Inaugural Cohort of Part-Time MBA Students Prepare to Graduate

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business announced its Part-Time MBA program in 2021, with school leaders predicting pent-up demand for a flexible format of the Darden MBA in the Washington, D.C., area.

Now, as the first cohort of Part-Time MBA students prepares to graduate in the Class of 2025 in a few days, the predictions have proved accurate, with class enrollment goals being met or exceeded each year and three successive cohorts now making their way through the degree path.

While the program had the built-in advantages of the Darden classroom and curriculum, the successful launch and growth of the program was not a given and depended on sustained effort and ongoing flexibility from all stakeholders. The Darden community committed to building something new — and continuing to make it better.

“Like any new program, there has been a lot to learn,” said Professor Yael Grushka-Cockayne, Darden Vice Dean and senior associate dean for professional degree programs.  “But when I think about what we set out to do, to provide more opportunities for people in the region to experience Darden and to get an MBA, I think we’re accomplishing that tremendously. Most critically, the incredible students in the Part-Time Class of 2025 are exceptional additions to our community.”

A New Path

Part of the Part-Time MBA Class of 2025 on the roof of Sands Family Grounds in Rosslyn, Va.

Prior to the launch of the Part-Time MBA, there might not have been a Darden path for a student like Tarah Scamardella (Class of 2025). After graduating from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., Scamardella stayed in the area and took a role with a consulting firm and then an education technology company, gaining a series of new titles and responsibilities in the financial planning and analysis space as she progressed in her career.

As her finance role began to increasingly include strategy decisions and collaboration with teams across the company, Scamardella felt like she would benefit from additional education to “connect the dots.”

“I was thinking, if I want to be a controller or CFO or COO one day, what’s going to help drive me to that level?” she said.

The answer, Scamardella decided, was an MBA, but one that fit into pre-existing criteria. A top school with a widely recognized and respected program was non-negotiable. Giving up full-time employment for two years was not feasible, and an executive-level program seemed like an imperfect match with her experience.

The new Darden Part-Time MBA, with a mix of in-person and virtual instruction and a pace she would be able to control, and the promise of minimal disruption to her professional life, appeared tailor-made for her needs. Scamardella took the leap and professes no regrets.

“It’s been the perfect mix of people to grow with and learn from,” said Scamardella. “They are some of the smartest and funniest people I’ve ever met in my life. It’s very clear we come from all kinds of different backgrounds, but it seems like we are all growing toward executive level positions together.”

The flexibility of the program, with variable pace and evening, in-person classes on Mondays and Thursdays, fits well into the lives of many Part-Time MBA students, who are, on average, 28 years old. Grushka-Cockayne said the program attracts students advancing in their current career trajectories and “leveraging the idea that they can take a slower-paced, local MBA to work around their schedule — and to really progress and invest in themselves.”

Scamardella, for instance, both married and started a new position at the company MyFitnessPal shortly after starting the program. She’s seen professional impact throughout the program and believes she can continue to put her Darden-facilitated gains into practice.

“It’s on me to show that this MBA did something for me,” said Scamardella. “The value is there, and it’s only going to grow.”

Like other formats of the Darden MBA, career support and development are woven throughout the program. Gopika Spaenle, managing director of professional degree programs for the Darden Career Center, said Part-Time MBA students took advantage of support for career exploration, transition and advancement, including participating in a credit-bearing “Professional Advancement” course, personalized career coaching, recruiting guidance and support, networking events with employers and alumni, and site visits to companies such as Capital One and Microsoft.

As graduation approaches, class data shows that 53 percent of students have made career changes, and about a third of students have focused on accelerating growth within current roles, demonstrating “the Part-Time MBA’s power to facilitate career pivots and drive advancement,” Spaenle said.

“The Career Center’s experienced team is well-positioned to support Part-Time MBA students through their career transitions and journeys — whatever those may look like — drawing on a strong track record of success across all MBA formats,” said Spaenle.

Building Community

While the Part-Time MBA has successfully attracted students since its launch, building a new variant of the Darden community from scratch has been the result of concerted cocreation from faculty, staff and, especially, students.

Before the first cohort of Part-Time MBA students arrived at UVA Darden DC Metro, the level of extracurricular engagement the cohort desired was unknown. In fact, despite busy personal and professional lives, Part-Time MBA students came in and formed a unique community almost immediately, Grushka-Cockayne said, forming clubs and initiatives, and seeking pathways for engagement with both the Executive MBA students in Rosslyn and Full-Time students in Charlottesville.

“They have been totally all-in on getting the Darden and UVA culture and community going,” said Grushka-Cockayne.

Nate Hukill (Class of 2025) served as the inaugural president of Darden Part-Time Student Association (PSA).

Nate Hukill (Class of 2025) is among the students who have taken a leadership role in building the new community. A contract manager at Accenture Federal Services, Hukill said he knew he was joining a new program that wouldn’t be “immediately perfect,” but trusted that a format launched under the Darden name would be a high-quality product.

“I think all of us came in knowing that it might not be a fully polished program, and that there would be enhancements over the years,” said Hukill, who served as the inaugural president of Darden Part-Time Student Association (PSA). “What’s been most exciting has been the extent to which we have been able to identify projects to enhance the academic, social and overall student experience and how effectively we have partnered with program administration to see them through to completion. It is striking to me how highly Darden values student input, and how student-focused this elite program is, in general.”

Hukill said he had never previously held a role in student government, but saw at Darden a unique opportunity to “make a difference in a program I really believed in.”

“We’re leaving the program in a better place because of student feedback and work that we’ve been able to do with the program team, who have been extremely receptive and supportive,” said Hukill, noting “hours and hours” of conversation with Grushka-Cockayne and other program leaders about student needs and potential enhancements to the student experience.

Hukill said the 63 students in the Class of 2025 quickly bonded over the course of the first few months of the program, describing the cohort as a clique-free group that genuinely enjoys spending time with each other outside of the classroom. Hukill is particularly pleased with the launch of two successful winter balls, including the most recent black-tie gala at the Georgetown restaurant and event space Sequoia, which drew more than 200 people, including students and some program leaders.

“Ultimately, I think we created something that will be a flagship tradition for years to come,” he said.

Hukill, who said he sees the growth of the program firsthand at the now-bustling DC Metro Grounds, said he was fully confident Darden was on a trajectory to be a Top 5 Part-Time program in the world.

“The recipe is there,” Hukill said. “The combination of world-class professors, a student-oriented administration, a fantastic campus in Rosslyn, and a highly motivated and globally-diverse student population creates an experience that only Darden can provide.”