[8][9] 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, the importance of written and oral communication, and interpersonal effectiveness in organizations.

As a Catholic and Jesuit university, Georgetown stresses ethics and social justice in its curriculum.

The primary academic emphasis during the first and second years is the liberal arts, including economics, government, history, philosophy, English, calculus, and theology.

The McDonough School of Business has core courses in the traditional disciplines of accounting, finance, marketing, management, and the decision sciences support these themes.

Some activities include the Georgetown University Student Investment Fund, Georgetown University Accounting Society, Innovo Consulting, Hilltop Consultants, Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity, Young Alumni Mentor Program, Stock Pitch Competition, and other activities.

[18] The Master of Science includes coursework in corporate finance, financial markets, econometrics, real estate private equity, big and small data, and fixed income investments, among others.