About Darden - Homepage | UVA Darden School of Business

UVA Aerial View — **Our Story**
Named for Virginia Governor Colgate Whitehead Darden Jr., the Darden School opened its doors in 1955 as the graduate business school of the University of Virginia, which was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 and is one of the top public universities in the nation and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Darden is aligned with UVA's aspiration to be great and good in all we do.

Business as Usual Is Over ...
and So Is Business School as Usual.

Business today asks a lot of you. You must:

Inspire people across and outside your enterprise - stakeholders, employees, teams.
Cultivate partnerships that turn ideas into innovation.
Exemplify the integrity and courage that builds trust and inspires people to follow you into the unknown.
Uphold the essential humanity and creativity of your organization while reaping the rewards of AI, analytics or the next tech revolution.

These demands mean you must ask a lot of your business education.

Wherever you are in your career or whatever your goals, your education must be more than a transaction. At Darden, we educate the doers with the skills, smarts, and sense of purpose and ethics to forge the future.

To reach your full potential, you have to do the work. We set the stage for an experience that is anything but typical. At Darden, you will not find lectures. You will find immersive experiences that will teach you to discover your purpose, ask the right questions, empower others, and go from inclusive vision to enduring impact.

We at Darden Believe:

Purpose is powerful. It gives meaning to work and organizations and leads to impact.
Business is a social endeavor, and ethics isn't a "nice to have." Darden embedded ethics into its curriculum decades ago because we know that at the heart of business are people and that being empowered is a responsibility to empower others.
Leaders must play multiple roles with multiple stakeholders. Founded here, stakeholder management teaches Darden leaders to effectively engage with an array of audiences, from employees to customer to investors.
Leaders must see and solve problems beyond a single vertical. Darden leaders, who value the creative and the analytical, have a broad understanding of the enterprise and business world.
Collaboration will drive sustainable performance and outstanding results — for you, business and society.

Find Your Darden Learning Pathway

Degree Programs

Full-Time MBA (includes the Future Year Scholars Program)
Part-Time MBA
Executive MBA
Master of Science in Business Analytics, delivered in collaboration with the UVA McIntire School of Commerce
Ph.D.

About Executive Education and Lifelong Learning

Executive Education & Lifelong Learning

The Executive Program: Strategic Leadership at the Top
Custom solutions for organizations
Open programs for individuals
Partnership for Leaders in Education, delivered with UVA School of Education and Human Development
Online courses

Get to Know Us

The dean. Scott C. Beardsley serves as Darden's ninth dean. Visit the Dean's Office.
The faculty. Routinely recognized as the best in the world for their teaching excellence and curricular innovation, Darden's faculty leverages its commitment and connection to business for near-term impact.
The staff. 300 talented individuals steer our global and dynamic organization. Join them at Jobs at Darden.
The leadership. Darden's leadership and alumni volunteers work together to make the School the best it can be. 
The strategic plan. The Darden Worldwide 2026 strategic plan seeks to reach the full potential of Darden’s mission.
The campaign. Darden’s historic Powered by Purpose campaign honors the future and elevates the world’s best education experience.

Bold Ideas, Better Business

Darden is a world leader in business ethics, leadership and general management, but our strength in research, thought leadership and case writing impacts many fields. Darden ideas are powered by the philosophy that capitalism should create value that makes the world better. And that's why effectuation, stakeholder management and design thinking for business were invented at Darden — to help you thrive in an ever-changing world.

We're Committed to ...

Inclusive Excellence

A key Darden value is an inclusive community that enables its global and diverse members to collaborate and excel. Learn more about Darden's global community on the Diversity at Darden blog led by the Office of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Global Voices of Darden blog, published by Darden's Center for Global Initiatives, and the Diversity at Darden webpage.

Sustainable Excellence

At Darden, sustainability is incorporated into everything that we do — from our award-winning faculty and curriculum grounded in business ethics to our research and commitment to carbon neutrality on Grounds, which Darden reached in 2019 — one of the first top business schools to do so. Darden's 2030 Sustainability Goals address how we live and learn.

Social Impact

Darden contributes to society through its commitment to responsible management, ethical leadership and social responsibility.

Explore the Initiative

Women@Darden

This community-wide initiative aims to position Darden as the business school of choice for women interested in management education.

Explore the Initiative

By the Numbers

No. 1 U.S. Public MBA Program (Bloomberg Businessweek)

No. 1 Global Public MBA Program (Financial Times)

No. 1 Best Education Experience in U.S. (The Economist)

No. 1 Faculty (The Economist and The Princeton Review)

Here are 21 reasons to choose Darden.

Explore The Arboretum & LaCross Botanical Gardens

Nestled within the heart of the Darden Grounds, the Arboretum & LaCross Botanical Gardens serve as a peaceful sanctuary showcasing a diverse array of plants and innovative landscaping. This botanical paradise offers a unique opportunity for students, faculty, staff and the public to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature. Enjoy leisurely walks along well-maintained paths, engage with gardens that educate on local and exotic plant species, or simply spend a moment of reflection among the soothing greenery.

Learn More