Duke University

Duke University, a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States, was founded in 1838. The University is organized into two undergraduate and nine graduate schools. The undergraduate student body comes from all 50 U.S. states and 106 countries. In its 2009 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked the university's undergraduate program 8th among national universities, while ranking the medical, law, and business schools among the top 12 in the country. Duke University is ranked 13th in the 2008 THES - QS World University Rankings. Duke's research expenditures are among the largest 20 in the U.S. Duke is also well known for its sizable campus and Gothic architecture, especially the Duke Chapel. Duke's 8,610 acres (35 km²) contain three contiguous campuses in Durham as well as a marine lab in Beaufort. Duke University's growth and academic focus have contributed to the university's reputation as an academic and research institution. The school has regularly sent three-member teams to the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, earning the title of the best collegiate undergraduate math team in the United States and Canada in 1993, 1996 and 2000. In nine out of the past ten years, Duke's team has finished in the top three, the only school besides Harvard to do so.

Research

Throughout history, Duke researchers have made several important breakthroughs, including the biomedical engineering department's development of the world's first real-time, three-dimensional ultrasound diagnostic system and the first engineered blood vessels. In the mechanical engineering department, Adrian Bejan developed the constructal theory, which explains the shapes that arise in nature. Duke has also pioneered studies involving nonlinear dynamics, chaos, and complex systems in physics. In May 2006, Duke researchers mapped the final human chromosome, which made world news as the Human Genome Project was finally complete. Reports of Duke researchers' involvement in new AIDS vaccine research surfaced in June 2006. The biology department combines two historically strong programs in botany and zoology, while the divinity school's leading theologian is Time's 2001 "America's Best Theologian," Stanley Hauerwas.

Rankings

In the 2009 U.S. News & World Report ranking of undergraduate programs at doctoral granting institutions, Duke ranked 8th (tied with the University of Chicago and Columbia University). In the past decade, U.S. News & World Report has placed Duke as high as 3rd and as low as 8th. Duke was ranked the 13th-best university in the world in 2007 by the THES - QS World University Rankings. The Wall Street Journal ranked Duke 6th (5th among universities) in its "feeder" rankings in 2006, analyzing the percentage of undergraduates that enroll in what it considers the top 5 medical, law, and business schools. In U.S. News & World Report 's "America's Best Graduate Schools 2009," Duke's medical school ranked 6th for research and tied for 41st for primary care, while the law school ranked 10th. In the U.S. News & World Report 's most recent rankings of nursing schools, in 2007, Duke's nursing school tied for 15th. Among business schools in the United States, the Fuqua School of Business was ranked 8th by BusinessWeek in its 2008 latest rankings.

The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University

The Fuqua School of Business (Fuqua) is the business school of Duke University, and is one of the youngest U.S. business schools affiliated with an elite research university. Fuqua, currently ranks #8 in the US, enrolls 1,340 students in degree-seeking programs. These include the Daytime MBA and three Executive MBA degree programs of differing formats. Fuqua is unique in its collaboration with Duke’s other professional schools and offers joint degree program in medicine, law, environmental management, forestry, public policy, and nursing. In addition, Fuqua offers Ph.D. degree program. Additionally, Duke Executive Education and Duke Corporate Education offer non-degree business education and professional development programs. In September 2008, Fuqua launched an expansion initiative to establish campuses in St. Petersburg, Russia; Dubai, UAE; Shanghai, China; New Delhi, India; and London, UK. The network of globally distributed locations will start serving students in August 2009.

The school's faculty is organized into ten disciplines, including Accounting, Decision Sciences, Economics, Finance, Health Sector Management, Management, Management Communication, Marketing, Operations Management, and Strategy. The daytime MBA program offers concentrations in Decision Sciences, Energy and Environment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Finance, Financial Analysis, Leadership and Ethics, Management, Marketing, Operations Management, Social Entrepreneurship, and Strategy.

