McDonough School of Business welcomes increasingly diverse classes

The undergraduate Class of 2025 at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business (MSB) is one of the most diverse cohorts in MSB history, the school announced. Attracting students with an array of perspectives and experiences is an ongoing priority for MSB, as students’ “experiences with one another inform their learning just as much as our curricular and co-curricular activities,” says Patricia Grant, senior associate dean of the school’s undergraduate program.

MSB’s undergraduate Class of 2025 includes students from 26 countries and 35 states and territories; they range in age from 16 to 40. The class is 37 percent female (up from 35 percent in 2019 and 36 percent in 2020). Twenty-two percent of students are from underrepresented minority groups (up from 18 percent in 2019 and 21 percent in 2020), and 38 percent are from U.S. minority groups (up from 35 percent in 2019 and 37 percent in 2020).

Growing diversity in MSB graduate programs

At the graduate level, MSB’s master of science in business analytics, and master of science in management (MiM), and executive MBA (EMBA) programs similarly reported gains in gender and racial diversity:

Among the 50 incoming EMBA students, for instance, 44 percent are female (up from 40 percent last year), and 40 percent are U.S. underrepresented minorities (up from 26 percent last year). Twenty-two percent are Veterans.

MSB’s MiM program, meanwhile, shared information on students in its third class. Fifty-one percent are women, 36 percent are African American or Hispanic American, and 26 percent are international students. MiM leaders say the program this year introduced a new diversity scholarship and collaborated with external organizations to reach students from a variety of backgrounds—efforts that contributed to a 41 percent boost in applications.

Ongoing efforts to support diversity

“Diversity of thought is our strength at Georgetown and is the foundation of the global perspective we teach our students—a mindset that will enhance their abilities to thrive in a very complex and diverse world,” said Nita Swinsick, MSB’s assistant dean for recruitment and admissions, executive and specialized degree programs.

The Hoya reported that MSB last summer established a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiative, supported by the Baker Trust for Transformational Learning. As part of the initiative, MSB analyzed its undergraduate core curriculum and brought on the school’s first director of underrepresented minority student support. MSB also has established a variety of resources, scholarships, and events aimed at supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Topics in this story
,

Next Up

Colleges, partners step up investments to address housing insecurity

Two-year colleges, state lawmakers, and community organizations are ramping up their efforts to provide affordable housing for students experiencing or at risk for homelessness.

Read