The Best Undergraduate Business Schools

EXCLUSIVE RANKINGS OF THE TOP 88 PROGRAMS Detailed Profiles Of The Top 88 Programs Students Rate Schools On Teaching, Alumni Networks & More Acceptance Rates, Average Salaries & ROI

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE

Volume 03 Issue 01 May 2019

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THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 2019 Edition

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editorial John Byrne, Editor-In-Chief Marc Ethier, Managing Editor Nathan Allen, Rankings Editor Jeff Schmitt, Senior Writer Alison Damast, Contributing Writer Pearly Tan, Contributing Writer Greg Yang, Contributing Writer

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letter from the editor Greetings!

Welcome to the 2019 Poets&Quants Best Undergraduate Business Schools Guide. If a goal of yours — or someone you know — is to attend an elite undergraduate business school, you’ve already made a good decision. For the third year, we’ve ranked the country’s best undergraduate business programs. This year we ranked more schools than ever and you can find profiles for all 88 of them in the following pages.

In addition to the 88 school profiles, we’ve taken a few of our more helpful articles from Poets&Quants For Undergrads and put them together in what we believe is the most thorough and informative guide available on undergraduate business education. We have stories about the schools with the best fiveyear return on investment and the schools with the best employment rates, as well as the total cost of attending each of the 88 elite schools.

Despite the rising popularity of healthcare and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors, business remains the most popular degree in the U.S. And it’s easy to see why. The degree is nimble. It’s a near-guaranteed path to early career success. And valuable and potentially life-long connections can result from it.

Another reason that a business degree remains relevant: the constant innovation inside business schools. Simply put, B-schools have moved well beyond traditional areas like accounting and finance.

Nowadays, schools are providing hands-on experiences that range from launching companies to developing software and apps to using business as a means to achieve social and environmental progress.

Still not convinced? Of all 88 schools ranked this year, nearly 90% of 2018 graduates seeking employment had secured full-time positions within three months of graduation. Total compensation for those graduates — including starting salaries and signing bonuses — averaged just under $62,000.

What’s more, they are going into some of the country’s most sought-after consulting, financial, and tech firms.

So dig in. Pick a few schools you’re interested in and read up about their cultures. Check out the quotes from recent alumni on what really stood out in their experience. And use this guide as an intro and launching point to your college search.

Best of luck to you.

Nathan Allen Rankings & Best Undergraduate Business Schools Guide Editor Poets&Quants

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contents UP FRONT Why Business Still Remains The Most Popular College Major Five reasons why you should consider majoring in business.............................................................9 What A College Degree Actually Cost These Days And which schools have the best return on investment.......................................................................11 The Best Business Schools For Employment Outcomes Where graduates earn the highest percentage of jobs and make the highest salaries......17

THE TOP UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS #1 University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School........................................................................23 #2 University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce.................................................................25 #3 Washington University at St. Louis Olin Business School...................................................27 #4 University of Michigan Ross School of Business........................................................................29 #5 University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business.........................................................31 #6 New York University Stern School of Business............................................................................33 #7 Cornell University Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management... 35 #8 Villanova University School of Business......................................................................................... 37 #9 Boston College Carroll School of Management..............................................................................39 #10 University of California at Berkeley Haas School of Business........................................41 #11 University of Texas-Austin McCombs School of Business.....................................................43 #12 The College of William & Mary Raymond A. Mason School of Business........................ 45 #13 Indiana University Kelley School of Business..............................................................................47 #14 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School........... 49 #15 Emory University Goizueta Business School................................................................................51 #16 Georgetown University McDonough School of Business...................................................... 53 #17 Wake Forest University School of Business.................................................................................55 #18 Georgia Institute of Technology Scheller College of Business.........................................57 #19 Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business.....................................................59

contents #20 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business...........................61 #21 University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management...........................................................63 #22 Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business.............................................................65 #23 University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration.................................................67 #24 Northeastern University D’Amore-McKim School of Business................................................ 69 #25 University of Richmond Robins School of Business....................................................................71 #26 Texas Christian University Neeley School of Business..............................................................73 #27 Fordham University Gabelli School of Business.............................................................................. 75 #28 Babson College..................................................................................................................................................77 #29 University of Georgia Terry College of Business............................................................................79 #30 Boston University Questrom School of Business...........................................................................81 #31 Lehigh University College of Business and Economics.................................................................83 #32 University of Washington Foster School of Business................................................................85 #33 University of Wisconsin at Madison School of Business........................................................87 #34 Tulane University A.B. Freeman School of Business..................................................................... 89 #35 Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business........................................................... 91 #36 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Foisie Business School........................................................93 #37 Purdue University Krannert School of Management..................................................................... 95 #38 Michigan State University Eli Broad College of Business.........................................................97 #39 Miami University Richard T. Farmer School of Business.............................................................99 #40 Texas A&M University Mays Business School.................................................................................. 101 #41 University of Massachusetts at Amherst Isenberg School of Management................. 103 #42 Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business.......................................................................105 #43 Syracuse University Martin J. Whitman School of Management.............................................107 #44 Christopher Newport University Luter School of Business....................................................109 #45 Seton Hall University Stillman School of Business.......................................................................111 #46 Ohio State University Fisher College of Business..........................................................................113 #47 University of San Diego School of Business.....................................................................................115 #48 University of Miami School of Business Administration.............................................................117 #49 Rutgers Business School at New Brunswick..............................................................................119 #50 Elon University Love School of Business............................................................................................121 #51 The Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Business............................................123 #52 Providence College School of Business...............................................................................................125 #53 The College of New Jersey School of Business.............................................................................. 127 #54 University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business...................................................................129 #55 University of Houston C.T. Bauer College of Business................................................................131 #56 University of California-Irvine Paul Merage School of Business..........................................133 #57 University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business...............................................135 THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

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#58 University of New Hampshire Peter T. Paul College of Business & Economics.....137 #59 Bowling Green State University College of Business.........................................................139 #60 Hult International Business School................................................................................................141 #61 University of Delaware Lerner College of Business & Economics...................................143 #62 Drexel University LeBow College of Business...........................................................................145 #63 Rochester Institute of Technology Saunders College of Business.............................147 #64 University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business..............................................................149 #65 University of Denver Daniels College of Business..................................................................151 #66 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Lally School of Management....................................153 #67 University of Tennessee at Knoxville Haslam College of Business............................ 155 #68 St. Louis University Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business.............................................157 #69 The University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management................ 159 #70 University of Arizona Eller College of Management...............................................................161 #71 University of Evansville Schroeder School of Business.......................................................163 #72 University of Utah David Eccles School of Business..............................................................165 #73 James Madison University College of Business......................................................................167 #74 Duquesne University Palumbo Donahue School of Business............................................169 #75 University of Oklahoma Michael F. Price College of Business...........................................171 #76 American University Kogod School of Business.......................................................................173 #77 St. John’s University Peter J. Tobin College of Business.......................................................175 #78 Rutgers Business School-Newark.................................................................................................177 #79 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Cameron School of Business........... 179 #80 Northern Illinois University College of Business...................................................................181 #81 Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business...................................................................183 #82 Sacred Heart University Jack Welch College of Business.................................................. 185 #83 Florida Southern College School of Business...........................................................................187 #84 University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business & Economics................................189 #85 University of Michigan at Dearborn School of Business..................................................191 #86 Lipscomb University College of Business...................................................................................193 #87 Ithaca College School of Business....................................................................................................195 #88 University of Akron College of Business Administration.....................................................197

THE METRICS BEHIND THE INDUSTRY’S LEADING RANKING Rankings Methodology Explained How We Crunched The Data To Rank 88 Schools...................................................................................199

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

Elon University leads the nation in the U.S. News & World Report “Programs to Look For” that lead to student success.

For the fourth straight year, Elon is recognized in all eight program categories.

1 • STUDY ABROAD 2 • INTERNSHIPS 3 • SENIOR CAPSTONE EXPERIENCES 4 • FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCES 5 • LEARNING COMMUNITIES 6 • SERVICE LEARNING 7 • UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH/CREATIVE PROJECTS 8 • WRITING IN THE DISCIPLINES

98%

Why Business Still Remains The Most Popular Major FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER MAJORING IN BUSINESS

BY ALISON DAMAST

A

llie Savino started her undergraduate career as a biology major at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, but quickly found herself drawn to the school’s well-regarded undergraduate business program.

By her sophomore year, she was uncertain where her biology degree would take her, and wanted a wider array of career options. “Somewhat jokingly I said I will apply to the business school,” recalls Savino, now a senior double majoring in biology and business. “I ended up getting in and it was one of the best decisions I made during my time at UNC. With biology, there were just a few career paths. With a business major, you can take it wherever you want to go.”

A business major is often one of the more popular majors on campus, with troves of students like Savino drawn to the degree’s many perks, from attractive salaries and plum job positions right out of school to the growing number of classroom experiential learning and study abroad opportunities.

Graduates from top business programs these days can easily earn more than $60,000 after they graduate. At the upper echelon of the top-ranked schools, starting salaries can top $70,000 or more, and that’s not even factoring in signing bonuses. At the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, which ranked No. 2 in P&Q’s 2018 undergraduate business school ranking, the average starting salary was $75,068, with the average signing bonus clocking in at $9,313. At Wharton, the No. 1 school in this year’s ranking, the class of 2018 reported an average annual salary of $80,354 as starting base salaries.

Of that group, 90.3% reported earning an average signing bonus of $12,960.

While hefty starting salaries are undoubtedly an attractive perk of being a business major, there are countless other reasons to consider getting a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA) degree, B-school administrators say. Students and parents alike increasingly view a BBA as a degree that has a solid return on investment, as well as one that can help them move up the career ladder quickly and efficiently.

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A business major also helps them develop a unique perspective on how the fundamentals of business can be applied to nearly any industry or career. It’s one of the reasons the business degree is the most popular degree in the country, accounting for nearly 20% of all degrees awarded, according to recent data from the National Center for Education statistics.

“It’s not just about being an undergraduate business major these days. It is about acquiring skills and a mindset that really helps them advance at an early age,” reasons Steven Malter, the senior associate dean of undergraduate and graduate programs at Washington University’s Olin Business School in St. Louis, which ranked No. 3 in P&Q’s ranking.

Malter and deans from other top-ranked B-schools agreed to share their thoughts on what they believe are the best reasons for students to consider a business major while in college. Here are the reasons they believe students and parents should take a closer look at the business major while conducting their college searches and visiting schools.

A VALUABLE TOOLBOX Business schools are fundamentally tied to the greater university community, but in many ways they are their own islands. For example, business majors at leading business programs can expect to get top-caliber campus services that many may not be available to other students on campus, from specialized career services to advising, says Anna Millar, managing director of the undergraduate business program at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. At Kenan-Flagler, the program has its own career services office and academic advisors, which leads to students conducting more efficient and targeted job searches, Millar says. “Our academic advisors only need to know about the business curriculum and our career folks only need to know about careers in business. They are able to provide really high-level services to a fewer number of students. It becomes a very high-touch kind of

program.”

Career services aside, business students have a rich array of resources right at their fingertips, from more modern facilities and classrooms, to high-tech labs and unique global opportunities and partnerships, says Ryan Nelson, associate dean of McIntire’s undergraduate program. “The resources we have to offer in a business school tend to be better than you might find in other programs on campus,” Nelson continues. “If you think about what you are getting for your money, you are getting not only a job but ancillary services that tend to be better in a business school.”

Business schools excel at teaching students skills that often can’t be found in textbooks, from the so-called ‘soft skills’ that help students stand out in the workforce to developing an entrepreneurial mindset.

For example, at the Olin School, students learn the in and outs of entrepreneurial thinking early on in their college careers, Malter says. The first three semesters of school, students have to undertake five experiential learning projects, are required to take a course in entrepreneurship and get experience creating their own consumer products in teams. “They are forced to deal with ambiguity in situations that are reflective of the environment they will face in business,” Malter explains.

“They are coming out with an advanced sets of skill in their toolbox.

At UNC’s Kenan-Flagler school, professors and career staff emphasize learning soft skills in the classroom.

Students learn through class projects how to be a good communicator, a strong team player, and how to be flexible, Millar says. They also get comfortable giving and receiving feedback to their peers. “These are skills business schools give you that you can’t obtain elsewhere,” she says.

Allie Savino, the UNC senior majoring in biology and business, says she has honed those skills at KenanFlagler, and believes they will serve her well when she starts a job as an incoming associate consultant at Bain & Company’s Atlanta office after graduation. “You can be the best problem solver in the world, but if I can’t tell someone what that means for them and their business, it is useless,” Savino says.

At many of the top business schools today, students are strongly encouraged to participate in a study-abroad trip where they will get hands-on global business experience.

For example, at UNC Chapel-Hill, approximately 72% of Kenan-Flagler students study abroad versus 35% of the rest of the campus, says Millar. While on these trips, students develop skills that enable them to view business through a global lens. “Students have to step out of their comfort zone and immerse themselves in cultures that are not their own,” Millar explains. “They develop skills like

sympathy, adaptability and flexibility.”

The McIntire School strongly encourages students to go abroad their junior year. “In our case, the global opportunities to study abroad tend to be quite strong,” says McIntire’s Nelson. “We have a lot of very good partnerships with schools around the world and we are able to do that by leveraging the strong resources we have.”

The skills students obtain while a business major are ones that can help them get off to a running start when they enter the workforce, UNC’s Millar says.

Students who major in business become Excel whizzes, learn in accounting classes how to create budgets and read company reports, and often leave school with Bloomberg Terminal certification. Many can pull together a PowerPoint presentation in a few hours and become effective and natural storytellers. “There are all hands-on practical skills you can put into practice the minute you step into your first job,” Millar says.

It’s precisely those practical skills that make business majors so compelling to employers, agrees UVA’s Nelson.

“We hear from our recruiters that our students are not only able to perform very well right out of the gate, but tend to be the ones that get promoted faster and make it into managerial positions,” he says.

A CAREER WITH ENDLESS FLEXIBILITY AND OPTIONS Top B-schools today are known for having some of the most cutting-edge courses and specializations on campus.

For example, the McIntire School now offers students the chance to take classes in data analytics, artificial intelligence, global business, and machine learning.

“Those are just topics that allow you to do so many things today and in the future,” Nelson says. “When you couple that with the fundamental liberal arts and business education students receive, they can do almost anything you can think of in different industries and careers.”

In fact, many students today find that the undergraduate business education they receive is strong enough that they don’t need to go back to school a few years later to get their MBA. At the Olin School, Malter says he’s noticed a fair number of undergraduate business majors — much more so than five or six years ago — bypassing the MBA degree completely. “They are getting an incredible undergraduate education and they are succeeding in the firms they go to work for,” he says.

“Certainly some go back, but you see a lot of students being successful without returning to school.”

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

9

THE ONLY MUST-READ BUSINESS SCHOOL WEBSITE

Offering more articles, series and videos on MBA programs and business schools than any other media outlet in the world, Poets&Quants has established a reputation for well-reported and highly-creative stories on the things that matter most to graduate business education prospects, students and alumnus.

MBA Admissions Consultant Directory

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preMBA Networking Festival

CentreCourt MBA Admissions Event

Poets&Quants’ MBA Admissions Consultant Directory offers future applicants the opportunity to find a coach or consultant to assist in their candidacy into a top business school. Search by cost, experience, education, language and more.

Exclusively for students admitted to a top business school, we offer Poets&Quants’ preMBA Networking Festival. This is a new admit’s chance to get ahead of their peers and meet managing directors and partners of the world’s top MBA employers before their recruiters arrive to campus in the fall.

For graduate business degree seekers looking for a specialization along with or apart from an MBA, Poets&Quants' Specialized Master's Directory helps you narrow your results by program type, location, method of delivery, and business school ranking.

Designed by two of the world’s foremost authorities on business schools, John A. Byrne, editor-in-chief of Poets&Quants, and Matt Symonds, bestselling MBA author and columnist for Forbes and The Economist, CentreCourt MBA Festival pulls together officials from top schools and everything you need to know about the MBA.

Poets&Quants is a community that stays in touch with its readers. We report on and celebrate their success, share in their lessons and trials. Connect with us to stay informed on B-school admissions, news, internships and careers. Visit www.poetsandquants.com.

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What A College Degree Actually Cost These Days

AND WHICH SCHOOLS HAVE THE BEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT

BY NATHAN ALLEN

T

here’s just no way around it. College is expensive.

Despite reports that some colleges have dropped costs over the past decade, and the fact that many students don’t pay the actual sticker price thanks to scholarships and grants, higher education is still pricey.

And according to data submitted to Poets&Quants For Undergrads, the cost is increasing at most schools.

Each year when we rank the country’s best undergraduate business schools, we ask for numerous data points from the schools. One of these is the total estimated cost of attending the school for the next four years. For the few schools that did not submit that data point, we estimated the total cost for the 2018-2019 academic year and multiplied it by four. For each school, the total cost figure includes all tuition and fees as well as housing and other living expenses over four years, assuming, as it must, that students live and eat on campus all four years. Among the 88 schools we ranked in 2018, the most expensive was Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lally School of Management in Troy, New York.

Rensselaer ranked 66th in this year’s ranking but carried an estimated price tag of $287,988 over the next four years.

Just two other schools had total estimated costs greater than $280,000. New York University’s Stern School of Business estimates its total four-year cost at $284,286, while Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business reported a total cost of $280,292. Top-ranked Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania had the next highest total cost, at $276,592; and third-place Washington University in St. Louis Olin Business School rounded out the top five with a total cost of $275,600. Of the 88 ranked schools, it costs at least a quarter-million dollars to attend 28 of them.

The difference between RPI Lally and the least expensive school — Brigham Young University’s Marriott School — is $212,644.

According to the College Board, the national average total four-year cost at a private college is $203,600. At public universities, the cost plunges by more than half to

$101,160 for in-state students, and to $163,760 for out-ofstate students. Including private and both in- and out-ofstate total costs across all 88 schools ranked in this year’s P&Q best undergraduate business schools ranking, the overall average is $181,672.

To be sure, paying a high cost isn’t necessary to receive a solid business education. All 88 ranked schools are in the top 10% of all accredited business schools nationwide. But even within the top 88, some of the highest-ranked public universities offer elite business education for in-state students at half the cost as some private schools on the list. One example is the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. The school recently announced it would be raising the cost of tuition by $2,000 a year for business majors. Considering Kenan-Flagler is a two-year program, the cost hike isn’t as impactful as it would be for a four-year program. KenanFlagler still remains one of the least expensive schools for in-state students, at a four-year total cost of $101,252.

Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, also a top-15 school like Kenan-Flagler, has a total fouryear in-state cost of $103,082. Five other top-15 schools currently provide a business education for in-state students at less than $150,000: 11th-placed University of Texas-Austin ($112,192), fourth-placed University of Michigan ($123,866), second-placed University of Virginia ($133,598), 12th-placed College of William & Mary ($135,568), and the University of California-Berkeley ($141,032).

For least-expensive ranked schools, Brigham Young University tops the list. Biz majors at BYU can still earn a degree for just $75,344. The next least-expensive school is James Madison University, where in-state students pay a total four-year cost of $88,432. Seven of the 88 ranked schools still offer a degree for a total four-year cost of less than $100,000.

The upshot is that attending a university in the United States is a massive investment for many young adults and their families. But it can also be a savvy investment, and there are many ways to measure the return-on-investment THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

11

of a college degree. We believe the best way is to take the average starting salary of the most recent graduating class, multiply it by five (for five years of work), and subtract from that number the total estimated cost for attending the school for four years. For example, if the average starting salary for a school is $50,000, and the total cost of attending the school for four years is $200,000, the five-year ROI would be $50,000.

Using this method, the business school currently offering the best ROI on a degree is the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce. With a 2018 average starting salary of $75,068 and a total cost for in-state students of $133,598, the five-year ROI total is $241,742.

PUBLICS OUT-ROI PRIVATES Attending an in-state school is the best bet for students looking to avoid or quickly pay off pesky student loans.

Following Virginia with a five-year ROI of $237,474 is the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School follows with $232,083, and the University of California-Berkeley Haas School of Business and University of Texas McCombs School of Business round out the top five with $225,478 and $223,823, respectively.

Of the 88 ranked schools that submitted employment and total cost data, 10 have a five-year ROI of at least $200K. The first private school to show up on the ranking is Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business, which is 10th on the list and has the lowest fouryear total cost of all schools at $75,344. The average across all 88 schools considering both in-and out-of-state costs of attending is $110,520.

SCHOOLS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ROI LIST: MOSTLY PRIVATE This year, only two schools are still in the red five years after graduation (last year with 82 ranked schools, the number was four). However, for two straight years, Hult International Business School sits at the bottom of the five-year ROI ranking. With an average starting salary of less than $35,000 and a total cost of $268,400, Hult has a five-year return of -$94,680. The other school with a negative return after five years is the University of St. Thomas, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at -$2,782. Whereas large public universities comprise the vast majority of schools with the best five-year returns, private colleges and universities make up the majority of the bottom 15.

Out-of-state students at the University of California-Irvine Merage School of Business make up the only public university population on the bottom 15.

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

We also took the average starting salaries at all schools and multiplied them at five, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years of work. At 30 years out, the total tops $1 million for all ranked schools. The 30-year total tops $2 million at 15 schools. The two highest-earning schools are New York University’s Stern School of Business and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Both schools reported average starting salaries higher than $80K for their 2018 graduating classes. At that rate, graduates can expect to earn more than $2.4 million over three decades. Of course, this number is unlikely to remain static. In most cases, graduates will make much more as promotions, raises, and salaries compensate for inflation.

But with starting average salaries as the only factor, the average 30-year total across all 88 ranked schools is just under $1.8 million.

There are some obvious limitations to this data. First, large percentages of students won’t be paying the actual sticker price for a college degree. Grants and scholarships do exist, and generally speaking there are more and in larger quantities at private universities with bigger endowments. Next, the five-year salary total is based on the average of the Class of 2018. Obviously, with an average, there will be many students making more or less.

Plus, year-end bonuses and signing bonuses — as well as raises and promotions — make returns better.

Bottom line: Across the board, an undergraduate business degree has the potential to be a very lucrative investment. Choose wisely.

P&Q School Rank

2018 Average Five Year Salary Total

Total Minus Total Cost

2

Virginia (McIntire)

$75,068

$375,340

$241,742

4

Michigan (Ross)

$72,268

$361,340

$237,474

14 10

UNC at Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler) Berkeley (Haas)

$66,667 $73,302

$333,335 $366,510

$232,083 $225,478

11

Texas (McCombs)

$67,347

$336,735

$223,823

57

South Carolina (Darla Moore)

$61,946

$309,730

$216,038

13 73 18

Indiana (Kelley) James Madison Georgia Tech (Scheller)

$62,734 $58,257 $62,545

$313,670 $291,285 $312,725

$210,588 $202,853 $200,960

36

Brigham Young (Marriot)

$55,148

$275,740

$200,393

37

Purdue (Krannert)

$57,473

$287,365

$195,597

32

Washington (Foster)

$61,039

$305,195

$193,403

49

Rutgers (New Brunswick)

$60,228

$301,140

$190,420

33

Wisconsin

$58,603

$293,015

$188,819

12

William & Mary (Mason)

$64,724

$323,620

$188,052

29

Georgia (Terry)

$56,428

$282,140

$188,052

41

Massachusetts (Isenberg)

$57,782

$288,910

$174,884

40

Texas A&M (Mays)

$57,286

$286,430

$174,878

53

The College of New Jersey

$58,000

$290,000

$173,567

69

Texas at Dallas (Jindal)

$58,100

$290,500

$173,356

21

Minnesota (Carlson)

$56,989

$284,945

$172,445

39

Miami (Farmer)

$59,540

$297,700

$172,380

38

Michigan State (Broad)

$58,706

$293,530

$172,262

7

Cornell (Dyson)

$74,493

$372,465

$171,727

51

Penn State (Smeal)

$60,046

$300,230

$171,651

20

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Gies) $63,079

$315,395

$171,395

59

Bowling Green

$53,300

$266,500

$169,354

78

Rutgers at Newark

$54,211

$271,055

$166,447

55

Houston (Bauer)

$54,144

$270,720

$166,340

72

Utah (Eccles)

$51,478

$257,390

$162,654

61

Delaware (Lerner)

$54,087

$270,435

$162,285

81

Texas Tech (Rawls)

$53,473

$267,365

$161,613

46

Ohio State (Fisher)

$54,740

$273,700

$155,909

70

Arizona (Eller)

$54,041

$270,205

$155,909

75

Oklahoma (Price)

$53,134

$265,670

$150,894

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

13

P&Q School Rank

2018 Average Five Year Salary Total

Total Minus Total Cost

85

Michigan at Dearborn

$49,507

$247,535

$146,591

68

St. Louis (Chaifetz)

$63,333

$316,665

$141,129

80 56 23 84

Northern Illinois UC Irvine (Merage) Pittsburgh Kentucky (Gatton)

$51,120 $54,479 $54,370 $49,175

$255,600 $291,285 $271,850 $245,875

$141,008 $137,253 $135,722 $134,227

79

UNC at Wilmington

$44,507

$222,535

$130,863

67

Tennessee at Knoxville (Haslam)

$50,446

$252,230

$126,190

1

Pennsylvania (Wharton)

$80,354

$401,770

$125,178

54

Missouri (Trulaske)

$48,827

$244,135

$124,503

22

Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)

$77,987

$389,935

$123,889

6

New York (Stern)

$80,546

$402,730

$118,444

58

New Hampshire (Paul)

$50,420

$252,100

$117,808

88

Akron

$42,651

$213,255

$105,247

63

Rochester (Simon)

$51,273

$256,365

$102,256

36

Worcester Polytechnic (Foisie)

$69,930

$349,650

$100,770

16

Georgetown (McDonough)

$73,019

$365,095

$90,055

44

Christopher Newport (Luter)

$48,000

$240,000

$87,919

31

Lehigh

$66,598

$332,990

$84,580

15

Emory (Goizueta)

$66,297

$331,485

$81,023

65

Denver (Daniels)

$50,975

$254,875

$78,163

19

Southern Methodist (Cox)

$67,138

$335,690

$76,508

17

Wake Forest

$68,300

$341,500

$74,026

26

Texas Christian (Neeley)

$60,719

$303,595

$73,175

45

Seton Hall (Stillman)

$59,451

$297,255

$72,111

50

Elon (Love)

$52,299

$261,495

$71,119

25

Richmond (Robins)

$62,969

$314,845

$65,915

5

Notre Dame (Mendoza)

$65,000

$325,000

$60,806

9

Boston College (Carroll)

$65,814

$329,070

$60,530

3

Washington at St. Louis (Olin)

$67,115

$335,575

$59,975

74

Duquesne (Palombo-Donahue)

$50,592

$252,960

$55,364

30

Boston (Questrom)

$64,275

$321,375

$53,820

82

Sacred Heart (Jack Welch)

$54,784

$273,920

$50,696

24

Northeastern (D’Amore-McKim)

$66,101

$330,505

$50,213

77

St. John’s (Tobin)

$59,146

$295,730

$50,098

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

P&Q School Rank

2018 Average Five Year Salary Total

Total Minus Total Cost

8

Villanova

$63,709

$318,545

$49,233

48

University of Miami

$60,801

$304,005

$48,233

66 43

Rensselaer Polytechnic (Lally) Syracuse (Whitman)

$67,200 $59,371

$336,000 $296,855

$48,012 $47,469

27

Fordham (Gabelli)

$63,777

$318,885

$44,658

71

Evansville (Schroeder)

$50,537

$252,685

$43,925

42 86 47

Santa Clara (Leavey) Lipscomb University of San Diego

$59,333 $46,875 $57,119

$296,665 $234,375 $285,595

$37,460 $36,301 $35,461

76

American (Kogod)

$58,670

$293,350

$32,394

34

Tulane (Freeman)

$60,442

$302,210

$31,332

28

Babson College

$57,665

$288,325

$26,227

52

Providence College

$57,174

$285,870

$24,958

62

Drexel (LeBow)

$57,185

$285,925

$23,082

87

Ithaca College

$50,649

$253,245

$10,433

83

Florida Southern College

$43,366

$216,830

$8,830

64

St. Thomas (Opus)

$48,000

$240,000

-$2,782

60

Hult International

$34,708

$173,540

-$94,860

These are for in-state tuition only.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

15

The Best Business Schools For Employment Outcomes

WHERE GRADUATES EARN THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF JOBS AND MAKE THE HIGHEST SALARIES

BY JOHN A. BYRNE

I

t’s pretty much a given that many students major in business because they know it will increase the odds that they’ll find a job soon after graduation.

