Named after Colgate Whitehead Darden, Jr., one,time Virginia governor and University of Virginia president, the Darden School of Business Administration specializes in general management. Darden is known for its strict adherence to the Harvard Case Method of instruction, unusual for a business school curriculum (that isn't Harvard, of course), which it supplements with small group sessions.

First-year MBA students are split into cohorts of about 60 students to complete their core classes, and start taking electives in their second semester to prepare for their summer internships. In second year of the program, students take five electives each quarter. Darden doesn't run any formal concentration programs, instead letting students shape the course of their degree through career-based electives in areas like supply chain management or business-to-business marketing. Darden also collaborates with other graduate programs at UVA to administer five joint degrees, such as a JD/MBA and MBA/MA in government or foreign affairs.

Darden's graduate placement concentrates in consulting and investment banking, with pockets of alumni in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. While still in school, students enjoy a high quality of life. The Charlottesville campus is famously picturesque, surrounded by a small and largely affluent community and UVA's large undergraduate population means that there's lots of campus activity. Darden also hosts events specifically for MBA students throughout the year, including networking events, football tailgates and other get-togethers.