New U.Va. Dual Degree Program Combines Business and Government

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., June 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Virginia Darden School of Business and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy announce the launch of a dual master's degree program in public policy and business administration (MPP/MBA). The combination of the two degrees will help future leaders manage public and private sector partnerships and move seamlessly through the worlds of government and business.

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"We have entered a new era in history - a global era shaped by closer connections between business and government. It's critical that the future generation of leaders be able to analyze issues from the perspective of both," says Darden's Dean Robert F. Bruner.

"The MPP/MBA dual degree program will be an excellent opportunity for at least two groups of students," says Harry Harding, dean of the Batten School. "First, because public policy is implemented by large, complex organizations, including some in the private sector to which government programs are outsourced, future leaders in the public sphere will benefit from the combination of managerial and analytic skills that the dual degree program will provide."

"Second, in an era of globalization," says Harding, "it will be very important for all governments -- including in the U.S. -- to get business policy right. Having the most appropriate tax and regulatory policies, and the most effective incentives for R&D and investment, will be essential if national and local communities are to maximize their competitiveness in today's global economy."

The new MPP/MBA program is for prospective students who "show high promise to act with determination, judgment, and integrity in increasingly responsible positions of leadership in the world of practical affairs." The three-year program requires students to apply and be accepted at both schools through the normal admissions process. Students must complete the first-year program at both the Darden and Batten Schools and can decide which school they'll enter their first or second year. During the third year, students complete the required courses for both schools as well as pertinent course work from various graduate schools within the University of Virginia.

Darden Professor Peter Debaere, who helped coordinate the new program, points out its timeliness.

"Students are increasingly aware of the policy environment surrounding companies. They are eager to learn about how healthcare, trade and environmental policies affect business," says Debaere. "Together with the other joint programs that Darden has in place with other schools at the University (the schools of law, medicine, engineering and nursing, the department of public health sciences, etc.), the dual degree program with the Batten School offers students even more opportunities to balance expertise with effective management."

Historic gifts from Frank Batten Sr. created the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy as well as the Batten Institute at the Darden School. The retired chairman of Landmark Communications, a media company with holdings in Norfolk and Roanoke, Va., Batten was well known for his commitment to entrepreneurship and citizenship. So, it's not surprising that the last two schools to join the U.Va. community have come together to educate a new generation of leaders.

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SOURCE University of Virginia's Darden School of Business