After all, an undergraduate business education prepares young people to make an immediate contribution to an employer. That is rarely the case when it comes to many other academic fields, from English and history to geography and psychology.

And the hard data proves the case, especially when it comes to the best business schools. Out of the 88 ranked undergraduate business programs by Poets&Quants in 2018, 50 schools reported that 90% or more of their 2018 graduates had jobs within three months of commencement.

At a time when economists believe the U.S. economy is at full employment, many schools had near perfect placement records for their business undergrads last year.

At the University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business, a remarkable 99.6% of the graduates were employed three months after graduation.

AT THE TOP: WORCESTER POLY, ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY, ILLINOIS GIES, GEORGIA TERRY And there were a lot of other schools that might not necessarily spring to mind at the top of the list of the most successful schools in placing students: Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Foisie Business School was at 98.8%, Saint Louis University’s Chaifetz School of Business at 98.6%, the University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business hit 98.4%, and at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, the number was 97.99%.

Even at schools that occupied the low end of placing their students, every school could claim that more than half of their graduating class of students had jobs. At Ithaca College, which had the lowest employment rate for any of the ranked 88 schools, 59.1% of graduates were able to get jobs within three months.

Often times, undergraduate programs not in the top-tier

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

on placement are either more reliant on university-wide career offices or have devoted fewer resources inside their schools. Consider UC-Irvine’s Merage School of Business which posted a 2018 employment rate of 75% three months after graduation. Merage tries to leverage the UC office to help its undergrads, having just 1.5 full-time equivalent staffers in career services for its undergrads.

Another factor is that 40% of the school’s freshman admits and 57% of its transfer students are first-generation college students.

‘SOME STUDENTS DON’T FEEL THE URGENCY TO DO AN EARLY JOB SEARCH’ “Some [students] don’t feel urgency to have a job at graduation, or they believe they need the degree before they begin the job search,” explains Maia Young, associate dean of undergraduate programs at UC-Irvine’s Merage School of Business. She adds that the school is considering everything from assigning alumni mentors to students, creating a career advising platform and a “passport program” that would give stamps to students who attend career events and lead to an extra cord at graduation.

The best performing undergraduate programs generally have these features already in place. No school, however, beats UT-Austin in having a pro-active career services office that gets students into jobs quickly. While many schools merely put you in touch with career services department, one of the first classes business undergrads get at McCombs are taught by a career coaching professional who will discuss employer trends and examine what skills are in demand. Students are immediately guided through the process of developing a resume, learning out to write cover letters, networking, learning the ropes of job interviews by doing mock sessions with coaches.

The school puts an unusual twist on its coaching efforts, pairing students with career coaches who are assigned students on the basis of their majors. So each coach has

more industry and discipline-specific knowledge when they meet one-on-one with students to discuss options and polish job search and interview strategies. McCombs also boasts an additional peer coaching program to gain guidance with internships, career paths, and recruiting with a student who has already been there and done that.

STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE INTERNSHIPS AT MCCOMBS All of McCombs students are required to do an internship before graduation, an experience that often leads to a full-time job offer. The scale and scope of those internship opportunities at McCombs are impressive.

In a recent year, for example, slightly more than one in four students gained internships in finance and banking, but many landed summer jobs with tech firms (16.5%), consulting (10.6%), retail, entertainment, and hospitality (6.0%), energy (5.9%), and consumer goods (5.0%).

There’s a slew of weekly seminars, company visits, professional mentorship opportunities, case interview workshops for would-be consultants to investment banking prep for students eager to get into i-banking.

The school also sponsors two career expos every year in spring and winter, providing the chance to interact with more than 180 employers. McCombs says that more than 3,000 internship and full-time job opportunities are posted online at the school every year.

Bottom line: Ask about the resources your target schools provide to their career services offices and how pro-active that staff is with students. It’s not enough to merely have an office; it’s the very best schools in helping students land jobs right out of college are those that actively intervene with students from freshmen year.

FROTHY STARTING SALARIES Meanwhile, at many of the best colleges, starting salaries for business majors in 2018 broke records, vastly exceeding the $50,390 average for all college grads. In fact, graduates of the top ten undergraduate business schools easily made 50% more in first-year pay right out of school than the college grad average.

Students whose diplomas were stamped by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School again topped the pay list with average total starting compensation of $92,057, with salaries of $80,354 and signing bonuses of $12,960, received by slightly more than 90% of the graduating class. The 2018 total, a new record, topped the year-earlier pay of $90,601 by nearly $1,500.

The total compensation numbers are adjusted to account for the percentage of grads getting bonuses.

You don’t have to go to Wharton, of course, to make

good money right out of school. In all, last year’s graduates of 79 different business schools did better than the national average starting salary for college grads.

Some 17 B-schools reported salaries and bonuses of $70,000 or higher.

BIG PAYDAYS FOR UNDERGRADS AT CARNEGIE MELLON, NYU, UVA & CORNELL At Carnegie Mellon, B-school undergrads took jobs with average starting compensation of $85,791, up from $82,216 a year earlier. Rounding out the top five were NYU’s Stern School of Business ($84,764, up from $78,349), the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce ($80,842) and Cornell University’s Dyson School ($79,850).

Those sums are a great deal larger than the average for all college grads in 2018 of $50,390, according to a study

by Korn Ferry which analyzed salaries of 310,000 entrylevel positions from nearly 1,000 organizations across the United States.

Wharton maintained its lead in starting pay while also posting extraordinarily high employment numbers: 95.7% of the graduates seeking employment had a job offer within three months of graduation, down slightly from the record of 97.9% a year earlier (see Best Business Schools For Landing A Job Right Out Of College).

Though Wharton has yet to publish its undergraduate employment report for the Class of 2018, its graduates earn such high pay packages due to the brand name recruiters who seek the school’s students.

MAJOR EMPLOYERS AT WHARTON INCLUDE MCKINSEY, BAIN, GOLDMAN, BCG Hiring Wharton grads in double-digits in 2017 were McKinsey & Co., which employed 19 Wharton undergrads, Bain & Co. (17), Goldman Sachs (15), Boston Consulting Group (14), Credit Suisse (14), JP Morgan Chase (13), Bank of America (11), IBM (11), and Morgan Stanley (11). In fact, the list of major employers at the school is phenomenal, including such tech giants as Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Wharton continues to see an increase in the percentage of students entering the technology field, 14.7% in 2017, as well as real estate, investment banking, and hedge funds. Slightly under half of Wharton’s students entered a financial job function, with the popularity of investment banking roles increasing in 2017, along with trading, real estate, and data analytics.

Of course, compensation is impacted by the location and industry choices of graduates. Schools that feed more students into finance and consulting are more likely to have higher starting compensation packages than THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

17

those that don’t. Schools that place students in major metropolitan areas, from New York and Boston to Chicago and San Francisco, are also more likely to have higher starting pay totals.

COLLEGE BRAND MATTERS WHEN IT COMES TO STARTING PAY But college brand can often trump location as a factor in undergraduate pay. In the Washington, D.C., metro area, for example, Georgetown business grads pulled down total compensation of $79,513, sixth highest in the nation and roughly $20,000 a year to start than business graduates of nearby American University. In New York, graduates from NYU’s Stern School out-earned those from Fordham’s Gabelli School by a similar margin: $84,764 versus $66,528, respectively.

And undergrads from several Midwestern schools– including Olin in St. Louis and Ross in Ann Arbor, Michigan–made more money to start than graduates from some schools in Boston and Silicon Valley. Ross grads in Michigan pulled down $78,165 in average total pay, while Olin grads in St. Louis earned $75,986. That compares with average pay of $68,560 at Santa Clara in the heart of Silicon Valley or $67,229 at Northeastern University in Bean Town or $59,680 at Babson College, just outside Boston.

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

School

Total First- Average Year Pay Salary

Signing Bonus

% Getting Bonus

UPenn (Wharton)

$92,057

$80,354

$12,960

90.3%

Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)

$85,791

$77,987

$8,671

90%

NYU (Stern) Virginia (McIntire)

$84,764 $80,842

$80,546 $75,068

$10,018 $9,313

42.1% 62%

Cornell (Dyson)

$79,850

$74,493

$9,414

56.9%

Georgetown (McDonough)

$79,593

$73,019

$9,527

69%

UC-Berkeley (Haas) Michigan (Ross) WashU (Olin)

$79,133 $78,165 $75,986

$73,302 $72,268 $67,115

$9,559 $8,559 $11,828

61% 68.9% 75%

Worcester Polytechnic (Foisie)

$72,937

$69,930

$7,333

41%

SMU (Cox)

$72,585

$67,138

$10,894

50%

UT-Austin (McCombs)

$72,052

$67,347

$7,410

63.5%

Wake Forest

$71,675

$68,300

$7,500

45%

UNC (Kenan-Flagler)

$71,458

$66,667

$7,150

67%

William & Mary (Mason)

$71,276

$64,724

$14,690

44.6%

Emory (Goizueta)

$70,613

$66,297

$7,847

55%

RPI (Lally)

$70,494

$67,200

$7,486

44%

Lehigh

$69,875

$66,598

$6,688

49%

Indiana (Kelley)

$69,284

$62,734

$8,619

76%

Notre Dame (Mendoza)

$69,060

$65,000

$7,000

58%

Santa Clara (Leavey)

$68,560

$59,333

$11,829

78%

Boston College (Carroll)

$68,509

$65,814

$7,487

36%

Boston (Questrom)

$68,038

$64,275

$7,572

49.7%

Northeastern (D’Amore-McKim)

$67,229

$66,101

$6,634

17%

Villanova

$66,921

$63,709

$6,923

46.4%

Illinois (Gies)

$66,598

$63,079

$5,964

59%

Fordham (Gabelli)

$66,528

$63,777

$9,169

30%

Georgia Tech (Scheller)

$66,051

$62,545

$6,493

54%

Richmond (Robins)

$65,613

$62,969

$7,553

35%

Miami Business School

$65,217

$60,801

$9,026

48.9%

Washington (Foster)

$64,610

$61,039

$9,156

39%

South Carolina (Darla Moore)

$64,255

$61,946

$5,784

39.9%

St. Louis University

$64,183

$63,333

$5,000

17%

Texas Christian (Neeley)

$63,587

$60,719

$7,171

40%

Penn State (Smeal)

$63,063

$60,046

$6,034

50%

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

19

School

Total First- Average Year Pay Salary

Signing Bonus

% Getting Bonus

Rutgers (New Brunswick)

$62,710

$60,228

$8,072

30.8%

Michigan State (Broad)

$61,953

$58,706

$5,430

59.8%

Miami (Farmer) Syracuse (Whitman)

$61,547 $60,919

$59,540 $59,371

$5,621 $7,060

35.7% 21,9%

Tulane (Freeman)

$60,855

$60,442

$27,500

1.5%

Wisconsin

$60,450

$58,603

$5,278

35%

Purdue (Krannert) Texas A&M (Mays) James Madison

$60,317 $60,285 $60,232

$57,473 $57,286 $58,257

$6,183 $6,665 $4,592

46% 45% 43%

Massachusetts (Isenberg)

$60,082

$57,782

$5,778

39.8%

UT-Dallas (Jindal)

$59,927

$58,100

$6,300

29%

Seton Hall (Stillman)

$59,851

$59,451

$5,000

8%

Babson College

$59,680

$57,665

$6,718

30%

American (Kogod)

$59,588

$58,670

$7,652

12%

St. John’s (Tobin)

$59,146

$59,146

*

*

Providence

$59,014

$57,174

$7,360

25%

Drexel (LeBow)

$58,882

$57,185

$7,069

24%

The College of New Jersey

$58,830

$58,000

$4,880

17%

Minnesota (Carlson)

$58,388

$56,989

$5,783

24.2%

Georgia (Terry)

$57,851

$56,428

$5,692

25%

Arizona (Eller)

$57,348

$54,041

$6,613

50%

San Diego

$57,119

$57,119

*

*

Ohio State (Fisher)

$57,088

$54,740

$5,728

41%

BYU (Marriot)

$56,710

$55,148

$5,478

29%

Pittsburgh

$56,710

$54,370

$6,000

39%

Delaware

$56,555

$54,087

$7,051

35%

UC-Irvine (Merage)

$55,880

$54,479

$4,917

28.5%

Houston (Bauer)

$55,078

$54,144

$5,835

16%

Rutgers (Newark)

$54,954

$54,211

$6,571

11.3%

Sacred Heart

$54,784

$54,784

*

*

Oklahoma (Price) Elon (Love)

$54,727 $54,351

$53,134 $52,299

$5,318 $4,685

30% 43.8%

Bowling Green

$53,772

$53,300

$4,295

11%

Utah (Eccles)

$53,600

$51,478

$9,826

21.6%

Texas Tech (Rawls)

$53,473

$53,473

*

*

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

School

Total First- Average Year Pay Salary

Signing Bonus

% Getting Bonus

Ithaca

$52,941

$50,649

$5,210

44%

New Hampshire (Paul)

$52,715

$50,420

$4,589

50%

RIT (Saunders) Missouri (Trulaske)

$52,161 $51,611

$51,273 $48,827

$9,553 $6,106

9.3% 45.6%

Denver (Daniels)

$51,486

$50,975

$5,810

8.8%

Northern Illinois

$51,369

$51,120

$2,600

9.6%

Duquesne (Donahue) Tennessee (Haslam) Evansville (Schroeder)

$51,342 $51,112 $50,537

$50,592 $50,446 $50,537

$5,000 $5,126 *

15% 13% *

Kentucky (Gatton)

$49,911

$49,175

$3,505

21%

Michigan-Dearborn

$49,507

$49,507

*

*

Christopher Newport

$48,172

$48,000

$3,250

5.3%

St. Thomas (Opus)

$48,000

$48,000

*

*

Lipscomb

$46,875

$46,875

*

*

North Carolina-Wilmington

$44,507

$44,507

*

*

Florida Southern

$44,373

$43,366

$4,699

21.4%

Akron

$42,651

$42,651

$8,110

*

Hult International

$34,708

$34,708

*

*

* Indicates schools without signing bonuses that do not track that data

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

21

ONE COLLEGE HALL, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 251-898-7608

university of Pennsylvania

T $275,040 In-State Total Cost

$275,040 Out-of-State Total Cost

6.5%

Acceptance Rate

1486

Average SAT

$92,057

Average compensation (including bonus)

95.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania has placed first in the Poets&Quants Best Undergraduate Business Schools Rankings the past two years. The secret behind that? At Wharton, they call it the “Leadership Journey.”

“One unique aspect of the Wharton experience is the Leadership Journey, a set of four modules that prepares students for leadership roles by providing experiential learning as well as evidence-based content on leadership, communication, teamwork, and diversity,” Lori Rosenkopf, vice dean and director of Wharton’s Undergraduate Division, says.

THE FOUR-YEAR JOURNEY The Leadership Journey at Wharton is broken up into four years. It starts in students’ freshman year, where they take Wharton 101. The class, as Rosenkopf describes, is the gateway course of the Leadership Journey.

“The course objectives are to introduce students to the wide-range of curricular opportunities available at Wharton, make students more aware of their strengths and leadership potential, and orient students to the Wharton experience and empower them to become engaged members of the scholarly and co-curricular community,” Rosenkopf says.

Through the course, professors and alumni guide conversations about critical problems, research, and leadership in a series of sessions spanning the school’s curricular areas.

In their second year, students take Wharton 201, where the focus is on developing and practicing oral and written communication skills for presentations and business memos across a range of scenarios.

Junior year focuses on Wharton 301. This course develops skills to work productively in diverse teams.

By their senior year, students are ready for the capstone courses.

Through the capstone course, students apply knowledge to practice for actual or simulated clients. These courses, Rosenkopf says, allow students to practice analytical thinking skills, including consideration of ethical issues, practice written and oral communication skills, and practice working in an assigned team environment by leveraging the experience developed in earlier modules of the leadership Journey.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Wharton offers a number of experiential learning opportunities for its students to apply their knowledge. One of those opportunities is the Wharton Industry Exploration Program (WIEP). The program offers short-term, half-credit courses students can take during school breaks.

Often, these courses feature pre-travel classes, visits to businesses,

university of Pennsylvania lectures, extracurricular activities, and networking opportunities with alumni.

“WIEP courses are designed to provide an understanding of the particular industry’s business environment, help students gain a working knowledge of the sector’s business practices through lectures and direct interaction with business leaders, help students explore and prepare for careers in that sector, and connect students with alumni and others in the industry,” Rosenkopf says.

Additionally, the WIEP courses are catered to specific industries and locations. For instance, the New York City and San Francisco courses focus on entrepreneurship, established and emerging technology, and the finance of innovation and feature visits to techsector businesses. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles course features visits to arts, entertainment, and media businesses.

In Washington, D.C., the course focuses on public policy research.

Students participate in research seminars at various D.C. agencies within the public policy sector and take part in informal interactions with policy researchers.

Another experiential learning opportunity is the Wharton International Program (WIP). WIP is a half-credit course in which students receive intensive training prior to embarking on a shortterm global adventure that includes business site visits, university lectures, cultural excursions, and networking opportunities with students, alumni, and business contacts from the host country.

“I took part in a Wharton International Program, visiting Athens and Istanbul with Wharton classmates,” Samina Hydery, a class of 2016 alum, says. “While we were there, we met with key leaders and executives who were also Wharton alums.”

Each year, Wharton offers three distinct WIP courses. This year’s locations include Colombia, Italy, and China.

“WIP courses are designed to provide an understanding of a region’s business and cultural environment, help students gain a working knowledge of local business practices through lectures at partner schools and direct interaction with business managers, explore the value of different business models, promote intercultural awareness and communication, and help prepare students for careers in the global economy,” Rosenkopf says.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I took part in a Wharton International Program, visiting Athens and Istanbul with Wharton classmates. While we were there, we met with key leaders and executives who were also Wharton alums. I also took part in a senior Capstone, which was a great simulation to put together all that we learned in the classroom with peers.’’ - Recent alum “I did two 10-day global immersion trips.

The first to Portugal and Morocco, and the second to the Dominican Republic where we spoke with and learned from business professionals about the current climate through a social impact lens.” - Recent alum “I went for the Wharton International Program Retail trip to Hong Kong and Macau.

It was an excellent experience to help us understand retail and supply chain management in the Eastern part of the world. We met with top executives, had great mentorship sessions, and were encouraged to build relationships with leaders of top companies such as Tory Burch, Li & Fung, etc. It was an immersive experience that involved a factory visit, a course at HKUST (partner school in Hong Kong), and a sense that Wharton is keen on fostering the next generation of world leaders.” - Recent alum

CAREER OUTLOOK The career outlook for Wharton grads is among the strongest.

Nearly 96% of the Class of 2018 were employed full-time by the end of September with an average overall salary of $80,354. Part of that success may be due to Wharton’s exceptional career services and opportunities to connect students with alumni.

“Students at Wharton have access to many employers both within the Philadelphia region and beyond,” Rosenkopf says.

“They connect with employers through career fairs and information sessions on campus, industry conferences and events, and employer site visits and treks in Philadelphia, New York and other regions.

In addition, our Handshake job board had nearly 40,000 positions posted on it during the 2017-2018 academic year for Penn students and alumni.”

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

23

PO BOX 400173, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, 22904 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 434-924-3865

university of VIRGINIA

T $133,598 In-State Total Cost

$276,592 Out-of-State Total Cost

12.2%

Acceptance Rate

1407

Average SAT

$80,842

Average compensation (including bonus)

97.9%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

his year the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce continued its slow rise up the rankings, passing Washington University in St. Louis to nab the second spot. And like last year, the high rank was buoyed by very high scores from alumni. Virginia’s alumni placed them first in the alumni survey portion of the ranking for the second year in a row.

Akin to the few two-year programs still remaining, students at Virginia begin with two years of liberal arts, before applying to McIntire School for entry their junior year. Only 59% of applicants to McIntire are accepted, meaning even if you get into the University of Virginia, you’re not guaranteed a spot in the School of Commerce. During the past application cycle, nearly 750 applied and 362 were admitted. The average SAT score of that class boasted an average SAT of 1407 and average high school GPA of 4.22.

Change and innovation is on the way at McIntire. Last September, the university announced a $25 million gift from The Chris and Carrie Shumway Foundation that will be an early cog in a new bioscience and business program. The funds will also go towards a new building for the business school that will feature labs for behavioral research and handson learning of analytics and visualization.

Most recently, the school announced the B.S. in Commerce degree has earned STEM designation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. International graduates will now be able to apply for the F-1 visa, which tacks on an additional 24 months of working and living in the U.S. McIntire is the only prominent business school to offer a STEMdesignated degree at the undergraduate level.

A GENERAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION At the center of the McIntire business education experience is the Integrated Core Experience (ICE) Curriculum for which all third-year students must participate. ICE goes beyond classroom curriculum and places students with companies to solve real problems they are facing.

“Our graduates have great breadth and depth of knowledge from their two years of study before going in depth into business,” Ryan Nelson, the associate dean for Undergraduate Program at McIntire, says. “Our graduates report back that they were client-ready for their internships, with the confidence to present information and data in an effective way.

Employers also share that our students work well in teams and can integrate with people across all areas of business, probably from practice through our ICE curriculum.”

The ICE curriculum during the first year in McIntire includes 12 credit hours in the fall semester, and nine credit hours in the spring semester, which also includes engaging with corporate partners on live business cases and putting to practice their classroom knowledge and

university of virginia problem-solving skills. McIntire partners with companies like Hilton Worldwide, CarMax, Rolls-Royce, and Anheuser-Busch InBev. “Our ICE curriculum makes classes more business-like as the students develop an integrated thought process through problemsolving and not just strategic analysis of issues,” Nelson explains.

“From marketing and finance, to organizational behavior, students know they’ll receive direct feedback from client organizations on their ideas, which motivates them to work harder.”

NEW CURRICULUM AND EMPHASIS ON TECH AND BIG DATA Future McIntire students will be able to take advantage of a revamped curriculum. During the 2017-2018 academic year, the school conducted a holistic assessment of their curriculum and the student experience from matriculation through graduation. The focus was on ensuring a coherent and consistent flow of content from end-to-end, focusing on meeting a desired set of knowledge, skills, and attributes for their graduates.

Over the last three years, the school has also leveraged student projects to evaluate and improve the process that they are directly connected to, such as admissions, academic advising, and career advising.

With the continued growth of data analytics fluency in business graduates, the school has also created a business analytics track that takes an interdisciplinary approach to business administration.

Other new courses they have introduced in line with changes to the field of business technology include Big Data, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Digital Innovation, and a Digital Safari to Silicon Valley. “At the McIntire School, we believe that innovation is our tradition,” Nelson boasts.

In addition to a stellar and top-notch academic experience, McIntire boasts some impressive job statistics. In this year’s ranking, McIntire placed third in the career outcomes category only behind The Wharton School and New York University’s Stern School of Business. The school reported that 95% of 2018 graduates had at least one business-related internship before graduation. According to data submitted by the school, students in the Class of 2018, they had a slightly higher starting pay of $75,068, with average signing bonuses of $9,313.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “The format of McIntire’s ICE education involves an integrated core experience where students spend a full semester working on a live business case. The goal of the project is to do a comprehensive 360 gap and opportunity analysis for a company with a given aspiration (e.g. increase brand resonance, optimize balance sheet, etc). The scope requires students to address every function of the business - from sales to marketing to finance. At the end of the semester, my team and I presented our case findings with a final recommendation. Our audience was the executives of the company, who flew down to Charlottesville to hear our proposal. The opportunity to engage with these seniors leaders, share our ideas for them, and discuss their challenges was perhaps the most transformational moment of my education. We were no longer studying hypothetical business theory in textbooks, but were rather bringing the principles to life as true creators of value.” Recent alum “(I participated in) an immersive consulting project in which we were assigned a company and had the opportunity to analyze the company as a whole and make an educated recommendation pitch to members of the company. We traveled around Australia and New Zealand and used our experiences of visiting different companies around the two countries to support our presentations.” Recent alum “I worked on a Leadership Minor project, where I organized a Habitat Build for a group of students who were affected by the murder of our friend, Hannah Graham, for the 1-year anniversary of her death. I had to reach out/ search for all of the students that would appreciate this and coordinate with Habitat to make it possible. I then, wrote a paper detailing what I did, how I did it, and what it meant to the people involved.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

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ONE BROOKINGS DRIVE, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 63130 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 314-935-6000

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY AT ST. LOUIS

T

he Olin education at Washington University in St. Louis is centered around collaboration, diverse coursework, and experiential learning opportunities.

“The education we deliver prepares our students to thoughtfully make difficult decisions — the kind that can change the world,” Steve Malter, Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate & Graduate Programs at Olin, says.

$257,766 In-State Total Cost

$257,666 Out-of-State Total Cost

9.7%

Acceptance Rate

1510

Average SAT

$75,986

Average compensation (including bonus)

97.6%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

WORKING TOGETHER TO SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS Among other business schools, Olin instills a strong sense of collaboration throughout the experience. This collaborative approach gives students a sense of what it’s like to solve real-world issues, together.

