Few sectors in society provide the reach that schools have into, quite literally, millions of lives. But reach does not always translate into impact because the challenges that education organizations around the world face are profound. Darden’s MBAM.Ed program is designed to address these problems by preparing the next generation of business and education leaders.
Together, the UVA School of Education and Human Development and the Darden School of Business offer a MBAM.Ed degree that is designed to prepare creative, principled, and practical leaders—those who will create education innovations in the United States and around the world. Dual-degree graduates combine a deep knowledge of education with rigorous training in management, operations, and strategy, and they use this expertise to improve education effectiveness, lead change in education policy, direct school operations, start ventures as education entrepreneurs, and more.
The length of study is two years, including summer coursework, in-persononline courses while at Darden, and internships. Students begin their studies at the School of Education and Human Development during the summer prior to the start of Darden’s MBA program, or may begin during their fall semester. Students join a cohort of MBAM.Ed peers who complete coursework together, collaborate on innovative projects, and participate in an Emerging Trends in Education speaker series and other education-focused events.
Today, dozens of graduates of UVA’s MBAM.Ed dual degree program work in a variety of roles at the intersection of business and education. These roles span educational leadership, consulting, entrepreneurship, education technology, instructional design, and management. For example, recent alumni have gone on to lead change through their roles in:
School districts and charter management organizations such as UP Education and YES Prep Public Schools
Public sector consulting and management consulting firms such as Bain & Company, Bellwether Education Partners, Accenture, EY-Parthenon and the Boston Consulting Group
Education and technology companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Thinkful, and MURAL
