Palumbo-Donahue School of Business

Palumbo-Donahue School of Business

Contact

grad-bus@duq.edu
412-396-6276 Administration

Administration

Dean B. McFarlin, Ph.D.  (mcfarlind@duq.edu)
Dean, Palumbo-Donahue School of Business

Karen Russo Donovan, Ph.D.
Sr. Associate Dean, Academic Programs and Executive Education

Risa Kumazawa, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Academic Systems and Accreditation

Gokhan Sonaer, Ph.D. (sonaerg@duq.edu) 
Department Chairperson, Economics and Finance

Akwasi Opoku-Dakwa , Ph.D. (opokudakwaa@duq.edu)
Department Chairperson, Management and Marketing

William Spangler, Ph.D.  (spangler@duq.edu)
Department Chairperson, Accounting, Information Systems and Technology and Supply Chain Management

History

The Palumbo-Donahue School of Business was established in 1913 as the School of Accounts and Finance. In 1931, the name was changed to the School of Business Administration to reflect the expansion of course offerings and growing professional stature in the education community. With programs dating from the founding of the School in 1913, the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business has continued to develop, broaden and adapt its curriculum since 1957. The School earned accreditation in 1962 by the premier business school accrediting agency, AACSB International- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. About five percent of business schools worldwide have achieved the AACSB distinction, and Duquesne has maintained it proudly for more than 60 years.

The Palumbo-Donahue School of Business has a long history of strong ties to local business leaders. Following a generous endowment in 1991 by Antonio J. Palumbo, an accomplished business professional, the School adopted his name for its undergraduate programs. In 1999, the graduate School was named in honor of a highly successful entrepreneur, John F. Donahue, who established an impeccable reputation for integrity, wisdom and hard work. Donahue, a former World War II bomber pilot, founded Federated Investors in 1955. By the early 1980s, Federated became the country's second largest fund operator. Donahue previously served as the firm's chairman and chief executive officer.

Vision Statement

Become A Premier Business School With Distinctive Excellence...We aspire to be recognized as a global leader in business education for impactful scholarship and engaging, distinctive programs and experiences that transform students' lives in a Catholic, Spiritan tradition and provide innovative solutions for communities, organizations, and the world.

Mission Statement

Provide Transformative Education in a Spiritan Tradition... We develop ethical business professionals who understand the global marketplace and serve others by leading with integrity to transform their communities, organizations, and society. Toward this end, we engage our students, alumni, and business partners with passionate faculty members who create impactful scholarship and innovative educational experiences that connect theory to practice.

Our Values

The Business of Difference Making - 7 Principles that Drive Us Forward...

• Respect for the world.  Our business perspective is shaped by the Spiritan emphasis on respect for the world and the pursuit of good environmental stewardship and social justice in doing so.  That perspective also recognizes the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals and includes our commitment to creating an inclusive culture of respect, fairness and equality.
• Ethics and integrity.  Ethics and integrity are essential characteristics of high-performing organizations over the long term. We want our faculty, staff and students to be guided by the highest principles of honesty, fairness, accountability, transparency, and moral courage.
• Student-centered.  Everything we do is about putting students first. We have a relentless focus on giving students high quality learning and developmental opportunities that shape their ability to make a difference. Put simply, we are in the business of difference making for students.
• Scholarship that matters.  We embrace impactful scholarship whether it involves discipline-based research that creates new knowledge, applied research that shapes business practice, or pedagogical research that helps improve teaching effectiveness.
• Practical wisdom.  Business education is no longer just about knowledge acquisition. Instead, students need transformational experiences that show employers and others what they can do with knowledge. Instilling practical wisdom is what helps turn students into difference makers.
• Change and innovation.  Business today is rapidly changing and our competitors aren't standing still. We embrace change and monitor trends in business education to measure ourselves against external benchmarks as well as by who our students become with the aim of creating innovative programs.
• Collaborative boundary-spanning.  Our students need to understand and embrace cultural differences since today's business environment is increasingly and unmistakably global. Indeed, today's work world is filled with cross-functional teams and fluid boundaries across disciplines, organizations, communities, and cultures.

We add value for the greater good of our stakeholders by creating an environment of support for the intellectual pursuits of our faculty, a commitment to excellence in teaching, community outreach, and service.

Graduate School of Business Philosophy

The Palumbo-Donahue School of Business at Duquesne University prepares students to make a difference. Our approach to business education is based on a philosophy that responsible, ethical leadership in business creates a better society for all. The School balances its distinguished history with a focus on the future.

The Palumbo-Donahue School of Business challenges our students to reach their potential in a dynamic, intellectually exciting environment that is driven by Duquesne's century-long commitment to an ethical perspective in one's professional and personal life, and an emphasis on teaching excellence. The search for continuous improvement is a process that emphasizes an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of business, a desire to exceed the expectations of our constituents, scholarship focusing on real business problems and creative academic-business partnerships.