One example of Olin’s collaborative approach is its Management Communication course, a required class for all undergraduate students.

As part of the course, teams of students work together with actual clients to help them solve strategic communication problems.

“Olin’s collaborative community is evident both inside and outside of the classroom,” Malter says. “Faculty are engaged in student groups and provide students with opportunities to assist with research.”

Another example is Olin’s Center for Experiential Learning (CEL), which offers several programs where students can apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to solve real-world business problems.

Ian Lever, a Class of 2016 alum, says the Center for Experiential Learning was amongst the most influential experiences in his life.

“They allowed us to work with real problems faced by real people and therefore gave us insights into how successful practitioners think and deliver,” Lever says. “The most formative experience for me was when I had the chance to lead the Ferguson Small Business Initiative that allowed me to use a business lens to achieve meaningful social impact in the St. Louis community. When I was selected as one of the lead consultants for the inaugural year of the program, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work on a meaningful and relevant project in the wake of the Ferguson unrest.”

A DIVERSE FOUNDATION OF COURSEWORK Olin students are exposed to a wide array of courses and experiences throughout their four years. Nearly 40% of the Olin degree is required to come from outside the business school. First-year students take no more than 50% of their coursework at Olin in their initial year. In the fall of their first year, students take part in a cohort experience with 45 of their peers through two business courses: Foundations of Business and Individual in a Managerial Environment.

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY AT ST. LOUIS In the spring of their freshman year, students take Microeconomics and Quantitative Business Analytics I. Many also choose to take Financial Accounting. In addition to these business courses, students also take Writing I and Calculus II or III. “The remainder of their classes are selected with the assistance of their four-year academic advisor, allowing students to explore their interests in WashU’s other four undergraduate colleges,” Malter says.

In the fall of their sophomore year, Olin students take Quantitative Business Analysis II and Management Communications, which focuses on career development and preparation. The rest of their courses are taken outside Olin.

Junior year is when most students finish up their professional requirements. Most of the coursework in the third year consists of major or minor requirements in addition to coursework outside Olin. Nearly 55% of Olin students also choose to study abroad in a traditional exchange or internship program during this time.

In their last year, Olin students complete their major degree requirements, while also pursuing non-Olin coursework.

Additionally, students also take part in experiential learning opportunities through the Center for Experiential Learning or research towards Honors in Management.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES There are a number of experiential learning opportunities available for Olin students. Some examples are the Business of Sports, Business of Entertainment, and Luxury Goods courses, which include immersive trips that expose students to companies, organizations and leaders in the field.

“This provides students with a first-hand experience to learn further about competencies and skills they need to master,” Malter says. “It also offers them opportunities to engage with Olin alumni and friends of the school.”

Another example is the Taylor Community Consulting Program, which provides students the opportunity to impact the local nonprofit sector. Through team-based, applied learning projects, students create solutions for St. Louis community. Projects have included market research and advertising; strategic planning; feasibility studies for expansion; and the infusion of technology into billing and reporting activities.

Bo Hong, a class of 2016 alum, took part in the program. Hong says it was one of the most significant experiences during her education.

“My experience in Taylor Community Consulting Program changed my way of thinking about business and non-profit,” Hong says. “It shaped me into a person with a stronger sense of social responsibility while considering business profit.”

The career outlook for Olin grads is strong. Some 97.6% of Class of 2018 grads were employed full-time by the end of September with an overall average salary of $67,115.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “In my senior year, I took a class called the hatchery as part of my major in entrepreneurship. Students formed teams and were paired with business leaders in the community as mentors, to develop a complete business plan for a new project or idea. This class pushed me to think of a new creative business idea and delve into the details for every aspect of development. While I decided not to further pursue the venture outside of class, I feel as though it prepared me for when I do find an entrepreneurial project that I do want to pursue.” - Recent alum “My experience in Taylor Community Consulting Project changed my way of thinking about business and non-profit. It shaped me into a person with a stronger sense of social responsibility while considering business profit.”- Recent alum “The Center for Experiential Learning center at the Olin Business School were amongst the most influential experiences in my college experience and life. They allowed us to work with real problems faced by real people and therefore gave us insights into how successful practitioners think and deliver. The most formative experience for me was when I had the chance to lead the Ferguson Small Business Initiative that allowed me to use a business lens to achieve meaningful social impact in the St. Louis community. When I was selected as one of the lead consultants for the inaugural year of the program, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work on a meaningful and relevant project in the wake of the Ferguson unrest.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

27

701 TAPPAN ST, ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 734-763-5796

university of MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR

U $123,866 In-State Total Cost

$275,600 Out-of-State Total Cost

6.5%

Acceptance Rate

1470

Average SAT

$78,165

Average compensation (including bonus)

96.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

niversity of Michigan’s Ross School of Business likes to call itself REAL. That stands for Ross Experiences in Action-Based Learning.

“At Michigan Ross, we offer a distinctive way to learn business: by doing it,” Paul Kirsch, managing director of the Office of Undergraduate Programs at Ross, says. “Every student has the opportunity to start a business; advise a business on a real, pressing strategic issue; invest real money in a diverse range of student-led investment funds; and, contribute their leadership to an on-going, real business. These components comprise what we at Ross call REAL.” ACTION-BASED LEARNING Students at Ross have an abundance of opportunities to learn by doing. The Living Business Leadership Experience is one course that’s part of Ross’ REAL initiative. Through the course, students establish and run a functional team in an actual, operational business unit, working directly with executives of a sponsoring company, and learning under the supervision of faculty advisors.

The Ross Summer Connection is a four-week program for incoming first-year students that helps them prepare for the Ross culture and curriculum, offering prerequisite courses, mentoring, cultural seminars, and more.

Identity and Diversity in Organizations (IDO) is a requirement of all Ross students. Each year, Ross students participate in an IDO event, which is presented from a range of speakers including corporate partners. Students then write a reflection paper in which they discuss relevant issues and why they’re important the student and to society.

“The IDO curriculum requirement allows students understand the real-world value and importance of recognizing their own identity and the role of diverse perspectives in organizations,” Kirsch says. “The activities that comprise IDO are designed to help students think about relevant issues in new ways and to understand why these issues are important to themselves, society, and for business amid a changing workplace.”

THE SIGNATURE LEARNING EXPERIENCE Each of the four years in the Ross Program, students partake in a signature learning experience. In the first year, the signature learning experience is a “Foundations in Learning Business” course that teaches first-years how to successfully learn business and transition them both to Ross and the overall University of Michigan. Additionally, first-years are assigned to upperclassmen peer counselors who act as guides or mentors.

university of michigan In their sophomore year, the signature learning experience is a course called “Business & Leaders: The Positive Difference.”

Through the course, students learn about the role of business in society, the individual’s personal and professional responsibility, and the values and practices of positive leaders. The course is formatted as a seminar of 24 students or fewer per section.

The third-year signature learning experience is a four-course initiative called the Ross Integrated Semester. Courses include Business Communication, Business Law, Technology and Operations, and Management and Organizations. The experience aims to demonstrate that complex business issues are successfully addressed when multiple tools and disciplines are used together.

In their last year, students partake in a signature learning experience called the Capstone Experiences, which provides an integrative learning experience that builds on the knowledge of previous courses and co-curricular experiences.

Outside of the Signature Learning Experience series, Ross also offers a number of courses that simulate hands-on learning.

Reetika Purohit, a Class of 2016 alum, says her experience taking an MBA field study course in Ireland her senior year was the most memorable experience she had at Ross.

Purohit and her group worked with a female technology entrepreneur to create a business plan for a female empowerment camp for Irish middle school girls. The goal of the camp was to encourage young females to pursue their interest in STEM fields while emphasizing technology, entrepreneurship, mindfulness, resiliency, and personal branding.

“This experience was significant to me because it gave me the opportunity to understand how to start from a broad concept with little to no direction and actually create a tangible, digestible product from it,” Purohit says. “I had no background in this space prior to working on this project, but I learned how to ask the right questions to better understand what gap we were seeking to fill through our business, or our product. This skill has been tremendously important to me as I’ve moved along in my career, as asking the right questions has been integral to best determining custom portfolio solutions for clients based on their specific needs.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Ross offered multiple hands-on, capstone courses focused on real world business problems. Most pivotal for me was a capstone course focused on acting as a client serving consultant for both local and large companies.

Specifically, I was able to work directly with P&G to assist in a marketing campaign.

My team was engaged as if we were true consultants and held weekly status meetings with the client, as well as an end of semester deliverable.” - Recent alum “I consulted on sustainability practices with water conservation and management in Peru in addition to worked on a organizational development project with an urban farm community in the city of Detroit.” - Recent alum “I took a business and government class at Michigan’s Washington D.C. campus, and then also participated in an entrepreneurial course in Ireland, working with local female entrepreneurs.” - Recent alum

CAREER OUTLOOK Career outlook for Ross grads is strong. According to numbers provided by Ross, 97% of the Class of 2018 seeking employment was employed full-time by the end of September, with an overall average salary of $72,268. Strong employment outcomes as well as a solid alumni survey and stringent admissions standards shot Michigan Ross nine spots up this year’s ranking to fourth place.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

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204 MENDOZA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, NOTRE DAME, IN 46556 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 574-631-7505

UNIVERSITY of notre dame

A $264,194 In-State Total Cost

$264,194 Out-of-State Total Cost

19%

Acceptance Rate

1429

Average SAT

$69,060

Average compensation (including bonus)

96.5%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, all students are engaged in the process of identifying and evaluating major issues and trends impacting society in the future and exploring potential business implications that can drive sustainable innovation. After all, they are to be the leaders of tomorrow.

The research-based course is titled Junior Research Challenge: Foresight in Business and Society and compels students to think about poverty rates, the wealth gap, natural resources, and supply and demand, instead of learning about classroom theory in a manner that is separated from the real world. Regardless of their majors, Mendoza students in their junior year are expected to be ready to begin thinking about the world’s most pressing challenges.

“Our graduates have a real desire to contribute to the improvement of society, and it’s because we combine a strong grounding in business disciplines, with a broader perspective,” Interim Dean Martijn Cremers says. “Half their education is in the school, and the other half is outside.”

Mendoza is focused on developing business people who believe in the greater good, and one of the biggest changes the school has made in recent years is to move from being a three to a four-year program to better serve their students. First-year students can now take at least two core business courses.

“The change allows students to have more time to discern their majors, start working on their careers earlier, and be more prepared when interviewing for internships and jobs,” Cremers says.

In Fall 2018, the school received 4,477 application to join the undergraduate business program, and in total, 840 students were admitted, giving the program an acceptance rate of 19%.

BUSINESS ANALYTICS MAJOR RECENTLY ADDED The school has recently made several innovative changes to the program to help ensure their graduates are attractive and desirable by employers in the industry. A new major in Business Analytics was started in Fall 2017, and the Marketing major was expanded to include five major electives. Marketing majors can now also choose to specialize in either Marketing Decision Analytics, Brandscaping, Consulting and Market Development, and Digital Marketing.

The college also recently shared that 40 percent of its new faculty hires were in IT, Analytics and operations, and that the chair of the IT, Analytics, and Operations department are working to further expand the offerings to students interested in the area.

The Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing was recently set up to help “bridge academic and traditional college coursework and the practical application of technical concepts.” Students who choose to engage with the institute can participate in educational events

university of notre dame nationwide, attend practitioner-led workshops on campus, and connect with industry experts on investment. Though some of its services may serve finance students best, students from all majors can benefit from many events that they host as well.

THE GLOBAL MENDOZA EXPERIENCE For Mendoza students who wish to add to their resume that they have received a truly global business education, the school offers an International Business Certificate Program to students who complete the required foreign language, international business, and culturalbased courses.

The certificate, awarded at graduation, is only available to Mendoza undergraduates, who must take five approved courses and a minimum of 15 credit hours, including one foreign language course at intermediate level and above.

Mendoza undergraduates can also choose to study abroad from 44 semester programs that take place in countries including Australia, France, Ireland, China, Israel, Switzerland, Singapore, and Japan.

Cremers shared that most students have study abroad experiences in London and Dublin, Ireland, and that 55% of students have a global experience before graduation.

Kate Hermeling, a Class of 2016 graduate, was among those who chose to travel to Dublin. “The program allowed me to learn about international business relations, work with talented and diverse students, and discover differences in the accounting and tax fields in the U.S. and Ireland that enhanced my learning,” Hermeling, who works as an experienced audit associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, says. “This time abroad and the classes were a key piece in my development and interest in business. My problem solving and project management skills were developed through group projects with many foreign students.”

STRONG JOB AND CAREERS REPORT This year, 96.5% of the graduating class seeking employment did so within 90 days of graduation. The average starting salary for the Class of 2018 was $65,000 and 58% reported an average signing bonus of $7,000.

An impressive 95% of alumni completing our alumni survey said that their first job after graduation was in their desired function, and about 83% of them said that their first job was also at their desired company. Some 80% of them said they believed their business degree from Mendoza College of Business would be instrumental in helping them reach their dream careers.

“We are practicing the foresight to encourage students to think of the future and the potential of the world and not just their own,” Cremers says. “They need to begin imagining what things could be like in ten years if they used business to contribute to solving problems and get to work. Our business is a force for good.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “The University of Notre Dame requires a semester long project that challenges students to research and predict the future of a particular industry, product, or business sector. It was an intensive process involving a large group paper, continuous presentations, and research tasks. I improved my presentation, research, and project management skills.”Recent alum “As part of the business curriculum at Notre Dame, each student is required to participate in class called Foresight in Business and Society, in which students work as a team to complete a semester-long analysis and research project on their selected topic to deep-dive into their selected industry to understand past trends and analyze and project the future of that area through the lens of a selected critical question.

At the end of the semester, students present their research findings in to faculty, staff, and other students.” - Recent alum “I participated in a course run jointly by the Mendoza College of Business and the Notre Dame Investment Office called Applied Investment Management (AIM) where we were responsible for a then $11M portfolio of investments for the endowment. As part of the course we also were connected to the AIM alumni through visits to private equity and investment groups in San Francisco during a fall visit.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

31

383 LAFAYETTE ST, NEW YORK, NY, 10003 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 212-948-0100

New YOrk University

N $248,322 In-State Total Cost

$248,322 Out-of-State Total Cost

8%

Acceptance Rate

1470

Average SAT

$84,764

Average compensation (including bonus)

97.6%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

ew York University’s Stern Undergraduate College is guided by three pillars: Academic excellence and innovation, “glocal” (global plus local) perspective, and vibrant community. “Each pillar represents a strength and focal point of the Stern experience,” Geeta Menon, dean of the NYU Stern Undergraduate College, says.

Academic excellence and innovation are both critical components to the Stern education.

“The first pillar, Academic Excellence and Innovation, is first because we are first and foremost an academic institution whose mission it is to educate future business leaders and policy makers,” Menon says.

However, innovation signifies Stern’s long history as a leader in business education. “We were the fourth school of business to open in the U.S. in 1900 and for the last 100 plus years, we have continued down that path of innovation,” Menon says.

One way in which Stern has recently innovated is in the area of FinTech, where it has launched courses and tracks. Most recently, Stern added two new concentrations in entrepreneurship and sustainable business. In 2012, Stern introduced Academic Tracks to provide roadmaps of coursework that help students develop both intellectually and professionally in areas of interest that cross traditional disciplines.

Current tracks include: Asset Pricing, Business Analytics, Corporate Finance, Digital Marketing, Luxury Marketing, Management Consulting and Real Estate.

Menon says the tracks are designed to be multidisciplinary, in-depth, and supplemental to students’ business concentrations. “Through Tracks, we’ve been able to address the needs of students who want to prepare for very specific careers,” she says.

“GLOCAL” PERSPECTIVE “Glocal” perspective is the second value of the Stern education. It refers to the college’s locational endowment and the important roles that both the local New York City and its global campuses play in the Stern education.

“NYU is the world’s first truly global university, and that global mindset has influenced our culture and offerings in the same way that our location in New York City has,” Menon says. “We have a saying at NYU that our faculty, staff and students are both ‘in and of the city’ and ‘in and of the world.’”

The “global” aspect is most apparent in Stern’s International Studies Program (ISP), a four-credit course on global business that sends juniors on an international business trip to cities in Asian, Europe, or South America. On the trip, students are greeted with a welcome dinner featuring native foods, conduct a market study of the city, visit a company, and participate in country-specific cultural activities. At the

new york university end of the trip, students present a business strategy on what they’ve learned through the annual ISP Competition.

According to numbers provided by Stern officials, nearly 50% of Stern undergraduates spend at least one semester at one of NYU’s 14 global campuses. Additionally, the Stern curriculum includes 19 courses devoted completely to global business issues. But the surrounding New York City also plays a critical role in the “glocal” pillar. NYU isn’t located in a traditional college campus, but rather, in a hub of art, culture, commerce, and virtually any industry imaginable.

“Living in New York City is as much a part of their education as what they study – walking outside of their dorm room is to be immersed in a global melting pot of cultures and ideas that are always changing and challenging them beyond of the bubble of college,” Menon says.

VIBRANT COMMUNITY The third pillar, vibrant community, embodies Stern’s dynamic student body and alumni network. Despite being located in a metropolitan city, Stern’s community is interconnected. Some 56% of Stern alumni surveyed by Poets&Quants For Undergrads report the program’s efforts to bring them into contact with practicing professionals, including school alumni, in the business community, as “exceptional.”

In 2016, the college also launched “Stern Peer Mentors,” a program that uses the experience of juniors and seniors to help students explore industries, connect to resources, and get help with everything from resumes to mock interviews. Through the program, students can even connect with peer mentors virtually while studying abroad. Community, Menon says, is a vital part of the Stern education.

“We hear from students about how their Stern classmates really inspired them and helped them through those tough all-nighters they spent studying for their Economics of Global Business exam,” she says. “And at the end of the day it is our solidarity as a community that takes us forward again and again.”

Stern 2018 graduates pulled in the largest overall average salary and boasted some of the strongest job numbers across all 88 schools to be ranked this year. For example, nearly 98% of the Class of 2018 seeking employment were employed full-time by the end of September with an average overall salary of $80,546. The majority of those — 83.2% of Class of 2018 grads — accepted positions in the US Northeast.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “ISP in my opinion is the trademark of Stern’s undergraduate program. It was a tremendous learning experience to participate in a company strategy class for a semester and then do an international onsite visit to consolidate the context of the class and basis of understanding.” - Recent alum “I participated in the International Business Exchange program (IBEX), which is a semester-long exchange at another business school somewhere in the world. I spent my semester attending Sciences Po in Paris, France. It was an absolutely phenomenal experience, particularly because I got to take classes at another renowned institution that weren’t offered at NYU.” - Recent alum “I did NYU’s Business and Political Economy program. So I spent a year in London and a semester in Shanghai learning about various political and economic factors that create a society, living through it and analyzing everything and anything through crazy lenses. My capstone thesis was on The Economic Marginalization of Muslim minorities and I even got to do research with a professor on minority biases, which was really cool.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

33

B60B WARREN HALL, ITHACA, NY 14853 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 607-255-8472

cornell university

E $200,738 In-State Total Cost

$284,286 Out-of-State Total Cost

2.9%

Acceptance Rate

1453

Average SAT

$79,850

Average compensation (including bonus)

95.1%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

lite business schools are always hard to get into. Elite Ivy League business schools are, for the most part, even harder. And elite Ivy League undergraduate schools, of which there are only two?

They’re the hardest of all.

The Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania are the only two undergrad business programs of all seven Ivy League schools. And they are two of the most selective schools in the U.S., with only 7.1% of applicants gaining admission to Wharton and an astoundingly low 2.93% getting the nod from the gatekeepers at Cornell.

Lynn Wooten, dean of the Dyson School, has a simple explanation for why her school went from a still very low 7.0% acceptance rate in 2016 to its sub-3% mark in 2017, when only 128 were admitted out of 4,366 applicants: the Dyson School’s profile rose considerably after merging last year with Cornell’s Hotel School and Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management — and it rise even higher with the subsequent gift, seven months later, of $150 million from the Johnson family.

“Once we actually became part of the College of Business, more students were able to actually find us and start to understand what the Dyson undergraduate business experience was like,” Wooten tells Poets&Quants. “And so last year we had a peak in applications. If you realize there are only two Ivy League schools that have undergraduate business programs, and ours is so small, that’s why you see the heightened application activity and the smaller acceptance rate number.”

‘ANY PERSON … ANY STUDY’ Wooten thinks a lot about what it means to be one of Dyson’s approximately 800 students. Since coming to Cornell from the University of Michigan Ross School in July, Wooten, a professor for 19 years, says she wakes up every day thinking about living up to — and helping students live up to — university founder Ezra Cornell’s motto: “Any person … any study.” To Wooten, that means diversity — diversity in students, diversity in studies, diversity in opportunities.

“We are a very diverse school when you look at the backgrounds, but Cornell is also a remarkable campus because you can come to Dyson and major in undergraduate business but you can do so many other things because of the diversity of this place,” she says. “You can come here and do pre-med, you might take classes in industrial labor relations, you can take classes in hospitality management. So that’s what I’ve been thinking about.”

ONE MAJOR, MANY CONCENTRATIONS

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

cornell university What does that curriculum entail? “We are heavily quantitative applied economics- and science-driven because of our heritage,” Wooten says. “So throughout the four-year experience, much of the curriculum is similar to what you would see in other business schools, but our distinction is smaller classes, the high-touch, and our students have to take a lot of science classes and math classes to go with the general business classes.”

The Dyson School has one major, Applied Economics and Management, with 11 concentrations. The classes are small and “high-touch,” Wooten says, with signature experiences and capstones imbedded in each concentration.

“Students in Dyson are benefiting from being in that tight, closeknit community, but also in having access to experiences not only in the College of Agriculture and Life Science where it grew up, but now with the College of Business as well,” says Amanda Shaw, assistant dean of student services. “I think the students are getting the best of both worlds in terms of high-touch community, where they spend most of their days, but also in an ability to explore things. We had a student last week, a senior, who could be taking it easy and instead he’s taking Python programming in the Computer Science Department, which is one of the top computer science departments in the world.”

GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND Cornell’s Dyson School prides itself on diversity — 31% of the student body is comprised of under-represented minorities — yet only 9% of its students are international. What it lacks in foreign influence the school makes up for by sending a quarter (25%) of its students abroad in some capacity during their four years. The university as a whole offers 443 semester-abroad opportunities, and the Dyson School has 10 courses with a significant global component and four completely devoted to global business issues. There are seven approved exchange programs.

“Those global classes tend to really relate to our mission and our motto that ‘Our Business Is a Better World,’” Wooten says. “One class might have students working in India on an agriculture project, we take students to Africa to help small entrepreneurs … so many of our signature experiences are at the intersection of using business skills to solve world problems.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “As a senior I took Josh Woodard’s Advanced Financial Analytics course. It was a small group of seniors and graduate students with backgrounds in statistics and finance. We focused on basic data science techniques and applied them to business problems. Because of Dyson’s agricultural legacy and Josh’s research interest, these problems often centered around agribusiness (i.e. evaluating crop insurance programs, predicting yields, writing decision rules for exercising options). This was an incredibly rewarding and pretty unique experience in finance and programming. The capstone for the course involved an open-ended challenge to attempt to solve a data science problem from obtaining and cleaning data to a finished product. This is very similar to many of the challenges I faced when I initially entered the workforce, and continue to encounter as a graduate student.” - Recent alum “I did tax research as part of my capstone project which gave me a more technical background of my current field.” - Recent alum

APPLIED ECONOMICS INFORMS Some 95% of 2018 graduates seeking employment had secured jobs within 90 days of graduation. Of those, the average starting salary was $74,493. Only four of the 88 ranked schools reported a higher average salary.

Despite the incredibly low acceptance rate, Cornell officials maintain they are able to achieve diversity in its students and faculty alike. As in every other aspect of Cornell life, the faculty’s strength is its diversity, Shaw says — and the students benefit.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

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800 E. LANCASTER AVE, VILLANOVA, PA 19085 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 610-519-4000

Villanova University

A $266,891 In-State Total Cost

$266,891 Out-of-State Total Cost

22%

Acceptance Rate

1408

Average SAT

$66,921

Average compensation (including bonus)

96.1%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

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t Villanova University’s School of Business, students have a series of courses laid out to develop and hone their skills to be business leaders of tomorrow. As freshmen, the students will take a course called Business Dynamics in the fall semester, where they’ll explore the various business disciplines, and how they interact with each other and exist in society. There are also several required elements in the course, including a professional development curriculum and a Bloomberg certification they must earn, which will lay the foundation of their education.

As sophomores, students take a course in Competitive Effectiveness that combines an introduction to marketing with an introduction to management. The course is led by a faculty member from each discipline, and students work on a live case study from a company who presents a problem or opportunity at the start of the semester. Students then spend the semester working on a marketing plan to address the issue. Previous companies who have partnered with the school for this course include Ikea, Comcast, and Johnson & Johnson.

“The first course gives students a big, broad introduction to business and its role in society, while this stimulates the account manager side of students, while they learn how to work in teams that they may not necessarily have selected on their own, as it is in real life,” Brenda Stover, executive director of the O’Donnell Center for Professional Development at Villanova, says. “They also get to work on their communication skills as they create presentations, write up a marketing plan and produce a management paper.”

When students enter their junior year, they’ll take the Global Political Economy course to open their minds to the interconnectedness of economies, and how history and politics in one country can affect another. The current-events driven class is meant to help students bridge theory and practice before the move into taking their required Strategic Thinking and Implementation course as seniors, where they’ll be trained to think about the long-term growth of organizations.

“More likely than not, the students will be doing all of these for the rest of their lives, and these courses help simulate real world experience beyond entry level,” Stover says. “Our courses often combine both theory and application to give students the experience they need before going to work.”

Villanova university is a private research university in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, and is names after Saint Thomas of Villanova.

Their School of Business offers students a four-year program, and received 6,620 application in Fall 2018. Of these, 1,461 of were admitted, giving the school an acceptance rate for direct applications of 22%.

The school shared that the average SAT score of students entering the undergraduate business program in Fall 2018 was 1409, and the average ACT score was 32.4, while the average high school GPA was 4.29.

VILLANOVA university FEATURING THE ‘BACKPACK TO BRIEFCASE’ In a “Backpack to Briefcase” professional development curriculum that is part of the required Business Dynamics course that all freshmen take, students begin their career journey by learning how to assess the environment with a course in informational technology, where they’ll learn to design and create spreadsheets as a tool for business decision-making.

As sophomores, business students must participate in a seminar to define and implement their job search and career development strategy. They can also make use of the opportunities provided by Villanova to expand their professional networks through increased interaction with alumni and employers.

When they get to their junior year, the school expects them to begin trying to figure their competitive edge and marketing it.

