American University Kogod School of Business
Looking at American University’s Kogod School of Business for inspiration on where business education is going, we hardly know where to glance first.
This fall, it overhauled its core curriculum with the most significant updates in decades. The result is an undergrad program that is leaner and more flexible; more interdisciplinary and experiential; and infused with employment-ready skills in professionalism, AI, and sustainability.
Within the last 15 months, Kogod unveiled an “AI for All” strategy, infusing the technology into almost everything it does. It is embedding AI throughout its coursework, offering AI credentials for students, investing in faculty and staff training, partnering with the private sector, and creating processes to ensure that it remains current as AI technology evolves.
“Our next chapter is unapologetically AI-first in order to prepare our students for the AI economy: every undergraduate will learn to utilize AI for everything they do, from underwriting an investment, writing a business plan, to designing a marketing campaign,” Dean David Marchick tells P&Q.
“In practice, that means offering 58 AI-infused courses (and growing); access to enterprise-level Perplexity and custom AI tutors; and the ability to earn micro-credentials for their resume.”
Q&A WITH DAVID MARCHICK
There’s plenty more Kogod offers its undergraduate business students, including front-door proximity to world leaders who live, work, and meet in Washington, D.C. It also has a “sleeper hit” Business & Entertainment degree that rivals those offered in New York or Los Angeles.
Dean David Marchick talks about Kogod’s bold vision in the Q&A below.
What are recent and upcoming program developments and innovations that will enhance the experience of future students?
Our next chapter is unapologetically AI-first in order to prepare our students for the AI economy: every undergraduate will learn to utilize AI for everything they do, from underwriting an investment, writing a business plan, to designing a marketing campaign.
In practice, that means offering 58 AI-infused courses (and growing); access to enterprise-level Perplexity and custom AI tutors; and the ability to earn micro-credentials for their resume. It’s a model that leaders from Microsoft and OpenAI have commended for its innovation, and one that Times Higher Education’s Poets&Quants hailed as “the most consequential AI transformation in business education.Ultimately, our approach sets the stage for students to run, not walk, toward the opportunities AI is creating.
Our reimagined undergraduate core curriculum, launched last year, immerses students in real business problems from day one, weaves AI, sustainability, and professionalism into the fabric of every course, and culminates in a hands-on client capstone project.
Yet, with all that focus on AI, the secret sauce is our faculty: small classes, real-world learning, and lots of opportunities to engage outside the classroom. Ninety percent of our students have at least one internship; 60 percent have three or more, taking full advantage of all the opportunities that come with being in Washington, DC.
Dean David Marchick
Any other notable news coming for 2025 that readers should know?
Building on the AI-first foundation, fall 2025 brings an expanded menu of credentials that lets students apply advanced AI literacy in any business pathway. Undergraduates will have the ability to major or minor in Business Analytics and AI.
At the same time, those looking for a lighter AI focus can pick up badges and certificates designed to pair seamlessly with existing business majors, from finance to accounting. Imagine the strength of a resume that combines finance, sustainability, and AI.
Undergraduates studying any discipline might even consider a 4+1 combination with our newly designed MS in Business Analytics & Artificial Intelligence—a graduate program expressly built around AI’s horizontal impact across industries. The 4+1 program offers meaningful savings in costs and time.
Kogod’s The Financial Services and Information Technology Lab (FSIT Lab) gives students get hands-on experience using the same technology that finance professionals encounter every day.
What are your program’s two biggest differentiators from other top undergraduate business programs? How do these prepare students for their careers?
Ready to Thrive in the AI Economy: While infusing AI into our core curriculum and many of our upper-level classes, we have also doubled down on skills that AI cannot replicate – critical thinking, oral communication, teamwork, and leadership.
Business Courses from Day One: Unlike many schools that hold off on core business classes until sophomore year, our students take business classes straight away – six in their first year. Early exposure to business fundamentals enables students to master core concepts more quickly, better positioning them not only to identify but also to focus on their interests while also preparing them for internships early.
What separates your graduates from other business school graduates?
Our graduates combine strong business fundamentals with grittiness, hunger, and an entrepreneurial mindset.
Explain the career services, programming, and extracurriculars that give your students an advantage in career outcomes?
