Darden Launches Part-Time MBA Format for Working Professionals in D.C. Area

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business announced today the launch of the Part-Time MBA, a new, flexible format of the Darden MBA. Based at UVA Darden D.C. Metro in the Rosslyn district of Arlington, the Part-Time MBA is designed for working professionals. When the first entering class begins in late summer 2022, courses will be offered primarily on weekday evenings, and learners will have flexibility to complete the program on the timetable that works best for them.

The program will be delivered through a combination of in-person and virtual classes. Students are expected to remain employed while completing the program, making it an attractive option for professionals based in the Washington, D.C., metro area or nearby vicinity. The school believes the Part-Time MBA may attract candidates who prefer to remain employed while completing an MBA program, but may be earlier in their careers than many students in the school’s Executive MBA program.

As with Darden’s Full-Time MBA program, there will be no minimum work experience requirement for the Part-Time MBA. Darden expects that most students will have at least two years of professional experience prior to matriculation. By contrast, the Executive MBA program has a preferred work experience minimum of five years, with most matriculated students’ experience ranging from five to 25 years.

The application to the Part-Time MBA will launch in August, with the first application deadline in fall 2021, and those interested may sign up for additional information. Test flexibility options for Part-Time MBA program admissions are expected to be in line with existing policies.

“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,” Darden Dean Scott Beardsley said. “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.”

New Degree Format to Complement Full-Time, Executive MBA Programs and Offer Real-Time ROI

The Part-Time MBA is the fourth format of the MBA degree at Darden, joining the Full-Time MBA based in Charlottesville, and the Executive MBA and Global Executive MBA based at UVA Darden D.C. Metro in Rosslyn. The degree issued in each format is the same Darden MBA.

In the Part-Time MBA, all students will complete a required core curriculum as part of a cohort. After that, students will customize their own experiences via Darden electives – including those offered in other Darden MBA formats, pending space and faculty approval – and complete the program on a flexible schedule.

In contrast to the Executive MBA, which is a 21-month program, with all students starting and ending together, the Part-Time MBA offers students the opportunity to speed up or slow down their course of study as their life and schedule demands. The program can be completed in as few as 28 months or may take up to 48 months total. The most common path is likely to take 33 months to completion. The core curriculum offers students foundational business expertise in topics including accounting, ethics, operations, marketing and strategy, among other topics, while a suite of electives enables students to further personalize their MBA experience.

Classes will be offered primarily on weekday evenings, with a mix of fully virtual and fully in-person classes in Rosslyn led by Darden faculty. The Part-Time MBA will include two weeklong residencies and options for global study opportunities, allowing students to expand upon their classroom experiences with an immersive, high-impact trip abroad.

Darden professors’ signature approach to teaching and learning, including use of the case method, in both in-person and virtual classes is a hallmark of the Darden MBA experience for working professionals, which was first introduced in the Executive MBA format in 2006.

Like the Executive MBA, students in the Part-Time MBA will be able to experience the value of the Darden MBA curriculum in real-time, immediately applying skills gained in program coursework. Students will also benefit from dedicated career coaches and support, and Darden alumni receive complimentary career services for life.

Graduates of the program will receive the Darden MBA degree and enjoy the full benefits of the school’s 17,000-plus global alumni network.

Expanding Portfolio of Professional Degree Programs in DC Metro Area

In a few short years, UVA Darden DC Metro has become a hub of activity.

In addition to nearly 300 Executive MBA students, the Darden Grounds in the Washington area are home to the one-year Master of Science in business analytics program and Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programming. The D.C.-area base has also spurred a variety of new events and cross-sector collaboration.

One recent innovation, the Darden Dean’s D.C. Fellows program, brings together 14 leaders from a variety of fields to catalyze collaborative engagements between a variety of Washington-area leaders and the Darden community.

The area is also home to the largest alumni bases of UVA and the Darden School.

Sign-Up for Updates, Information

The application for the Part-Time MBA is expected to go live in August for the first cohort of students, who will start classes in August 2022. News and updates will be shared with prospective applicants who signal their interest by filling out a form to join the mailing list. Additional information about the program design and comparison to other degree program offerings can be found on the Part-Time MBA webpage.