Students must take a one-credit course where they learn and practice preparing for an internal case competition by working in small teams to do case analysis, present their findings, and come up with recommendations they present to a panel of company executives and faculty. While honing their communication skills, figuring out their leadership style, and receiving feedback from business professionals, students in previous classes have had the opportunity to work with companies including Tesla Motors, Apple, and PepsiCo. Upon becoming seniors, they are invited to attend a series of social, professional and spiritual activities designed to bring the senior class together, as they cement their friendships before parting ways to become industry professionals.

“The Backpack to Briefcase program is embedded into the business curriculum to grow as the student grows,” Melinda German, associate dean of Undergraduate Business Programs, says.

“What we hear from employers is that our students are the whole package, that they graduate not only with well-defined academic abilities, but also the soft skills they need to succeed such as emotional intelligence, poise, and savvy.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “As a freshman, I participated in Villanova School of Business’ Global Citizens Program.

I studied abroad in Singapore and interned with KPMG. This experience has led me to connect with the professionals at networking events and showcase the immensely valuable opportunities I was given as a freshman.”Recent alum “My capstone project was one of the most influential parts of my college career. Being chosen as the team leader and immersing myself in the project helped me to understand that there is more to business than what I had pictured. It wasn’t just what my parents do, but really opened my eyes to all the possibilities that a business degree could open up for me.” Recent alum “The Study Abroad-Global internship program was a unique experience with the London School of Economics. Additionally, curriculum course such as Competitive Effectiveness allow you to work with companies in a consulting role and work on real problems facing the company.”- Recent alum

STRONG EMPLOYMENT NUMBERS Over 92% of alumni from the school’s Class of 2016 said that they would recommend the business program to a friend or colleague, and about 85% said they felt the program prepared them well for the world of work.

In the Class of 2018, over 96% of graduates found full-time jobs soon after graduation, drawing a marginally higher average salary of $63,709, and a slightly lower average signing bonus of $6,923.

“A major point of distinction of our program is the high-touch environment set up for the students,” Stover said. “Students get a highly personalized journey while they’re here, and they thrive from that.”

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140 COMMONWEALTH AVENUE, CHESTNUT HILL, MA 02467 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 617-552-3100

Boston College

T $269,312 In-State Total Cost

$269,312 Out-of-State Total Cost

25%

Acceptance Rate

1402

Average SAT

$68,509

Average compensation (including bonus)

94.6%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

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he Carroll School of Management at Boston College focuses on providing a business education with a liberal arts approach. And at No. 9, the school is the only one to debut in the top ten in this year’s rankings. The school’s impressive entry to the rankings was anchored by a strong alumni survey, where it placed fourth out of the 88 ranked schools. This past fall, Carroll introduced four new minors to non-management students in hopes of building bridges between management and liberal arts.

“We want to broaden rather than narrow the way management students think, and that’s why we favor a liberal arts approach that draws on ideas and insights from multiple disciplines,” Ethan Sullivan, senior associate dean of the undergraduate program, says.

Other recent innovations include The Schiller Institute for Integrated Sciences, a $25 million research institute that will offer students new opportunities in interdisciplinary programs in computer science, mathematics, management, and engineering. Additionally, the Shea Center for Entrepreneurship is a newly announced cornerstone program in a new state of the art building to be opened in the fall of 2021.

A TRUE LIBERAL ARTS FOCUS Carroll focuses heavily on giving its students both a business and liberal arts education. Sullivan says a focus on liberal arts is critical in this age of business. “Intellectual inquiry, critical thinking, effective communication, cultural competence—these are skills and characteristics required to thrive in the 21st century. And they’re what employers increasingly seek,” he says.

That’s exactly why Carroll puts such an emphasis on giving its business students a liberal arts foundation. All business students are required to complete a rigorous liberal arts core curriculum of 15 courses in the humanities, social sciences, arts, mathematics, and natural sciences. Additionally, Carroll requires its students to take four liberal arts electives.

Lastly, all first-year students are required to take a course called Portico, a three-credit course that examines business from global, multidisciplinary, ethical, and social perspectives.

Through the course, students examine questions such as: What sort of life do you want to lead? How can you manage others and direct organizations ethically? In what ways will you choose to impact the world? How can business be a force for good in the global world? As a business ethics and philosophy course, Portico lets students develop a greater sense of self-awareness and a clearer understanding of their place in the world.

“Portico offers the unique opportunity to take a great ideas course that studies business as an inherently ethical practice,” Sullivan says.

BOSTON COLLEGE THE FOUR-YEAR EXPERIENCE Outside of the liberal arts core and Portico, first-years are also required to take core management courses. By the end of their first year, freshmen students complete a wide array of courses including business statistic (with a lab in coding in R), digital technologies, and a math core course such as calculus.

In their second year, students dive deeper into business with courses like accounting, basic finance, modeling for data analytics, economic principles, and an introduction to law. Junior year includes courses like marketing principles, organizational behavior, and operations management. And senior year, students complete their management core with a capstone course in strategic management.

Carroll’s proximity to Boston opens doors for students to partake in a number of experiential learning opportunities. One of those opportunities is “Tech Treks,” a partnership with the Start@Shea group. Through Tech Treks, students visit local start-ups and technology firms to learn more about the industry and connect with professionals. Kate Adams, a class of 2016 alum, says Tech Treks was one of the most significant experiences during her time at Carroll. “These trips opened doors to connect with people at these companies which helped me get two tech internships during college,” Adams, who currently works as a Success Manager at Amplitude Analytics, says.

STRONG CAREERS REPORT Carroll prides itself in its dedication to helping its students find the right career. With eight academic centers, personalized advising, and resume workshops, Carroll provides a wide range of resources for its students. Additionally, two-thirds of Carroll students choose to take part in the “Sophomore Accelerator,” a one credit optional course in which students explore a range of the career resources offered by Carroll. Through the course, students can also connect with over 400 “Eagle Experts,” recent alumni who provide mentorship and coaching to assist students in their career development.

These resources prove extremely helpful and Carroll’s employment numbers prove it. Nearly 95% of the Class of 2018 who sought employment were hired within three months of graduation, with a median starting salary of $65,346.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I was a Portico TA which allowed me to not only teach and mentor freshmen business students but also revisit the business ethics and philosophy topics in the senior Portico TA capstone class that brought a new lens and meaning to topics we learned in our first year.”

- Recent alum “I took an international accounting class that traveled to Chile and Peru at the end of the semester for two weeks to visit international companies and learn about their operations and associated accounting implications.” - Recent alum “I was able to study abroad in Dublin, Ireland for a semester where I took a mix of accounting, history, and music classes.

Additionally, the business school not only made it possible, but encouraged me to study a subject outside the business school. In addition to studying accounting and finance in the business school, I was able to major in history.

I believe that this balance of business classes with history classes made my education more valuable.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

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2220 PIEDMONT AVE, BERKELEY, CA 94720 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 510-642-1421

university of california at berkeley

A $141,032 In-State Total Cost

$268,540 Out-of-State Total Cost

4.3%

Acceptance Rate

1490

Average SAT

$79,133

Average compensation (including bonus)

92.8%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

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s the second oldest business school in the U.S., the Haas School of Business at the University of California-Berkeley is continuously providing students experiential learning, global programs, and a STEM-incorporated education. Last year, Haas added a simultaneous undergraduate degree program in partnership with UC-Berkeley’s College of Engineering. The Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology Program is a four-year program that offers students two degrees by graduation: a BS in Business Administration and a choice of either a BS in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS), Mechanical Engineering (ME), or Industrial Engineering & Operations Research (IEOR).

Erica Walker, assistant dean of undergraduate programs at Haas says the program will prepare students for a foundation in both business and technology. “Students graduate with a comprehensive understanding of technology innovation — ready to start their own company, lead innovation inside an established firm, or contribute to a social-impact venture,” she says. The new program is just one of the ways Haas has strengthened its relationship with STEM. Walker says Haas is planning to provide even more highlighted options for students interested in combining their business education with STEM fields.

TWO-THIRDS OF HAAS STUDENTS DOUBLE-MAJOR

Students apply to Haas the fall of their sophomore year at UCBerkeley. During their first two years, students complete general education courses and a number of prerequisite requirements. The Berkeley-Haas undergraduate program is designed to allow flexibility in areas of study. According to Walker, approximately two-thirds of business majors at Haas pursue a simultaneous degree in business and another major. Students can also customize their learning by selecting any business electives of their choice and incorporating study abroad at any point during their time as an undergraduate.

In Fall 2018, Haas welcomed its first cohort of the Global Management Program (GMP). The GMP is a program for a selective group of high school seniors applying to UC-Berkeley and the Haas School of Business.

Accepted students study in the four-year program, which begins during their summer orientation. Students take courses at UC-Berkeley and are required to take part in the Berkeley Global Edge experience in London. By the end of their four years, students will earn a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in global management.

In 2017, Haas launched the Berkeley-Haas Global Access Program (BHGAP)—a non-degree program that provides a one-or twosemester immersive experience for undergraduate and graduate-level international students. Through BHGAP, hundreds of students from

university of california at berkeley around the world study business and entrepreneurship at Berkeley, connect with Bay Area companies, and experience Bay Area life.

BHGAP students take a minimum of 12 units, including three BGHAP exclusive business courses as well as an elective from the UC-Berkeley course catalog. BHGAP students also visit Silicon Valley companies and take part in career coaching, cohort lunches, and professional development workshops. Through the program, students receive a transcript from UC-Berkeley Extension and a co-branded Certificate of Completion from Berkeley-Haas and UCBerkeley Extension.

“We want to provide students from around the world with the opportunity to come to Berkeley-Haas, study with our leading faculty, and experience our network within the entrepreneurial, innovative Bay Area,” says Adam Berman, executive director of emerging initiatives at Berkeley-Haas and head of the new program.

“The Bay Area economy is ranked among the Top 15 economies in the world, and there are companies from virtually every industry within 50 miles of our campus.”

Haas students interested in global opportunities can take part in Haas Travel-Study—a program where students visit international companies or organizations to learn about business opportunities and challenges of operation in a specific country or region. Students can also take part in the broader University of California’s Education Abroad Program that offers 416 programs in 44 countries.

Learning opportunities outside the classroom are strong at Haas.

The Social Sector Solutions is a course at Haas where students engage in major strategy consultation for nonprofit and public organizations, or a selection social enterprise in partnership with a major consulting firm. For student entrepreneurs, the Berkeley-Haas Entrepreneurship Program (BHEP) provides courses, scholarships, competitions, seed funding and space, and mentoring for business students interested in pursuing new ventures.

Students interested in applying their coursework can compete in International Case Competitions, where Haas students compete with undergraduate students from top international business schools around the world. In case competitions, students pitch business solutions to senior level executives from various industries.

Such experiences strengthen students’ analytical, teamwork, and communication skills.

The career outlook for Haas alums is strong. According to Haas admin surveyed by P&Q, 93% of Class of 2018 grads were employed full-time within 90 days of graduation with an average salary of $73,302. Roughly 98% of alum surveyed said their first job after graduating was in their desired industry, with 72% saying their first job was at their desired company.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “The early exposure and emphasis on crafting a thoughtful resume and cover letter was invaluable to my job search during my Senior year. In terms of project experience, I had the opportunity to participate in a course called Social Sector Solutions (S3), in which I was placed on a team with MBA students to provide pro bono consulting work to a local nonprofit. As a project manager in operations now, the additional exposure to project timelines and other project management fundamentals from S3 have been applicable in my day to day work following graduation.” Recent alum “Haas invited my team and I to represent the US at a global business case competition where we won the first runner up. This opened my eyes to consulting and opened up a global network for me to tap into in the future.” Recent alum “During my MBA, I participated in Haas’ International Business Development (IBD) course in which our team advised UN Women on how to best train businesswomen in Kenya. As part of the project, we traveled to Kenya for three weeks and interviewed local organizations and women to finalize the research and analysis.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

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2110 SPEEDWAY, STOP B6000, AUSTIN, TX 78712 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 512-472-1062

university of texas at austin

I $112,912 In-State Total Cost

$255,152 Out-of-State Total Cost

22.8%

Acceptance Rate

1384

Average SAT

$72,052

Average compensation (including bonus)

99.6%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

n 2018, no school had better employment rates than the University of Texas-Austin McCombs School of Business. Out of all 2018 graduates seeking employment, 99.6% had secured a job offer within 90 days of graduation. The school’s location in up and coming Austin and proximity to major cities like Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio makes it an attractive option for students looking to land early successful jobs.

The McCombs School is just a 15-minute drive away from the downtown offices of KPMG, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Grant Thornton, and many other multinational companies. The area is also home to the Austin Convention Center, over 10 international hotel brands, and the Zilker Botanical Garden, Zilker Metropolitan Park, and Austin Nature & Science Center.

Students at McCombs can choose to major in Accounting, Finance, International Business, Management, Management Information Systems, Marketing, Science and Technology Management, and Supply Chain Management. The school also offers an Integrated Masters in Professional Accounting, where students can graduate with a Bachelor in Business Administration and Master in Professional Accounting in five years.

The school received 8,732 applications to join their four-year undergraduate degree program in Fall 2018, and admitted 1,901 students. The total full-time enrollment for all business majors in Fall 2018 was 4,752, and the acceptance rate for direct applicants was 22.8%.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING A BIG PART OF UT-AUSTIN EDUCATION

There are plenty of other opportunities for students to gain hands-on learning while at McCombs, and 63% of alumni from the Class of 2016 shared that they were involved in some kind of signature experience while at McCombs.

Alumni Christin Urso told Poets&Quants that she found that the business program at McCombs emphasized experiential learning which she benefited much from.

“Our program emphasized a case-based education, so there was significant project work that included thorough quantitative analysis, building decks, and crafting realistic and actionable recommendations,” Urso, who is now an account manager at Atlas Edibles, says. “These activities, among others, gave me experience and reference materials that I could directly reference when similar asks came up in “real-world” experience.”

Nearly 85% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they would recommend the program at McCombs to a close friend or colleague without hesitation, and almost 80% said that the program had prepared them well for the world of work.

university of texas at austin The school reported that 91% of students from the Class of 2018 had at least one business-specific internship before graduation.

OPPORTUNITIES LOCAL AND ABROAD For McCombs students looking to take their business education worldwide, the undergraduate degree program has partnerships in over 25 countries, covering Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Oceania.

Students can choose to go on an exchange program during the fall, spring, or summer semesters at any one of the school’s 31 partner universities, or go on a summer faculty-led program. Countries that students can visit include Italy, Switzerland, Singapore, Thailand, Spain, France, Norway, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, or Mexico.

Nicole Nagel, an alumnus from the Class of 2016, says that she was part of a global supply chain study abroad program, where they “followed Target’s supply chain backwards.” They started at a store in Austin, before moving to a distribution center in Midlothian, then the Port of Long Beach, Target’s nearby de-consolidation center, and finally a port in China and four factories that Target sourced their products from. The group also visited an air freight operation in Hong Kong.

Global supply chain study abroad program, where we followed Target’s supply chain backwards, starting at a store in Austin, then visiting a distribution center in Midlothian, Texas; then the Port of Long Beach and Target’s nearby de-consolidation center, and finally a port in China and 4 factories Target sources from. They also visited an air freight operation in Hong Kong, where the bulk of the program was located.

Cait Gillespie, a Supply Chain Management, says she interned at a logistics company in Shenzhen, China, that became the main topic of conversation in many of her job interviews, spent her last semester at McCombs revising procurement case studies for a professor, and won second with her team in a Target case competition. In short, it seems there are no shortage of hand-on learning opportunities for students at McCombs.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “We managed a tech project from user story creation to implementation, review, and maintenance for an external community client. It gave me an immense amount of understanding in project management, product development, client communication, resource and expectation management, and interpersonal relationships.” -- Recent alum “I interned at a logistics company in Shenzhen, China. It was the main topic of conversation in any of my job interviews. After that, I came back and spent last last semester revising procurement case studies for a professor. Additionally, I competed in a Target case competition through procurement (my team won 2nd).” - Recent alum “Our program emphasized a case-based education, so there was significant project work that included thorough quantitative analysis, building decks, and crafting realistic and actionable recommendations. These activities, among others, gave me experience and reference materials that I could directly reference when similar asks came up in “realworld” experience.” - Recent alum

FROTHY JOB METRICS Not only did high percentage of 2018 graduates secure jobs, they had a boost in average salaries. The average starting salary for 2018 graduates was $67,347 compared to $62,298 for 2017 graduates.

Signing bonuses also increased from $6,649 to $7,410.

About 55% of alumni from the McCombs Class of 2016 said that the quality of teaching in business courses was outstanding, and over 60% said that their business school experience was lifechanging. Over 80% of them said that their first job after graduating was in their desired job function, and about 80% said that their first job was in their desired company.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

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101 UKROP WAY, WILLIAMSBURG, VA 23186 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 757-221-2910

The College of William & Mary

B $135,568 In-State Total Cost

$231,456 Out-of-State Total Cost

22.4%

Acceptance Rate

1346

Average SAT

$71,276

Average compensation (including bonus)

96.4%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

usiness Students at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business of the College of William & Mary work hard and play hard. Within the Class of 2018, 62% of students added a second major or minor, 51% had a significant global experience, and 46% chose a secondary area of business study.

To support their ambitious, driven students, the school allows each business major to develop an individual program of study that addresses their particular interests and career aspirations. Their belief is: “You’re not one-dimensional, so why should your education be?”

The Raymond A Mason School of Business was named after alumnus and founder of investment firm Legg Mason, which he founded at age 25. The school offers a two-year undergraduate business program that received 212 applications in Fall 2018. In total, 136 students were admitted, bringing the full-time enrollment for all business majors in Fall 2018 to 399. The school admits cohort both in the fall and spring, and in the Fall 2018 semester, had a 22.4% acceptance rate for direct applicants.

About 31% of incoming Fall 2018 business students received scholarship support, and the average amount given out was $18,123.

In a survey of William & Mary business alumni from the Class of 2016, over 85% said they believed their business degree was worth its cost in tuition, and 80% said they believed that their business degree from the school would assist them in climbing to a new socioeconomic status.

THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE AT MASON All students at the Mason School take part in the Integrated Foundation Semester during their first semester of the Business Majors Program. During this semester, one of the school’s traditions is the team launch and revelation of team assignments. The student cohort is grouped into teams of about five, and students must work with their teammates on projects and presentations in almost every area of business. Each team is also assigned a student mentor who has been through the Integrated Foundation semester to help them through the learning journey towards success.

Other traditions at the Mason School include a welcome back celebration at the start of the fall semester, and Simulation Week that happens at the end of the Foundation Semester. During this week, there are no classes as students are tasked with creating and running a business through an online simulation in their teams. At the end, they produce an annual report, give a formal presentation, and are then ranked for the award of prizes.

Almost 80% of alumni from the Class of 2016 told P&Q in a survey that their business school experience was life-changing, and 70% said that they were engaged in a signature experience while in the business

The college of william & mary program. From case competitions and simulations, to capstone projects and global study experiences, many students said that their hands-on learning experiences still impact today.

Dean DeLonge, Class of 2016, said that throughout his time at William & Mary, he had numerous valuable experiences, starting with running a sample company during Simulation Week. During Hedge Fund Immersion Weekend, he helped launch a fake hedge fund, and during Insurance Simulation Weekend, he helped run a sample insurance company.

DeLonge, a Finance major with a Physics minor, and an Accounting concentration, said that he was also involved in a student-managed investment fund where they managed almost $100,000 in real money; and for his capstone project, worked on an in-depth stock-pick research project.

STRONG EMPLOYMENT STATS LIFTED MASON IN THIS YEAR’S RANKING The school also has five courses that are completely devoted to global business issues, and 32 semester-abroad opportunities offered to students through the university. The Mason School offers 14 business-specific study abroad opportunities, where business students can choose to go to institutes in Australia, Canada, Japan, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea, Scotland, England, China, or Austria.

In response to a survey by P&Q, 24% of alumni shared that they had a global experience while at William & Mary. Some studied at the Vienna School of Business and Economics for a semester, while others took a Dominican Republic Social Entrepreneurship program over summer.

Over 90% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they would recommend the undergraduate business program at William & Mary to a close friend or colleague, and almost 85% said they believed that their business degree would be instrumental in helping them reach their dream career.

The school shared that over 90% of students in both the classes of 2017 and 2018 completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation, and about 95% of graduates from both classes secured full-time jobs within three months of graduation.

The average salary for business majors with full-time employment from the Class of 2017 was $61,280, while the same for the Class of 2018 was 64,724. About 40% of graduates from the Class of 2017 with full-time jobs also received signing bonuses averaging $8,135, and for the Class of 2018, this average jumped to $14,690. About 95% of alumni from the Class of 2016 shared that their first job after graduation was both in their desired work function and at their desired company.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Our capstone project with our Consulting class involved competing with different teams to give a real business owner insights, evaluations, and recommendations. It was the most real, hands-on experience I had at the business school. We analyzed and helped a startup company to take it to the next level.” Recent alum During undergraduate studies I was a part of a project with al specifically selected business school attendees to work on proper valuation with the Media Rights to the Los Angeles Dodgers. We worked directly with former alumni Todd Bohely, team owner, who brought our work to the commissioner of the MLB for discussion and review During my Masters, our capstone project was an optimization coupled with a forecasting simulation to accurately assess the productivity and staff needs in all of Ferguson Co. warehouses. Working directly with a Fortune 500 company and having direct access to the CFO was an incredible opportunity I learned so much from.” - Recent alum “Simulation week which involves running a sample company in a computer simulation. A hedge fund immersion weekend which involved launching a fake hedge fund. Insurance simulation weekend involving running a sample insurance company. Student managed investment fund of >$100,000 of real money where capstone project was an in depth stock pick research project. And applied financial concepts class where final project involved crafting a “strategic financial alternatives” pitch for an existing public company.” Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

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1309 E. TENTH STREET, HH2030, BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA 47405 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 812-855-4474

indiana university

A $103,082 In-State Total Cost

$197,458 Out-of-State Total Cost

40.3%

Acceptance Rate

1437

Average SAT

$69,284

Average compensation (including bonus)

96.4%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, the Kelley Compass — a required, three-class sequence taught over the course of the first three years in the undergraduate program — is the DNA of the curriculum.

Located in Bloomington, Indiana, the public research university has over 40,000 students. In Fall 2018, the Kelley School received 15,267 applications to join their four-year program. In the end, 6360 students were admitted, giving them an admittance rate of just over 40 percent.

Students in the incoming Fall 2018 class had an average high school GPA of 3.92, and an average SAT score of 1437 and ACT score of 31.

More than 90% of students in the incoming class of Fall 2018 received some form of scholarship support with the average scholarship amount at $9,611.

THE KELLEY COMPASS FROM THE GET-GO All Kelley students begin their education with the Kelley Compass 1, regardless of major, which focuses on the understanding and development of the self. Students identify their strengths and interests, their personal brand, and how they might fit into the business landscape.

“We find that many students choose Kelley and come here because they are certain they want to pursue business. They can begin on day one as a freshman, but sometimes, that’s all they know and they’re not sure if it’s something in finance, international business, or marketing that’s their calling,” Josh Perry, chair of the Undergraduate Program, says. “Compass 1 helps them explore all the co-majors. This sets them up on a path while working with academic advisors and career coaches to begin thinking about LinkedIn profiles and resume development.”

Students then move on to Compass 2, where they work on their understanding and development of teams, and how they function in a team setting. Here, they explore diversity and inclusion with their peers.

About 11% of students at Kelley school are international students, giving their classrooms discussions global input and perspective. Students also learn about cross-cultural conflict resolution in this section of their Kelley education, while polishing up their resumes, learning how to work with recruiters, and what to do at career fairs.

When students enter their junior year, most of them will be working on Compass 3 to discover leadership through emotional intelligence and real-world application. The curriculum was launched about five years ago, and the idea was to help orient students along a variety of domains, Perry says. With Compass 3, students are guided to start thinking of their leadership profile and values alongside developing an understanding of organizational dynamics. This is where they gain business savvy and maturity.

indiana university “We help students think about how they fit in an organization, to build emotional and social intelligence, so they’ll be better managers and leaders. We refer to these as soft skills, but it’s these intangibles that employers tell us sets our students apart,” Perry says. “We hear routinely from recruiters that Kelley students show up 6 to 9 months ahead of their peers. This has to do with our compass program and tech classes such as required comms classes and computer classes in freshman and sophomore years. We invest in technical practical skills. We want our students to find meaningful work so they can be intentional about the kind of businessperson they want to be, and the kind of org they want to be a part of.”

INTEGRATED CORE PULLS THE CURRICULUM TOGETHER The school reported that 75% of the graduating Class of 2018 participated in a consulting project with an external organization, and all students are required to complete three global business courses. The courses available include classes on cross-cultural competencies, public policy and the international economy, and the global business environment.

Also integral to the Kelley experience is the Integrative Core, a required, semester-long block of four courses that bridges together everything students learn inside and outside the classroom during their first two years. I-Core is a rite of passage for Kelley students as it pushes the them to examine the relationship between finance, marketing, operations, and leadership, and culminates in a capstone project. Most students take it in their junior year, also when they must declare their majors.

The classes are taught using a combination of lecture and experiential team-based work on specific problems or projects and the aim is to help students connect the dots. It is here that students bring their Compass class experiences, and Global Foundations experiences together with their general education knowledge, and math and computer skills.

Outside of the classroom, school administrators shared that 87% of students in the Class of 2017, and 91% of students in the Class of 2018, had business-specific internships before graduation. In response to a survey conducted by P&Q, over 92% of alumni of the Class of 2016 said their first job after graduation was in their desired job function, and 90% said that their first jobs were at their desired company.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I had two global immersion opportunities: a trip to India (to learn about globalization) after my freshman year and a trip to Istanbul, Turkey (to learn about international trade, currency and current account deficits) after my sophomore year. I also completed the honors version of ICORE, which was a semester-long group project where we were tasked with coming up with a business idea, creating a holistic business plan and presenting it to a panel of judges at the end of the semester.” - Recent alum “Investment Banking Workshop was without a doubt the most impacting experience of my academic career. The program trains and teaches you the soft skills required to succeed in business and the financial / accounting skills.

More importantly, it creates and fosters relationships with alumni to serve as a catalyst to finding (and getting) your dream job / company.” - Recent alum “I took a Marketing course that initialed developing a business plan to sell Solar Lamps in Nicaragua. During spring break we travelled to Nicaragua and got to engage with community and employees in order to develop our business plan. I also studied abroad in Milan, Italy.”- Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

47

CAMPUS BOX 3490, MCCOLL BUILDING, CHAPEL HILL, NC 27599 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 919-962-3235

university of north carolina at chapel hill

T $101,252 In-State Total Cost

$197,458 Out-of-State Total Cost

12.2%

Acceptance Rate

1346

Average SAT

$71,458

Average compensation (including bonus)

96.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School continues to differentiate itself among other popular undergraduate business programs. At UNC, the undergraduate business education is centered around its non-major program with a strong emphasis on global learning.