The Duke Daytime MBA program combines a foundational core of required courses with generous opportunities for students to pursue their interests and broaden their expertise through electives. Study is structured around six-week terms rather than quarters or semesters. Each course meets for two hours and fifteen minutes twice per week. Structuring the program in terms allows students to take more courses. Longer class periods give you as much class time per term as other business schools provide during a semester. Longer class periods also enable faculty to cover complex topics during a single session and offer ample time for simulations, case presentations, questions, and discussion. Additionally, they offer time for meaningful interaction with visiting members of the business community.

Research

The Fuqua School of Business is home to various research centers, including:
- The Fuqua/Coach K Center of Leadership & Ethics (COLE) - COLE was established as a collaboration between Fuqua, Duke Athletics and The Kenan Institute for Ethics to advance leadership through research and education.
- Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) - The center is dedicated to promoting innovative and entrepreneurial approaches to improving social conditions through education and research.
- The Global Capital Markets Center (GCMC) - A joint venture between Fuqua and the Duke University School of Law, the center draws on the expertise of business, law, economics, and public policy faculty to examine issues of securities regulation, international finance and corporate governance.
- The Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) - Duke's CIBER incorporates international content into Fuqua courses, hosts workshops and conferences and promotes international research. It is also the lead research center involved in the Offshoring Research Network, an international network that studies the offshore sourcing of business processes and services.
- Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) - Fuqua created this center in October 2005 to advance scholarship in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation, with the goal of creating one of the top environments for students interested in entrepreneurship. The center provides Duke MBA students an opportunity to combine classroom learning with practical application in entrepreneurship.
- Corporate Sustainability Initiative - The Corporate Sustainability Initiative is a joint venture between Duke's Nicholas School of Environment, Fuqua School of Business, and the Nicholas Institute of Environmental Policy Solutions with a two-fold mission: advance the theory and practice of corporate sustainability, and enable the next generation of sustainable business leaders.
- Center for Finance - The Center for Finance supports excellence in financial research and education at Duke, with particular emphasis on strengthening relationships between faculty, students, and finance professionals.

Joint Degrees - The Duke MBA offers several joint degree programs in conjunction with other highly respected graduate and professional programs at Duke. These programs allow students to earn two degrees in less time than if they pursued the two separately:

• MBA/MD (with the Duke University School of Medicine)
• MBA/JD (with the Duke University School of Law)
• MBA/Master of Environmental Management (with the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences)
• MBA/Master of Forestry (with the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences)
• MBA/Master of Public Policy (with the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy)
• MBA/Master of Science in Nursing (with the Duke University School of Nursing)

Rankings

Daytime MBA:

• 8th in the U.S. (1st within the intellectual capital sub-category) by BusinessWeek in 2008
• 11th in the U.S. and 22nd in the world by the Financial Times in 2009
• 12th in the U.S. by U.S. News and World Report in 2009

• 4th in the U.S. and 17th in the world by the Financial Times in 2008
• 4th in the U.S. by U.S. News and World Report in 2009
• 9th in the U.S. by BusinessWeek in 2008

• 1st in the world by the Financial Times in 2009 for its customized non-degree executive education programs
• 1st in the world by BusinessWeek in 2007 for its customized executive education programs

Blair H. Sheppard, Ph.D.
Dean, The Fuqua School of Business

Blair Sheppard has been a faculty member at The Fuqua School of Business (Fuqua) for 27 years and in that academic role he has reflected, researched and published in the field of organizational behavior.  Nine years ago, Sheppard was granted a leave of absence from Fuqua and he founded an organization called Duke Corporate Education (DukeCE) offering custom education and training to corporations.  In that practioner role, Sheppard consulted with hundreds of companies in over 40 countries. 
 
Time and time again, Sheppard learned of the urgent human capital needs of firms who were facing a critical shortage of executives and managers who were globally competent and  culturally and institutionally savvy to be effective in their global business context.  In addition, he heard of the need for managers to not only have functional competencies, but also an understanding of running a sustainable business with all of the accompany issues affecting customer, employees, and the environment. 

Two years ago, Duke University’s Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Sheppard as Dean of The Fuqua School of Business.  He returned to the academic environment with thoughts of programs that will better meet the needs of the global market.  The deanship has provided Sheppard the opportunity to lead Fuqua’s faculty and staff in developing the first globally distributed business school offering the first truly global MBA degree for the business leader of the 21st Century.