ACCELERATED DAYTIME: Program Format
Program Format - Accelerated Daytime MBA
Fast. Focused. Future oriented.
The Fuqua difference starts with the structure of our Accelerated Daytime MBA program. Here, you’ll find opportunities to learn and grow by going outside your comfort zone—exploring classes and experiences that help you take initiative, push your limits, and develop the many different skills you’ll need for long-term career success.
Getting started
Your journey begins with an intense month of orientation and immersion in a rigorous, hands-on program of three courses that emphasize leading and managing in an uncertain world. It’s designed to broaden your perspective, challenge the ways you think, and prepare you to maximize your year of study.
The remainder of the academic year is organized into four 6-week terms of MBA classes that each meet twice a week for 2 hours and 15 minutes. The term structure allows you to take a wide variety of electives, which can better prepare you for the next step in your career.
Team up
All Accelerated MBA students are assigned to a team of five to six peers with whom they will complete group projects for various courses. Your team will be hand-picked to allow you to learn from people who look, think, and work differently from you. You’ll learn to draw on each team member’s strengths and move the group toward a common purpose.
Our Learning Environment
Our Faculty
All of our degree programs are taught by Fuqua’s top-ranked faculty, who are recognized for excellence in teaching and industry-shaping research. The courses they teach are academically challenging and relevant to the business world today. Despite world-class credentials, our faculty is highly accessible—they emphasize an open-door policy that encourages both collaboration with students and interdisciplinary thinking. Often, these teachers become your mentors for life.
Our Teaching Methods
Fuqua’s professors use lectures, cases studies, strategic games, simulations, visiting executives, and their own research to create a dynamic learning experience that pushes you to think and work in new and different ways. Net result? You get a deep and broad understanding of current business topics.
Making Theory Real
1. Case Studies
Case studies are real examples of corporate challenges that give you the opportunity to put theory to work. You gain industry knowledge and an appreciation for the management, operations, and leadership challenges that companies face every day.
2. Strategic Games
We've all played games before, but in an MBA classroom they take on a whole new meaning. Fuqua teaches you to recognize patterns and understand the basic nature of games. You’ll learn to identify what is happening around you and that you’re part of, so you can see the big picture, your options, and possible outcomes.
3. Realistic Simulations
The use of sophisticated business simulation teaches you how to run a company in a realistic business environment. You’ll get hands-on experience that goes way beyond what you’d learn in a textbook.
4. Research Centers
Our research centers are vital links between academic inquiry and real-world business. They create insights, dialogue, and curricula that change the course of business and enrich the student experience. Each research center draws on faculty from across Fuqua's academic areas, experienced practitioners, and students to address current business problems.
Program Structure
In ten months, Accelerated Daytime MBA students complete a combination of required and elective courses. Some course titles are subject to change.
Orientation (3 days)
Summer (4 weeks)
Entrepreneurial Action and Mindset (required)
Leading Business in a Complex World (required)
Software Tools for Analytics (required)
CLEAD 1 (required)
Fall 1 (6 weeks)
Electives (3-4)
Fall 2 (6 weeks)
Electives (3-4)
Winter
Optional elective workshop in Managerial Improvisation
Spring 1 (6 weeks)
Electives (3)
Spring 2 (6 weeks)
Business and Common Purpose in a World of Differences (required)
Electives (3)
2025-2026 Accelerated Daytime MBA Academic Calendar
Print Calendar
2025-2026 Accelerated Daytime MBA Academic Calendar
Month
Date
Event
July 2025
July 2025
7 - 18
Business, Communications, and Culture Program [optional, unless required by Admissions]
11
Software Tools for Analytics course opens, Online Modules [mandatory], first day of classes
20 - 25
Health Sector Management (HSM) Boot Camp
[required for HSM Certificate]
28
Duke I&E Innovators' Spark
[optional]
29
International Student Welcome Day
July - August 2025
July - August 2025
30 - 1
First Year Accelerated MBA Student (Class of 2026) Orientation
31
First Day of Classes (Leading Business in a Complex World) for First-Year Accelerated MBA Students
