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Fuqua School of Business – Duke University

Image for Fuqua School of Business – Duke University
CLASS SIZE 385
FEMALE 45%
80% GMAT RANGE 670 - 760
80% GPA Range 3.1 - 3.89

The Fuqua School of Business in Durham, North Carolina is the business school of Duke University. Fuqua is noted for its strong healthcare education, and the emphasis it places on teamwork among its MBA students. Along with other postgraduate offerings in business, Fuqua provides students several routes to completing the MBA: the full-time MBA, the Accelerated Daytime MBA, Global Executive MBA and Weekend Executive MBA.

wharton mba healthcare

FAQ

What is the tuition for Fuqua's MBA program?

The tuition for Fuqua's MBA program is $75,000 per year. The total cost of the Fuqua MBA program is $106,735 per year; this includes budgeted living expenses.

How hard is it to get into Fuqua's MBA program?

The acceptance rate for Fuqua is 22%. It is important to consider the acceptance rate in the context of the student profile of those who are admitted.

What is the average GMAT score for admission to Fuqua's MBA program?

The average GMAT score for the incoming class at Fuqua is not available. The GMAT middle 80% range is 670 - 760.

Does the Fuqua MBA program accept the GRE?

Yes. The Fuqua MBA program has accepted the GRE for a few years now.

What is the average GRE score for admission to Fuqua's MBA program?

The GRE range of scores for the incoming class at Fuqua is 306-330.

What is the minimum number of years of work experience required for admission to Fuqua's MBA program?

Fuqua does not state a minimum requirement for years of work experience. However, it is important for candidates to be aware that they are being considered against other candidates with an average of 6.1 years of experience.

What is the average number of years of work experience for admission to Fuqua's MBA program? (or, What is the average age of a Fuqua student?)

The average number of years of work experience among students in Fuqua's MBA program is 6.1. The average age of a Fuqua student is 29.

What is the median starting salary for graduates of the Fuqua MBA program?

The median starting salary for Fuqua MBA graduates is $175,000 with a mean signing bonus of $30,000. The salary will vary by industry, with consulting and finance jobs generally commanding the higher salaries.

How long is Fuqua's full-time MBA program?

Fuqua offers a traditional 2 year MBA program, which is 22 months long.

What are the application deadlines for Fuqua's MBA program?

The Early Action round MBA deadline is September 7, 2023. The Round 1 application deadline is September 28, 2023. The Round 2 application deadline is January 9, 2024. The Round 3 deadline is February 22, 2024. The Round 4 deadline is April 4, 2024.

What percent of Fuqua MBA students are women?

The percentage of the class at Fuqua that are women is 45%.

What type of interview does Fuqua use for MBA admissions?

Fuqua offers interviews by invitation. The interviews are resume-based. This means the interviewer has not had access to the application materials.

Videos

Global Executive MBA - Find Your New Direction

Working professionals from around the globe come together to earn a world-class MBA in this 22-month program. You’ll grow beyond your comfort zone through international residencies that emphasize how culture and institutions shape business in Asia, Latin America, Europe, and North America. A unique team approach ensures that you learn from your classmates, high-potential peers working in different markets with expertise in different functions. You’ll build business acumen and a diverse global network—without interrupting your career. Learn more here: https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/global-executive-mba

Find Your New Direction at Duke

Finding the right fit is important—for you, and for Fuqua—so the admissions process for each of our programs is designed to ensure we learn about each other. Fuqua invests in your success even before you’re a student, helping you identify the program that’s right for you and supporting you throughout your application.

Admissions

The Class Profile

Fuqua’s Class of 2025 numbers 385 students who averaged 6.1 years of work experience and 29 years of age at the time of matriculation. The class’s 80% range of GMAT scores spanned from 670 to 760, while the 80% range for undergraduate GPAs was 3.1 to 3.89. The average GRE scores spanned 306-330. Forty-five percent of first-year students are women, and 40% identify as U.S. students of color. Twenty-seven percent of U.S. students identify as underrepresented minorities. Forty-seven percent of the student body are international citizens by U.S. status.

Application Procedures

Those interested in the Fuqua MBA program can submit an application in an early action pool or during any of Fuqua’s four other application rounds. The submission deadline for Early Action (EA) students occurs in early September, and applicants learn of their admissions status by mid-October. Upon acceptance, EA applicants must withdraw their bids to all other programs.

Fuqua requires applicants to submit its online application form, a one-page résumé, essays, and GMAT or GRE results, though GMAT scores are strongly preferred. Two letters of recommendation are also required, along with official academic transcripts, and an application fee of $225. TOEFL, PTE or IELTS scores may be submitted, but they are not required, even if applicable.

