Georgetown University's Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business is a premier business school within a liberal arts-based Jesuit university. Students at The McDonough School of Business are educated in the Jesuit tradition, with an emphasis on teaching the skills necessary for distinguished professional performance with a commitment to serving others. Faculty foster an environment for learning and select techniques that challenge students to take an active role in the education process rather than to absorb ideas passively. Committed to excellence and sensitive to the impact of managerial policies on society, the faculty integrates teaching and research. The curriculum also includes an ethics-based component.

Several academic themes distinguish The McDonough School of Business and give the school a special identity among managers and academicians, including international and intercultural dimensions of the marketplace, recognizing the importance of written and oral communication, and developing interpersonal effectiveness in organizations.

The McDonough School offers core courses in the traditional disciplines of accounting, finance, marketing, management, operations and information management, and strategy support these themes. Additionally, these themes are reinforced by The McDonough School's strong encouragement of a minor concentration in one of the nearly 50 liberal arts disciplines. For example, students studying accounting and finance are encouraged to consider a minor in a qualitative area that would complement their quantitative major concentration. Those studying international business are asked to consider a minor in a foreign language or government, and marketing students are encouraged to explore minor concentrations in psychology or sociology.

Students are also highly invited to take advantage of The McDonough School's location in the nation's capital to pursue varied internships in private industry, government, or non-profit organizations. Students also have opportunities within The McDonough School and the larger university community to volunteer their time to serve other students and the community. The Office of the Undergraduate Deans works closely with students to develop the course model and co-curricular involvement that most closely matches a student's personal educational goals while still meeting The McDonough School's degree requirements.