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The Duke MBA application is to be completed online and submitted electronically once all of the required questions have been answered. You do not have to complete the online application in one sitting. Until you are ready to submit, you may access your application and edit your answers as many times as you like with your PIN and password from any computer with Internet access.

The online application includes sections on personal information and program information. The program information section includes questions if you are applying to one of the joint degree programs or the Health Sector Management concentration. In addition to these sections, the application asks for education background, transcripts, employment history, a business resume, activities and achievements, self-reported test scores, and essays.

Interview

Interviews are not required, but are strongly encouraged for all candidates. Interviews are conducted by admissions staff, alumni, and admissions fellows (select second-year MBA students). All candidates are encouraged to come to campus for an interview. Applicants living outside of the United States and in select cities on the west coast of the U.S. have the option to request an alumni interview. All interviews are evaluated equally regardless of location or interviewer.

All campus interviews are scheduled through our online scheduling system, and can be scheduled prior to submitting your application.

To request an alumni interview, you must request the alumni interview and location on the online application. Once we receive your application, we will review the applications and invite applicants to interview. You will receive an e-mail regarding your interview request status. Please allow two weeks from the application deadline date to receive this message. Alumni interviews are based on the availability of alumni. The U.S. cities and international countries where alumni interviews are currently offered are subject to change.

Resume

You must electronically submit a one-page business resume. The resume should contain employment and education background. The employment section should include locations, titles, and dates, starting with your most recent job. The education section should include dates of attendance and degrees received.

Essays for Fall 2009 Entry

Three short-answer questions and one long essay question must be completed before submitting your application. Prepare your essays carefully. The Admissions Committee considers your responses to the following questions important in the selection process. Please respond fully and concisely using 1.5 line spacing.

For the short-answer questions, please restrict your responses to a single page each. For the long essay question, please restrict your response to two pages. Please avoid using a font size smaller than 10-point.

Candidates who applied to The Duke MBA between September 2007 and April 2008 are considered reapplicants. All reapplicants are required to complete the Reapplicant Essay in addition to the Applicant Essays.

All applicants have the opportunity to submit an optional essay to explain any extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware.

Applicant Essays

Short-Answer Essays: Answer all short answer essay questions.

1. What do you hope to gain from The Duke MBA? How does it fit into your short- and long-term goals? If you are interested in a joint degree or the Health Sector Management program, please note that in this response.
2. How will you contribute to the overall experience of your peers at The Fuqua School of Business?
3. Discuss a person, event, or experience that has significantly shaped your life and explain why. Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are rather than what you have achieved professionally.

Long Essay: Answer the long essay question below.

Today, companies must navigate through complex and interdependent issues. They must deal with health and security matters, environmental impact questions, and diversity and cultural concerns. Leaders need adaptability, imagination, and emotional intelligence as well as business acumen.

Upon graduation with your Duke MBA, you will be a leader of consequence, able to deal simultaneously with complex matters and engage skillfully with colleagues, clients, and community. What impact do you hope to have as a leader of consequence?

Optional Essay (not required)

If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application).

Reapplicant Essay

All reapplicants also are required to complete the Reapplicant Essay that follows. Please limit your response to two pages:

Write an essay describing how you are now a stronger candidate for admission compared to the application you submitted the previous year.

Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)

Official GMAT score reports must be sent to Fuqua’s Office of Admissions directly from the GMAT testing service. Please use The Duke MBA - Daytime (full-time) program code Q13-N5-32 on your GMAT exam. You must request that your official score be sent to Fuqua prior to your application round deadline. We will accept GMAT scores up to five years old. However, we will keep official scores sent to Fuqua for one academic year. If you have taken the GMAT multiple times, please report your highest score. For information on how to register for the GMAT or to request scores sent to Fuqua, visit www.mba.com .

English Language Proficiency Tests

If you did not earn an undergraduate degree from a school whose primary language of instruction is English, you must submit a valid Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score. This requirement is waived for international applicants holding non-technical master’s degrees or a PhD from colleges or universities inside the United States, or for international students whose undergraduate institution was instructed in English.

TOEFL Scores

Official TOEFL score reports must be sent to Fuqua’s Office of Admissions directly from Educational Testing Service (ETS). Please use The Duke MBA Daytime (full-time) program code 5156 on your TOEFL exam. We will accept TOEFL scores that are up to two years old. A score must be valid as of the application deadline for the round in which you apply. The test must be taken at least one month before your application round deadline. Allow at least four weeks for scores to reach Fuqua. For information on how to register for the TOEFL or to request test scores, go to www.toefl.org .