Applicants can qualify for the Duke MBA Application Fee Waiver through various avenues, including student recommendations or by attending a qualifying campus visit or virtual event. After a brief open on-campus interview period from mid-September to mid-October, admissions interviews are offered by invitation only both on campus and abroad.

Application Checklist

  • Online Application
  • GMAT/GRE Score(s)
  • Official Transcripts
  • Résumé
  • Essays
  • Two Recommendation Letters
  • Non-refundable Application Fee
  • TOEFL/PTE/IETLS score(s) (optional)

Essay Topic Analysis

Need help with your essays? Get our experts' advice.

Interview Reports

Duke-fuqua Q&As

Duke / Fuqua LiveWire and DecisionWire

MBA LiveWire

March 17, 2024 1:29pm ET
Accepted to Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 2
Received via phone on March 12, 2024
GRE: 320
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career Name: Healthcare
March 15, 2024 10:23pm ET
Waitlisted at Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 2
Received via email on February 02, 2024
GPA: 3.59
GMAT: 710
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career Name: Consulting
Application Location: LATAM
Note:

WL no interview

March 15, 2024 8:51pm ET
Waitlisted at Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 2
Received via portal on March 12, 2024
GPA: 3.33
GMAT: 720
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career Name: Consulting
Application Location: US
March 15, 2024 3:14pm ET
Accepted to Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 2
Received via phone on March 12, 2024
GPA: 2.89
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career Name: Technology
Application Location: Peru
March 15, 2024 6:43am ET
Accepted to Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 2
Received via phone on March 12, 2024
GPA: 3.1
GMAT: 680
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
March 14, 2024 11:37pm ET
Accepted to Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 2
Received via phone
GPA: 3.88
GRE: 324
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career Name: General Management
Application Location: SEA
Note:

Half scholarship

March 14, 2024 10:50pm ET
Waitlisted at Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 2
Received via email on March 12, 2024
GPA: 3.9
GMAT: 730
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career Name: Finance
Application Location: Boston
March 14, 2024 3:38pm ET
Waitlisted at Duke / Fuqua
Round: Round 2
Received via portal
GRE: 324
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Note:

Barely applied here which probably showed in my application. Won't be joining the WL.

MBA DecisionWire

?
March 17, 2024 6:08pm ET
Enrolled: Undecided
Admitted: Dartmouth / Tuck $
$11000
,
Duke / Fuqua $
$160000
,
UVA / Darden $
$82000
Applied: Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Northwestern / Kellogg, UPenn / Wharton, UVA / Darden
Entering Year: 2024
Post MBA Career: Technology, Pharmaceutical Companies: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Other, Pfizer
GMAT: 730
GPA: 3.7
Location: DC
Notes:

I've been listening to this podcast every week for almost a year! Thank you for the great advice on my profile last summer! I'm thrilled with my R2 results so far (still haven't heard from Kellogg)

My goal is to get into a health tech startup in a product or strategy role, in either DC or Boston. Any advice on Tuck vs. Fuqua based on my goals?

?
March 17, 2024 3:47am ET
Enrolled: Undecided
Admitted: Dartmouth / Tuck $
$20000
,
HEC Paris $
€10000
,
INSEAD
Applied: Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, HEC Paris, INSEAD
Entering Year: 2024
Post MBA Career: Consulting, Non Profit/SI Companies: Bain, BCG, McKinsey
GRE: 327
GPA: 3.55
Location: South Asia-Not India
Notes:

-Age 29 married with 2 kids;
-Will be taking full tuition loan as well as living as well
-Open to Middle East(easier to pay loan and great lifestyle and US( with green card chances)
-Tuck almost double INSEAD

?
March 15, 2024 5:06pm ET
Enrolled: Undecided
Admitted: Dartmouth / Tuck , Duke / Fuqua , MIT Sloan
Applied: Yale SOM, MIT Sloan, Duke / Fuqua, Dartmouth / Tuck
Entering Year: 2024
Post MBA Career: Other
GMAT: 740
GPA: 3.0
Location: US
Notes:

Plan is project management or LDP in renewable energy in NC or mid Atlantic, but open to NE. Vet, $ isn’t a factor. I love the culture at Fuqua and Tuck, Sloan didn’t feel as close knit, but the ranking difference is hard to ignore. Think Fuqua is the best fit, but I went to Duke undergrad, so unsure if it’s better to get a different network.

