Founded in 1900, Tuck is the first graduate school of management and ranks consistently among the top business schools worldwide. Tuck remains distinctive among the world's great business schools by combining human scale with global reach, rigorous coursework with experiences requiring teamwork, and valued traditions with innovation.

Could you describe your MBA program?

Tuck offers just one degree - the full-time MBAand we enroll approximately 240 students in each class. This enables us to focus our attention and resources and to maintain a low student- to-faculty ratio. Our curriculum teaches cutting-edge concepts with real-world applications and refines each student's ability to solve business problems, make informed decisions, and lead organizations.

What type of candidate are you looking for?

There is no formula for admission to Tuck. We look for candidates with diverse backgrounds in the areas of work and education, nationality, and ethnicity. Candidates must have strong academics because the Tuck MBA program is rigorous and we want to make sure that each student has the ability to succeed. We seek candidates with work experience. We believe that having professional experience prior to business school is important because it provides a frame of reference for classroom discussion and allows students to contribute in our collaborative learning environment. Currently our students have anywhere from 2 to 15 years work experience, and the average is 5 years. Where possible, we also like to see applicants involved in activities outside of work, such as community service or sports.

What sets your program apart from other MBA programs?

Our focus, personal scale, group learning environment, faculty excellence in both teaching and research, and the high degree of loyalty and involvement of our alumni set us apart from other top MBA programs. The connections people make at Tuck last a lifetime, as evidenced by the way our alumni make  themselves available to our students and give back to Tuck. Our rate of alumni giving is by far the highest among MBA programs, with more than 60 percent giving to Tuck annually. Close friendships are formed at Tuck because we are a residential campus, with about 70 percent of the first-year students living on campus. This is relatively unusual in most MBA programs.

What is the philosophy of your MBA program?

At Tuck we strive to provide the world's best business leadership education. Through rigorous coursework students acquire the knowledge needed to lead - in finance, strategy, marketing, general management, and more. Our MBA program emphasizes teamwork and ethics, and aims to instill a sense of social and corporate responsibility in the students. The Tuck MBA is flexible enough to meet even the most unique interests. Through elective courses and independent studies students may steer the curriculum to reflect their own direction.

How global is Tuck, and what is your school doing to reinforce its position?

People are surprised by how global Tuck is. Thirtyfour percent of our student body is international. Thirty-three percent of our faculty is of international origin. Our faculty address global issues in their courses by studying cases about international companies and organizations operating in the global sphere, and frequently bring in guest speakers to participate in lectures, classes, and office hours to reinforce these issues. Our Center for International Business is dedicated to education and research on international issues facing business and leaders. The center brings speakers to Tuck, and organizes on- and off-campus conferences. It also manages the Tuck Global Consultancy program, which makes consulting services available to the international business community. Students selected to participate in the program work with their teams to develop immediate solutions to specific challenges faced by an international corporate client. Additionally, Tuck offers exchange programs with top business schools worldwide and plans career treks to several cities outside of the U.S. to introduce students who are interested in living abroad to the top executives and companies in those areas. Our dean, Paul Danos, travels extensively throughout the year and meets with prospective students, alumni, and business executives, as well as other business school deans, in countries around the world.