31 - 25
First Year Accelerated MBA Student Classes [no classes on weekends]
August 2025
August 2025
27 - 28
Class of 2026 C-Lead Course
26 - 29
First Year Accelerated MBA Student Exams
29
Pre-Term Accounting Review — 1pm - 5pm [optional]
September 2025
September 2025
Labor Day (no classes)
Pre-Term Accounting Review — 1pm - 5pm [optional]
2 - 3
Career Management Center Programming
FALL 1 SESSION BEGINS
October 2025
October 2025
14
Fall 1 Session Ends
16 - 18
Fall 1 Exams
19 - 26
FALL BREAK
27
FALL 2 SESSION BEGINS
November 2025
November 2025
26 - 28
THANKSGIVING BREAK
December 2025
December 2025
Fall 2 Session Ends
11 - 13
Fall 2 Exams
14
WINTER BREAK BEGINS
January 2026
January 2026
5 - 9
Managerial Improvisation Course (optional Winter Term)
15
SPRING 1 SESSION BEGINS
19
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday (no classes)
20
M/Th classes held on Tuesday
21
T/Fr classes held on Wednesday
February 2026
February 2026
24
Spring 1 Session Ends
26 - 28
Spring 1 Exams
March 2026
March 2026
1 - 15
SPRING BREAK
16
SPRING 2 SESSION BEGINS
April 2026
April 2026
24
Spring 2 Session Ends
27 - 29
Spring 2 Exams
May 2026
May 2026
Class of 2026 Daytime MBA Commencement Ceremony
10
Class of 2026 Duke-wide Commencement Ceremony
2026-2027 Accelerated Daytime MBA Academic Calendar
Print Calendar
2026-2027 Accelerated Daytime MBA Academic Calendar
Month
Date
Event
July 2026
July 2026
6 - 17
Business, Communications, and Culture Program [optional, unless required by Admissions]
10
Software Tools for Analytics course opens, Online Modules [mandatory], first day of classes
19 - 24
Health Sector Management (HSM) Boot Camp
[required for HSM Certificate]
27
Duke I&E Innovators' Spark
[optional]
28
International Student Welcome Day
29 - 31
First Year Accelerated MBA Student (Class of 2027) Orientation
30
First Day of Classes (Leading Business in a Complex World) for First-Year Accelerated MBA Students
July - August 2026
July - August 2026
30 - 24
First Year Accelerated MBA Student Classes [no classes on weekends]
August 2026
August 2026
26 - 27
Class of 2027 Second C-Lead 2 Course
25 - 28
First Year Accelerated MBA Student Exams
September 2026
September 2026
1 - 2
Pre-Term Accounting Review — 1pm - 5pm [optional]
1 - 2
Career Management Center Programming
FALL 1 SESSION BEGINS
Labor Day (no classes)
M/Th classes held on Tuesday
T/Fr classes held on Wednesday
October 2026
October 2026
13
Fall 1 Session Ends
15 - 17
Fall 1 Exams
18 - 25
FALL BREAK
26
FALL 2 SESSION BEGINS
November 2026
November 2026
25 - 27
THANKSGIVING BREAK
December 2026
December 2026
Fall 2 Session Ends
10 - 12
Fall 2 Exams
13
WINTER BREAK BEGINS
January 2027
January 2027
4 - 8
Managerial Improvisation Course (optional Winter Term)
14
SPRING 1 SESSION BEGINS
18
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday (no classes)
19
M/Th classes held on Tuesday
20
T/Fr classes held on Wednesday
February 2027
February 2027
23
Spring 1 Session Ends
25 - 27
Spring 1 Exams
February - March 2027
February - March 2027
28 - 14
SPRING BREAK
March 2027
March 2027
15
SPRING 2 SESSION BEGINS
April 2027
April 2027
23
Spring 2 Session Ends
26 - 28
Spring 2 Exams
May 2027
May 2027
Class of 2027 Daytime MBA Commencement Ceremony
Class of 2027 Duke-wide Commencement Ceremony
Program quick facts Accelerated Daytime MBA
Accelerated Daytime MBA Quick Facts
Start Date:
August 2025
Duration:
10 Months
Location:
Durham, NC
Style:
Cohort-based
Curriculum:
General management, plus 15 concentrations and two certificates
Elective Options:
100+
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Explore This Program
Program Format
Team up in 6-week terms.
about Program Format
Curriculum
Design your own experience from 100+ electives.
about Curriculum
Concentrations + Certificates
Enhance your skills in a focus area.
about Concentrations & Certificates
Global Opportunities
Get outside your comfort zone by exploring a new culture.
about Global Opportunities
Experiential Learning
Develop your abilities beyond the classroom.
about Experiential Learning
Career Development
Leverage our resources to power your job search.
about Career Development
Program Location
Enjoy one of the nation’s most exciting—and livable—cities.
about Program Location
Facts + Dates
Here's what you need to get started.
about Admissions Facts + Dates
Application Instructions
We want to hear your story.
about Application Instructions
Admissions Events
Learn about Fuqua in person or online.
about Events
Cohort Profile
See a snapshot of a typical class cohort.
about the Cohort Profile
Tuition + Costs
Determine your investment.
about Tuition + Costs
Financing Your Degree
Learn how to fund the program.
about Financing Your Degree