NYU
March 15, 2024 4:41pm ET
Enrolled: NYU Stern
Admitted: Berkeley / Haas , Carnegie Mellon / Tepper $
$20000
,
NYU Stern , UCLA Anderson
Applied: Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Georgetown / McDonough, NYU Stern, UCLA Anderson, U. Washington / Foster, Berkeley / Haas
Entering Year: 2024
Post MBA Career: Consumer Goods, Other Companies: General Mills, LVMH, Mondelez, Nestle, Proctor & Gamble, Unilever
GPA: 3.2
Location: Portland OR
Notes:

For me, the largest factors were name brand and opportunity to network. The sheer size of the alumni base for NYU along with some of the great programs they have to help get real life experiences through the program is unbeatable. I was really torn between Tepper and Stern, but ultimately it was the network that I would have access to.

Academics

Faculty

Fuqua employs nearly 150 full-time faculty members across eight academic areas of concentration. The areas are accounting, business administration, decision sciences, economics, finance, health sector management, management and organization, marketing, operations management, and strategy. Fuqua faculty contribute to the research agendas of the school’s centers, which include the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics (COLE), the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE), Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E), the Center for Energy, Development and Global Environment (EDGE) and Health Sector Management (HSM).

Curriculum

The school’s guiding concept is “Team Fuqua,” and the academic environment of the MBA program certainly mirrors this cooperative, team-based mentality. Fuqua’s MBA classes of close to 400 students are divided into six sections, and students are further placed into learning teams of four to five peers. These study groups are changed up mid-year, all the while working together to complete assignments throughout the core curriculum.

Fuqua’s pre-term and orientation schedule begins in July. An optional Business, Communications and Culture Program is offered in early to mid-July, and MBA students in the Health Sector Management program take a weeklong, for-credit class in July that has become known as HSM Bootcamp. A mandatory orientation period takes place over three days at the end of July. Classes commence the following week for first-year students with an intense month of orientation and immersion in a rigorous, hands-on program of three courses that emphasize leading and managing in an uncertain world. Second-year students begin classes at the conclusion of the mandatory program, or sometime near the beginning of September.

Fuqua’s schedule is organized into four six-week terms per year, and classes do not meet on Wednesdays in order to provide students with a mid-week break. Full-time MBA students must earn a minimum of 79 credits to graduate, at least 41 of which are earned through electives, and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher. In addition to completing 38 core credits, which can be earned through electives should students earn exemptions from core courses, students must complete an Applied Learning Requirement, which consists of an internship over the course of at least six weeks in a business that aligns with a student’s sector and function interests. Fourteen courses comprise the core and, along with at least four electives, round out students’ first year at Fuqua. The means to core exemptions vary by course, though many can be earned based on a student’s undergraduate coursework or results on exams offered by Fuqua in July and August.

Students may also opt to focus their studies by undertaking up to two academic concentrations within 14 fields of study. Each concentration is comprised of six courses in total. Fuqua further offers two certificate programs: the Certificate of Academic Excellence in Finance, and the Health Sector Management Certificate. In addition, second-year students can take their studies abroad through a variety of international study options. Fuqua’s Outgoing Exchange Programs (OEPs), for instance, can vary in length from a single short program to an entire semester or summer break. Meanwhile, Integrated Global Academic Travel Experience (GATE) courses give students the chance to spend six weeks studying a country or region in a three-credit elective course before traveling to that location for 12 days.

Other MBA Degree Options

Fuqua’s 22-month full-time MBA is the longest of its four programs, tied with its 22-month Weekend Executive MBA that uses Durham residencies and hybrid learning to help executives earn their management degrees on the weekends. The Global Executive MBA program is slightly shorter at 21 months, and employs international residencies and distance learning to meet the needs of currently working professionals and executives. Fuqua’s newest offering is the 10-month Accelerated Daytime MBA, designed for students who have already earned their master’s degree in management and thus skip the business fundamentals. Fuqua also provides four dual degree options for full-time MBA students through other schools at Duke University and one dual degree in partnership with Seoul National University.

