UVA Darden Expands Curriculum With New and Innovative Courses

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business is introducing a diverse set of new courses for the 2025–26 academic year, designed to prepare students to lead in an increasingly dynamic and complex world.

From artificial intelligence and other disruptive technologies to timeless wisdom from Confucius and lessons from Alexander Hamilton, these new courses reflect Darden’s commitment to combining cutting-edge thinking with enduring leadership principles.

Highlights of the new offerings include:

Artificial Intelligence for Customer Growth

Taught in the Marketing area, this course equips future business leaders with the tools to harness AI for customer acquisition, engagement and retention. Students will explore how advanced AI methods can transform traditional approaches through rapid experimentation, real-time optimization and hyper-personalized campaigns.

The Analects: Timeless Wisdom, Confucian Thoughts Becoming Global Strategist

Drawing from the deep traditions of Confucian philosophy, this course explores personal ethics in leadership, cross-cultural negotiations and sustainable development. Students will apply classical concepts to modern business challenges, developing a framework for ethical and effective global leadership.

Disruptive Innovation: Winning in New Markets and Product Categories

This course examines how companies succeed—or fail—when entering new-to-the-world markets. Students will learn to identify patterns of innovation and organizational behavior that determine whether strategies thrive in uncertain market conditions.

Alexander Hamilton: Lessons in Management, Strategy and Leadership

Building on the legacy of one of America’s most influential historical figures, this course explores Hamilton’s career and contributions through the lenses of finance, leadership, political economy and strategy. Students will gain insights into the intersection of history and management practice.

Foundations of Business Ethics II

Continuing the discussions from Foundations of Business Ethics I, this doctoral-level course delves into the philosophy of science, social science and economics as they relate to business ethics. Students will engage with current, cutting-edge debates in the discipline.

Foundations of Business Strategy

Designed primarily for PhD students, this course introduces the foundational works in economics, sociology and political economy that shape the study of business strategy. It provides the theoretical underpinnings for academic research in the field.

Entrepreneurship Classics

Students will engage deeply with the seminal works of entrepreneurship, learning to approach research as producers of knowledge. The course emphasizes developing complex arguments and contributing to impactful intellectual conversations in the field.

DREAM (Designing Research in Entrepreneurship As Method)

This doctoral course provides hands-on practice with diverse research design approaches, from surveys and interviews to experience sampling and conjoint analysis, helping students actively craft and test research frameworks.

In addition to these courses, Darden introduced several new electives and seminars, including ETA Velocity, Energy Finance, Leading Corporate Innovation and Let’s Ponder That, further expanding opportunities for students to customize their learning.