Student Life & Activities
In addition to academics, students actively participate in a variety of clubs, organizations, and extracurricular activities. Fuqua prides itself on being "student led." Each club and organization has a variety of leadership positions enabling Fuqua students to test and learn some of their new leadership skills learned in the classroom in a more practical environment. These experiences can be personally and professionally rewarding. Fuqua's clubs and organizations are a great way to get to know other students with similar interests or to explore and learn about new opportunities and experiences. While students have to be selective about what activities they get involved in, their extracurricular involvement contributes significantly to the value of their experience here at Fuqua and the success of the school overall.
Fuqua is a more casual place than one might expect. Jeans, shorts, and T-shirts are accepted attire for most daytime lectures and events; suits or business formal attire are expected for evening meetings with recruiters and other formal events. The Fox Student Center has a lower-level changing room area where students can leave their business attire and change in the middle of the day for an upcoming event or interview.
Unique to Fuqua is the class structure, with no classes generally scheduled on Wednesdays. The midweek respite helps provide Fuqua students with some breathing room during the school's rigorous six-week terms, ensuring students have the opportunity to focus on academics (team meetings), professional development and career exploration (with various business and professional symposia), extracurricular activities (club meetings and intramural activities), and dedicated personal time (with family and friends).
Fuqua students reserve long hours for studying, working on team projects, and attending classes. On most Friday evenings when classes are in session, the MBA Association (MBAA) sponsors Fuqua Fridays, the perfect way to celebrate the end of the week. These socials often have themes whereby students and families enjoy socializing with each other, coupled with a variety of free food and beverages for all. After the Fuqua Friday event concludes, many people go out together for dinner and late-night entertainment at various locations throughout the Durham-Chapel Hill area.
Office of Student Life (OSL)
The Daytime MBA Office of Student Life (OSL) works to support and enhance the MBA student experience. We manage orientation, graduation, and the day-to-day stuff in between – including health and wellness programming, academic accommodations, resources for personal and academic obstacles, and support for MBAA and student organizations. We are also a central hub of information, so if you don’t know where to go for something, come to us and we can help you find the right information!
Fuqua-Specific Health and Wellness Resources
MBAA Health and Wellness: Provides a myriad of health and wellness program initiatives for Daytime students including workshops, fitness classes, and other programming.
Student Life Staff for the Daytime MBA Program: Fuqua can be a stressful place and the Office of Student Life (OSL) is committed to supporting students to help them manage what can be a challenging time.
COLE Fellows: These second-year students provide valuable insight and perspective to current first-year students.
CMC Coaches: These staff members are here to help and support students through the overall career process.
Living Accommodations
Most Daytime MBA students live off campus in housing or apartments not owned by the university. However, Duke University has residential facilities in which some graduate and professional students may live. More information is available at registrar.bulletins.duke.edu/life/housing-dining-transportation.
Student Activities
Clubs, Organizations, and Events
Each year, Fuqua daytime students organize a multitude of activities related to their professional and personal interests. Student organizations serve as outlets for creativity and leadership and also encourage camaraderie and social interaction with classmates and between classes. In keeping with the Team Fuqua culture, our first- and second-year MBA students work closely together, with the second-years often taking on a mentoring role.
Many of the student clubs serve as hosts to guest speakers from the business community and jointly organize programs, conferences, and symposia. This creates valuable opportunities for students to broaden their understanding in fields of professional interest.
Duke Cocurricular and Extracurricular Activities
Graduate students at Duke University are welcome to use university recreational facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, and a golf course, and to affiliate with the choral, dance, drama, music, and religious groups. Visit the Duke Recreation website to learn more about all the recreational facilities Duke has to offer.
A full program of cultural, recreational, and religious activities is presented by the Center for Multicultural Affairs, the Duke University Union, as well as recreational clubs. The Duke University Union sponsors a wide range of programs through its committees which are open to all segments of the campus community. Included are touring Broadway shows; rock, jazz, and pop concerts; speakers; films; a filmmaking program; a student-run television station; and art exhibits in two galleries.
The university center complex includes the Bryan Center, which houses the Information Center, Page Auditorium, the University Box Office, two drama theaters, a film theater, lounges, stores, meeting rooms, a game room, an art gallery, and other facilities.
The Duke Event Calendar is a resource for information on a majority of the cocurricular and extracurricular activities across Duke’s campus.
Executive MBA and MSQM Student Leadership
Selected Executive MBA & MSQM students serve as class representatives and liaisons with other departments at Fuqua (admissions, career management, etc.). Collectively they act as intermediaries connecting students, faculty, and administration in both academic and nonacademic matters.
Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG)
The Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) is the representative body for the students of graduate departments and professional schools. The council provides a means of communication between schools and between graduate students and the administration.
Intramural and Recreational Sports
The Duke recreational and intramural programs provide all students with opportunities to participate in some form of healthful, informal, and competitive physical activity. The men’s and women’s intramural programs include many different activities (e.g., bowling, cross-country, golf, handball, horseshoes, table tennis, volleyball, soccer, softball, and track). In addition, special events in other areas of interest are held. Through coeducational intramurals, the student is encouraged to participate on a less competitive level, promoting relaxed social and physical activity. Opportunities for competition between men and women are provided in areas that include "traditional" sports, like flag football, soccer, and basketball, as well as "nontraditional" sports such as spikeball, pickleball, and cornhole, just to name a few!
The university’s varied athletic and recreational facilities and equipment are available for use by students. The facilities for recreation include a golf course, lighted tennis courts, three swimming pools, squash and racquetball courts, three gymnasia, a weight training room, outdoor handball and basketball courts, an archery range, horseshoe pits, an all-weather track, numerous playing fields, jogging and exercise tracks, and informal recreational areas. More than thirty sports clubs dealing with gymnastics, scuba diving, sailing, cycling, crew, riding, fencing, football, frisbee, ice hockey, kayaking, lacrosse, badminton, karate, rugby, soccer, and other activities are available to interested students. For more information, visit the Duke Intramural Sports website.
MBA Student Association (MBAA)
The MBAA serves as a liaison between daytime students, faculty, and administration in both academic and nonacademic matters. The structure of the association includes many standing and ad hoc committees dealing with concerns such as career support, technology and communications, student life and engagement, service and community engagement, sustainability, and social events.
MMS Fellows
The MMS Fellows serve as a liaison between MMS students, faculty, and administration in both academic and nonacademic matters. The structure of the Fellows includes many standing and ad hoc committees dealing with concerns such as career placement, discipline- and industry-specific clubs, admissions, technology, facilities, intramural sports participation, alumni, and social events.
MQM Student Association
The MQM student association (MQMA) serves as a liaison between Master of Science in Quantitative Management: Business Analytics (MQM:BA) students, faculty, and administration in both academic and nonacademic matters. The structure of the association includes many standing and ad hoc committees dealing with concerns such as career placement, discipline- and industry-specific clubs, admissions, technology, facilities, intramural sports participation, alumni, and social events.