UVA Darden Expands Offerings with New Courses
By Caroline Mackey
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business is introducing a range of new courses for the 2024-25 academic year, designed to equip students with essential skills to thrive in a rapidly evolving world. Covering topics from economic uncertainty and private equity to responsible use of AI and venture capital finance, these courses aim to empower future business leaders with the insights needed to excel in complex environments.
New course offerings this year include:
“Managing Economic Uncertainty”
Taught by Professor Bo Sun in the Global Financial Markets department, this course provides students with the analytical tools and strategic frameworks to navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing economic landscape. By examining key issues like geopolitical risks, supply chain disruptions and policy shifts, the course equips students to effectively manage uncertainty and turn challenges into opportunities for competitive advantage.
“Private Equity”
Taught by Professor Elena Loutskina in the Finance department, this course provides an in-depth exploration of the private equity industry, focusing on the investment phase and the financial intricacies of deal-making. The course equips students with the analytical tools to evaluate investment strategies, company valuations, and the performance of private equity funds, while also examining the roles and dynamics between limited partners, general partners and portfolio companies.
“Venture Capital Finance”
Taught by Professor Rus Abuzov in the Finance department, this course focuses on applying financial methods to evaluate early-stage companies, guiding managers in making informed investment and financing decisions within the entrepreneurial landscape. Covering the full venture lifecycle from startup financing to exit strategies, the course explores sources of capital, company valuation, deal structuring and the institutional dynamics of venture capital within the broader private equity industry. Students will gain insights into venture capital operations, investment decision-making, fund economics, and the use of various financing instruments and exit scenarios.
“Minds and Machines: Flourishing in the Age of AI”
Taught by Professor Roshni Raveendhran in the Leadership and Organizational Behavior department, this course explores the intersection of human psychology and artificial intelligence, equipping future leaders to harness AI for positive impact. The course examines how AI influences human attitudes, cognition, and behavior, while emphasizing the responsible integration of AI to enhance productivity, well-being and ethical leadership in organizations and society.
Darden also welcomed 8 new faculty members ahead of the 2024-25 academic year.
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.) and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact. Darden’s top-ranked faculty, renowned for teaching excellence, inspires and shapes modern business leadership worldwide through research, thought leadership and business publishing. Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area and a global community that includes 18,000 alumni in 90 countries. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Press Contact
Molly Mitchell
Senior Associate Director, Editorial and Media Relations
Darden School of Business
University of Virginia
MitchellM@darden.virginia.edu