IELTS Scores

The Duke MBA accepts the academic modules of the IELTS. Scores must be sent directly from the testing agency; personal copies or attested/notarized copies are not accepted. When requesting that your score be sent to Fuqua, please use the following mailing address:

The Duke MBA Office of Admissions
The Fuqua School of Business
Duke University
1 Towerview Drive
Durham, NC 27708-0104

We will accept IELTS scores that are up to two years old. A score must be valid as of the application deadline for the round in which you are applying. The test must be taken at least one month before your application round deadline. Allow at least four weeks for scores to reach Fuqua. The IELTS is administered by Cambridge ESOL, British Council, and IDP:IELTS Australia. More information about the test is available at www.ielts.org .

Transcripts

Your application for admission to The Duke MBA must include a legible, scanned copy of your official transcript(s) that can be uploaded to the online application form. Self-reported transcripts are not acceptable with the online application. You should submit scanned transcripts for each college or university you have attended. Hard copies of official transcripts will not be accepted prior to an offer of admission.

If you are admitted to The Duke MBA, you are required to submit a hard copy official transcript in a sealed envelope from each college or university you have attended for verification. These copies are in conjunction with your tuition deposit on the deadline specified in the When to Apply tab, above. You must ensure that all necessary official transcripts are received by The Duke MBA Office of Admissions before the required deadline. We recommend you use a parcel service that offers tracking and proof of delivery to send your packet containing your transcript(s) and tuition deposit.

Failure to submit official transcripts on time, or any misrepresentation, falsification, or omission of information, is grounds for automatic revocation of any offer of admission and financial assistance.

To facilitate the collection and submission of official transcripts, a Transcript Request Form has been provided in the downloadable forms section of the online application. To request official transcripts, you may send completed Transcript Request Forms to the registrar of each college or university you have attended. Although the Transcript Request Form is not a required part of the application, it is provided to assist applicants in obtaining required information. We must receive the official transcripts by the stated deadline.

Two Recommendations

We require two letters of recommendation. The most valuable recommendations come from people who know your professional skills and abilities. We encourage you to submit at least one recommendation from someone who knows you well in your current position and can critique your professional performance, such as a current supervisor. Please note that an application is not considered complete until we have received both recommendations. You are required to utilize the online Recommendation Forms associated with the online application.

Non-refundable Application Fee

The Fuqua School of Business requires a $200 USD application fee, payable by VISA or MasterCard. The application fee is paid electronically when you submit the online application form.

Application Deadlines for Fall 2009 Entry

*The Duke MBA Early Action option is ideal for applicants who have completed their MBA research and have decided that The Duke MBA is the best program for them. Applicants admitted in the Early Action round must submit the non-refundable $3000 tuition deposit along with official transcript(s) by December 12, 2008. In addition, any applications submitted to other schools must be withdrawn upon an offer of admission from The Duke MBA.

**Scholarship and Visa Recipients must deposit by April 7, 2009

Interview Deadlines for Fall 2009 Entry

In seeking admission to The Duke MBA - Daytime program, it would be beneficial to bear in mind the following:

Fuqua admits applicants with a range of GMAT scores. There is no minimum requirement. However, if you feel that you have not scored your personal best, or that the results are not representative of your ability, you may re-take the exam. However, the test must be taken before you submit your application.

The GMAT is important in the evaluation process, but it is not the only indicator of achievement. Other important aspects of the application that are assessed by the admissions committee include your academic performance, work experience, recommendations, and essays.

Essays are an opportunity to share your perspective directly with the admissions committee. The goal of our essays is to gain a greater understanding of why you want to pursue an MBA, what you will bring to Duke, in addition to the experiences that have shaped your unique perspective.

To graduate, The Duke MBA - Daytime program requires at least 79 credit hours for regular Daytime students and at least 65 credit hours for joint-degree students.

If you did not take a calculus course as an undergraduate student, you may take it at any accredited college or university. It must be a “for credit” course in which you earn a passing grade. You may take the course during the spring/summer after being admitted into our MBA program. The requirement must be satisfied prior to matriculation in the fall.

We do not require or favor a particular undergraduate major. Students come from a wide range of academic backgrounds.

We will consider any post-undergraduate work experience presented for admission. However, you must articulate the value of that experience as it contributes to the learning environment at The Fuqua School of Business and how the experience has helped you develop leadership and teamwork skills, along with maturity, on professional and personal levels.

A non-refundable $200 application fee must be paid by credit card (VISA or MasterCard). The fee is paid when you submit the application online to the office of admissions. On rare occasions, and on a case-by-case basis, we may choose to waive an application fee. Inquiries stating circumstances surrounding a fee waiver request should be directed to admissions-info@fuqua.duke.edu.