinical Informatics
  • PROGRAM COSTS

    • Total direct costs (tuition and required fees) of the entire MBA program:

      • Resident: $104,304.00
      • Nonresident: $104,304.00
      • Recommended annual budget (Resident): $71,859.00
      • Recommended annual budget (Nonresident): $71,859.00
  • PROGRAM LENGTH

      • Full-time program (months): 22
  • ADMISSIONS

    • Application Deadlines

      • Semester: Fall 2012
      • Deadline: Sep 29, 2011
      • Semester: Fall 2012
      • Deadline: Nov 1, 2011
      • Semester: Fall 2012
      • Deadline: Jan 4, 2012
      • Semester: Fall 2012
      • Deadline: Mar 8, 2012
      • Does the program have rolling admissions? No
      • Is proficiency in English required for admission? Yes
      • Is a minimum score on an English language proficiency test required? No
    • Which English language proficiency tests are accepted?

        • IELTS
        • TOEFL Internet Based Test
        • TOEFL Paper-based Test
    • Relative Importance of Application Elements:

      • GMAT Score: Very Important
      • Resume/Work Experience: Very Important
      • Application Essays: Very Important
      • Interviews: Very Important
      • Recommendations: Very Important
      • Undergraduate Transcripts: Very Important
  • APPLICANTS

      • Applications (admitted and denied) to the newest class: 3,452
      • Applicants who were accepted to the most recent class: 26 %
      • Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 48 %
      • Applicant interviews are: By invitation only
      • Applicants (admitted and denied) who were interviewed: 55 %
      • Admitted applicants who were interviewed: 100 %
  • APPLICANT POOL

      • International applications received: 53 %
      • Applications from women received: 28 %
      • Mean base salary forgone: $64,087.00
      • Median base salary forgone: $64,500.00
  • CLASS PROFILE

    • Full-time students in newest entering class (2010-2011) that are:

      • Female: 37 %
      • International: 30 %
      • Married: 19 %
    • Students from following regions:

      • Africa: 0 %
      • Asia: 15 %
      • Europe: 3 %
      • North America: 64 %
      • Latin America and the Caribbean: 8 %
      • Oceania: 0 %
      • Dual citizenship: 8 %
    • Percentage of U.S. students in newest entering class that are:

      • African American: 6 %
      • Asian American: 18 %
      • Hispanic or Latino American: 9 %
      • Multiethnic/Multiracial: 0 %
      • Native American: 0 %
      • White (Non-Hispanic): 64 %
      • Chose not to report: 2 %
      • Other: 0 %
    • Percentage of U.S. students in newest entering class who are from the following regions:

      • Northeast: 34 %
      • Mid-Atlantic: 20 %
      • South: 11 %
      • Southwest: 8 %
      • Midwest: 13 %
      • West: 14 %
      • Possessions and territories: 0 %
      • Mean months of work experience of newest entering class: 62
      • Median months of work experience of newest entering class: 60
    • Middle 80% range of work experience of newest entering class in months:

      • From: 36
      • To: 92
      • Median age of entering class: 28
      • Mean age of entering class: 28
  • FINANCIAL AID

      • Full-time MBAs apply for financial aid through: Dedicated financial aid office at the B-school
      • Full-time MBAs who applied for financial aid for the current academic year: 81 %
      • Full-time MBAs receiving financial aid in the current academic year: 81 %
      • On what basis are scholarships awarded?
        • academic merit
      • How does an applicant apply for scholarship consideration? all candidates are considered for scholarship
      • Percentage of first-year students receiving financial aid who receive at least the same amount in their second year of study: 100 %
      • Does the school offer a guaranteed loan to all MBAs regardeless of nationality? No
      • Mean outstanding debt among the most recent graduates from the full-time MBA program: $96,805.00
  • GMAT

      • Are applicants required to take the GMAT? Yes
      • Are applicants allowed to submit the GRE? Yes
    • GMAT score distribution (applicant pool):

      • 25th Percentile 660
      • 50th Percentile (median) 700
      • 10th Percentile 620
      • 75th Percentile 720
      • 90th Percentile 740
      • Average GMAT Score 688
    • GMAT score distribution (incoming class):

