DURHAM, NC—Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business will increase the size of its daytime MBA student body by almost 20 percent beginning with the first-year class entering in August 2003, Dean Douglas T. Breeden announced Thursday.

“In recent years the number and quality of our applicants have increased substantially. After a great deal of thought and study, we believe that we should respond to this increased demand,” Breeden said. “Our key goal in the coming years is to increase the size of our faculty to about 95 by 2005. The growth of our daytime MBA program will help support this growth."

With this student expansion, the total daytime student body will increase from 680 to approximately 800 by 2004. “Even with this expansion, we will remain smaller than many of our competing schools,” Breeden said. At this size, we should be able to grow without harming the quality of the program or the collegial and team-oriented environment."

Breeden also pointed to the new $27 million Fox Student Center as facilitating the increase in class size. “We now have 30 percent more space to accommodate these new students,” he said. The building was dedicated during Fuqua’s Board of Visitors meeting Nov. 1. "The larger class will make Fuqua more attractive to recruiters and help us build a larger global network of alumni over time," he said.

Breeden said he will work closely with faculty, students, and staff in the coming months to make the transition go smoothly. “We are committed to growing not only in size but also in quality as we maintain our place among the very best,” he said. “There is no doubt that we can maintain the special culture here of collaboration and innovation that makes Fuqua special.”

Founded in 1969, Fuqua has four MBA programs—the daytime program plus The Duke MBA—Cross Continent, The Duke MBA—Global Executive, and The Duke MBA—Weekend Executive. In addition, Fuqua offers an array of non-degree executive education courses for business leaders from around the world.

December 19, 2002


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