Concentrations at Fuqua

  • Decision Sciences
  • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
  • Energy & Environment
  • Energy Finance
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Finance
  • Financial Analysis / Accounting
  • Fin Tech (Financial Technology)
  • Leadership & Ethics
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Operations Management
  • Social Entrepreneurship
  • Strategy

Certificates at Fuqua

Finance
Health Sector Management

Track Offering at Fuqua

Management Science and Technology Management (MSTeM)

Degree Offerings at Fuqua

Full-time MBA Programs
Daytime, Health Sector Management
http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/daytime-mba/

Dual Degree Programs
Doctor of Medicine, Juris Doctor, Master of Environmental Management, Master of Forestry, Master of Public Policy
https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/daytime-mba/dual-degrees

Executive MBA
Global Executive, Weekend
https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/global-executive-mba
https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/weekend-executive-mba

Campus Life

Clubs, Conferences & Competitions

MBA students matriculating at Fuqua have over 60 student organizations and clubs to choose from and are encouraged to create organizations that match their interests. The Duke MBA Association, or MBAA, is the student governing body for these organizations. Fuqua offers activity, professional and diversity clubs, such as the MBA Energy Club, the Marketing Club and the Asian Business Club. In addition, many students and faculty, staff and community members meet informally at the student center each Friday for food and conversation at “Fuqua Fridays.”

Fuqua’s student clubs sponsor many conferences and events, ranging from the lauded Heath Care Conference—Fuqua’s largest conference—to the MBA Games, which have engaged top business schools in charitable competitions and supported Special Olympics North Carolina for over 20 years. Hosted by the Black and Latino MBA Organization or BLMBAO, the yearly BLMBAO Leadership Conference addresses topics of business leadership through panels and discussions. Meanwhile, Entrepreneurship at Fuqua, the VC Investment Competition and Entrepreneurship through Acquisition Conference offer perspectives on developments in VC and entrepreneurship.

Campus Spaces

Fuqua lies within the West Campus of Duke University. The cornerstone of Fuqua’s campus is the Fox Student Center, which joins the main wings of the school while also providing spaces such as dining centers and an indoor winter event space. Fuqua’s most recently constructed building is Breeden Hall, which opened its doors in 2008 and includes class and meeting rooms as well as the Ford Library and MBA admissions offices. The school does not offer on-campus graduate housing options. Most MBA students live in the greater Durham area, and those accepted to Fuqua can access Duke’s Community Housing Office for guidance in securing accommodations.

MBA Careers

Career Services

Fuqua’s Career Management Center serves students and alumni through a variety of career resources, including on-campus, regional and virtual workshops as well as on-campus recruiting options. Many of the staff members at the center specialize in different regions, functions and industries and also in advising students of Fuqua’s different MBA programs. The online Recruit@Duke service allows recruiters to directly post openings for Fuqua students in a centralized database of upcoming events and job fairs, employer profiles and more. Fuqua students can also contribute to a Résumé Book compiled by the Career Management Center. On-campus interviews for second-year students formally begin in early October, though networking nights and corporate presentations begin in mid-September.

Career Statistics

Of the 442 graduates in the Class of 2023, 389 were seeking employment. Of those seeking employment, 93% had received job offers within three months of commencement, and 92% had accepted offers by then. The median reported salary was $175,000 with a median signing bonus of $30,000. By industry, consulting was the top draw for 2023 Fuqua graduates; 43% of the class entered the industry. The next most popular industry for Fuqua graduates was financial services at 21%, followed by technology at 17%. Six percent each entered healthcare or consumer goods. By function, consulting also led the pack at 47%. Finance/accounting followed consulting at 21%, and 16% of students entered general management functions. Another 13% took on marketing/sales roles.

Roughly 98% of graduates chose to remain in the U.S. for their post-MBA roles, while the rest accepted positions across the globe. Twenty-one percent of Class of 2023 graduates positions in the Northeast U.S. The West drew 20% of graduates, and the South region hired 18%. The Southwest took in 15% of Fuqua grads while 12 percent settled in the Midwest region.

Financing

Tuition for Fuqua’s daytime MBA costs $75,000 for the 2023-2024 academic year. Fuqua estimates that first-year students of the Class of 2024 will pay $106,735 in total to attend the program for a year, parsing out the cost to include $20,202 in living expenses and $8,533 in fees, insurance and supplies.

Fuqua automatically considers applicants for its range of merit-based scholarships. U.S. citizens and permanent residents can also finance the cost of their MBA through federal or private loans. These applicants must complete the FAFSA to be considered for aid. Finally, international applicants can apply for international student loan programs to gain financial assistance with or without a co-signer.

Cost of Attendance (first year)

  • Tuition: $75,000
  • Living Expenses: $23,202
  • Estimated Educational Supplies: $840
  • Estimated Medical Insurance & Other Fees: $7,693
  • Total: $106,735

Contact

Mailing Address:
Duke University
Fuqua School of Business
100 Fuqua Drive
Durham, NC 27708-0120 USA
Phone: 919-660-7705
Fax: 919-681-8026
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/
Blog: https://blogs.fuqua.duke.edu/duke-mba
Twitter: @DukeFuqua