      • 25th Percentile 660
      • 50th Percentile (median) 700
      • 10th Percentile 630
      • 90th Percentile 740
      • 75th Percentile 720
      • Average GMAT Score 698
  • CLASS OFFERINGS

      • Average number of students in a full-time MBA core class: 73
      • Average number of students in a full-time MBA elective class: 45
      • Elective courses available to full-time MBA students: 102
    • Electives that have been added to the full-time program since June 30, 2010:

      • Real Estate Finance
      • Irrational Choices,Unconscious Decisions&Market Failure
      • Behavior and the Environment
    • Concentrations and specializations offered to full-time MBA students:

        • Finance
        • Entrepreneurship
        • General Management
        • Marketing
        • Health Care Administration
        • Leadership
        • Operations Management
        • Strategy
      • Decision Sciences; Energy and Environment; Financial Analysis; Social Entrepreneurship
    • Joint-degree programs offered to full-time MBAs:

        • MBA/JD (Law)
        • MBA/MD (Medicine)
        • Other
        • MBA/ME (Engineering)
        • MBA/MSN (Nursing)
      • Does the school offer an accelerated full-time MBA program? No
    • The school believes that its leading areas of study for full-time MBA students are:

        • Finance
        • General Management
        • Marketing
        • Health Care Administration
        • Strategy
  • FACULTY

      • Faculty employed by the B-school: 154
    • Full-time faculty:

      • Tenured: 65
      • Non-Tenured: 41
    • Adjunct/Visiting Faculty:

      • Tenured: 3
      • Non-Tenured: 45
    • Women on Faculty:

      • Tenured: 12
      • Non-Tenured: 17
    • Minority Faculty:

      • Tenured: 15
      • Non-Tenured: 10
    • International Faculty:

      • Tenured: 26
      • Non-Tenured: 20
    • Faculty with PhDs:

      • Tenured: 65
      • Non-Tenured: 88
  • STUDENT LIFE

    • Professional clubs available to full-time MBA students:

        • Biotech/Health care
        • Business Law
        • Corporate Social Responsibility/NetImpact
        • Entrepreneurship
        • Consulting
        • Other
        • Finance
        • Marketing
        • Nonprofit
        • VC/ Private Equity
        • Environmental
        • High Tech
        • Investment Banking
        • Media & Entertainment
    • Networking clubs available to full-time MBA students:

        • Black MBA Association
        • Hispanic Student Organization
        • International Club
        • Partners/Family
        • Women in MBA
        • Other
        • Volunteer
        • Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual
        • Wine
  • TEACHING/ACADEMICS

    • Teaching methods used:

      • Case Study: 33 %
      • Distance Learning: 0 %
      • Experiential Learning: 5 %
      • Lectures: 33 %
      • Simulations: 5 %
      • Team Projects: 24 %
      • Other: 0 %
    • Requirements for graduation:

        • Students must have attended a minimum number of classes
        • Students must have earned a pre-determined GPA/Letter grade average
  • TECHNOLOGY

      • Technology improvements in the last three academic years: Classrooms and auditoriums are equipped with HD screens and recording systems to allow recorded audio, video and VGA material to be uploaded and distributed via streaming or download. Breeden Hall has 28 team rooms with computers and large flat-panel monitors. We have two rooms with Cisco TelePresence: a single-screen conference room for small groups and a 140-seat auditorium that allows guest speakers to present from Cisco-equipped systems anywhere in the world.
  • B-SCHOOL ALUMNI

      • Living MBA alumni: 14,874
      • Active MBA alumni clubs: 33
      • Countries in which MBA clubs exist: 14
      • Living MBA alumni who gave in past year: 21 %
      • Mean gift from MBA alumni: $1,066.00
      • Median gift from MBA alumni: $200.00
      • Did school receive an individual gift in excess of $10 million in the past academic year? No
      • Business School endowment: $208,698,191.00
      • Does the main university offer career placement services for alumni? Yes
      • Does the main university have an alumni networking Web site? Yes
      • University alumni networking site: http://www.dukealumni.com
      • Does the B-School have an alumni networking Web site? Yes
      • Business school alumni networking site: http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/alumni
      • Does the B-SCHOOL offer career services for alumni? Yes
      • Do current MBA students have access to an alumni database? Yes
  • CAREER SERVICES