We don’t treat “career services” as a one-time workshop; instead, it’s a four-year thread running through the business school experience. From the first semester, students take
assessments and meet individually with a career coach to create a personalized, evolving career plan.
This foundation deepens in the sophomore year, where students work with coaches to connect their passions to their curriculum, align strengths with industries, and build key “power skills” like professionalism, collaboration, and communication. They are also guided in developing a professional brand and action plan for internships and jobs.
Outside the classroom, students engage with employers through expos, industry summits, alumni panels, company treks, and client projects, ensuring their learning stays relevant to real hiring needs. The annual Kogod Case Competition challenges students to solve real business problems for executives, often leading to valuable feedback and interview opportunities.
C.SAM KITTNER 301-270-8750
When alumni look back on their time in your undergraduate business program, what would they consider to be their signature experience?
For most alumni, the memory that sticks is the Kogod Case Competition. Each February, students huddle for 48 intense hours, solve a real business problem, and pitch their ideas to a room packed with executives who serve as judges and mentors.
The 2025 competition partnered with Xylem, a Fortune-500 global water-technology firm using AI to solve the world’s biggest water challenges in a sustainable way. Student teams had to show how generative AI could accelerate the fight against “forever chemicals” and other water-quality threats.
One finalist recommended pairing Xylem’s sensor network with startup filters that neutralize PFAs—an approach the company’s chief strategy officer called “spot on.” It’s that mix of real stakes, executive scrutiny, and rapid-fire teamwork that alumni point to when they say, “That’s when classroom theory became a business reality.”
What is the most underrated feature of your undergraduate business program and how does it enhance the experience for your business majors?
I don’t know if I’d call it underrated but the most underutilized asset in our undergraduate program is the Financial Services & IT Lab – a glass-walled, Bloomberg-equipped space that runs 18 hours a day and gives students access to the same software and tools they might use on Wall Street.
Because the lab feeds live market data straight into every screen, students managing the Student-Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) debate real positions before placing six-figure trades; classmates in the Real-Estate Investment Trust (REIT) practicum stress-test deals against interest-rate and vacancy swings; and ESG-investing teams track sustainability metrics alongside bond spreads to learn how to price impact. By the time they graduate, students have already operated at the cadence—and under the pressure—of a professional desk, giving them a serious head start on most new analysts.
Our finance students take full advantage of this amazing resource; I just wish our students in other disciplines did too.
Kogod students outside its Career and Development Center.
Which employers are the biggest consumers of your undergraduate talent and what have they told you about your alumni that make them so special?
Take a quick scan of our hiring rolls and you’ll see familiar names—Deloitte, JPMorgan Chase, Amazon, Microsoft, Capital One, Goldman Sachs, Accenture, EY, Disney, and more. Those organizations come back year after year to hire at Kogod because our graduates show up with a three-part edge:
- Hands-On, Real-World Experience: Kogod’s curriculum has always been deeply rooted in experiential learning. Employers note that Kogod alumni “hit the ground running,” demonstrating not just theoretical knowledge, but also the ability to solve real business problems, work in teams, and manage projects under tight deadlines.
- Purpose-Driven and Impact-Oriented Mindset: Kogod instills in its students a commitment to using business as a force for meaningful change. Employers value Kogod alumni for their strong sense of purpose, ethical foundation, and drive to make a positive impact—whether in the private sector, government, or nonprofit organizations.Adaptability,
- Professionalism, and Communication Skills: Kogod’s small class sizes and personalized approach foster strong interpersonal and professional skills. Employers consistently praise graduates for their adaptability, polished communication, and ability to thrive in collaborative, cross-functional environments.
What else would you like readers to know about your program?
We have a total sleeper hit: Our Business & Entertainment (BAE) program is one of our most popular undergraduate programs. Even though you might normally look to New York or LA for entertainment business degrees, Billboard has, for two years in a row, named the BAE program among its top music-business schools even though our program is only a decade old.
And the learning isn’t theoretical: in back-to-back years, our students booked, promoted,
and ran arena concerts in DC with headliners like Flo Rida and Flo Milli—handling everything from artist negotiations to ticket pricing and event marketing. That kind of end-to-end project ownership is why students from all over the country choose Kogod for entertainment business: they leave with résumés that read less like class projects and more like real tour credits.
via Poets & Quants | by: Kristy Bleizeffer on June 20, 2025
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