• Darden has long been recognized as a leading MBA program in general management (ranked No. 1 by Financial Times). The case study method and integrated core curriculum provide a thorough understanding of how all areas of a business impact one another.

    But Darden students are not just strong managers and leaders — they are also expert specialists. To reflect this important point, the Darden faculty added optional concentrations to the curriculum structure in 2010. While students have always tailored the elective curriculum to focus on areas of interest, the concentrations provide additional guidance and structure to this specialization, as well as providing a stronger signal to recruiters of students’ focus. All students still receive the same MBA degree, but now concentrations can be added to résumés as well.

    The MBA concentrations are divided into career tracks and theme tracks. MBA students may choose two from among the following:

    Career Track Concentrations

    Asset Management/Sales & Trading

    This MBA concentration area is designed to extend the valuation principles learned in the First Year curriculum to solve complex problems faced by asset managers and sales and trading professionals. The courses expose students to a variety of different financial markets and give students a deeper understanding for how companies are valued, which are critical components for either managing a client’s funds or executing security trades.

    Faculty contact: Bob Conroy

    Corporate Finance/Investment Banking

    This concentration is designed to extend the valuation and value creation principles learned in the First Year curriculum to the solving of complex problems faced by companies and investment banks. The courses fine tune students’ analytical skills and broaden students’ exposure to a wide range of financial and business decisions.

    Faculty contact: Bob Conroy

    Entrepreneurship

    Students fulfilling this MBA concentration will graduate with an understanding of their affinity for being entrepreneurial and an understanding of the fundamentals of effectual and causal thinking and when each is appropriate. They also graduate with a set of skills based on academic study and experiential work that allows them to be confident in starting a new venture.

    Faculty contact: MJ Toms

    management science specialization

    For students who want to add a quantitative/analytical focus to the general management curriculum at Darden, we offer a Management Science specialization. This requires that students earn 12 credits from a select group of electives.  This specialization carries a STEM designation, giving international students in F-1 status who meet certain requirements the possibility of 36 months of work authorization in the U.S. after graduation. 

    Marketing

    The marketing concentration prepares students for careers in marketing by helping them understand how to manage customer relationships (e.g. in consumer packaged goods, consumer durables, consumer services, consulting firms, Not for Profits (NFPs), industrial goods and technology products). Through this series of courses, students will gain insight into how customer-based marketing decisions can create loyal, engaged customers.

    Faculty contact: Raj Venkatesan

    Strategy Consulting

    This MBA concentration area is intended to immerse students in the consulting process and to help them identify and deepen the skill sets necessary for success in that role.

    Faculty contact: Mike Lenox

    Supply Chain Management

    This concentration gives students additional grounding in operations management concepts, develops in-depth knowledge of general management-associated supply chain management concepts and principles, and builds strength in related cross-functional skills.

    Faculty contact: Elliott Weiss

    Theme Track Concentrations

    Corporate Innovation

    Students fulfilling this concentration graduate with the mindset and skill set to succeed at identifying and implementing innovation in a corporate setting.

    Faculty contact: Jeanne Liedtka

    Business Development and Growth

    Sustainable success requires organizations to innovate and grow to maintain or increase profitability. Students focusing on this concentration will learn the fundamentals of managing innovation, organic growth, and acquisition and integration of mergers and acquisitions.

    Faculty contact: Jeanne Liedtka

    Business Analytics

    This business analytics concentration will prepare students to participate in organizations that make abundant use of data, quantitative or mathematical techniques as part of their business processes. It is a more general version of the “Market Analytics” concentration. Completion of this concentration can be a useful signal to potential employers of the analytic and quantitative abilities of the student.

    Faculty contact: Robert Carraway

    Innovation for Sustainability

    This concentration will provide students with:

    • Knowledge about the global impacts on natural systems from rising energy and material consumption patterns
    • Information regarding institutions and policy instruments that influence business operations
    • Exposure to innovative processes and tools available
    • Guidance on how innovative sustainability practices can increase revenues and lower costs

    View a video about Darden's sustainability curriculum.

    Faculty contact: Michael Lenox

    Global Business

    Students with the Global Business concentration will study a particular region, topic or phenomenon in depth in an explicitly global context.This concentration is well suited for students who look for jobs with a strong international component

    Faculty contact: Peter Debaere