McDonough School of Business

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Updated September 28, 2021
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McDonough School of Business

Investopedia / Laura Porter

What Is McDonough School of Business?

McDonough School of Business is the business school of Georgetown University. Founded in 1957 and located in Washington, D.C., the school offers both undergraduate and graduate programs.

The McDonough School of Business is known for its emphasis on international business and organizational leadership. Its Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is routinely ranked among the 40 best programs in the world by leading publications such as Business Insider, the Economist, and the Financial Times.

Key Takeaways

  • McDonough School of Business is a business school located at Georgetown University.
  • In addition to its MBA program, it offers several joint-degree programs in areas such as medicine, law, and public policy.
  • In recent years, McDonough School of Business’s MBA graduates have primarily pursued careers in the financial services, management consulting, and technology sectors.

How McDonough School of Business Works

Previously known as the Georgetown University School of Business Administration, the McDonough School of Business received its current name in 1998, following a $30 million donation by the entrepreneur and philanthropist, Robert Emmett McDonough. Today, McDonough School of Business is home to over 2,000 students spread across their undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as over 100 faculty members.

The McDonough School of Business’s programs include undergraduate majors in core business school subjects such as accounting, finance, and marketing. Additionally, the school also offers a mandatory liberal arts curriculum which includes subjects such as calculus, business writing, philosophy, and ethics. The school also operates a “Study Abroad” program in which they partner with leading international institutions such as ESADE Business School and the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.

At the graduate level, McDonough School of Business offers a range of MBA and postgraduate programs. In addition to the full-time MBA program, which lasts 21 months, the school also offers joint degree programs. Through these programs, students can combine their MBA with advanced degrees in law, medicine, public policy, and even foreign service.

Real World Example of McDonough School of Business

In 2019, the McDonough School of Business’s full-time MBA program was rated as the 17th-best program in the United States by the Financial Times. It received similar ratings from Businessweek and US News, who rated it as the country’s 19th and 25th-best programs, respectively.

With annual tuition of roughly $60,000, McDonough School of Business MBA grads saw an average starting salary of nearly $125,000 in 2019, of which 95% received their offers within 3 months of graduation. In recent years, these grads have found employment principally in the financial services, technology, and management consulting sectors; with Amazon (AMZN), Bank of America (BAC), and Deloitte being among their largest individual employers.

Article Sources
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  1. Georgetown University. "About the McDonough School of Business." Accessed Feb. 5, 2021.

  2. Georgetown University. "Georgetown McDonough Rankings." Accessed Feb. 5, 2021.

  3. Georgetown University. "History." Accessed Feb. 5, 2021.

  4. Georgetown University. "Undergraduate Curriculum." Accessed Feb. 5, 2021.

  5. Georgetown University. "Signature Global Programs in Barcelona, Oxford, and the Asia Pacific." Accessed Feb. 5, 2021.

  6. Georgetown University. "MBA Dual-Degree Programs." Accessed Feb. 5, 2021.

  7. Georgetown University. "Full-Time and Flex MBA," Page 8. Accessed Feb. 5, 2021.

  8. Georgetown University. "Full-time MBA Program Cost." Accessed Mar. 24, 2021.

  9. Georgetown University. "ROI by the Numbers: 2019 MBA Graduates Set Career Placement Records." Accessed Feb. 5, 2021.