Make yourself at home—in two countries

As a student in the MMS: Duke Kunshan University program, you’ll live in two unique cities. In Durham, North Carolina, you’ll experience what happens when Southern charm meets global business. The Raleigh-Durham area is home to more than 1.3 million people and is one of only seven Google Tech Hubs in North America—yet the city has kept its laid-back, small-town feel.

And in Kunshan, China, you’ll be in the heart of the Yangtze River Delta Region, nestled between Shanghai, a global financial hub, and Suzhou, one of China’s most renowned cultural cities. Kunshan is an emerging industrial and commercial powerhouse with a rich history dating back more than 2,000 years.

By making a home in both Durham and Kunshan, you’ll become a true citizen of the world.

By living and learning in two different metro areas, you gain access to twice the opportunities.

Durham, North Carolina

During the past 20 years, North Carolina has transitioned from an economy driven by tobacco and textiles to one based on knowledge-based enterprises like software, IT, financial services, and film and TV production.

Durham is home to the Research Triangle Park (RTP), which houses more than 200 companies, from Fortune 100 multinational corporations to innovative start-ups. Having employers like Cisco, Dupont, Fidelity, and IBM close by enables us to bring influential local speakers to campus, connect student clubs with business representatives, and tap over 3,000 local Fuqua alumni as mentors for students.

Living in Durham, you’ll be a 1-hour flight from New York and a direct flight from Paris. The area is dense with parks and forests, and in just 3 hours, you can reach either the mountains to the west or the beaches to the east.

Kunshan, China

As an important county-level city in the southeastern part of Jiangsu province, Kunshan occupies an area of 931 square kilometers (359 square miles), a quarter of which is covered by lakes and rivers. Its superior natural and urban living environment has attracted people from all over the world to live and work in Kunshan.

Widely considered as a successful model for China's social and economic development, Kunshan has topped Forbes China’s list of Chinese Mainland's Best County-Level Cities for 4 consecutive years. Three state-level development zones, two provincial-level development zones, and eight townships have attracted a number of Fortune 500 companies and other leading enterprises to Kunshan.

Rapid advancement in rail traffic has brought Kunshan people much closer to its surrounding areas: the high-speed train reaches Shanghai and Suzhou within 20 minutes, and Shanghai's No.11 subway has already extended to Kunshan's Huaqiao area. The city's convenient bike rental system provides quick and easy access to bicycles located throughout the city.

Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business

You’ll want to make time to experience all the cultural activities, sports events, and popular sites that the Duke University campus has to offer. Visit the Duke Chapel, an iconic symbol of the university with its Gothic architecture and stained glass windows, or explore Sarah P. Duke Gardens and its 5 miles of walkways. At the Nasher Museum of Art, see some of today’s best contemporary art, with a focus on work by artists of African descent. And at the Duke Lemur Center, visit the world’s largest colony of endangered primates.

Your MMS: Duke Kunshan University classes take place on Fuqua’s campus. The main building, with 490,500 square feet of space, is among the finest business education settings in the United States, equipped with classrooms, virtual classrooms, auditoriums, team rooms, and meeting spaces. The Ford Library provides a serene, comfortable environment for studying and team meetings and was designed for user comfort, with abundant natural light, a variety of comfortable seating, and generous display space. The Fox Student Center has a spacious indoor winter garden area, outdoor terraces, changing rooms with lockers and showers, a student communications center, additional office space, dining facilities, and a student lounge. The Fox Center serves as the hub of the business school—it’s where you’ll attend “Fuqua Fridays,” catered gatherings with fellow students, faculty, and staff.

Duke Kunshan University

The Duke Kunshan University campus blends traditional Chinese elements with advanced educational technology in a spacious, modern setting. Extensive aquatic elements throughout the campus, including an aquatic quadrangle at the center of campus, symbolize the region's famous ancient water towns.

The campus has an academic center, a conference center, housing for students and faculty members, and an outdoor recreation space adjacent to the residence hall. Students can utilize an indoor exercise room on campus in addition to nearby recreation facilities for swimming, bowling, squash, badminton, tennis, and basketball through the Kunshan Sports Center. Scheduled shuttle transportation is offered for students to key travel hubs, as well as to local recreation, shopping, and support venues.

Multi-purpose meeting spaces, breakout rooms, study areas, and a dedicated library allow students to work individually or in groups. Bilingual (Chinese and English) professional staff members are available to assist students with personal and academic issues and to enhance their learning. Leading information technology and TelePresence systems provide instant connections to colleagues and classmates around the world.

It’s easy to make your home at Fuqua and Duke Kunshan University.

Terms in Durham

Graduate student housing is not available on campus. However, the Duke Community Housing Office can provide assistance for you to find housing in Durham. There are many resources available to help you find accommodations close to Fuqua, as well as roommates. Contact the Community Housing Office.

The Durham area is ranked among the best places to live in the U.S. in part due to its affordable cost of living. Even so, you should figure some start-up costs into your living expenses for the first month you’re here. We recommend that you look into the costs associated with transportation, rent and utility deposits (typically refundable), furniture, and household supplies.

Terms in Kunshan

While in Kunshan, MMS students of the Class of 2023 will stay on campus at the Student Residence Hall (SRH) or the new graduate building that is part of Phase II construction and expected to be ready in the fall of 2022. The Student Residence Hall is a suite-style accommodation that is Silver LEED certified. The entrance to all suites is on the second floor and is into the suite's living room. All suites have two bathrooms, and four students living in them on the first or third floor, accessible by in-suite stairs. Some suites have four single bedrooms, and others have two single bedrooms and one double bedroom. The new graduate building will accommodate 100 students. There are 25 apartments that each have four single bedrooms within. Each apartment will have a kitchen, two bathrooms, and are furnished.

For more information about the Kunshan region and campus please visit the Duke Kunshan University website.

A dish in Kunshan, China
Kunshan Cuisine

Taking A Bite Out of Kunshan

true

Duke Kunshan University

+86 512 5777 9988
MMS: Duke Kunshan University

Admissions Information

Facts + Dates

Here's what you need to get started.

Read More about admissions facts dates

Application Instructions

We want to hear your story.

Read More about application instructions

Admission Events

Learn about Fuqua in person or online.

Read More about events

Class Profile

See a snapshot of our current class.

Read More about class profile

Tuition + Costs

Determine your investment.

Read More about tuition costs

Financing Your Degree

Learn how to fund the program.

Read More about financing your degree