The Fuqua School of Business (pronounced ) is the business school of Duke University, a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. It enrolls more than 1,300 students in degree-seeking programs. Duke Executive Education also offers non-degree business education and professional development programs.

History

Formed in 1969, the Graduate School of Business Administration enrolled its first class of 20 students in 1970. In 1974, Thomas F. Keller, a 1953 Duke graduate, became the graduate school's new dean. In three years, Keller's capital campaign raised $24 million, $10 million of which came from businessman and philanthropist J. B. Fuqua. The graduate school's name was then changed to the Fuqua School of Business. J. B. Fuqua was raised by his grandparents on a tobacco farm in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Fuqua began his relationship with Duke University when he borrowed books by mail from the Duke library. J. B. Fuqua's cumulative giving to Duke was nearly $40 million at the time of his death on April 5, 2006.

Admissions

For the daytime MBA class of 2026, Fuqua had a 19.5% acceptance rate with 3,808 applications received. Approximately 55% of those accepted into the MBA program enrolled to fill a class of 399. The median GMAT score was 720. Fuqua reports an 80% GMAT range of 680–760, with 41% international and 51% female students.

Academics

The school's faculty is organized into ten disciplines, including Accounting, Marketing, Decision Sciences, Economics, Finance, Management, Health Sector Management, Management Communication, Operations Management, and Strategy. While working at Duke University, former Professor Robert E. Whaley developed the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (ticker symbol: VIX), a measure of the implied market volatility. Another notable faculty member is Dan Ariely, an Israeli-American professor of psychology and behavioral economics.

Dual degrees

The Duke MBA offers several dual degree programs in conjunction with other graduate and professional programs at Duke. These programs allow students to earn two degrees in less time than if they pursued the two separately. Dual degrees are offered with Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University School of Law, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Sanford School of Public Policy, and the Duke University School of Nursing.

Careers

Poets&Quants 2024 ranking of MBA compensation indicated that Fuqua ranked 10th in the US for average starting pay (salary and bonus) at a total of $193,557. Additionally, Fuqua's MBA program ranked 8th in the US for the percentage of students who had jobs 3 months after graduating. For the graduating, full-time MBA class of 2019, the top five hiring companies include: McKinsey & Co. (45), Amazon (38), BCG (37), Microsoft (23), Dell (18), and Google (18).

Research centers

Research centers at the Fuqua School of Business further specific academic interests of the business school. Such research centers include:

Buildings

Fuqua School of Business spans several buildings. They include:

Notable alumni