GW School of Business | The George Washington University

Your Path to Making an Impact in Business. Image shows six smiling GW School of Business studnets standing in the sunshine in front of Kogan Plaza on the GW University campus.

Engaging the World From the Nation's Capital

The GW School of Business offers 13 specialized master's degrees, six MBA formats, and more than 15 graduate and professional certificates. Our dynamic online courses are also designed by top faculty and offer access to online career fairs, alumni gatherings, and other community events.

Whether you choose to study on campus or online, we provide an educational fit for all types of students. You'll also reach your goals in less time with our combined degrees as well as new opportunities like our 4+1 Program, which allows you to complete both a bachelor's and a master's degree in five years.

Whatever your path may be, when it comes time to enhance your skill set — or retain your competitive edge — we have a program designed to fit every stage of your career.

MBA Programs

Enhance your skill set — or retain your competitive edge — with one of our six MBA degrees.

Global MBA: Global MBA students at the GW School of Business (GWSB) are challenged to view things from a wider perspective — and to make decisions that strive for profit as well as positive impact. The Global MBA program is 53 credit hours long. Our revised curriculum gives students the freedom to tailor their studies to their professional interests and goals.
Accelerated MBA: The new Accelerated MBA at the GW School of Business is designed to allow students to complete an MBA degree in two years. The program is structured specifically for students that are employed.
STEM-designated MBAs: We are proud to offer new STEM-designated Global MBA degree and Accelerated MBA degree programs. Our STEM-designated programs were created based on feedback from students and employers that desire job education outcomes that result in advanced knowledge of business management through technology. As the business environment evolves, students are much more interested in the intersection of technical and quantitative fields with the traditional business discipline. An additional benefit of the STEM-designated programs is that international students can qualify for extended Optional Practical Training (OPT) following graduation from their program.
Flex MBA (part-time): The Flex MBA program is rigorous in theory, experiential in practice, and capitalizes on our location in Washington, D.C., where business and politics intersect. It’s also designed to work for your lifestyle, with four paths to completion: Cohort, Self-Paced, Online and Hybrid. This program gives you flexibility to complete your degree in two to five years, on campus or online, with a cohort of fellow students or independently. You can dive deeper with intensive weekend formats or explore experiential courses that leverage our unique location. You may even choose to participate in a short-term study abroad program to earn up to six academic credits in just 1-3 weeks. Balancing school, work and family is a lot of work, so we've designed this program to ensure you get as much out of your MBA experience as possible.
Online MBA (part-time): Like our full-time, on-campus MBA program, the Online Master of Business Administration program at the GW School of Business (GWSB) is highly influenced by our Washington, D.C. location, where the private, public and NGO sectors meet and interact. Our institutional and professional relationships in the area enable us to provide our distance-learning students with opportunities to immerse themselves through an optional four-day residency course in D.C., class projects, digital course materials, live learning opportunities, and co-curricular experiences.

Specialized Master's Programs

Develop new business skills in your chosen field, with a flexible curriculum that works for you.

