McIntire School of Commerce

The McIntire School of Commerce offers a professional program that includes the study of the fundamental disciplines underlying the management of organizations. Thomas Jefferson, founder of the University of Virginia, believed a liberal arts education was key to a successful professional career. In keeping with that tradition, students spend the first two years of undergraduate work combining liberal arts and business prerequisite courses.

The McIntire School prepares students for an array of future opportunities, including graduate and professional school. Part of that preparation is the emphasis on integrative group projects and the case method of instruction, in which students analyze complex business situations. The thousands of alumni who enjoy prominent positions throughout the world, as well as the school’s national ranking evidence the success of the McIntire program and reputation the school has achieved.

History

The University of Virginia was one of the first institutions in the United States to introduce the subject matter of economics into its curriculum. Since the University’s first session in 1825, courses of study in this field have been available.

It was not until 1906 that the School of Economics was established as a separate unit within the College of Arts & Sciences. In 1920, a division of business administration was created in the James Wilson School of Economics. In 1921, a donation from alumnus Paul Goodloe McIntire made it possible to establish the McIntire School of Commerce and Business Administration. For the next 31 years the McIntire School operated as a distinct division of the College of Arts & Sciences, but its work was closely integrated with the James Wilson School of Economics. In 1952, the University’s Board of Visitors approved the establishment of the McIntire School as a professional school to be administered as a separate unit of the University, distinct from the College of Arts & Sciences.

The McIntire School was elected to membership in the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1925. In 1981, the school became accredited to offer programs at the graduate level as well as the undergraduate level. Accreditation is offered only to those schools that meet the strict academic standards and program requirements prescribed by the AACSB. In 1982, the school became one of the initial 13 schools in the nation to have both its undergraduate and graduate accounting programs accredited under new AACSB standards for the separate accreditation of accounting programs. All McIntire programs received re-accreditation by the AACSB in 2014.

The School Today

The McIntire School is a separate division of the University in the same sense as are the schools of Architecture, Batten, Darden, Education, Engineering, Law, and Medicine. The McIntire School confers the Bachelor of Science in Commerce and offers Master of Science degrees in Accounting, Commerce, and Management of Information Technology. The bachelor’s degree is conferred after a four-year program of studies in which the first two years are spent in another college or university in courses approved by the McIntire School.

There are approximately 650 undergraduate students enrolled in the School and 66 faculty members. With few exceptions, students find average class enrollments to be approximately 40 to 45 students per section. Many opportunities for student-faculty interaction ensure that the student at the McIntire School will receive highly individualized instruction.

McIntire graduates pursue a variety of challenging and rewarding career opportunities throughout the World. McIntire alumni enter such fields as accounting, finance, information technology, and marketing. They are employed in roles in such diverse work settings as investment and corporate banking, public accounting, manufacturing, advertising, retailing, consulting, government, and real estate. The positions and responsibilities commanded by graduating McIntire students consistently rank at the top for the nation’s leading undergraduate schools of business.

Endowed Chairs: The endowed chair or professorship is the highest honor and rank that can be obtained in academic life. The accomplishment of a distinguished academician is recognized when he or she is named to an endowed professorship. The availability of endowed chairs and professorships makes it possible for the McIntire School to attract and retain eminent teachers and scholars in the disciplines of commerce. McIntire currently has over 16 endowed chairs.

Research Programs: Ongoing research is an important way for faculty members to keep abreast of the latest developments in their disciplines and contribute to the advancement of knowledge. Faculty research is supported through the funding of summer research grants and periodic leaves. Other forms of support include the establishment of research professorships, available to faculty members at all ranks, and research opportunities through the Center for the Management of Information Technology, the McIntire Center for Financial Innovation, the Center for Growth Enterprises, the Center for Global Commerce, the Center for Business Analytics, and the PricewaterhouseCoopers Center for Innovation in Professional Services. McIntire currently has over 20 research fellowships and professorships that help fund faculty research.