Graduate Business Programs

The Palumbo-Donahue School of Business offers a portfolio of graduate business programs to meet the needs of a diverse student population and equip emerging leaders with the knowledge and skills for career success and resilience:

• One-Year MBA
• Professional MBA
• MS in Accountancy
• MS in Analytics and Information Management
• Graduate Certificate in Analytics and Information Management
• Graduate Certificate in Executive Leadership
• MS in Entrepreneurial Leadership
• Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship
• MS in Finance
• Graduate Certificate in Finance
• MS in Supply Chain Management
• Graduate Certificate in Supply Chain Management
• Business Analytics Fundamentals Micro-credential
• Business Essentials Micro-credential
• Business Essentials for Lawyers Micro-credential

One-Year Master of Business Administration (One-Year MBA)

The One-Year MBA is a 39-credit program delivered in an accelerated, 12-month program with daytime classes focusing on strategic sustainability issues facing business and society. The One-Year MBA is aligned with the six United Nations' Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) to advance sustainable social, environmental and economic value.

The One-Year MBA incorporates problem-solving consulting projects, cross-functional case studies, professional skill coaching, and an international study trip. The focus is on gaining tangible experience and competence for managing financial, social, environmental and informational resources, the top priorities for sustaining modern organizations in a dynamic global marketplace.

The One-Year MBA program launches in early June, and students earn an MBA the following May. Graduates are prepared for management roles in consulting, supply chain, policy planning, marketing, finance, human resources, information technology, new product development, and general management.

A STEM One-Year MBA Extension is available for students who wish to add a stackable certificate in Analytics & Information Management or Supply Chain Management to their One-Year MBA degree. In five semesters (49.5 total credits), the student will earn both the MBA and a certificate. Students interested in this pathway must begin their studies in the fall semester.

Professional Master of Business Administration (Professional MBA)

The Professional MBA is a 42-credit* program designed to accommodate working professionals. Students have the flexibility to take a full-time or part-time course load with courses offered online, onsite, or a combination of both. Generally, courses are offered Monday-Thursday evenings each term and online once per year.

Students develop expertise in all aspects of management and an understanding of how the disciplines are interrelated. Through the program, students develop leadership skills while learning how to responsibly manage in an efficient, effective manner.

Core courses build upon a broad foundation of business and industry knowledge while the Capstone Project and Strategy sequence is designed to sharpen strategic skills and critical-thinking abilities through engagement with a real-world project partner.

* Up to 6 credits may be waived based on previous coursework in accounting, economics, finance and statistics. To be eligible for a course waiver, a grade of 'B-' or better is required in an approved course taken within the past 5 years.

Master of Science in Accountancy (MAcc)

The MAcc program is a 30-credit program of study that can be completed on a 1-year or 2-year path. The curriculum meaningfully integrates forensic accounting, information technology and ethics which are significant and challenging areas facing the accounting profession today. The program prepares students for careers in public and corporate accounting, non-profit and governmental accounting and forensic accounting.

At the completion of the program, students will have fulfilled the 150 academic credit hours required to become licensed as Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) in Pennsylvania and most other states.

In addition to satisfying the credit-hour requirement for CPA licensure, Duquesne's MAcc program emphasizes accounting as a profession and ensures that graduates are thoroughly prepared to be communicators, analysts and responsible leaders. Equipped with essential accounting and financial analysis skills, MAcc program graduates also have expertise that extends beyond the scope of traditional accounting, taxation, and auditing.

Master of Science in Analytics and Information Management (MS-AIM)

The MS-AIM program is a 30-credit program of study that can be completed on a 1-year or 2-year path. The program appeals to a range of potential students, including technical professionals who are looking to restart or retool their careers, professionals who are seeking a relevant management credential, non-technical or non-business professionals who are seeking to enter the data analytics or information systems field. The MS-AIM program is STEM designated.

Duquesne's MS-AIM curriculum focuses on (1) how to apply models, analytical methods, and visualization tools to data, producing insights that lead to better business decisions (2) the identification, capture, integration, management, and protection of data and (3) eliciting and communicating business requirements and analytical insights. At the completion of the program students should understand and gain experience in data governance, project management, data mining, data querying, artificial intelligence, modeling insights, behavioral analytics and visualizations.

Graduate Certificate in Analytics and Information Management (GC-AIM)

The GC-AIM program is a 15-credit, full-time or part-time program of study. The program appeals to a range of potential students, including technical professionals who are looking to restart or retool their careers, professionals who are seeking a relevant management credential, non-technical or non-business professionals who are seeking to enter the data analytics or information systems field.