Master of Accountancy in Accountancy: The Master of Accountancy program at GW prepares students for high-level professional careers in the public and private sectors. The program is tailored to individuals who have career objectives in accounting, financial management and tax practice.
Master of Accountancy in Accounting Analytics: The STEM-designated Master of Accountancy in Accounting Analytics program provides you with the tools you need — including technical accounting skills and hands-on experience with a variety of software tools — for a successful career in the world’s leading accounting and consulting firms, government agencies, and a wealth of nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
MS in Applied Finance: The Master of Science in Applied Finance (MSAF) program at the GWSB produces leaders in the field of finance. The program focuses on risk management, financial engineering, banking, corporate finance, and portfolio analysis and management. It has been designed to combine quantitative and analytical skills with financial theory and applications.
MS in Business Analytics: From the fundamentals to advanced techniques, our comprehensive curriculum provides students with skills needed to unlock predictive analysis and apply modern data-driven solutions. You will gain the ability to improve financial, strategic, and operational efficiency.
MS in Finance: The MS in Finance program produces leaders in the field of finance. The program focuses on risk management, financial engineering, banking, corporate finance and portfolio analysis.
Master of Human Resource Management: Students in the Master of Human Resource Management program are provided with the knowledge and skills they need to excel in a field that is vitally important to the operation and success of organizations of all types.
MS in Information Systems Technology: Our program teaches students to think critically, analyze problems and effectively integrate key technologies to solve the business challenges of future IT management.
MS in Interdisciplinary Business Studies: Stay ahead of a constantly changing global business environment with a MS in Interdisciplinary Business Studies (MIBS). Whether you’re looking to upskill, reskill or simply stay ahead of industry peers, our flexible program design allows you to create a personalized path to accomplishing your own career-oriented goals. Select two of our graduate business certificates and add six credits of electives to build your own unique degree that gives you a competitive edge.
MS in International Business: Stand out and get noticed with a degree taught by faculty recognized as the top-10 international business. Experience making a global impact from the nation’s capital — an environment that is multicultural to its core. Students in the program complete two consulting courses — one working overseas with a client, and the other for an international organization here in Washington, D.C. They participate in a professional seminar, which includes resume, interview and technical skills workshops, as well as advice sessions from employers, alumni and nationally ranked faculty.
MS in Management: The MS in Management (MiM) degree is a perfect example of GWSB’s innovative approach to graduate education, combining core coursework with a flexible selection of graduate certificate courses that serve as your electives. This format gives you a high degree of flexibility in designing a program tailored to your specific interests and needs, while giving you the management essentials that will serve you throughout your career.
MS in Marketing: The future of marketing is about shaping, guiding and innovating the consumption experience, bringing all the resources of the digital revolution to understand audiences and influence behavior. The Master of Science in Marketing (MSM) degree provides students with a comprehensive understanding of marketing management, digital marketing, and brand management. Students receive an experiential education with in-depth training in designing organizational brand identities, managing the customer experience, and measuring and segmenting brand communication strategies across channels.
MS in Project Management: The mission of the Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM) program is to provide a superior, state-of-the-art graduate educational experience that elevates the knowledge and expertise to a level that enables students to serve as leaders, educators, practitioners and activists in the project management profession.
MS in Sport Management: The Master of Science in Sport Management (MSSM) program prepares students for executive careers in event and facility management, sports marketing, athlete representation, sports analytics, sports media and the sporting goods industry, working with professional teams and leagues as well as collegiate athletics.
MS in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management: The Master of Science in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management (MSTHEM) program at the GW School of Business, which can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis, produces the industry’s next great leaders by combining classroom and field-based learning with exceptional access to jobs, internships, and networking and career development opportunities found only in Washington, D.C.

Graduate Certificate Programs

Choose from more than 15 graduate certificates that can boost your career and enhance your skill set. Combine certificates to create a degree that’s unique to you.