UNC’s new Inclusive Global Leadership is the business school’s latest push towards a more global education. The Inclusive Global Leadership is a degree requirement where students participate in a variety of activities and programs to develop the global competencies from UNC’s Global Education Model.

KENAN-FLAGLER’S HOLISTIC CURRICULAR APPROACH At UNC, business students don’t choose majors, but rather, customize their degrees through “Areas of Emphasis (AOE),” which require a minimum of nine credit hours of elective courses. AOE’s are optional and business majors may choose to add up to two AOE’s in one of the following areas: Consulting Entrepreneurship, Investment Banking, Investment Management, Marketing, Management & Sales, Multinational Finance, Operations, and Real Estate.

According to UNC administrators, AOE’s allow more customization for students and a holistic approach to business education.

“AOEs provide students with recommended curricular and cocurricular activities based on their business interests. For example, a student interested in consulting will take a required Consulting Skills and Frameworks course, choose from a list of applied learning experiences, and then take one final 3.0 credit hour consulting focused elective. They are also guided to join our Consulting Career Club, participate in case competitions, Consulting Career Treks, and various workshops such as a Consulting Bootcamp.”

NEARLY THREE-QUARTERS OF RECENT KENAN-FLAGLER GRADUATES HAD A ‘GLOBAL IMMERSION’ At Kenan-Flagler, 72% of the graduating class of 2017 graduates participated in an immersive global experience. With 291 semester abroad opportunities at UNC, students are encouraged to take part in a global experience.

UNC’s GLOBE program is a partnership between UNC, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Copenhagen Business School. GLOBE is an attempt to “offer a unique, integrated global business curriculum to prepare students as future managers and business leaders.” Students apply to become GLOBE fellows their sophomore year and take part in an 18-month exchange program.

In a P&Q survey of Kenan-Flagler alumni, 67% say they engaged in

university of north carolina at chapel hill a “global immersion” trip or project through UNC. Carly Wolberg, now a Marketing Manager at Amazon, is a Kenan-Flagler alum who studied abroad through the university.

“Global immersion was one of the best experiences and programs offered through Kenan-Flagler,” Wolberg says. “I went to Dubai as part of an elective course and we met with local business leaders and learned about the culture that is driving the growth and innovation in the country. The business school also made it very affordable through various merit scholarships offered.”

EMPHASIS ON EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING There are a number of applied and experiential learning opportunities available for UNC students. From consulting projects to case competitions, Kenan-Flagler offers experiential learning both in and out the classroom setting.

The STAR (Student Teams Achieving Results) program at UNC is a partnership with a number of Fortune 500 corporations and nonprofit organizations where students can gain real-world business experience. STAR teams of five to six students work under the guidance of professors with significant business and consulting experience to “collaborate with the corporate partner sponsors for ongoing dialogue in a similar manner as a consulting engagement,” according to UNC’s website.

One of the most popular experimental courses at Kenan-Flagler is “Consulting to Entrepreneurial Firms,” a course where student teams partake in consulting projects to assist local startups.

“I participated in an Entrepreneurial Consulting course which gave me hands on experience working with a start up in order to grow their digital footprint,” Kristen Busby, a Kenan-Flagler alum, says. “Working alongside several classmates in my group with the business owner provided valuable experience and insight to behind the scenes at a startup.”

CAREER OUTLOOK According to a P&Q survey, UNC reported that 97.64% of 2017 grads seeking employment were employed full-time within 90 days of graduation with an average salary of $66,616.

Alumni views of Kenan-Flagler are high. According to the P&Q alumni survey, 60% of Kenan-Flagler alums believe their business degree will assist them in climbing to a new socioeconomic status.

Some 89% say that their first job after graduating was in their desired industry with 76% saying their first job after graduation was at their desired company.

What Alumni Say “I took a Global Immersion Elective to Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru in India after my freshman year of college that allowed me to understand business in a more holistic manner. I never truly understood the global capabilities of companies and the interconnectedness of every country, as well as the cultural differences even within a single country, until I took this GIE.” Recent alum “I was the student trip leader on the South Africa Global Immersion Elective through the business school. I spent two weeks in Cape Town and Johannesburg learning about social entrepreneurship and the history of the country. I was able to go into a township and really get a first hand look at grass root organizations over there.” - Recent alum “The GLOBE Program at UNC is a one of a kind program that I am tremendously glad I took part it. It is an international exchange program between UNC, Copenhagen Business School, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong where 18 top students from each university are chosen to participate in the program. This group of students, around 54 total, study in a group for 1 1/2 years, spending a semester at each university and learning how business is conducted in the region they are in.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

49

1300 CLIFTON RD, ATLANTA, GA, 30322 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 404-727-8106

EMORY university

A $201,580 In-State Total Cost

$201,580 Out-of-State Total Cost

17.2%

Acceptance Rate

1470

Average SAT

$70,613

Average compensation (including bonus)

96%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t many other schools, students are expected to declare their majors as juniors, or sometimes even as sophomores. But at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, they refer to these as “area depths,” and students can choose as many as they want, as late as they want, even in their senior years, as long as they complete four courses beyond the core requirements. The flexibility means not only do students get ample time to explore and find out what interests them the most, they also get to start working on their area depths as early as their sophomore year, and keep working on as many as they want till graduation.

“Accounting students may make their choice early on since their choice of courses is CPA driven and leading to a Masters in Professional Accountancy, but for everyone else, they can make this life-changing choice as their interest matures,” Andrea Hershatter, senior associate dean and director of Emory’s BBA Program says. “Typically, those interested in investment banking may choose finance early on because of the early recruitment happening, as with consulting students. But a distinguishing factor of our curriculum is that we trust students to do what makes the most sense for them.”

The school shared that 95% of 2018 graduates had a business-specific internship before graduation. Every student in the graduating Class of 2017 participated in a consulting project with an external organization since all Goizueta students have to take a Business Communications class and a Senior Capstone class that include this requirement. Within a few months of graduation, 96% of 2018 graduates seeking employment had a full-time position. The average salary was $66,297, with 55% receiving signing bonuses averaging $7,847.

ANNUAL SKI TRIP TEACHES STUDENTS HOW TO FALL AND GET BACK UP … LITERALLY One of the first things that happen when they enter the program is a two-day off-site orientation, where students are divided into teams of about 12 students each and take on a series of activities ranging from alpine tower climbing and high ropes course, to building boats out of cardboard that should be able to float. These team-based activities are paired with personal reflection and goal-setting activities, academic sessions, as well as an open session where students can ask their upperclassmen about anything without faculty members in the room, is what helps the students transition into the business school.

“The orientation is where students learn the importance of teamwork, relationship building, and taking on end-line accountability, while finding out about the structure of the business school,” Hershatter says.

Of the Class of 2016, over 72% of alums told P&Q that they would recommend the business program at Goizueta to a friend or colleague

emory university without hesitation. Over 60% said they felt the program had prepared them exceptionally well for the world of work, and 50% of alums said their business school experience was life-changing. An impressive 94% said that their first job after graduating was in their desired job function, and almost 90% went on to share that their first job was at their desired company.

Every year, the school takes about 150 students on a three-day ski trip. The excursion began as a way for the school to help senior year business students fulfill the required PE credit needed for graduation by the university. But when students shared that they wished they had a chance to bond with classmates before then, the school decided to expand the program. Today, the annual event is a great opportunity for ever-composed students to try their hand at skiing or snowboarding for the first time, learn to fall down and stand up again, and experience what it feels like to start from the beginning at something once more.

“Falling down and laughing with friends can be transformative,” Hershatter says. “The tone we would like to set is that we are interdependent, team-oriented, and there to support each other, which can sometimes get lost in the competitiveness of job search recruiting, or even just doing their best in classes.”

The school also has a robust exchange program, where students can choose to spend the semester in any of the 45+ international partner schools in 25 countries across the globe, from South Korea and Australia, to Brazil and Mexico. About a third of each undergraduate class chooses to do so, and alums from the Class of 2016 shared having taken business and economics courses at the University of Edinburgh in the U.K., gone on a 10-day trip to Nicaragua to learn about social enterprise, and studied abroad in Spain and Italy.

“Our students start their college careers by thinking analytically and learning to express themselves effectively through their liberal arts education, and then the business school builds on it by creating multi-dimensional thinkers who are adept in problem-solving in our increasingly complex world,” Hershatter says. “We’re preparing them for success in functional areas while making sure they have the skills and courage to move broadly and internationally, while making meaning contributions to the organizations that become part of their career. This means inspiring them to make an impact, step up and take on more responsibility, and take initiative in the community and societies they touch.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “As a member of the Goizueta Investment Management Group, I had the opportunity to work with fellow classmates to manage a $100,000 investment portfolio. The collaborative experience enabled me to learn from others’ investment strategies, and provided access to take investment risks in a personally low risk environment.” - Recent alum “In a Data Analytics and Visualization class we had to build a real life tool using Excel Macros and Visual Basic. It was one of the first times I truly saw the knowledge and skillset I was learning be applied to not only an potential business idea but also a real life tool that could used daily by myself and others.” Recent alum “The Goizueta program requires that all students experience a Capstone class which tests you when you first join, and showcases the progress you make throughout the two years by putting you through the same tests towards the end of your years. They also take you out on a class-wide retreat where you can bond with new classmates, explore the limits of your comfort level in trivia/challenges, and get to connect with the faculty on a personal level.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

51

37TH AND O STREETS, NW, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20057 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 202-687-3851

Georgetown university

G $250,462 In-State Total Cost

$250,462 Out-of-State Total Cost

15.8%

Acceptance Rate

1431

Average SAT

$79,593

Average compensation (including bonus)

89.8%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

eorgetown University is a private research university in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and the McDonough School of Business offers students a four-year undergraduate business program. In Fall 2018, the school received 3,421 applications to join their undergraduate business program, and 542 students were admitted, giving the program an acceptance rate of 15.84% for direct applicants. About 75 percent of incoming students reported their SAT scores, and the average score was 1431, while the average ACT score from the 45 percent of students who submitted their scores was 31.8. The incoming Fall 2018 class had an average high school GPA of 3.87.

B-STUDENTS INCREASINGLY EXPECTED TO KNOW PYTHON AND R At Georgetown’s McDonough School of business, the Undergraduate Business Program is aimed at providing students with a “transformative education experience focused on global perspective, principles leadership, and analytical preparation.”

“Rooted in Georgetown University’s deep Jesuit tradition and foundation in the liberal arts, a Georgetown business degree prepares today’s students to become tomorrow’s leaders,” Teresa Mannix, Senior Assistant Dean for Communications, shares.

The school has recently launched an entrepreneurship minor as well as several new electives in Data Science, Data Visualization, Introduction to Business App Development in Python, Management of Business App Development in Python, and Fintech & Blockchain.

Students who choose the Data Science elective will learn about the techniques used in data-informed business analysis and how it influences decision making. Because lectures alone are no longer enough, students will discuss real-world problems in relation to problem-solving techniques with the available data. In the Data Visualization course, students will learn how to create data visualizations in Tableau, and connect their work in the software with Python for advanced analytics.

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR A POPULAR RECENT INNOVATION Freshman students at McDonough begin their business education with the First Year Seminar, where they get a crash course in business and transitioning to college. The program offers students nine seminars with titles such as “Who are you? Individual Differences and Workplace Performance,” “Competing in a Flat World,” “Entrepreneurship and the Jesuit Tradition,” and “An Exercise in Leadership: Jesuit Practices for Decision-Making and Organization Management.”

georgetown university Students also take part in BUILD, which stands for Business Undergraduates Invested in Leadership Development, a weeklong pre-orientation for first-year business students where they learn about effective communication, principled leadership, and integrated business knowledge.

Over 80% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that the business program at McDonough prepared them well for the world of work, and 90% of graduates said they would recommend the program to a close friend or colleague. About 50% of alumni said they were engaged in a “signature experience” while at Georgetown, and shared stories of their First Year Seminar, having worked on capstone projects, engaging in consulting programs as a Global Business Fellow, or joining the Entrepreneurship Fellows Program.

The school shared that the university offers over 70 semesterabroad opportunities for students, while the business school offers three summer programs, and four spring break programs. Students can also choose from over 40 opportunities by the Office of Global Education in which they can participate in for business credit. The school estimates that 64% of students in the graduating class in May 2018 went abroad, and this excludes Students in the Global Business Experience course.

An alumni who now works as a Restructuring Analyst at Houlihan Lokey, said that he took part in Georgetown’s Undergraduate Business Program in Comparative Strategic Management hosted at the University of Oxford while at McDonough. He called the trip the “most transformative portion” of his McDonough experience.

“The superb faculty, combined with weekly trips into London to connect classroom topics with the real-world practice of finance and strategic management, stoked a passion to improve my understanding of complicated, ever-changing financial concepts and, more broadly, confirmed my interest in pursuing a career in financial services, specifically investment banking,” said the Finance and International Business major.

The school shared that an impressive 98% of students in both the classes of 2017 and 2018 had at least one business-specific internship before graduation, and with the Class of 2017, 92% of students found full-time jobs within a couple of months of graduation. This number fell slightly as 88% of students from the Class of 2018 found full-time employment in the same time frame.

The average overall salary for business majors with full-time employment from the Class of 2018 was $72,915. Almost 70% of alumni from the Class of 2016 told P&Q in a survey that their first job after graduating was at their desired company.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I studied abroad at the University of Oxford through a business school program. It was amazing to live and study in the dorms there.

We also toured many of the big banks and consulting firms such as Bain, Goldman Sachs, and Skadden Arps, in London that had many Georgetown alumni who hosted us for the day.” - Recent alum “Starting as freshmen, Georgetown McDonough provided frequent signature experiences. In your first year, you participate in an intimate seminar with the highest rated faculty which culminates in a case competition to create, present, and help execute programs to address the need of an organization in the local community. As a junior, I was able to study abroad through the school at Oxford in UK (strategic management and international finance courses). Senior year, we engage in a social responsibility of business course which includes a semester-long capstone project where we create a company and lead it through a variety of simulated ethical dilemmas proposed by the professors. The project requires multiple presentations to the company board (the class), who are responsible for challenging the planned courses of action until you can ‘sell’ them on the pitch.” - Recent alum “Given Georgetown’s Jesuit heritage, our capstone was in Social Responsibility of Business. The goal was to investigate and argue the various ethical responsibilities of businesspeople and the entities they work for.”

- Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

53

PO BOX 7305, WINSTON-SALEM, NC 27109 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 336-758-5201

Wake Forest university

O $267,474 In-State Total Cost

$267,474 Out-of-State Total Cost

24.8%

Acceptance Rate

1378

Average SAT

$71,675

Average compensation (including bonus)

94.5%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

ver 70% of Class of 2016 alumni from Wake Forest University School of Business told Poets&Quants that their time at the school was life-changing. Almost 93% also said that they would recommend the undergraduate business program at Wake Forest without hesitation to a close friend or colleague.

Wake Forest University is a private research university in WinstonSalem, North Carolina, that offers a two-year undergraduate business program. In Fall 2018, the school received 325 applications to join their business program, and 295 students were admitted. A total of 290 undergraduate business majors entered in Fall 2018, and the total fulltime enrollment for all business majors in Fall 2018 was 555.

Over 85% of alumni from Wake Forest’s Class of 2016 said that they were engaged in a signature experience while working on their undergraduate degree.

“Undergrads are exposed to a world of opportunity that gives the chance to develop the skills and experience that employers are seeking,” Stacey Panchyshyn, associate director of Market Insights at the school, says. “With classes and activities in the inspiring new Farrell Hall, they benefit from team-based learning, professional development, handson experience, leadership opportunities and study abroad programs.

They receive personal attention and access to some of the best business minds in the country–our faculty and alumni. They leave the School of Business armed with the practical experience and the business acumen to set them apart from the competition.”

Other than providing students with plenty of experiential learning opportunities in the classroom through group projects, simulations, and partnerships with real companies, the school recently completed Farrell Hall, which houses the School of Business. The building, which cost $55 million and is 130,000 square feet, was designed to encourage collaboration and faculty-student interaction. From flexible meeting and classrooms, to other state-of-the-art technology, Farrell Hall is meant to encourage students and staff to spend even more time gathering, studying, brainstorming, and creating.

While internships are not required for graduation at Wake Forest, the school shared that 96% of business students from the Class of 2017 completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation. Alumni from the Class of 2016 who responded to the P&Q survey shared that they had all completed an internship, with some doing as many as four business internships while working on their undergraduate degree. About 95% of business students in the Class of 2018 completed internships, with 260 students taking on summer internships at 186 companies in 24 different states and 6 countries.

NUMEROUS STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES

wake forest university The university offers 14 semester abroad opportunities to students.

The Center for Global Programs and Studies allows students to choose from a list of countries including Scotland, Denmark, and Portugal, to Japan, Ghana, and Israel.

There are several business-specific opportunities including a Wake Forest University Internship in Hong Kong that takes place over summer. Qualified students will be offered a full-time internship that lasts eight weeks. The Barcelona: Business and Global Studies program is specifically designed for business, economics, entrepreneurship, and global trade and commerce students, that takes place in fall and spring semesters.

Other popular program is the London: Worrell House program where a group of students and a Resident Professor live and learn together. All students take five courses taught at Worrell House, and the curriculum will include visits to art galleries, theater performances, and musical productions.

About 30% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they were engaged in a global immersion, trip or project while at Wake Forest University. An alumni who said that their time at Wake Forest was very life-changing said that he traveled abroad during his junior year. “We completed business organizational behavior classes, and were given in-depth access to European factories, offices, and business organizations to study operational methodology and structure,” shared the alumni, who now works as an Assurance Staff at Ernst & Young.

The school shared that about 55% of students have a global experience of at least four weeks abroad before graduation.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “The Wake Forest School of Business gave me the opportunity to study abroad through a business program my junior summer.

We completed business organizational behavior classes, and were given in-depth access to European factories, offices, and business organizations to study operational methodology and structure.” - Recent alum “We had to organize a leadership event in which we organized a non profit event that connected football with sick children as we made hospital visits. We also had to start our own business on campus and do the accounting behind it.” - Recent alum “We had study abroad through the business school that not only immersed you in another language but also how they do business. Great for understanding other cultures approaches.”

- Recent alum

CAREER OUTLOOK About 94.5% of graduates from the Class of 2018 found fulltime jobs within a couple months of graduating from Wake Forest University. The average salary for business majors with full-time jobs from the Class of 2017 was $65,190, while graduates from the Class of 2018 received an average salary of $68,300. About 45% of those from the Class of 2018 with full-time jobs received signing bonuses.

About 65% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that the program at Wake Forest University prepared them exceptionally well for the world of work, and over 92% of them said their first job after graduating was at their desired company.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

55

800 WEST PEACHTREE ST NW, ATLANTA, GA 30308 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 404-894-4154

GEorgia institute of technology

T

“

$111,765 In-State Total Cost

$182,034 Out-of-State Total Cost

23.7%

Acceptance Rate

1376

Average SAT

$66,051

Average compensation (including bonus)

91.2%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

ech savvy, business smart.” That’s how Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business strives to prepare its students. The college of business revolves its education around weaving together both business and technology into nearly every aspect of its mission.

“We realize that technology is a vital part of every role and function in today’s global marketplace,” Craig Womack, associate dean of Undergraduate Programs at Scheller, says. “We strive to leverage our unique positioning at the intersection of business and technology to prepare our students to meet these demands in the global marketplace head-on.”

What makes the Scheller experience unique is its interdisciplinary education. And that nature of interdisciplinary education is apparent in its curriculum. For instance, students in the Strategy & Innovation concentration take courses to learn about management in the healthcare sector, technology and global and intellectual property strategy.

Womack says the school recognizes that innovation skills are in high demand today. Global companies, like Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Company, for example, offer internships and entry-level positions with titles including strategy analyst, innovation analyst, and strategy and innovation analyst.

“Many of the issues facing the world are interdisciplinary in nature,” Womack says. “They are not solved by business people, scientists or engineers alone, but through collaboration. Our experiential learning and interdisciplinary programs help prepare our students for these challenges.”

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY Scheller College of Business is located in Midtown Atlanta’s Technology Square district. Home to rapidly developing startups, accelerators, incubators, and corporate innovation centers, the area is perfect for students looking to explore both business and technological.

One of the best examples of Scheller’s relationship with business and technology is the Denning Technology and Management Program (T&M). Established in 2007 through the support of Scheller alumnus Steven A. Denning, the T&M Program is a two-year course of study where undergraduate students “learn together in an integrated program while preserving disciplinary depth in their major fields of study.”

The program was created with the goal of helping the next generation of Georgia Tech students become multi-disciplinary problem solvers.

Students of the program are exposed to real-world projects provided by corporate partners including Boeing, Caterpillar, Equifax, The Home Depot, and Siemens.

Malcom J. Danmola, a class of 2018 alumnus of Scheller, says the strong emphasis on business and technology attracted him to the school.

georgia institute of technology “I chose Scheller College of Business mainly because of the mere fact that it incorporates two of the main drivers for aspiring entrepreneurs in the 21st century: business and technology,” Danmola says. “With technology forever evolving at such a fast pace, I thoroughly believed that Georgia Tech stood at the forefront of innovation and its business school could teach its students the innovative, strategic values needed to be successful in the everchanging corporate world.”

Evie Owens, another class of 2018 alumnus, says the relationship between business and technology at Scheller was critical to her future success.

“My ability to learn the language of business was enhanced through the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and understand the importance of technology in the years to come,” Owens says. “In my four years here, I wasn’t just taught business, I was taught how to be an invaluable member of a company, as I was equipped with the ability to understand all aspects of a successful business — from cross-functional interactions to key processes and technologies.”

LEARNING FROM A PRACTICAL STANDPOINT Scheller is focused on giving students a practical and “no time wasted” education. Students admitted to Scheller immediately begin studying business their first year. The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) curriculum allows students to complete all degree requirements, including one semester abroad and two internship semesters within four years.

“From your first semester, our class structure encourages you to learn the coursework material from a practical standpoint,” says undergraduate student Shane Phillipps. “Whether it be constructing a financial portfolio, acting as a consultant to a Fortune 500 company, or even starting your own business, Scheller College gives you the experience you need to excel in the business world.”

Additionally, with the help of an advisor, students at Scheller have the option of building their own personal four-year plan to move around courses on the check-list depending on their career and personal goals.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Our capstone class used a simulation that allowed us to monitor product lines and invest in marketing, labor, and other areas. We first completed the simulation competitively in teams, and then on our own for the final project.” - Recent alum “Our Capstone Project involved a Business Simulation with well over 60 Variables. The strategy our team put together (The Baldwin Approach) - which allowed us to beat three human teams and two bots - was profoundly impactful. I’m actually in the process of executing The Baldwin Approach right now in the real world, as I launch a new phase of my career in Real Estate. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.” - Recent alum “The Capstone experience at Scheller is incredibly well-rounded, and provides its participants with an overall working knowledge of all major aspects of business.

Group members composed a board and worked through simulated business cycles of the business, where each member would perform various job functions in order to understand multiple aspects of business administration.” Recent alum

CAREER OUTLOOK The career outlook for Scheller grads is strong. According to Scheller admin surveyed by P&Q, 91.2% of Class of 2018 grads seeking employment were employed full-time within 90 days of graduation with an average salary of $62,545.

Overall, Scheller grads speak highly about their education.

Around 63% say their education at Scheller was “very” helpful in reaching their dream career. A whopping 89.86% report that their first job after graduation was in their desired industry with 85.51% saying that first job was even at their desired company.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

57

6214 BISHOP BLVD, DALLAS TX 75275 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 214-768-1110

southern methodist university

L $259,182 In-State Total Cost

$259,182 Out-of-State Total Cost

11.1%

Acceptance Rate

1494

Average SAT

$72,585

Average compensation (including bonus)

91.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

ocated in Dallas, Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business offers students a number of opportunities to learn outside the classroom in one of the premier business cities in the country.

Southern Methodist University is a private research university in metropolitan Dallas, Texas, and their Cox School of Business offers a four-year undergraduate business program. In Fall 2018, the school received 4,360 applications to join their undergraduate business program, and admitted 485 students. The average SAT score is one of the highest of all 88 schools to be ranked at 1,494, and the average ACT score for this fall’s entering class was 33.2.

The school estimates that the total four-year cost, covering tuition and fees, of attending is $196,986, with additional expenses such as room, board, transportation, and supplies, adding another $62,196 to the cost. Despite the seemingly hefty price tag, it is important to note that the school says every student in the incoming Fall 2018 class received scholarship support once they were accepted to the business school in the average amount of $40,026.

LOCATION EQUALS STRONG JOB NUMBERS The business school is extremely proud of its location, being right in the heart of Dallas, which is also known as one of the world’s premier business centers. Dallas is home to several Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Energy Transfer Equity, Southwest Airlines, Tenet Healthcare, and Texas Instruments. The school shared with Poets&Quants in a survey that 93% of students in the Class of 2018 had at least one business-specific internship before graduation.

When it came to full-time employment, nearly 92% of the 2018 grads seeking full-time employment were employed within three months of graduation. For the Class of 2017, the average drawn salary was $63,045, but with the Class of 2018, this number rose to 67,138. Some 42% of students in the Class of 2017 received signing bonuses, with the average amount at $16,165. In the Class of 2018, 50% received signing bonuses with the average at $10,894.

“We pride ourselves on interactive, real-world projects that give our students experience they will take directly into their careers,” Anna Martinez, director of Media Relations at SMU Cox, says.

FEATURING SEVEN MAJORS TO PICK FROM Business students at Cox School of Business can choose to major in Accounting, Finance, Financial Consulting, General Business, Marketing, Management, and Real Estate Finance.

Regardless of which major a student chooses, they must also take other Business Core Courses on top of the business leadership

southern methodist university course. The other core courses include classes on financial and managerial accounting, business statistics, information systems for management, financial management, operations management, business law, management of organizations, marketing, and strategic management.

POPULAR HANDS-ON LEARNING EXPERIENCES Cox School of Business believes that hands-on learning is the best way to learn, and about 55% of alumni from the Class of 2016 shared with P&Q that they were engaged in a “signature” experience while at Cox. One of the most popular programs that several alumnus said changed their undergraduate experience, was the Alternative Asset Management program, that is targeted at a small group of high performing finance students. The program prepares them for rigorous careers in finance, specializing in the areas of investment banking and investing.

Every year, about 50 undergrads in their junior year are selected for the highly-competitive BBA honors program in Alternative Assets based on their GPAs, strength of courses, demonstrated work ethic, recommendation letters, and interview performance. The media GPA of the incoming 2018 class was 3.93.

