UVA Darden Launches Summer Leadership Program for Undergraduate Students
By Caroline Mackey
What does it feel like to step into a Darden MBA classroom? This summer, undergraduate students can find out.
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business is launching a new summer program designed to give undergraduate students an immersive introduction to MBA-style learning.
The UVA Darden Summer Leadership Program, taking place June 1–5, 2026, at UVA’s Fairfax campus, offers a week-long, in-person experience focused on building practical leadership, strategic thinking and decision-making skills.
Designed for undergraduate students who have completed at least one year of college, the program brings participants into the Darden classroom through case discussions, simulations and team-based exercises, offering a preview of the rigor and collaborative learning environment of a world-class MBA program.
The program will be taught by Darden faculty, including Luca Cian, Tim Laseter, Anna McKean, Meghan Murray and Chris Parker, bringing a range of expertise across strategy, leadership and decision-making.
“This program gives undergraduate student leaders the opportunity to experience how we teach leadership, strategy and decision-making,” said Cian.
Participants will explore topics, including strategic problem-solving, financial decision-making, marketing strategy and leadership communication, while building skills they can apply in college and throughout their future careers.
The program is part of UVA Darden’s broader effort to engage future leaders earlier in their academic journeys and expand access to its case method approach.
Applications are currently open. Learn more about the program here.
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (Full-Time MBA, Part-Time MBA, Executive 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 20,000 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