      • Graduates seeking full-time professional MBA employment: 90 %
      • Graduates not seeking employment: 10 %
      • Graduates for whom you have no information regarding employment: 0 %
    • Primary source of job offer:

      • School-facilitated activities: 75 %
      • Graduate-facilitated activities: 20 %
      • No information provided by graduate: 5 %
    • Job Offers for 2011 graduates

      • Received first job offer by graduation: 86 %
      • Received first job offer in three months following graduation: 6 %
      • Received first job offer more than 3 months after graduation: 1 %
      • Did not report having received a job offer: 6 %
      • Accepted first job offer by graduation: 78 %
      • Accepted first job offer in three months following graduation: 10 %
      • Accepted first job offer more than 3 months after graduation: 4 %
      • Did not report having accepted a job offer: 8 %
    • Top recruiting organizations most recent academic year:

      • Deloitte 35
      • Mckinsey 15
      • Boston Consulting Group 14
      • Johnson & Johnson 11
      • Bank of America Merrill Lynch 9
      • Apple 7
      • Eli Lilly and Company 7
      • Bain & Company 7
      • Accenture 7
      • American Express Company 7
      • PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP) 6
      • Barclays capital 6
      • Amazon 5
      • Goldman Sachs 5
      • J.P. Morgan 5
      • Job-accepting graduates who received a signing bonus: 76 %
    • Base salary, signing bonuses and other compensation for most recent employed graduates:

      • Mean base salary: $107,833.00
      • Median base salary: $101,400.00
      • Mean signing bonus: $25,979.00
      • Median signing bonus: $25,000.00
      • Mean other guaranteed compensation: $16,180.00
      • Median other guaranteed compensation: $12,000.00
    • Graduating students who accepted jobs in the following functional areas:

      • Consulting: 34 %
      • Finance/Accounting: 23 %
      • General Management: 17 %
      • Human Resources: 1 %
      • Marketing/Sales: 20 %
      • Management Information Systems: 0 %
      • Operations/Logistics: 2 %
      • Other: 3 %
    • Graduating students who accepted jobs in the following industries:

      • Government: 0 %
      • Consulting: 31 %
      • Consumer Products: 8 %
      • Financial Services: 22 %
      • Manufacturing: 5 %
      • Media/Entertainment: 2 %
      • Non-Profit: 2 %
      • Petroleum/Energy: 2 %
      • Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology/Health Care: 12 %
      • Real Estate: 0 %
      • Technology: 10 %
      • Other: 6 %
    • Graduates who accepted full-time jobs in the following regions:

      • Africa: 0 %
      • Asia: 9 %
      • Europe: 2 %
      • North America: 85 %
      • Oceania: 0 %
      • Latin America and the Caribbean: 4 %
    • Within the U.S., graduates who accepted full-time jobs in the following regions:

      • Northeast: 32 %
      • Mid-Atlantic: 12 %
      • South: 22 %
      • Southwest: 7 %
      • Midwest: 13 %
      • West: 14 %
      • Possessions and territories: 0 %
    • Top recruiting organizations for internships, most recent academic year:

      • Deloitte 26
      • McKinsey 16
      • Johnson & Johnson 12
      • Boston Consulting Group 11
      • P&G 9
      • Goldman Sachs 9
      • Apple 9
      • Bank of America Merrill Lynch 9
      • Bain & Company 7
      • Citi 7
      • Credit Suisse 7
      • Kraft Food 6
      • ZS Associates 6
      • Accenture 6
      • JP Morgan 6
    • Weekly internship compensation:

      • Mean: $1,601.00
      • Median: $1,577.00
  • SCHOOL COMMENTS

      • School Comments: Application includes education and employment history, resume, activities and achievements, test scores, and essays. Also required: official GMAT and TOEFL scores (if applicable), professional recommendations and official transcripts. GRE scores are accepted in lieu of the GMAT for joint degree applicants and on an exception basis. There is a brief open interview period, otherwise interviews are invitation only. Fuqua offers a guaranteed loan to international students.
      • -I thought Duke was an exceptional experience. It opened doors that I never could have opened myself. I have met some of my best friends at this school and these friendships will last for the rest of my life. The academics exceeded my expectations and the mentors I gained through the program will help me as I move forward with my career. It was an incredible experience.