Accountancy: The Graduate Certificate in Accountancy provides a solid understanding of the fundamentals of accounting. It is an in-depth program for non-accountants and/or those who do not have a strong background in accounting. Students will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and analyze a variety of financial reports and put them to practical use in their current and/or future business careers. The program is valuable to professionals in fields such as analytics, information systems technology, finance and management.
Artificial Intelligence: The Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence prepares business leaders for the vast opportunities that innovations in Artificial Intelligence (AI) affords. AI is the next evolution of technology in business, driven by advancements in machine learning. Students will acquire foundational knowledge and hands-on skills in machine learning, deep learning, and embedded systems, and apply them to AI’s business applications including the Internet of Things (IoT).
Business Analytics: The Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics offers foundational courses designed to train professionals in harnessing the power of “Big Data.” At the unique intersection of federal government agencies, Fortune 500 businesses, and advanced tech-savvy companies, GW School of Business is situated in a true epicenter of data analytics. Through descriptive, predictive and prescriptive methodologies, students will learn how to make data-driven decisions that are critical in today’s business and economic environment.
Cloud Applications and Information Technology: The Graduate Certificate in Cloud Applications and Information Technology trains business leaders to learn, design, and implement cloud architecture and policies. Cloud-managed services such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) accelerate businesses’ capacity for innovation and enable agile navigation through today’s hypercompetitive business climate. Students will acquire the skills to adeptly and securely deploy those services in order to help firms meet their needs.
Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship: As an academic discipline, entrepreneurship has broadened its focus from simply starting something new to exploring how to take risks and creatively introduce new innovations. The core introductory Entrepreneurship course introduces students to the importance and benefits of entrepreneurship. The goal of the Graduate Certificate in Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship is to bring students together from different academic concentrations to learn, collaborate, discuss ideas, and create new ventures and businesses. In this program, students will establish a community that encourages innovation and creativity.
Crisis Management: The Graduate Certificate in Crisis Management provides the skills needed to define emergencies and disasters as well as develop incident management plans for responding to and managing environmental and public health emergencies.
Digital Marketing and Analytics: The Graduate Certificate in Digital Marketing and Analytics provides an overview of the expanding digital marketing and communications field. As a multidisciplinary program, coursework includes marketing management, digital marketing, and integrated marketing communications, as well as coursework from Information Systems and Decision Sciences, including web analytics and social network analysis. Students will gain an in-depth understanding and assessment of the role of analytics in marketing communication and strategy.
Energy Systems Management: The Graduate Certificate in Energy Systems Management is designed for professionals in the engineering, business management and related disciplines who are required to manage organizations faced with complex and rapidly changing energy requirements in the United States and throughout the world. The program provides advanced education across the full spectrum of subjects central to the practice of energy management, including not only the policy, management and high-level technical understanding underlying challenges in the energy management area, but also the statutory and regulatory framework in which they are embedded, as well as social and policy considerations that are critically important in modern society.
Students in the graduate certificate program learn about alternative energy generation and energy resources management and open up new opportunities in a rapidly growing job sector as energy auditors, energy analysts, energy project managers and related positions. Students explore the latest information in energy efficient building design, microgrid, renewable energy development and advanced materials research while learning the economics of energy, the art of managing energy projects, and analytical methods of analyzing the viability and feasibility of energy projects.
Environmental Systems Management: The Graduate Certificate in Environmental Systems Management is designed for professionals in the engineering, business management, and related disciplines who are required to manage organizations faced with complex and rapidly changing environmental requirements in the United States and throughout the world. The program provides advanced education across the full spectrum of subjects central to the practice of environmental management, including not only the policy, management and high-level technical understanding underlying challenges in the environmental management area, but also the statutory and regulatory framework in which they are embedded, as well as social and policy considerations that are critically important in modern society.
Financial Management: The Graduate Certificate in Financial Management provides background and training in the financial aspects of three principal business functions: (1) obtaining necessary capital, (2) investing capital in assets and operations to ethically maximize value for owners and shareholders, and (3) distributing profits to shareholders. In addition to financial planning, students will learn how to determine the cost of capital and how to raise and use it. They will also learn how to assess financial and invested capital performance and how to best distribute earnings to equity holders.
Global Management: The Graduate Certificate in Global Management prepares business leaders to succeed and lead in today’s global economy. Students will acquire the knowledge to assess and act upon the opportunities and challenges faced in the global business environment. Fulfilling the program’s elective requirement by participating in a GWSB-sponsored Short-Term Study Away Program is strongly encouraged.
Human Capital: The Graduate Certificate in Human Capital provides deep knowledge of the practices and research-based disciplines of human resource and talent management. Students will learn how effective human capital management supports an organization’s core strategy. Students will also learn key human resource competencies and talent management knowledge associated with the psychology of people, organizations, and career growth. Students will put to practical use what they have learned in the classroom. HR generalists and managers will gain a greater understanding the strategic function of human resources.
Management Leadership: Central to the progress and innovation of an organization, leadership is the ability to motivate others to act toward achieving a common goal. It is not related to typical notions of authority. Leadership skills require self-awareness, self-monitoring, social awareness, and relationship building. People with leadership skills can span all organizational levels and function areas. Students of the Graduate Certificate in Management Leadership will gain an in-depth understanding of the principals of effective leadership.
Management of Technology and Innovation: The Graduate Certificate in Management of Technology and Innovation focuses on organizational management and innovation/entrepreneurship processes. Students will explore broad technology strategies not only to maximize business applications, but also to launch and build new ventures.
Marketing and Brand Management: The Graduate Certificate in Marketing and Brand Management provides students with an in-depth understanding of the interface between marketing and brand management. The exciting area of brand management is considered by top executives to be a high-demand marketing specialty. Students will learn to strategically manage brands to help organizations create customer value, increase name recognition, and build brand loyalty in local and global markets. Students will acquire the knowledge needed to design organizational brand identity, manage the customer experience, measure and analyze brand performance, and differentiate brand communication strategies.
Project Management: In the last dozen years, project management has become an established management discipline. Used extensively in every sector of the economy, including all branches of government, industry, and non-profit organizations, project management, as defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI), is the application of knowledge, skills, and techniques to execute projects effectively and efficiently. The Graduate Certificate in Project Management prepares students with the diverse proficiencies and skills required to succeed in a project-based environment.
Quantitative Business Foundations: The Graduate Certificate in Quantitative Business Foundations provides students with a solid grounding in the essential disciplines of business. Designed for students without a business degree or formal business education, the program offers functional instruction in accounting, marketing, finance, organizational behavior and human resource management.
Sport Management: The sports and recreation industry is estimated to be worth nearly $500 billion, with more than $60 billion earned from professional sports. The industry includes not only the management and marketing of sports organizations (from youth teams to professional leagues), but also the management of sports media, health/sports clubs, sporting goods stores, and sporting venues. The Graduate Certificate in Sport Management prepares students with a solid understanding of sports marketing, media, law, and facility management.

Get the Career You Want

With access to multi-national corporations, renowned non-profits and influential government agencies, you'll have plenty of career opportunities right in your back yard. Our Graduate Career Management Office will guide you through the process of landing your dream job with tools and systems to help you research careers, develop your resume and prepare for interviews.

Connect with Alumni Worldwide

GWSB’s extensive network of over 55,000 graduates spans endless industries across the globe. Our alumni regularly connect with current students and fellow alumni, attend events, mentor and help GWSB evolve and expand. It’s this involvement by our graduates that truly contributes to the success of the school. Examples of where our alumni work include 260+ organizations across the public and private sector and around the world participated in experiential learning in the last year.