North Carolina Kenan Flagler

History

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was chartered in 1789 at the North Carolina General Assembly and opened its doors to students in 1795. The University saw growth and development in the early 19th century. During the Civil War, the University was among the few institutions that managed to keep its doors open, though reconstruction and the lack of students led to its shutdown from 1870 to 1875. The School was first established as the Department of Commerce of UNC Chapel Hill’s College of Arts in 1919. The MBA program was launched in 1952. Later, the School was renamed as the Kenan-Flagler Business School in 1991 in honor of the benefactors of the School-Mary Lily Kenan-Flagler and her husband, Henry Morrison Flagler.

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to serve as a center for research, scholarship, and creativity and to teach a diverse community of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students to become the next generation of leaders. Through the efforts of our exceptional faculty and staff, and with generous support from North Carolina’s citizens, we invest our knowledge and resources to enhance access to learning and to foster the success and prosperity of each rising generation. We also extend knowledge-based services and other resources of the University to the citizens of North Carolina and their institutions to enhance the quality of life for all people in the State.

Core Strengths of the School

The learning culture at UNC Kenan-Flagler is singular in the world of business education with a group of competitive individuals who work in a collegial environment that facilitates teamwork, risk-taking and innovation to achieve the results. This unparalleled learning environment offered at UNC is characterized by immense focus on academics and a deep sense of camaraderie shared among the students. The comprehensive curriculum and the intense courses taught by world-class faculty members in a small structured classroom work to the advantage of the students. The flexible classes with a global perspective and the optional concentrations enable the students to customize their educational experience. Students are divided into groups of four or six with each group comprising of individuals from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, thus maximizing knowledge-sharing and mutual learning. Teamwork is one of the key components of UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA and the study groups formed during the orientation indulge in several assignments and activities that build their teamwork skills. The study group experience culminates with a two-day Core Case Competition. Leadership, being core to the UNC Kenan-Flagler experience, the STAR (Student Teams Achieving Results) program gives access to hands-on leadership activities and supervised leadership simulations in order to build leadership skills in students that are crucial for managing, communicating and dealing with change. The unique Leadership Immersion course further enables the students to master the core leadership principles through intensive application, experiential learning, individualized feedback and reflection. Additionally, students are provided personalized coaching on topics such as managing conflicts, delegation, global awareness and gaining influence.

Uniqueness in MBA Pedagogy

The curriculum offers an array of diverse experiential learning opportunities in the form of Nonprofit Leadership, Capital Markets Lab CML, Student Managed Funds, Global Business Projects GBP, Sustainability Leadership Capstone and Case Competitions. Students get the chance to become a board member of a non-profit organization and contribute towards its organizational goals. The CML provides state-of-the-art facilities for the students to hone their analytical and quantitative skills to succeed in the financial markets. The Alternative Investment Education program comprises of six student-run funds worth $12million, where students get the invaluable hands-on experience in asset management. The GBP is an action-based course, where students from varied cultural and professional backgrounds work together to solve a business challenge for clients belonging to China, India and Brazil. The Sustainability Leadership Capstone course is meant for a selected group of second year students who are taught strategies to use business effectively for social and environmental change. UNC Kenan-Flagler students have made their mark by excelling in several case competitions and displayed impressive performances in sustainability, marketing, operations, technology and innovation, management, finance, real estate and international business.

In order to provide a global perspective to its students, UNC Kenan-Flagler has partnered with several business schools through the PIM (Partnership in International Management) Consortium. Students get to travel and study abroad, where they delve into the business, economy, commerce and culture of another country. The Global Immersion Elective GIE is a short-term course, where students get to explore the most dynamic economies of the world. Students develop a greater understanding of the global management issues and often make use of the on-site opportunities to observe their learning. The Doing Business In DBI is another study abroad opportunity, where students immerse themselves into the culture of the countries such as Mexico, Thailand, China, Argentina and Brazil.

CONCENTRATIONS OFFERED

LOCATION ADVANTAGES

The School is located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill is one of the corners of the Research Triangle that attracts many businesses. The high technology community comprises of companies like IBM, Cisco Systems, NetApp, etc. Chapel Hill has a vibrant music scenario with artists like Porter Robinson starting their careers in this city. The town is known for its modern revival of old-time music with bands such as Ayr Mountaineers, Hollow Rock String band, the Tug Creek Ramblers, etc. keeping the old-time music alive.

CAREER SUPPORT

The Career Management Center CMC has a wealth of resources and tools to support the students in accelerating their careers. Students undergo a range of experiences to explore the various career options available to them and choose the one that aligns best with their interests and aspirations. There are career workshops that train the students on efficient job search techniques. Students are given individual career counseling based on their career aspirations-whether they intend to advance in their current jobs or switch their careers. The MBA Networking Reception allows the students to connect with the key recruiters. There are Company Presentations held at the campus, where hundreds of companies present information regarding the career opportunities within their companies. The UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Center for Sustainable Enterprise organizes the Sustainable Enterprise Career Fair for students interested is sustainability-focused careers. Apart from this, students also participate in national career fairs. There are student career clubs that organize student treks, where students are able to visit the companies or industries of their interest.