Duquesne's GC-AIM curriculum focuses on how to apply models, analytical methods, and visualization tools to data, producing insights that lead to better business decisions. At the completion of the program students should understand and gain experience in data mining, data querying, artificial intelligence, modeling insights, behavioral analytics and visualizations.

Graduate Certificate in Executive Leadership

Learn to lead with vision and a strategic mindset with a Graduate Certificate in Executive Leadership. This certificate program is designed for professionals in diverse fields who wish to develop strategic and entrepreneurial acumen, an understanding of behavior in organizations and the ability to motivate and lead organizational change. 

Master of Science in Entrepreneurial Leadership

The MS-EL is a 30-credit program that prepares students to successfully launch new ventures or lead existing enterprises with innovation and vision. Leveraging Duquesne’s entrepreneurship resources, including the Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship and the Small Business Development Center, students will sharpen their skills in ideation, change management, pitching business projects, and securing venture capital

Depending on the student’s start term and chosen path, the MS-EL may be completed in 1-2 years. The MS-EL is comprised of a mix of hybrid and online classes, and while much of the program can be completed online, several classes have high-impact in-person evening and weekend sessions.

Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship

The GC-ENTR program is a 15-credit program of study. The program is a hybrid program where most of the curriculum is taught online, but the cohort will gather occasionally for high-impact sessions throughout the curriculum. The program appeals to both students who want to tackle challenges inside an innovative business and those wishing to launch their own business. Students can complete the GC-ENTR part-time in just 1 year.

Duquesne's GC-ENTR curriculum focuses on how to recognize and seize opportunities, how to start, structure and finance a new business entity, and how to go to market with an innovative product or service offering.

Master of Science in Finance

The MSF prepares early- and mid-career professionals seeking careers in financial management, capital markets, banking, corporate treasury, investment management and related fields.  Students gain deep skill in financial analysis and valuation for decision making in all aspects of business investment, financing and operating activities, so that graduates are prepared to fully engage in organizations ranging from small and medium enterprises to major corporations. 

The MSF is 36-credit program with up to 6 credits of accounting and finance prerequisites potentially waivable.  After completing or waiving prerequisites, the MSF comprises a 15-credit core curriculum plus 15 elective credits, all of which can be completed in six semesters or less.  Delivery is nearly 100% online asynchronous.

Graduate Certificate in Finance

The GC-F is a 21-credit online program that helps prepare early- and mid-career professionals seeking careers in financial management, capital markets, banking, corporate treasury, investment management and related fields.

Financial management, correctly practiced, is vital to the long-run growth and success of every business organization. The GC-F focuses on principles of sound financial management while developing deep skill in the technology and techniques of financial analysis and valuation. Students apply these principles and techniques in all aspects of business investment, financing and operating activities.

Up to 6 credits can be waived for applicants that have completed relevant prerequisites, so that the GC-F can be completed part-time in as few as three semesters. Delivery is 100% online asynchronous. 

Master of Science in Supply Chain Management (MS-SCM)

The MS-SCM is a 30-credit degree program designed for working professionals who want to advance their careers, seize opportunities and impact any organization's bottom line through the supply chain. The blended program format of online learning and face-to-face sessions provides flexibility and convenience along with opportunities to collaborate on real projects and network with industry leaders. The MS-SCM program is STEM designated.

Graduate Certificate in Supply Chain Management (GC-SCM)

The GC-SCM is a 15-credit graduate certificate program with face-to-face evening and online classes. The certificate is ideal for students who have a bachelor's degree and are interested in improving their skills across all functional areas in supply chain management. The program format allows students to tailor the certificate to their individual career goals and then immediately apply that knowledge in the workplace. Students can complete the GC-SCM part-time in just 1 year, and courses taken for the certificate can be applied toward the MS-SCM.

Business Analytics Fundamentals Micro-credential

The Business Analytics Fundamentals Micro-credential is a 9-credit non-degree program that can be completed 100% online or in person. The program provides students with a foundational understanding of core business analytics areas. Students who successfully complete the micro-credential may continue into the MS or MC in Analytics & Information Management or the Professional MBA and receive advanced standing credit.

Business Essentials Micro-credential

The Business Essentials Micro-credential is a 9-credit non-degree program with 100% online classes. The program is designed for working professionals who seek advanced business skills but may not wish to complete a full graduate degree. Students who successfully complete the micro-credential may continue on to the Professional MBA and receive advanced standing credit.

Business Essentials for Lawyers Micro-credential

The Business Essentials for Lawyers Micro-credential is an 8.5-10-credit program for current Duquesne University Law students who wish to enhance their law curriculum with a foundational understanding of business basics. Students who successfully complete the micro-credential may continue on to the Professional MBA and receive advanced standing credit.