The program begins with a Spring semester class, where students engage with multiple case studies to gain familiarity with private equity and investment banking. As rising juniors, the students will take on a summer internship, usually at an investment bank, consulting firm, hedge fund, or money management firm. They will return for classes in the fall as seniors, before taking on a voluntary CFA review course in the spring if they plan to take the CFA Level 1 exam after graduating.

A particularly attractive part of the program if the portfolio management practicum, where 30 undergraduates are selected with 30 graduate students to manage funds with assets of approximately $9 million, making it one of the largest and oldest student-managed portfolios in the United States.

“The experience from the Alternative Asset Management program puts SMU students in a position to succeed in a talent pool that includes students from the top universities in the world, at the most elite financial institutions,” Paul Nork, Class of 2016, says. “I personally gained an internship and eventually an analyst position at Goldman Sachs’ hyper competitive San Francisco investment banking office, where (because of the Alts program) I was able to differentiate myself as an analyst with the strongest technical skills and above average ‘commercial’ thinking – knowing exactly what is important in the particular task you are assigned.”

Almost 90% of alumni from the Class of 2016 who responded to the P&Q survey said that their first job after graduating was in their desired job function, About 80% said their first job was even at one of their desired companies, and 73% said their time at SMU Cox was life-changing.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Our entire Honors Finance practicum class traveled to Hawaii to attend Hawaiian Airlines annual shareholder meeting, tour operations and most importantly present a comprehensive analysis of strategic alternatives to HA management team. The strategic alternatives review was the culmination of a semester long course and intensive study of Hawaiian Airlines business and their strategic positioning.” - Recent alum “The Alternative Asset Management (Alts) program at SMU is a signature learning experience that prepares a small group of high performing finance students for rigorous careers in finance (investment banking and investing). The experience from Alts puts SMU students in a position to succeed in a talent pool that includes students from the top universities in the world, at the most elite financial institutions. I personally gained an internship and eventually an analyst position at Goldman Sachs’ hyper competitive San Francisco investment banking office, where (because of the Alts program) I was able to differentiate myself as an analyst with the strongest technical skills and above average “commercial” thinking - knowing exactly what is important in the particular task you are assigned. Alts includes interview prep and alumni networking which makes SMU students prepared in a regimented way. I can’t recommend the program enough.” - Recent alum “I participated in a group-based capstone project in which I was able to pull knowledge for most of my classes in undergrad in order to develop a comprehensive business plan for a company of our choosing. The project culminated in our group presenting our business pitch to the class, including a financial analysis and a TV/YouTube commercial.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

59

515 E GREGORY DR., CHAMPAIGN, IL 61820 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 217-244-2595

university of illinois at urbana-champaign

A $144,000 In-State Total Cost

$210,000 Out-of-State Total Cost

47.4%

Acceptance Rate

1365

Average SAT

$66,598

Average compensation (including bonus)

98.4%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Business 101 is a big deal. It’s a course on professional responsibility, and is the first class business students take. But it’s not your typical ethics course.

Dean Jeff Brown of the College of Business says it’s meant to help students understand their own personal ethics.

Developed in collaboration with faculty, the Office of Undergraduate Affairs, and the Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society, Business 101: Professional Responsibility, is divided into three modules: Personal Responsibilities, Professional Responsibilities, and Societal Responsibilities. And while the course focuses on corporate and social responsibility and the broad role of business on a global scale, about one-third of the time is spent thinking about the students’ own, personal values, and about how professional situations could compromise them.

At the same time, Business 101 is an introduction to the College of Business. Students begin creating formal resumes and participate in their first applied-learning activities. For example, students are introduced to subsistence marketplaces via lectures, virtual immersion exercises, and a poverty simulation.

“I had the opportunity and privilege to be a section leader in my junior and senior years,” says Michael Smigielski, an Illinois School of Business alum from the Class of 2014. “It was helpful, both taking it as a freshmen and teaching it, because it’s a theme that never leaves you.

Whether you stay in business or move into another field of study, the pressures of work and life continue to grow.”

MORE THAN 30 BUSINESS-SPECIFIC STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS Students begin taking Business Core classes in their freshmen year, which include a wide breadth of classes in economics, marketing, finance, accountancy and more. And for those who are eager to explore the different business focuses, Brown recommends taking advantage of the resources and opportunities the school offers.

For example, students are highly encouraged to get involved with student organizations or specialized programs at the schools, which Brown says are ways for them to familiarize themselves with various business opportunities. “There are over 30 business-focused student organizations, and we have a lot of specialized programs,” Brown says.

“So if you’re interested in investment banking, or corporate finance, or managing an investment fund, we have a student program designed to help you build the necessary professional skills.”

And in the last few years, the number of opportunities like this been growing, particularly in action-based learning, which Brown says is a big focus of theirs. The College of Business has an action-learning office

university of illinois at urbana-champaign dedicated to helping students work with real clients, and Brown says within a year or two, they hope that every single graduating student will have experience working with real clients.

“I became dean a little over a year ago, and we have a lot of things going on,” Brown says. “We have a goal to — within a couple years — make sure every student walks out of here literate in data sciences. We have a partnership with Deloitte to create a center for business analytics. And we are undertaking a whole-scale review of our curriculum, which will really bring action-learning to every student. We hope to include it in the Business Core.”

ACTION-LEARNING IS A BIG DEAL AT ILLINOIS One example of action-learning is a business school operated organization called Illinois Business Consulting. Student teams are hired through Illinois Business Consulting to work on projects for real clients — sometimes aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking for help putting together a business plan, and sometimes larger companies who want help with various things, like marketing campaigns. The student teams will provide private consulting, and Brown says the program is enormously successful with very high client satisfaction.

And according to alum Kerry Zepeda, Class of 2014, student teamwork on projects like this was a large part of what drew her to the College of Business. “I was so impressed with the caliber of the students when I visited,” she says. “I witnessed these students helping one another and working together on projects and various club initiatives. While the students were incredibly driven, I never sensed the “dog eat dog” attitude that was very evident at other business schools I had visited.”

And once she was part of the community, she says she learned that the resources and programs at the school are only part of what makes it so beneficial to students. “Alumni are very eager to give back, and as a result, the business career services center flourishes at the College,” she says. “On a trip to Asia this summer, I randomly ran into two individuals whom I had met from the College of Business program. Those aren’t isolated incidents either — that’s how incredible and extensive of a network we have.”

At over 98%, the school had one of the highest employment rates for the 2018 graduating class. Those employed within three months of graduation reported an average starting salary of $63,079.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I was part of a global immersion to China as part of the Hoeft Technology & Management Program - we were able to see how culture and business play a different role in society there and how the companies that sponsor the program differ in that area. I was also part of a capstone project for the program and got to consult for a sponsor, a useful skill to learn how to interact with a client, do research and present deliverables to management.” - Recent alum “I was a member of the Business Honors program. As part of the program, I participated in a 10 day business immersion trip to Singapore and Malaysia following my freshman year. This was my first exposure to international business, and introduced me to Accenture, where I would go on to intern twice and accept a full time offer, for the first time.

It also inspired me to pursue my dreams of studying abroad; I spent the spring semester of my junior year attending courses at a graduate business school in Paris (ESCP.)” - Recent alum “Numerous investment banking case competitions held through the college of business were key to simulating the real world experience of investment banking and teaching the grit, maturity, and technical skills needed to succeed in the job. The Investment Banking Academy fully prepares students for a career in banking and is something I speak about proudly to graduates from other business schools across the country because I am confident in IBA to continue selecting and minting high quality students for banking, hedge funds, private equity.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

61

321 19TH AVENUE SOUTH, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55455 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 612-626-1693

university of minnesota

R $112,500 In-State Total Cost

$154,288 Out-of-State Total Cost

29.2%

Acceptance Rate

1371

Average SAT

$58,388

Average compensation (including bonus)

97.1%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

ah Singh, the associate dean of undergraduate programs at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management might be biased, but thinks his school’s downtown Twin Cities location is tough to beat.

“Whenever I give a speech to prospective freshmen, I tell them about this,” Singh says. “In a town of about two million, we have 19 Fortune 500 companies, and everything from medical device companies to startups. On a per person basis, we have the most Fortune 500 companies waiting to hire our students, and we’re the only player in town. All of them want to work with us, and mentor our students, and our alumni network is growing right next to us.”

The school’s curriculum, experiential learning, internship and job opportunities, and networking possibilities are positively influenced by the connections they have with the business community in the metro area of Minneapolis-St. Paul, where there’s a growing list of Fortune 500 companies that include UnitedHealth Group, Target, Best Buy, 3M, U.S. Bancorp, and General Mills.

In a survey of the Carlson undergraduate Class of 2016, about 95% of alumni said their first job after graduating was in their desired job function, and about 90% of them said their first job was even at their desired company. Naturally, almost 90% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they would recommend the business program to a close friend or colleague. “Our graduates are hardworking people with a positive attitude and no sense of entitlement,” Singh boasts. “They will always put the ‘we’ of community before ‘I,’ always ask why before talking about how, and always understand work comes before reward.”

MENTAL HEALTH A PRIORITY FOR CARLSON STUDENTS At Carlson, students’ education begin with a two-day orientation, which includes an overnight experience, during which they meet with advisors to discuss scheduling and other concerns. In the third week of their time at the school, they have the option of going on a Freshmen Weekend Retreat. Singh says that he and his team found out that mental health was a concern among the students and faculty due to the highstress nature of being in the world of business. Anxiety, depression, and concern about suicide, seemed to stem from feeling alone even while being part of a community, and the school decided to something about it.

In a free pilot program sponsored by corporate partners that the school has just started, students get into canoes with their new friends one weekend, and canoe down the Mississippi River for about three hours before putting up tents for the night. The next day, they return to the river and canoe for another four to six hours, before stopping again to set up their tents to camp for the night. At the end of it, the students

university of minnesota take a coach back to school, and return to their classes for the week, hopefully with a new understanding that though their classmates are different, they are in the same boat.

“There’s no education, no pontification, just bonding time,” Singh says. “They get together and talk about their hometowns, things they miss, and their hopes, and new friendships and a community is built. We hope this means the next time they are in the same classroom, they’ll know where the person is coming from despite the different speech and values.”

The retreat is paired with an embedded mental health counselor in the business school’s advising space, where students can easily make appointments for support, and faculty recognizing the face of crisis in students can quickly get them help. The proactiveness of the leaders at Carlson in caring for their students also jumped into action when the team realized that because assignments were often due at midnight, students were often working till then, and then gathering to celebrate with friends afterwards. Today, Carlson faculty have been recommended to hand out assignments with evening deadlines instead. “We have to take care of our students,” Singh says.

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE PRIMO REAL ESTATE Over 77% of alums from the Class of 2016 said they were engaged in a “signature experience”, from creating an “end-to-end marketing plan for Tesla” as a capstone marketing project, to going out into the community and partnering with local companies and corporations to learn about supply chain optimization.

On top of the numerous opportunities for students to learnby-doing, one of the biggest differentiators of the programs that they’ve had for over a decade now is that every single graduate at Carlson has an international experience. From two-week shortterm programs, to about 40 exchange programs in partner business schools around the world, there’s not shortage of choices. The university’s Learning Abroad Center allows students to explore beyond business if they choose, but the Carlson message is clear: Don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone.

“When we spend time with people we grew up with, it’s hard to imagine how different others can be, then it’s different for them to walk in their shoes when they need to,” Singh says. “The worldview that everyone has to be the same changes, and that’s hard to get in a classroom.”

Some 93% of 2018 graduates had a business-specific internship before graduation. About 97% of those seeking employment found jobs within three months of graduation with an average starting salary of $56,989.

“Our dean always says that business has to be a force for good, and we believe that curiosity leads to creativity and great ideas,” Singh says. “We’ve made a choice that if there are values we want to inculcate, we will lose some students, but that’s OK. When the landscape changes, our students will be able to choose new directions and lead the change.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I was in the honors program at the university, and in the business school, we were given mentorship/instruction by a research faculty member in writing a senior thesis-inclusive of independent original research and an academic paper. After being involved in other honors-specific classes in the business school beforehand, I was a part of a cohort of students who collaborated together on our individual projects. At most top-tier business schools, it’s not usual to get to spend quality time with tenured/tenure-track research faculty, and we had the opportunity to get their regular feedback and instruction and finish our degrees with a paper adding real insight to relevant topics like consumer behavior, finance, entrepreneurship trends, etc. Some students even pursued getting their work published, as well.” - Recent alum “I studied international business (including Japanese business culture, cross-cultural negotiations, among others) in Tokyo, Japan for six months through Carlson. Also took part in a year-long, credit bearing experiential learning program that exposed me to real consulting projects with corporate clients for semester-long periods - incredible experience, exposure to executives, expanded network, etc.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

63

5000 FORBES AVENUE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15213 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 412-268-2268

Carnegie Mellon University

A $266,046 In-State Total Cost

$266,046 Out-of-State Total Cost

12%

Acceptance Rate

1473

Average SAT

$85,791

Average compensation (including bonus)

89.1%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business a motto is: “We know that leaders are made, not just born.” That’s why the school has recently launched a Development Of Business Leadership Endeavour (BLE), a three-year course sequence designed to teach professional and leadership skills throughout the undergraduate career, modeled after business enterprise.

Students start off their participation in the BLE program as an intern, usually in their first year, where they learn about leadership competencies, conduct self-assessment, and work on developing a personal development plan for completion over their sophomore and junior years. The aim of this section of the program is to prepare the student for a professional life of leadership and global citizenship.

In the second year, students become Analysts in the BLE program, where they continue to work on leadership development activities and competency building. They are expected to plan, participate, and reflect on activities they engage in.

And in their third year with the program, students take on the role of Manager, where they assess their achievements of personal goals according the plan they developed as interns, and how they fit in with BLE areas of competencies in collaboration, innovation, critical thinking, network building, self-reliance, and global citizenship. Managers are also expected to be role models for younger members of the program.

LOCATED NEAR UP AND COMING AREAS IN PITTSBURGH Tepper School of Business offers a four-year undergraduate business program for students working to earn a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. About 70% of alumni from the Tepper Class of 2016 said that they would recommend the program to their close friend or colleague, and 70% said that the program had prepared them well for the world of work.

The school is situated in North Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, just a 15-minute drive from downtown Pittsburgh, where the offices of KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, BDO, and PricewaterhouseCoopers are eager to bring in the best of Carnegie Mellon University. Pittsburgh is home to several Fortune 500 companies, including Kraft Heinz, PNC Financial Services, PPG Industries, and US Steel, and the school shared that its list of top employers included companies such as the “Big Four” accounting firms, Citi, BNY Mellon, IBM, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, PNC, Capital One and Accenture.

FEATURING NEW DIGS & MANY GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES The 315,000-square-foot Tepper Quad was opened in September 2018, and is the new home of the Tepper School of Business, while connecting

carnegie mellon university it to the other six Carnegie Mellon colleges and schools, encouraging interaction between students in all different areas of study. Costing $201 million, the five-story building was made possibly by a $67 million lead gift from alumnus David Tepper’s charitable foundation.

The Tepper Quad is equipped with a Technology-Enhanced Learning Center, that is part of the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational innovation. It is aimed at fostering development of new educational technologies. The Quad also has a fitness center, breakout spaces for students, an auditorium that can accommodate up to 600 people and features a media wall as well as recording capabilities, and innovation classrooms that have a flexible layout to facilitate different instruction styles.

The school shared that about 20% of Tepper students have a global experience before graduating, and that the school offers five business-specific travel opportunities while the university has 14 partnerships with other institutes, and dozens of programs outside of formal exchange programs. Students can choose to study in exchange campuses in Australia, France, Singapore, Hong Kong, Chile and several other countries, and 35% of alumni in the Class of 2016 said that they traveled abroad as part of the business program.

When travel was considered a signature experience, alongside project work, simulations, experiential learning, and capstone projects, 60% of alumni said they were engaged in at least one signature experience during their business learning. An alumnus said that she was part of a simulation project while at Tepper, and the experience gave her a chance to apply the skills learned through her time in college into a simulated company.

“It was a great learning experience to learn how to apply the material learned in class in a practical manner,” the alumnus, who now works as a Senior Pricing Analyst with PNC Bank, said. “I now do this all the time at work so I am glad I can apply concepts and ideas to solve problems.”

The school shared that about 98% of students in both the classes of 2017 and 2018 had at least one business-specific internship before graduation, about 91% of 2017 graduates and 89% of 2018 graduates found full-time jobs within a few months of graduation. The average salary of a Tepper student from the Class of 2017 with a full-time job was $76,972, and with the Class of 2018, this increased slightly to $77,987. About 85% of students with full-time jobs in the Class of 2017 also received signing bonuses that averaged $9,536, and for students in the Class of 2018, the amount fell slightly to $8,671.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I was in a simulation project that really helped me learn how to apply the skills learned throughout my college career into a simulated company. It was a great learning experience to learn how to apply the material learned in class in a practical manner. I now do this all the time at work so I am glad I can apply concepts and ideas to solve problems.” - Recent alum “I had the opportunity to work closely with my organization behavior professor as a teaching assistant for a few years.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

65

2100 SENNOTT SQUARE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15260 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 412-383-9600

university of pittsburgh

A $136,128 In-State Total Cost

$195,288 Out-of-State Total Cost

44%

Acceptance Rate

1345

Average SAT

$56,710

Average compensation (including bonus)

97.1%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t the University of Pittsburgh, College of Business Administration, learning outside of the classroom is just as important as what happens within the classroom. That’s why they have the Pitt Business Outside the Classroom Curriculum (OCC) that is aimed at helping students organize, plan, and communicate the benefits or the many co-curricular and extra-curricular activities engage in.

Developed by two Pitt alumni, students advance through different levels of the OCC program as they earn points and digital badges by attending leadership workshops, having their cover letters and personal statements reviewed, logging at least 40 hours of community service, engaging in financial literacy, health education, and physical activity programs, and more.

“We attract students that are strong in academics, and we’ve seen that experience doesn’t happen in a classroom, but from interaction outside the classroom,” Audrey Murrell, associate dean of the College of Business Administration, says. “With our urban campus environment, it’s easy for students to engage the community to both give back to those around us, while learning from them.”

The undergraduate business program at the University of Pittsburgh is a four-year program that offers students seven majors. In Fall 2018, the school received 4,632 applications to join the undergraduate business program, and 2,071 were admitted, giving the competitive program an acceptance rate of 44 percent. In total, 583 undergraduate business majors entered in Fall 2018, making the full-time enrollment for all business majors 2,125.

THE LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITY

All freshmen at the University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration have the option to join a Living Learning Community (LLC). The business school’s LLC is located in Bruce Hall, and their mantra is “Bruce meets business.” Joining the Pitt LLC means living and learning with your peers, and the hall is home to almost 200 firstyear students. Because there is space for only about half the cohort each year, space fills up quickly and while priority is given to Pitt Business students, a business student can request to share a room with a nonbusiness student.

Students who join the LLC are automatically exposed to tens of augmented programs, ranging from co-curricular activities to career and professional development programs, interaction with alums, and service projects that complement the business program.

In a survey conducted by P&Q, almost 80% of Pitt business alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they would recommend the program to a friend or colleague without hesitation. More than 80% said that the business program had prepared them well for the world of work,

university of pittsburgh and almost 70% said they believed their degree was worth its cost in tuition. Over 70% of the alumni of the Class of 2016 said that the Pittsburgh undergraduate business program provided them with exceptional opportunities to nurture and improve their skills in business, and 97% of them said that their first job after graduating was in their desired job function, and over 85% secured first jobs at their desired company.

MANY STUDY ABROAD OPTIONS At Pittsburgh, over 70% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they were involved in a “signature experience” while working on their undergraduate business degree, with many sharing that they benefited greatly from learning how to “work under a tough boss” during their communications class and “handle authority and feedback,” performed realistic audits on university clubs, engaged in work simulations, and even developed marketing campaigns for FOX Sports and the U.S. Open for their 2017 tournament in Pittsburgh.

As part of the OCC program, internships are not required, but highly encouraged. For the Class of 2017, 82% completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation, and with the Class of 2018, the number rose to 95%. The school shared that nearly 94% of 2018 graduates seeking jobs full-time jobs had secured positions within three months of graduation. The average salary was about $55,000, and about 37% of students received signing bonuses of $6,000.

Students at Pitt get to choose from over 75 places to travel as part of their undergraduate studies, and the school shared that 46 percent of students have a global experience of at least four weeks of international study before graduation. Murrell added that 100% of qualified students receive a scholarship to reduce the cost of their study abroad experience. Alumni from the Class of 2016 said they had traveled to South Africa to study social entrepreneurship, completed a global business program by spending a semester in London, studied abroad in Shanghai, explored the marketing industry in Ecuador while not even being a marketing major, and worked on their Certificate in International Business in Barcelona.

Nick Krakoff, Class of 2016, said that studying abroad in London was one of the best experiences he had in college. “Pitt is huge in study abroad, and it shows in the business school,” Krakoff, who now works as an analyst with Goldman Sachs, says. “People are well-traveled and can relate so much easier to one another.”

According to The Global Liveability Index 2018, Pittsburgh is the second most livable city in America. Where the University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration is located in the downtown Oakland neighborhood, students who love nature can slow down when college life feels overwhelming in Schenley Park, or explore the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

“The Pitt experience is not in the classroom,” Murrell said. “It’s interacting outside the classroom, and being a part of the business community even while being a student.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I participated in the Projects in Marketing course the fall of my senior year, and as a result, had a real-word job experience, working on a project for FOX Sports University and the USGA.” - Recent alum “The HR major at Pitt was almost entirely an experiential based learning model- this set me up for success. Because of my EBL classes I was able to take on larger projects in my new job and also feel more confident in my abilities as a recent graduate. The other opportunity that really helped me was in the study abroad experience there was an internship experience.

Having international experience on my resume as a recent graduate definitely helped to set me apart.” - Recent alum “My study abroad experience is by far the best decision I have ever made. The classes were incredibly informative about business on a global scale and having an internship with an international company (Marriott) was a life changing experience.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

67

360 HUNTINGTON AVE, BOSTON, MA 02115 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 617-373-2200

northeastern university

A $280,292 In-State Tuition

$280,292 Out-of-State Tuition

18.7%

Acceptance Rate

1463

Average SAT

$67,229

Average compensation (including bonus)

74.2%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

whopping 99.4% of students at the Northeastern University D’Amore-McKim School of Business had an internship before graduating in 2018. And with the school’s co-op system, that’s no surprise.

Cooperative Education (co-op) is a distinctive educational approach that Northeastern and a few other schools are known for. Students may take six months away from school, during which they are not charged tuition, in order to complete a paid internship. At the D’Amore-McKim School, at least one co-op is required to graduate. The school has partnerships were thousands of companies worldwide and works oneon-one with students to help them develop interviewing and resumewriting skills.

“The co-op was a huge draw to the school,” says Brian Schwartz, an alumnus from the Class of 2014. “I was fascinated with being able to graduate with up to a year and a half of experience, and the concept of making your classroom time more practical and less theoretical.”

At D’Amore-McKim, students start leaving campus for co-ops as early as the sophomore year. Schwartz, who was majoring in business with a finance concentration says he worked at a tech company for his first co-op, did more operational work for the second, and took a step away from finance and worked at a cloud consulting company for his last.

“You can graduate knowing that you at least checked off some of the boxes,” he says. “I graduated with a very robust resume compared to some of my colleagues who went through more traditional programs.

I’d been through a ton of interviews, I’d worked in a corporate environment, and I can definitely say that aided my post-grad job opportunities.”

NOT JUST A CO-OP SCHOOL While the co-op program is a highlight of the undergraduate business experience at Northeastern, there’s more to the program, says Jeffrey Born, the associate dean of undergraduate programs and a finance professor at the school.

“We’ve got some extraordinary faculty here that are making impactful contributions to research,” Born says. “It’s not just about co-ops. There is a strong and rigorous academic program here with top faculty.”

That academic prowess has manifested in three new concentrations at D’Amore-McKim — including marketing analytics, healthcare management and consulting, and international business. The three additional study areas bring D’Amore-McKim’s concentration options to 10.

Another continued focus-area for biz majors is the development of innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset, Born says. “We’ve got two long-standing commitments towards helping the students develop a

northeastern university global mindset as well as developing and fostering the business and innovation,” he continues.

Part of developing that global mindset has manifested in enrolling more international students than any other school in our Best Undergraduate Business Schools guide. Some 31% of the class entering in Fall 2018 were from outside of the U.S. “A class of 30 students can have as many as 10 or more countries represented, and lessons learned from each other are sometimes the most powerful and longest lasting,” Born told Poets&Quants at the beginning of 2019. “Based on our strategy, an internationally diverse student body just makes sense.”

STUDENTS INCREASINGLY COMPLETING ‘COMBINED MAJORS’ Born says one increasingly popular area for Northeastern biz majors is what the school calls “combined majors.” Different from a dual major, Born says students spend about half of their time within the business school and a half in an area outside of the B-school.

Some examples of combined majors have included psychology and business or communications and business or — the most popular — computer science and business. “What we’re finding is that as SAT scores rise, the interest in the combined majors is growing quite rapidly, quite fast,” Born says, noting applications to the combined major made up about a third of the business applications this year.

Students can choose to apply to one school or another, Born explains. “You have a choice where you want to start as your home or where you want to live in that first semester or first year,” he continues. Born says the combined majors program has been a differentiator compared to the cluster of other elite universities in Boston and the surrounding region. “It’s really getting a deep dive into a secondary area,” Born says of the combined majors. “That has separated us from other school in town and in the region.”

Northeastern grads had some of the best employment outcomes for the graduating Class of 2018. Nearly 98% of graduates seeking employment had secured a full-time position within six months of graduation. The average salary of those reporting first-salary figures was $66,101. No doubt, D’Amore-McKim provides a rich and unique business education experience where students are nearly guaranteed to receive a quality job quickly after graduation.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I did three, 6-month full-time co-op internships at tech companies in Boston and California, as well as studied abroad in Spain and Italy.” - Recent alum “At entrepreneurs finance class, we have a project to create a new product or service. This project help me to understand how to make an idea to the real product and I always use the knowledge I gain from the courses in my career.” - Recent alum “During my time at business school I was given a unique opportunity to gain deep insight into the rapidly transforming role of marketing within small, medium and large organizations in the consumer retail, technology and finance industry during three different six-month co-op experiences. Now I am taking this experience to transform advertising in Africa with my current venture.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

69

ONE GATEWAY RD, VA 23173 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 804-289-8550

university of richmond

C $248,930 In-State Total Cost

$248,930 Out-of-State Total Cost

30.3%

Acceptance Rate

1390

Average SAT

$65,613

Average compensation (including bonus)

97.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

hecking in at 25th place on the third annual Poets&Quants’ ranking of undergraduate business programs is a liberal arts gem.