        -Although I still don't have a job and the tuition is very expensive, overall the experience I went through at Fuqua is unmatchable. I developed myself both professionally and personally.

        -The career services at Fuqua are extremely poor. Students are attracted into the program by advertising a strong network and outstanding relationships with top companies. As soon as the recruitment season begins, students come to realize that the number of companies coming to the campus is much much smaller than advertised, students are encouraged by the schools Career Management Center to look for jobs off campus and the much advertised career counseling is done by second-year students, not professionals, but second-year students (often students with no U.S. job market experience).

        -Duke excelled at providing a complete MBA experience, not just in the classroom, but outside the classroom as well. It provided a program that truly changed my life, nearly tripled my salary, and gave me memories to last a lifetime.

        -Simply put, whether you're an American or international student, if you want career services, including counseling, strong connections to top companies, and successful job placement, Fuqua is NOT for you!

        -Considering I'm a Tar Heel (UNC '05), it's hard for me to admit this, but I loved my Duke MBA experience and definitely would encourage others to attend the program. What really made the difference for me was my fellow classmates. I thoroughly enjoyed working with such intelligent, compassionate, and hardworking people. With 40 percent of the class composed of international students, class discussions were really interesting and insightful from a global perspective. Also, my peers went above and beyond to help me find an internship and job, as well as understand class material.

        -I truly enjoyed Fuqua, but sometimes I found that the social atmosphere can be very much like college or high school.

        -The importance and involvement Duke gives to its graduate students was a pleasant surprise. Whether it was the basketball team or intramurals or other aspects of life at Duke, the graduate student body, especially the law and business school students, were always given an opportunity to be involved. I had heard before school that most business schools are separate from the rest of the university in location and involvement but that was clearly not the case at Duke. In fact, the "Fuquans" had enough attendance at basketball games to fill an entire bleacher. The business school is also very involved in giving back to the social sector and entrepreneurs of the local community which was another pleasant surprise.

        -My biggest critique of the program has to do with the alumni network. They are extremely enthusiastic and helpful, but simply due to the age of the program (less than 40 years old) it is not as robust as I would have liked. It was difficult to make connections at organizations outside of the mainstream ones that recruit on-campus. My career goals lie in sustainability, where jobs are all about networking.

        -I can't imagine pursuing a healthcare-specific MBA at any other school than Duke. First, the medical community is first-rate with regard to research and practice. Second, the urban-suburban location is perfect for studying business, particularly given Duke's proximity to Research Triangle Park. Finally, the combination of strong entrepreneurship AND healthcare programs makes Duke an exceptional place to learn about the business of healthcare, and what innovation actually means in the real world.

        -[It's] a great school, but it needs to focus more on the full-time MBA program, rather than opening campuses in other countries or other degree programs. It distracts the school from its core mission.

        -The experience I had at Duke helped me grow as a professional and a person. The culture is open and collaborative. I was able to work with such diverse people, an experience that cannot be replicated in the workplace. Also, the breadth and flexibility of the curriculum enables each student to tailor his education. This really allowed me to create the best environment possible for my education. For example, in any given week I could be structuring a real estate deal, leading a class discussion on global poverty, working on a project for Grameen Bank, attending a lecture on finding meaning in work, and grabbing drinks with teammates from around the world.

        -My program is fast--six week courses per term. With the speed of lectures, the shorter time period to learn the material, and the structure of group assignments, it wasn't the best way for me to grasp the information. This situation would leave me frustrated and sometimes questioning my decision to take the class.