The University of Richmond Robins School of Business totally embraces its liberal arts strength from the university as a whole. In fact, students must successfully complete one-and-a-half years of liberal arts coursework before declaring one of three majors offered within the Robins School.

“We are a business school that’s part of a highly-ranked national liberal arts college,” says Jim Monks, the associate dean of undergraduate business programs at Robins. “And that’s very unusual.

There are only a few of us around the country that have that same combination.” Monks says the B-school leverages the liberal arts strength by requiring all business students to complete half of their courses in liberal arts. “We know we’re unique in that regard and make it a strength for our business students,” Monks insists. “We think that’s a real important and integral part of their overall education and something that makes them better business students.”

Once in the business school, students may choose between majors in business administration, accounting, and economics. Within the majors, students may decide on one of six concentrations ranging from accounting to marketing to international business.

While the B-school boasts more students at the University of Richmond than any other department, Robins still features a relatively small class size, enrolling 236 students this year. This, Monks points out, allows faculty and staff to really get to know the students. Indeed, class sizes stay around 20 students. Plus, the academic advisor-to-student ratio also stays around one advisor to 20 students. “Every faculty member knows all of their students by name,” says Monks, noting he could name all 24 of the students in his class.

ROBINS RANKS NEAR THE TOP IN FACULTY ACCESSIBILITY AND MENTORSHIP OUTSIDE OF CLASS That commitment is certainly paying off. Robins’ graduating Class of 2014 polled by Poets&Quants rated the faculty’s availability for mentoring and meetings outside of normal class time higher than any other category with a score of 9.73 on a one-to-ten scale. Only three other schools surveyed by Poets&Quants notched higher ratings in the category at the time.

“I think it’s unusual to have faculty request more time with their students outside of class time, but that’s indicative to the level of commitment our faculty have to the students,” says Monks, noting he constantly receives requests from faculty to reserve classrooms in the evenings and on weekends.

Monks believes another factor for the school’s high rating could be

university of richmond the teacher-scholar model emphasized at Robins. “I think we do the teacher-scholar model really well,” Monks believes. “I think we have some outstanding teachers in our classrooms and they’ve won some awards to give us evidence of that.”

Robins has also created its own internal awards — the Robins Teaching Fellows and Robins Research Merit Awards — to incentivize and acknowledge strong teaching and research. Not only are professors spending time outside of class with students, “they are also publishing in top-tier journals,” Monks points out.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND STUDY ABROAD ARE REAL PRIORITIES AT ROBINS Another aspect that Monks and the school touts is its emphasis on experiential education. One way in which students can tap into experiential learning is through the school’s Center for Active Business Education. The Center organizes trips like Spiders on Wall Street for Robins students looking to visit Wall Street firms in New York City and short-term study abroad trips to the Middle East, London, and Latin America. “There are a lot of trips we take to show the application outside of the classroom,” Monks notes.

Also housed under the Center’s umbrella is the Student Managed Investment Fund — a $300K fund for seniors in high academic standing. The Next Generation Investors is another student-run fund that “employs a top-down investment strategy to manage a portfolio of exchange traded funds,” according to the school’s website.

Students also have opportunities to participate in multiple business and case competitions through the organization of the Center.

Studying abroad is also a popular choice for Robins students.

Monks says over half of students at the Robins School study abroad during their junior year. Impressively, 54 of the University of Richmond’s 83 study abroad opportunities are business specific.

“We do international business really well,” Monks insists, also noting the school sends 60 students on a foreign exchange program each semester.

Robins also reports solid career stats. About 94% of the graduating Class of 2018 had internships before graduation. Nearly 98% of that class secured a job within three months of graduation. Out of those securing positions, the average starting salary reported was $62,969.

Of course, as Monks points out, a college decision involves much more to consider than employment outcomes. For high school students considering business education, Monks says to leave the opportunity door open.

“You really don’t know where you’re going to be in 20 years and so it’s important to leave as many possibilities open for yourself as possible,” he says. “Don’t be so sure you want to go into commercial real estate of investment banking at 17-years-old, because you change and the world changes.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Our capstone project is provided through the strategic management class required for all seniors in the business school. It encompasses solving business cases/issues within the same group of classmates throughout the year. The group is a diverse mix of business majors.

The class is meant for students to utilize their knowledge obtained from the required business courses through the student’s academic career.

At the end of the semester there is a final project and school wide case competition.” Recent alum “I took the Strategic Marketing Management class and the Database Marketing class where we engaged with local businesses on problems they are trying to solve. Apart from those experiences, I think the amount of case studies that I did at UR really prepared me for my job because of the strategic thinking component required to successfully come up with a recommendation.” - Recent alum “Many business school classes had graded projects that involved using the skills learned in class to work with and advise a local business. This took the skills we learned and elevated them beyond the classroom - instead of forgetting them once the class was over, we understood their real-life value and how they would apply to real-life business scenarios.

I completed statistical analyses on how to improve survey results for a local business in my Business Statistics class, advised a small international startup on how to improve their digital reach in my Digital Marketing class, and conducted market insights research for a tech company on how effective their marketing methods were in my Market Research class.

I was able to use all of these experiences to fuel my resume and to ultimately land my junior year internship / full time job upon graduation.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

71

2900 LUBBOCK AVE #320 FORT WORTH, TX ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 817-257-6772

Texas Christian University

A $230,420 In-State Total Cost

$230,420 Out-of-State Total Cost

46.6%

Acceptance Rate

1265

Average SAT

$63,587

Average compensation (including bonus)

95.2%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t Texas Christian University’s Neeley School of Business, the school takes a three-pronged approach to making sure their graduates are in high demand. Students are expected to not only work on their coursework while at the Neeley School, but to also work on their professional development, while being fully engaged in co-curricular experiential learning opportunities.

“Our promise is that we are committed to unleashing human potential with leadership at the core and innovation in our spirit,” Dean Homer Erekson says. “How do we live that out? We’re a values-centered business school. We take our students through serious thinking of ethical quandaries and face-to-face with challenges.”

It seems that the all-rounded approach to business education at Neeley has paid off, as alumni reported in a 2016 P&Q survey to have found employment with many renowned companies including Ernst & Young, PepsiCo Inc, IBM, and PwC. While they pulled salaries ranging from the $25,000 to $80,000, graduates received signing bonuses that went as high as $15,000.

Erekson shared that in 2017, 95% of the graduating cohort had secured a job or decided on attending graduate school within 90 days of graduation. In 2018, the rate held at a bit over 95%. One of the reasons for the high success rate of Neeley students is the Neeley Premium Credentials program.

The Neeley Premium Credentials program is a professional skills certification that all business students have to take on. Students at Neeley School of Business can choose to major in accounting, business information systems, entrepreneurial management, finance, finance with a real estate concentration, marketing and supply and value chain management. And as freshmen, the school also assesses their personal strength and growth areas before beginning intensive development professional training in areas such as interviewing, communication, and technology skills.

At the end of their freshman year, business students can apply to join the three-year Neeley Fellows Honors Program, where a group of 30 selected students will take core business courses together on top of other honors classes. Fellows travel to New York City, usually during spring break, to check out companies and meet with alumni on Wall Street.

They have also gone on to other countries such a Chile to broaden their horizons.

Students can also apply to the three-year BNSF Neeley Leaders Program, where students are guided through leadership dimensions that include training on working and leading teams, identifying trends, changes, and being the change.

To kick off the Neeley Leader Program, students travel to London for about four days, where they visit companies and meet with world leaders and business executives. From there, they will fly to Scotland

texas christian university where they spend a week together bonding and working on leadership skills through outdoor exercises that include climbing and hiking. On top of the kickoff trip, Erekson says leaders also go on domestic trips to cities like Chicago and San Francisco, to open their eyes to threats and opportunities in the growing cities.

While most students pay their way on these trips, Erekson says that no students have stayed behind due to lack of funds.

“Scholarship assistance for students are built into the program and covered by private gifts,” he said. “We’re at our 10 year anniversary for both programs this year, and we want to support our students if they want to prepare for the world.”

To prepare themselves for changes in the industry of business education, Neeley School of Business launched four new centers last spring. They are the Center for Real Estate, Sales and Customer Insights Center, Center for Responsible Global Business, and an expansion of the current Neeley Entrepreneurship Center, which will become the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

The new centers were built to increase the students’ experiential learning outside of classrooms and provide them with more opportunities for connection with the business community as the centers will provide space for startups and small businesses, invite speakers regularly and increase collaboration overall. The aim of the centers, Erekson says, is to prepare the students even better for the workforce, supplementing the existing Center for Supply Chain Innovation and LKCM Center for Financial Studies.

On top of the new centers, the school is currently in the building phase of a $75 million expansion that will be completed in fall 2019. The investment is directed at providing what Erekson calls an “office building” for students, where there will be an auditorium for speakers, places for students to meet outside of class, and more collaborative spaces to encourage innovation.

With the city of Fort Worth, Texas, being one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country, attracting new companies, startups and entrepreneurial ventures, Neeley School of Business is setting out to be at the forefront of technology to allow their students to dream new ideas and practice them before they graduate.

“We’re growing from 87,000 square feet to 237,000 square feet.

That’s tripling our capacity to serve our students,” Erekson said.

“We’ll have new technologies, and flexible format classrooms that will be conducive for group work, ideas, and development.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Through, the BNSF Leadership Program we worked in small groups on Impact Projects.

My group of three went to a local elementary school and worked with a second grade class.

We focused on teaching basic business and money topics.” - Recent alum “I was a part of both the senior thesis experience in addition to a cohort experience that provided several signature experiences throughout my 4 years at TCU. My senior thesis revolved around the sports/ entertainment industry which has always been my passion and what I’ve wanted to pivot my career around. While advertising was my focus in my thesis, my marketing degree allowed me to expand my thinking around advertising and consumer behaviors that allowed me to answer the question, “Is spending $5m for a Super Bowl ad worth it?” On top of that, my Neeley Fellows cohort had multiple immersion experiences whether that consisted of site visits in New York, Chile, Kansas City, and San Francisco or capstone-like projects that forced us to grow together via team projects to simulate professional working experience.” Recent alum “As a business student at TCU, I was involved in a co-op program called the Neeley Supply Chain Executive Program. This program allowed a select number of TCU Supply Chain students to work with local businesses (Lockheed Martin and Alcon Laboratories) to learn and assess their current supply chain and develop real world solutions in place of taking a traditional supply chain class.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

73

441 E. FORDHAM RD, BRONX, NY, 10458 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 1-800-367-3426

Fordham university

L $274,227 In-State Total Cost

$274,227 Out-of-State Total Cost

44.9%

Acceptance Rate

1361

Average SAT

$66,528

Average compensation (including bonus)

94.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

ocated in New York City, Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business is rooted in the principles of Jesuit Education. Those principles are inherent in the school’s mission, which is “to inspire and empower positive global change, developing students into compassionate business leaders and supporting faculty and students in the generation of new knowledge.”

This fall, Gabelli launched its “Ignite Scholars” honors program and enrolled the first cohort of students. The program selects talented students with demonstrated leadership experience and challenges and supports them to be agents for positive change in their communities, organizations, and the world at large. “We teach our students that profit and purpose can coexist, and that when they do, great things can happen for society,” Lerzan Aksoy, associate dean of Undergraduate Studies at Gabelli, says.

The education at Gabelli School revolves around four main values: relevance, compassion, ethical decision-making, and global mindset.

Relevance is ensuring that the curriculum is continuously revised to always remain relevant to changing global trends and landscape.

Compassion means staff, administrators, faculty and students all nurture a “you and me culture” by providing support to one another, contributing positively to society, and helping others. Ethical decisionmaking is one of the most important values in the Gabelli education.

“Faculty emphasize the importance of ethical decision making in all arenas of business through class lectures, case studies, as well as modeling behavior,” Aksoy says.

Lastly, having global mindset is part of Fordham’s DNA. “Instilling a global mindset goes beyond offering study abroad opportunities and the global business major and concentration available to our students,” Aksoy says. “It permeates the curriculum. Having a globally diverse faculty body and being located in one of the world’s most cosmopolitan city influences the student experience and education inside and outside the classroom.”

THE CURRICULUM In their first year, Gabelli students all take the liberal arts core. The core includes foundational courses such as philosophy, macroeconomics, microeconomics, statistics, English composition, theology and mathematics.

“The liberal arts core provides students with a well-rounded education and gives them the tools to think critically, be good writers, and eloquent speakers,” Aksoy says.

First-year students also get introduced to business through the “Ground Floor” class.

“Essentially you’re put into teams that you’ll work with through the

fordham university entire semester,” Danielle Geraci, a class of 2016 alum, explains.

“The project of the semester is to put together a complete business plan from initial idea to pitch. The students use the skills they learn in their other core business classes to learn how to create the business proposal and successfully and professionally pitch it to a board.”

Sophomore year is when students begin to dive deeper into business. The focus of year two is on the integrated business core “Consulting Challenge.”

Students take the core marketing, finance, accounting, business communication, information systems, management and strategy courses. They then work in teams to apply what they’ve learned in these courses to tackle an opportunity or challenge for a company.

The winning team wins the “Consulting Cup.” Laura Wagner, a class of 2016 alum, says her most memorable experience at Gabelli School was winning the first-place award at the annual Consulting Cup. “This experience was important to me because, not only did it challenge me to use knowledge from all the business areas I was studying, it helped me learn integral public speaking skills that I still use today,” Wagner says. “I struggled with public speaking when I was younger, and the experience helped me grow significantly. For the rest of my life I can say I did that and take pride in the work I put forward for all to see.”

Junior year is when many Gabelli School students choose to study abroad. The third-year curriculum focuses heavily on analytics courses aimed at providing deeper knowledge into the students’ chosen major or concentration. Senior year is centered around leadership skills. Students have access to a number of hands-on leadership experiences, such as online simulations, community engaged learning and consulting projects.

The Gabelli School education stresses the idea of “learning by doing.”

“Learning by doing is a common thread across the integrated core and students understand how the various disciplines work together to making a successful business,” Aksoy says.

Gabelli School prides itself in offering opportunities for students to get real, hands-on experience. And its inherent in just how many students get to actually learn by doing. According to Aksoy, 98% of Gabelli School students hold at least one internship during their time at Fordham.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Sophomore year we were asked to do a complete evaluation of an assigned company and as a group build a business recommendation that would increase profit.

This project was one of the many we did within a group setting but was a great introduction to how we should start thinking about the success of businesses and all the different functions of a company. I loved this project for the team work aspect as well as the business evaluation and solution build out process we went through, it was very reflective of the work experiences I have today.” - Recent alum “The study abroad program through the Gabelli School of Business led me to study in London, where I cemented my passion for business and fashion. My professors and mentors at Fordham helped me along the way to tailor my degree as well as gain a better understanding of future career fields that fit with these aspirations. With this study in London, I was able to reach my full potential as a student and better plan my post-collegiate goals.” - Recent alum “During the business program we were in what you called IP classes. IP gave us real world problems, and during the semester with all the information we were learning from our other classes, we had to find a solution for the problem in our IP class. I found this tremendously capturing and helpful. It made me see how different aspects of the business world click together, and how to properly work with different personalities.” - Recent alum

CAREER OUTLOOK According to numbers provided by Gabelli School, 94.7% of Class of 2018 grads seeking employment were employed full time by the end of September with an overall average salary of $63,777. An overwhelming majority of grads choose to stay in the Northeast region. Gabelli Schools reports that 94% of the Class of 2018 found full time employment in the Northeast region.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

75

231 FOREST STREET BABSON PARK, MA 02457 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 781-239-5522

Babson College

B $262,098 In-State Total Cost

$262,098 Out-of-State Total Cost

24%

Acceptance Rate

1353

Average SAT

$59,680

Average compensation (including bonus)

97.9%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

abson College is a private business school in Wellesley, Massachusetts — just outside of Boston — that offers a four-year undergraduate business degree program. In Fall 2018 the school received 6,383 applications from students who were interested in joining, and 1,558 were admitted. A total of 539 undergraduate business majors entered, and the total full-time enrollment for all business majors in Fall 2018 was 2,361.

Babson College offers a Bachelor of Science degree that integrates a business and liberal arts curriculum. Students can choose to concentrate in almost 30 wide-ranging domains of business, entrepreneurship, and liberal arts.

“Babson shapes the leaders our world needs most through Entrepreneurial Thought and Action, a methodology that’s woven into our educational experience to emphasize the importance of action, experimentation, and creativity in business and beyond. Our graduates have strong functional knowledge and the strategic thinking and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams,” Ian Lapp, dean of the Undergraduate School, shared with P&Q. “Every day, Babson students are learning to address realworld business and societal problems to create sustainable economic and social value in today’s fast-paced global economy.”

In a survey conducted by Poets&Quants, about 85% of alums said they felt the program prepared them well for the world of work, and 60% said that it provided them with exceptional opportunities to nurture and improve their business skills.

SCHOOL FEATURES FIRST-YEAR FOUNDATIONS OF MANAGEMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP COURSE Every student at Babson is engaged through four core experiences: Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship, Coaching for Leadership and Teamwork Program, First-Year Seminar, and Arts and Humanities/ History and Society Foundation.

A business education at Babson begins with the first-year seminar for all students, where they are guided to think about the value of a diverse and inclusive environment, what proactive learning means, their personal beliefs, and what they want their impact in society to look like and how to get there. Using the “Discover, explore, and engage” process, the weekly seminar is aimed at helping students transition into college, which is an especially crucial piece of support for first-generation college students.

The Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship course is a yearlong program where students create, research, plan, launch, and manage a business to get hands-on learning on what it means to have

babson college a startup on their hands. Students form teams and start businesses with loans from the college of up to $3,000. Each team is also expected to donate 80 hours of community services and profits from their business to a social services agency of their choice. Since 1999, FME businesses have donated over $470,000 to local charities.

GLOBAL STUDY OPTIONS About 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they travel abroad while at Babson. While the school offers 79 semester abroad opportunities to students, 48 are business-specific and give students the option to study in institutes worldwide.

Lena Wu, Class of 2016, said that she would recommend the Babson undergraduate degree program without hesitation to close friends and colleagues, and that she had multiple opportunities to engage in immersive experiences.

Wu participated in two study abroad electives in Spain and Chile that involved pre-trip and post-trip coursework, worked on a social business for 4 months before visiting Kumasi, Ghana to speak with stakeholders and train a group of manufacturers with corporate and NGO sponsorship, presented as a team of regional finalists in London for the Hult Prize competition, and consulted for the sports brand, Reebok, as part of an experimental education course.

She also shared that she took on five business-related internships while at Babson, and is working as an Advisory Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Wu was not alone. Almost 70% of the Class of 2016 shared with P&Q that they were engaged in a signature experience.

The school reports that 90% of students in both the classes of 2017 and 2018 completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation, and about 92% of graduates from both classes secured full-time employment within a couple months of graduating.

The average overall salary for business majors with full-time employment from the Class of 2017 was $56,519, while with the Class of 2018, this increased marginally to $57,665. About 20% of those from the Class of 2017 received signing bonuses in the average amount of $6,921, and 30% of graduates from the Class of 2018 received signing bonuses, the average amount being $6,718.

But life at Babson isn’t all work and no fun. Aside from all the programs that have been put in place to make sure students know they’re there to be led to success, there are also programs in place to remind them that success requires rest as well. At the end of every fall semester, just before the start of finals, the Babson family comes together for a meal. This time, they’re not there for an etiquette dinner, or even for dinner. Instead, everyone feasts on breakfast in the evening, served by faculty and staff, at a tradition fondly called the Late Night Breakfast.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Babson starts you off freshman year with Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship (FME). FME takes students through the life cycle of running a business - we break into groups and come up with “rocket pitches,” and vote as a class on the best ideas. We then go through more filtering down of business ideas with feasibility presentations, until we have two businesses per class. In the second semester, funded by Babson (up to $3k), we ran the businesses and attempted to make a profit, with any profits being donated to charity.” Recent alum “I participated in the Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship course, the San Francisco Semester Away program (which included the Consulting in Tech Entrepreneurship (CiTE) course and the Silicon Technology Ventures course), the Made in Japan: Institutional Environment & Entrepreneurial Opportunities course (Japan Elective Abroad), the Living the Social Entrepreneurial Experience course, and the Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship course. Each signature experience included a team-based project that was real-world and action-oriented. The venture my team founded in my Silicon Technology Ventures course is currently active and successful.

One of the original team members runs and owns this company.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

77

310 HERTY DR, ATHENS, GA, 30602 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 706-542-8100

UNIVERSITY Of Georgia

A $100,426 In-State Total Cost

$175,574

Out-of-State Total Cost

47.4%

Acceptance Rate

1300

Average SAT

$57,851

Average compensation (including bonus)

98%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t more than 100 years old, the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business has a deep history steeped in innovation and high quality undergraduate business education. Founded as the School of Commerce in 1912 and awarding its first bachelor of science in commerce in 1915, Terry was the first business school founded in the southern United States. While the school’s age is dated, the innovation coming from the school is not.

In the past three years, Georgia Terry has launched an online BBA program in general business, unleashed the Terry Women’s Initiative, introduced a required course in business analytics, and expanded its entrepreneurship certificate and program to students across the entire university. Indeed, the school’s leadership has made a commitment to innovating niche programs, boasting 10 majors and eight certificates.

“We’ve had some dedication to some smaller programs,” says Henry Munneke, the associate dean of undergraduate programs at Georgia Terry, noting the school’s Music Business Certificate. “Those are ways students can come in and be a traditional finance major but, hey, if they have an interest in music or the music business, they can use their electives to go through and out the Music Business Certificate.”

After being accepted to the University of Georgia, students may enter the Terry College as juniors. The school says students “self-select” on if they should apply to the college or not, which requires a minimum 2.6 GPA at the University of Georgia, three required prerequisite courses, a purpose statement, and passing a proficiency profile exam.

Once in the program, all students must complete Financial Management, Principles of Marketing, and Principles of Management in their first semester. By the end of the second semester, they must also complete Predictive Modeling and Optimization, the school’s required course in business analytics. Students may also choose their major upon entrance and begin working towards the 30 required hours of Terry-specific courses to graduate. Interestingly, Munneke notes, the University of Georgia is the largest university to require all undergraduate students to complete an experiential learning requirement. “That’s bringing the classroom to the world,” he insists.

“We are the largest university to require that of all of its students.”

While Munneke was quick to praise the school’s strengths in specific majors such as Risk Management and Insurance and Real Estate, he also noted newer initiatives the school’s leadership is particularly pleased with. “Right now the entrepreneurship certificate is something we’re excited about because we just revamped it,” he points out. Munneke says the program used to sit within the management department — typical to entrepreneurship programs across B-schools — but part of the revamp was to move it outside of that umbrella. The result has been students from across disciplines, like the sciences and engineering in particular, pursuing the certificate or at least taking entrepreneurship

university of georgia courses. “We’re trying to get those students who may not traditionally be business students to come out and see that they do need some background in business,” Munneke adds.

NEW ONLINE BBA COURSES ‘WILDLY’ POPULAR AMONG STUDENTS Another substantial addition is the online BBA. Designed as a “finishing degree,” Munneke says it has “been a great way to meet military need.” Faculty teaching online are the same residential Terry faculty, and the program has also significantly increased the number of online courses available for traditional students. “If the students are doing a summer abroad or something away from campus, they can take a course if they want,” Munneke says, noting the online courses have been “wildly” popular for the traditional students.

“Our enrollment numbers are increasing substantially by giving students the opportunity to go out and do what they normally would during the summer like a part-time internship, and allow them to keep taking courses and moving through their coursework to graduation,” Munneke explains. “I’m sure you’re going to see other schools doing this if they don’t already.”

Ranked 29th, Georgia Terry is in the top 15 of land grant public universities in the Poets&Quants ranking. The school’s strong performance is buoyed by strong alumni scores and employment outcomes. Riding an average salary of more than $62,000 and a 97.99% placement rate three months after graduation, the school placed 30th overall in employment outcomes. In terms of student culture, Munneke says the students are mainly excited to focus on a major once they enter the school and then are very engaged in finding jobs.

“When the students get here, they are excited to focus on what they want to study. They are professional and focused on their education,” Munneke says. “Our message is, yes our alumni are Terry, yes the faculty are Terry, but we want you to know from the first day in the college, you are the Terry College of Business,” Munneke says. “And together, we want to build a strong program that reflects what the business world wants and what makes you successful.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I wrote an economic thesis paper about the effect of the Rams leaving St. Louis where they were offering them public funds to build a stadium in order to move to Los Angeles where they would fund building their own stadium.”

- Recent alum “I was in the music business program and we had two semesters of working on big projects and internships that were all involved in getting out there and doing something in the music business world. I wrote a thesis of where I thought the future of music publishing was going and it became a runner-up submission in the GrammyU business competition.” - Recent alum “I was a part of the Institute for Leadership Development. We did a Capstone Project helping a business that supports those with special needs called Extra Special People.

It was a very valuable experience where we tried to get ESP more access to/from the community.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

79

595 COMMONWEALTH AVENUE, BOSTON, MA 02215 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 617-353-2300

Boston University

A $267,555 In-State Total Cost

$267,555 Out-of-State Total Cost

17.8%

Acceptance Rate

1422

Average SAT

$68,038

Average compensation (including bonus)

84%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

t Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, all undergraduate business students graduate with startup experience that will contribute to any team and organization they join. The school’s required Cross Functional Core curriculum includes courses in Marketing, Operations, Information Systems, and Finance, that are integrated into a semester-long project where junior-year students work in teams of ten to design a product or service by assessing customer needs and markets. They also craft and hone marketing plans to achieve successful sales results, and develop operations processes and understanding the risks of implementing and financing.

At the end of the semester, the school hosts a “New Product Showcase” that is set up as a tradeshow where attendees don’t just see the final product, but also their marketing materials, business plans, and web sites, and is an opportunity for students to share their work with their peers, parents, and even attending alumni.

On top of this hands-on learning experience, the school shared that 100% of 2018 graduates had business-specific internships before graduation. However, just 84% of 2018 graduates seeking employment had secured positions within three months of graduation.

“The Questrom School of Business undergraduate program is a rigorous, four-year program which provides a combination of business content and a liberal arts foundation, both from the very first semester,” Melissa Lorello, assistant director of Research, Accreditation, and Program Initiatives, shared. “The dynamic curriculum is balanced between a core of required courses and a broad variety of electives, developing strong competency without sacrificing flexibility.”

Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts, in the Fenway, Kenmore district. In Fall 2018, the school received 8,762 applications to join their undergraduate program, and admitted a total of 1,557. The full-time enrollment for all business majors in Fall 2018 was 2,300, giving them an acceptance rate for direct applications of 17.7%.

In a survey conducted by Poets&Quants, about 45% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they felt their degree was worth its cost in tuition, and 76% said they felt the Questrom undergraduate business program prepared them well for the world of work. Almost 85% of alumni also shared that they were engaged in a signature experience while at Boston University, and in many cases, the Cross Functional Core program left a deep impression on their time at Questrom.

“The cross functional business plan course was instrumental in my learning more about my leadership and communication styles,” Olivia Renaud, Class of 2016, says. “It also opened my eyes to cross functional roles I hadn’t considered and helped me identify my desired major.”

THE FOUR-YEAR CURRICULUM

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

boston university As students begin in the four-year business program at Questrom School of Business, they are required to take two courses titled Business, Society & Ethics, and Introduction to Finance to kickstart their work. These, accompanied by classes in economics, are designed to help them begin to figure out if this is the right path for them. Students also begin taking classes in career exploration and writing to begin developing their professional direction and skills.

Several alumni also mentioned that being part of the Questrom Honors Program was a valuable experience that helped bring them places. As part of the program, students take part in small, specialized seminars, and complete two colloquia in their sophomore year where they can lead classes, teach peers, and prepare for their International Field Seminar that happens at the end of their spring semester that year. Students in the International Field Seminar work on their understanding of global businesses in terms of environments, operations, and markets, and go on a week-long trip to their country of study to connect with government officials and entrepreneurs.

Andrea Leelike, another 2016 graduate, was part of a team that went to Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest for ten days. Leelike, who is now attending the University of Pennsylvania Law School, shared that the team visited companies including Skoda, Vodafone, and General Electric.

GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES AND JOB REPORTS Students at Questrom School of Business have over 90 semesterlong academic and internship programs to choose from, in over 30 cities, covering six continents. Of the offerings, 39 are Business & Management focused programs.

About 42% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they were engaged in a global immersion, trip, or project through the business program. Kyra Murray, who now works as a product and UX designer at IHS Markit, said that she spent a semester studying in London, focusing on global business. She even took on an internship at a boutique law firm since she was a finance and law major. “Living, working, and studying in a foreign city is always an incredible experience,” Murray said. “I was particularly intrigued in my legal internship, ads the legal system in the UK is quite different than in the USA and I was able to immerse myself in the unique culture that London had to offer.”

Some 60% of Class of 2016 alumni said that their time at Boston University was life-changing, and about 80% said that their first job after graduating was in their desired job function. About 67% also said that their first job was at their desired company, and 60% said they believed their Questrom degree would be instrumental in helping them reach their dream careers.

The school shared that the average salary for business majors with full-time employment from the Class of 2017 was $59,877, while this rose to $64,275 for the Class of 2018. About 42% of graduates of the Class of 2017 received an average signing bonus of $6,288, while about 50% of graduates from the Class of 2018 received an average signing bonus of $7,572.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “We had to complete a Business Plan for a service of our choice and putting myself in the optic of having to open a restaurant showed me that there are thousands of small details that one needs to factor into calculating the economic feasibility of a project.” - Recent alum “The Cross-functional Core program was essential to my understanding of business as a whole. The rigorous academic material coupled with the need to consistently interact with a team exemplified being employed as a full time employee and I believe I couldn’t have received the same experienced elsewhere.” - Recent alum “Questrom hosts what is called the “CORE” program, where students are put into predetermined groups of 10 students and are tasked with creating a new product and business. Classes are all taken together as one cohort, and all concepts taught in classes pertain to the stage of business development.” Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

81

621 TAYLOR STREET, BETHLEHEM, PA 18015 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 610-758-3400

Lehigh University

S $248,410 In-State Total Cost

$248,410 Out-of-State Total Cost

22.4%

Acceptance Rate

1376

Average SAT

$69,875

Average compensation (including bonus)

85.4%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

tarting Fall 2019, first-year students entering Lehigh will experience a new core curriculum that is aimed at improving their ability to recognize and seize business opportunities, solve problems, and stretch their potential in a digitally intense, global marketplace. Having these demands on your shoulders when you may have just moved to a new city, into a new room, and amid new friends, can be intimidating and stressful. So, at Lehigh, all business freshmen are supported by peer mentors who are at least sophomores.

As companies increasingly expect to hire business graduates who are agile and analytic-enabled, with outstanding communication skills and having practiced working in diverse teams, the number of criteria students need to stand out is growing, and the administrators and faculty at Lehigh know this. This is why students choosing Lehigh should expect a revamped first-year experience with increased focus on critical thinking, core essential skills, and professional development.

“We’re seeing a lot of exciting new things here at Lehigh. The students who come here are students who like to do. They are not only engaged in academics, but also applied activity like clubs and organizations,” Katrina Zalatan, associate dean and director of Undergraduate Programs, said. “They are doers.”

At Lehigh, all students begin their business education with an introduction to business course to learn the fundamentals of business, and a Professional Development Track, that introduces them to career strengths, self assessment, and professional development planning.

Students attend career-related information sessions, guest speaker series, and professional skill workshops to start their personalized path to internship and job-seeking readiness under the advisory of faculty.

“Students come to us wanting to make an impact and when they leave, they should have a clearer vision of where they fit in and how to make an impact through their contributions in business. We seek to give them a clear understanding of success,” Zalatan says. “Our employers keep coming back to recruit and continue to engage our students because they think highly of them. In return, our students become alumni and come back to participate in classes and mentor students in programs.”

In both the Class of 2017 and 2018, 90% of students had completed business-specific internships before graduation. When it came to fulltime employment, 85.39% of 2018 graduates seeking employment secured jobs within three months of graduation.

MORE CRITICAL-SKILLS TRAINING To do an even better job of preparing their students for the workforce, Lehigh’s new curriculum includes three new and required “critical-skill course sequences” that start in the first year and are addressed more

lehigh university deeply in their junior year.

The first is the Analytics and Decision Making Sequence, where students are immersed in calculus, statistics, and a new business analytics course right from the start. These courses serve as prerequisites for more functionally-oriented business core courses students take as sophomores.

The second is the Business Communications Sequence, where students discuss critical issues affecting society today and are introduced to writing claims in respective conversations with others.

They also practice delivering professional, clear, concise, evidencedriven persuasive communications including memos, reports, and presentations.

“We’ve always had a strong focus on technical education and we’re teaching our students more about data analytics. However, students need to take that learning and communicate, sell an idea, create a narrative around that information, and make it impactful,” Zalatan says. “It’s the heart of why you have business communications and our new curriculum is designed to run alongside technical training.”

The third is a Leadership and Management Sequence, where students engage in group projects as they immerse in co-curricular activities to practice leading with impact. First-year students study the principles of effective, ethical management at the individual, interpersonal, and group levels, and as juniors look deeper at leadership styles, and increase their capacity for leadership by growing their self-awareness, social awareness, and organizational awareness.

In response to a survey conducted by P&Q, over 90% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they would recommend the Lehigh business program to their friends and family, with more than 60% saying they would do so without hesitation. More than 50% of them said they believed the program had prepared them exceptionally well for the world of work, and that the opportunities given to them in the business program to nurture and improve their business skills were exceptional. And when it comes to going global, about 40% of Lehigh alumni from the Class of 2016 said they went abroad.

Overall, the alumni of the Class of 2016 report being extremely satisfied with what Lehigh has done for their careers. Over 86% of students reported that their first job after graduating was in their desired job function, and almost 75% said they had found jobs at their desired company. In line with this, 80% of alums said they believed that their business degree would probably assist them in climbing to a new socioeconomic status.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “As part of the IBE (Integrated Business and Engineering) program at Lehigh, I participated in the IBE Capstone project. This is a yearlong project where students get to work hands-on with a local start up, entrepreneur, or company that needs help developing their business plan, finding their niche market, or really anything else in the business strategy or product development space. My experience was extremely positive; my team of five students (from all different business and engineering majors) helped a local entrepreneur develop a business strategy to bring his application for creating music covers to life.” - Recent alum “There’s a program called Lehigh in Prague that a large number of students from my area of study go to. We get paired with a company in Prague and complete a 5-week internship with that company, with the work relating to both Computer Science and Business.” Recent alum “I was an Lee Iacocca Scholar and developed market research surveys for a small start up in Portugal through the program. The independent internship set me apart from other candidates. I also helped create a econometric model with a graduate student for a local business to assess visitation, seasonality and inform staffing which also was key to giving me a boost in my career.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

83

202 DEMPSEY HALL, BOX 353223, SEATTLE, WA, 98195 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 206-685-3400

University of Washington

A $111,792 In-State Total Cost

$213,316 Out-of-State Total Cost

21%

Acceptance Rate

1310

Average SAT

$64,610

Average compensation (including bonus)

90%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t the University of Washington Foster School of Business, mentorship programs are a priority. The school is in its fourth year of pairing alumni with upper division students, making sure their professional networks are ready to grow, and setting the scene for students to take the world of work by storm as they prepare to leave the school. The Foster Undergraduate Mentoring program is a partnership between the Undergraduate Business Council, Foster Alumni Team, and EY Center for Career Advancement where mentees can get help about everything from resume critiques and interviewing tips, to postundergraduate school planning and personal connections with cultural or ethnic sensitivity. At the same time, alumni who choose to take on the role of mentors get to work on their leadership and coaching skills, and strengthen their professional abilities.

The school also recently reestablished their mentorship program for upper division students to work with freshman students, understanding that life in college can be stressful, confusing, and overwhelming, but doesn’t have to be.

“We make sure our students have someone to talk to and help guide them through the next part of their career development because these are hardworking, ambitious students,” Vikki Day, assistant dean of Undergraduate Programs, says. “For the freshmen, it helps them adjust to campus and when they see an upperclassman doing what they want to do, they’ll know they can do it too.”

The University of Washington is a public research university located in Seattle, Washington, that offers a two-year undergraduate business program through the Foster School of Business. Day says that the business school recently received approval and funding to get a new building, and the leaders are currently in the design-build phase and in meetings with construction teams. Up for consideration are more team rooms, classrooms that allow for more collaborative work, flexible spaces that can be modified easily.

The school offers six courses that contain a significant applied experiential component to students, but every student at Foster has to take part in a case competition as part of their capstone course, giving everyone the experience of participating in a consulting project and working with an external organization.

About 70% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they were engaged in a “signature experience” as part of their undergraduate business studies, with many sharing that their capstone experience was life changing.

George Nova, from the Class of 2016 who is now working as a business analyst for Amazon, said that he was engaged in project work and simulations in almost every class he took at Foster. However, it was his business consulting class, capstone project class, and experience in the Global Business Case competition, that truly helped give him hands-

university of washington on learning in understanding how business people think, solve, and strategize.

Over 80% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they would recommend the program at Foster to a friend or colleague, and about 65% said that the program had prepared them well for the world of work.

FOSTER HONORS PROGRAM FOR HIGH ACHIEVING STUDENTS At Foster, high-performing students are invited to be part of the Fosters Honors Program if they have completed at least 60 credits with a cumulative GPA of 3.7 and above, and have a minimum of 24 graded credits in residence at the university. Admitted students must also maintain their GPAs to graduate “With Distinction.”

Students in the program will spend time working on research and class-based projects closely with researchers and industry professionals, joining in seminar-style presentations and networking events.

Many alumni members of the Class of 2016 also shared that they taken part in case competitions both nationally and abroad in countries such as Spain, creating full scope diversification and expansion plans for global leaders, made presentations to company executives, and learned about teamwork and time management.

“Foster graduates go to the workplace with a combination of teamwork and strategic leadership,” Day says. “They are collaborative and able to get out in front of things, and when necessary, can strategize and be competitive.”

The University of Washington and Foster School of Business offers its students over 500 study abroad opportunities to choose from, with 21 business-specific programs. Whether a student is interested in a semester-long trip, a spring break trip, or a global experience over summer, the school has something to offer.

In 2019, Foster is offering its students an opportunity to travel to London, Israel, and Rome in three different spring break and summer programs. Those who choose the Business London program will take a seminar-style course during the Winter Quarter 2018, and leave for London in March 2019 to network with alumni living and working there, as well as visit organizations including Amazon, Goldman Sachs, and Bain.

About 35% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they had a global experience while at Foster. Some said they had studied abroad in the European countries of France and Italy for a semester, some went to the Arab countries of Oman and Qatar, and others went to Asia to visit Singapore, India, Bangkok, and Japan.

“We are constantly thinking about how we’re teaching and providing learning opportunities for the next generation of leaders,” Day says.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “There was project work, simulations, and every element mentioned above in almost every class that I took at the Foster School of Business. However, I will emphasize three key applicable experiences that helped me understand how business people think, the problems that they try to solve, and the strategies they use. These experiences came from the MKTG/MGMT 445 business consulting class where we worked as consultants representing real customers and solving real business problems. The second experience I want to emphasize is the Global Business Case competition where members of the Certificate in International Business competed on real business cases for international expansion projects. And the third experience was the MGMT 430 capstone project where we worked with the client to write documents and provide decisions on new product development and or product line expansions.” - Recent alum “The REI business case competition helped tremendously. It was valuable experience to be able to come together as a group, start with ideas, and end with a final pitch to a real company. I still think about to this day.” Recent alum “I had the chance to go on the Exploration Seminar to India to learn about Women in Leadership and it changed my outlook on the career path ahead of me, as well as my life in general. I met my best friend and it has impacted many of the decisions that led to success for me.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

85

975 UNIVERSITY AVE, MADISON, WI, 53706 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 608-262-2550

University of Wisconsin at Madison

A $104,196 In-State Total Cost

$187,404 Out-of-State Total Cost

35%

Acceptance Rate

1405

Average SAT

$60,450

Average compensation (including bonus)

88.6%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, students begin their business education by thinking about ethics, inclusive leadership, and their self-identities and how it impacts their working style and communication. These are the basic career building blocks to create great leaders and great organizations, believes Jim Francone, assistant dean of the undergraduate program.

The Wisconsin experience is all about making sure students learn both inside and outside a classroom and work towards developing empathy and humility, intellectual confidence, relentless curiosity, and purposeful action. To do this, freshmen start the four-year program by taking the Personal and Professional Foundations in Business Course.

In this course, students explore what it means to create their own personal brand, work on interview skills, and more. At the end of the semester, they are asked to use everything they’ve learned in a group project where they manage group dynamics to solve a case study around diversity.

“This is their springboard experience, the first common experience students have at Wisconsin. Then they go through the next three years in the school of business with a range of classes to choose from to build on the foundation of their leadership,” Franzone says. “It’s a one semester summary of who they are, what they want to do in their careers, and how they plan to achieve that. We want to empower them to make long term sustainable decisions.”

Another way in which the College of Business at Wisconsin-Madison is strategizing to give students more opportunities to brush up on their soft skills is through the required Professional Communications class.

The course was recently revised to focus on helping students become skilled in analyzing audiences, contexts, and discourse communities.

Students are also trained on how to adapt their communication to various audiences and purposes to establish professional credibility and build trust, as well as collaborate on cross-functional and diverse peer review teams.

“We were finding that students today need to be more than just technically competent when they earn a degree,” Brian Mayhew, associate dean of undergraduate program, says. “We want to plant the seeds on leadership and identity early on and get them to think of their careers early on so they can go to the right places on campus to build that career.”

The class teaches students the approaches to take to be more persuasive and compelling in arguments.

“The big thing is to be able to sell your ideas and insights to leaders above you,” Mayhew continues. “Employers constantly communicate the importance of being able to sell thoughts and arguments, and we want to know that when our students become leaders, there will be effective communicators in the C-suite.”

university of wisconsin at madison RESOURCES FOR FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS One thing that’s notable is that the school reported a high 16.3% of their incoming Fall 2018 students were first-generation college students, almost 8% of them were international students, and another 8% of them identified as belonging to underrepresented minority groups.

To better support these students who bring with them diverse backgrounds and experiences that enrich the classroom discussion, the school has a Business Emerging Leaders (BEL) Program, specifically designed for promising high-school students in their sophomore year and meet every summer for three years and experience life on campus before they are due to start college.

The program was started four years ago and brings to Wisconsin highly talented first generation college students, or students from underrepresented minority groups. High school students who are selected get access and exposure to all the departments and majors in the business school, even going on treks to learn more about the opportunities in business, before going to college. Earlier this year, BEL participants visited firms including Google and General Electric. Those who complete the program, apply and are admitted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison are offered a full scholarship.

“We want these students to see a range of opportunities do they can make an informed choice on their career paths. We also help them with things like their ACT prep if they join the program,” Franzone said. “The first cohort, where we took 30 students, was just admitted to UW. Out of the 25 who gained admittance, 21 of them decided to come.”

Of the Class of 2016, over 60% of those who responded to the P&Q survey said that they would recommend the Wisconsin undergraduate business program to friends and colleagues without hesitation. Almost 40% said they felt the program had prepared them exceptionally well for the world of work, and more than 50% believed that their business degree was absolutely worth its cost in tuition. Also new in 2018, the College of Business has shared that they will be beginning a program to support students financially who engage in internship experiences, thanks to the support of a generous donor. The support will specifically help students with financial need and in the event that they are offered particularly attractive but unpaid internships. The College of Business has over 15,000 alumni on it’s LinkedIn network, where Franzone says current students are always encouraged to reach out to alums.

“We connect our recent graduates with alumni to leverage our worldwide global network to help them advance in their careers,” David Giroux, chief communications officer at the college, agrees.

“Whether a business graduate ends up in London, SF, Miami, or Hong Kong, they’re going to find a friendly face nearby. Badgers take care of one another.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “My capstone project in the Information Systems major spanned across the two final courses for the major. In the first semester we created the back end databases and framework for a business on campus. Giving us an opportunity to network with businesses and practice writing an IT focused business charter.

In the second semester, working with the same business we developed a web interface that utilized our databases from the previous semester. Overall, it was a great way to see the start to end progression of formulating a business charter, developing all necessary IT applications, and then presenting that value to the business.” - Recent alum “I was a part of the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Project through the Actuarial Science program at Wisconsin. This program’s primary goal was to help students pursuing the actuarial field prepare for actuarial exams.

Actuarial exams are notably difficult, and the TEL project was integral in helping students pass exams by providing students online practice problems and lessons catered specifically towards exam syllabi.” - Recent alum “In the International Real Estate class, my classmates and I had opportunity to travel to Munich to attend the Real Estate Expo Europe’s largest real estate conference. We had the chance to speak with Europe’s leading Real Estate professionals, many of them UW - Madison alumni. The capstone project of the class was an independent research study of an asset class in Europe. My group focused our study on the comparison of investment in student housing between the United States and Europe.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

87

7 MCALISTER DRIVE, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70118 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 504-865-5000

Tulane UNIVERSITY

A $270,878 In-State Total Cost

$270,878 Out-of-State Total Cost

22%

Acceptance Rate

1420

Average SAT

$60,855

Average compensation (including bonus)

92.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business, all freshmen are required to take a freshman seminar class, where students are divided up into sections of about 14 students each. Over the course of a year, students work with the same cohort of classmates and faculty leaders in partnership with a community partner as they pick up the fundamentals of business and apply them to help solve real problems that companies are facing.

Even as students continue into their upper level classes, the practical learning continues, in part because of the school’s strong commitment to public service. In fact, because the school has two required service learning requirements, 100% of students get the experience of learning by serving the community while working on their undergraduate degrees.

“The Freeman School provides students with a number of experiential learning courses, where students take what they’re currently learning and apply it to real world contexts and issues,” Michael Hogg, associate dean of Undergraduate Education at Freeman School, says. “We’re not just giving them a theoretical business education, but opportunities to contribute their skills and knowledge to developing solutions for problems.”

Tulane University is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Freeman School of Business offers students a fouryear undergraduate business program. The school received 5,252 applications in Fall 2018, and 1,144 were admitted, giving the program an acceptance rate of 22%.

25 YEARS LATER AND BURKENROAD REPORTS STILL GOING STRONG

A very highly recognized example is the school’s Burkenroad Reports, which was started in 1993, and is the nation’s first university-sponsored securities analysis program. The program sees about 200 students from the school work in small teams each year to follow 40 small-cap public companies headquartered in six southern states. The program has been featured in many global publications such as The New York Times, Kiplinger, Barron’s, and The Wall Street Journal, and the student’s works are followed by many professionals in the industry. The program has been so successful that Hancock Bank created a Burkenroad Mutual Fund in 2001 where money managers use the students’ research reports supplemented by other research material to help manage the fund. Since its inception, the fund has accumulated about $800 million dollars under management, and has outperformed almost 99% of all mutual funds.

Every year, a group of upper-level students at Freeman also volunteer with CourtWatch NOLA as part of a Legal Studies in Business class.

They are trained to collect data on judges, such as whether they show up

Tulane university on time, and what their demeanor is like, before analysing the data and giving the judge a grade. These grades are then published in the local paper, and the experience not only helps promote transparency and accountability in the justice system, says the program offers students valuable insights into the judicial system.

Over at the Freeman School’s Darwin Fenner Student Managed Fund course, students actively manage almost $4.5 million in equity portfolios that regularly surpass benchmark indexes. From learning how to conduct research and analyze stocks, to using Bloomberg Terminals and creating sector models, students who participate in the fund leave not only with real world experience, but also a portfolio that not many graduates from other business schools can match.

In a survey with alumni from the Class of 2016, about 75% of students said they would recommend the business program at Freeman to a friend or colleague, and 66% said they felt the program had prepared them well for the world of work, with about 60% agreeing that their business degree was worth its cost in tuition.

What’s more, over 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they were engaged in a “signature experience” while at Tulane, many of whom said they had participated in the renowned Burkenroad Reports. “(Burkenroad Reports) was one of the most valuable courses I’ve ever taken. Extremely hands on, with real world experiential learning experience,” Harrison Ezratty, Class of 2016, said. “I cannot speak highly enough about this course and my overall experience as a student at the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University.” Ezratty is now working as a marketing coordinator at Relix Magazine.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I did an exchange with the top business school in Latin American (FGV Sao Paulo, BR) where I was exposed to top level professionals from across Latin America. My program also included European students who have already gone on to great things. The network I built and the classes I took through the Freeman-FGV exchange were huge for me personally and professionally.” - Recent alum “Burkenroad Reports was one of the most valuable courses I’ve ever taken. Extremely hands on, real world experiential learning experience. Cannot speak highly enough about this course and my overall experience as a student at the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University.” - Recent alum “I participated in the capstone case competition that help prepare me in major ways for the real working world. The ways we practiced to pitch an idea to CEOs and business leaders in the New Orleans area helped polish my speaking skills and ability to compile a presentation about a business pitch.

Invaluable experience.” - Recent alum

STRONG AVERAGE SALARY FOR MOST RECENT GRADUATING CLASS While no global courses are required of Freeman students, the university offers them 126 programs in countries across the globe to choose from, and the school offers 43 business-specific exchange programs in partnership with schools in China, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Chile, Brazil, and many more. The school shared that 53% of the graduating class of 2018 went on semester-long exchange programs, and many others shorter on travel opportunities.

The school shared in a survey with P&Q that about 68% of students in both the classes of 2017 and 2018 completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation, and about 93% of students from the Class of 2018 found full-time employment within a few months of graduation. These students received an average salary of $60,422.

“Learning is so much more engaging when you have courses that go beyond a lecture, where you can apply things to figure out if it works or not,” Hogg says. “Employers tell us our students are ready to hit the ground running and don’t need extra training, and that’s because the best kind of learning is to do.”

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

89

CAMPUS DR, PROVO, UT 84602 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 801-422-4285

brigham young university

A $75,344 In-State Total Cost

$75,344

Out-of-State Total Cost

63.2%

Acceptance Rate

1325

Average SAT

$56,737

Average compensation (including bonus)

88.8%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business, students are prepared to make a difference in the world. Part of that education stems from the university’s relationship with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“BYU’s mission is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life,” Robert Gardner, assistant dean at BYU Marriott School of Business, says. “We seek to develop students of faith, intellect, and character who have the skills and the desire to continue learning and to serve others throughout their lives.”

STRONG MENTORSHIP AND COMMUNITY A large part of development at Marriott is through mentorship and community. Most recently, Marriott introduced the Professional Development Forum, a student organization that includes the presidents of all Marriott’s professional clubs. The Forum meets regularly with our deans and assistant deans who provide guidance and support in sharing ideas and designing events for club members. Individual clubs often invite high-level professionals monthly to speak to students and answer questions. Clubs also visits firms and interact with on-site leaders at those firms.

Additionally, juniors and seniors hold workshops and mentoring sessions for freshmen and sophomores on topics such as preparing for job interviews, finding a professional mentor, revising resumes, and gaining more benefit from introductory courses by working in effective study teams.

Nearly 53% of alumni surveyed by Poets & Quants For Undergrads say the business program’s efforts to bring them into contact with practicing professionals, including the alumni network, in the business community is “exceptional.” Nearly 57% rate the business program’s alumni network and connections that can help them throughout their career as “exceptional.”

“BYU Marriott has a strong culture of mentoring—between faculty and students, between alumni and students, and between student peers,” Gardner says. “The professional development clubs at BYU Marriott are strongly tied to and integrated with the curriculum, ensuring that the activities that happen outside the classroom build upon their experiences in it.”

OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH Outside of strong mentorship and community, BYU Marriott also provides a number of opportunities for students to learn and grow.

Danny Toney, a Class of 2016 alum, says one of the most significant experiences during his time at BYU Marriott was a networking project

brigham young university where he started a blog and interviewed major “hotshots.”

“It completely got me out of my comfort zone,” Toney says.

“However, it changed my life beyond what I could imagine. In fact, through this I was able to meet a multi-millionaire who is one of the top people in my field.”

Through the project, Toney grew close with the multi-millionaire, who has become a close mentor of his.

Joel Cornwell, a class of 2016 alum, says two significant experiences during his time at BYU Marriott were a strategic case analysis and a fund management simulation.

“Both experiences were exceptional at helping me adapt what I was learning to a real-world scenario,” Cornwell says. “I think it was most beneficial because it helped me understand what the problemsolving process looks like in a corporate environment.”

The Business Career Center at BYU Marriott also provides assistance in finding and placing students in internships, both oncampus and around the world.

Through on-campus internships, students receive academic credit while gaining valuable real-life work experience in their chosen fields.

Kyle Durfee, a class of 2016 alum, participated in a number of on-campus internships in field such as such as consulting, private equity, and social impact during his time at BYU Marriott.

“I learned much more clearly what was important to businesses, how to manage client relationships, and lead teams,” Durfee says.

“It was especially powerful to have an opportunity to work on two deals with the PE company that closed shortly after my work was done.

“I was just doing the market research side of it, but at the time it was just the right stretch of my abilities and exposed me to available resources and ways of working that have helped me in my career since.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “BYU offers an elective where students can apply for semester-long internships offered by companies. Once accepted, students work in groups of three to five to complete a semesterlong project. I worked with a team of 4 other students my junior year on behalf of a private investor to perform a M&A screen for private, for-profit higher education institutions in the US, create a short list of potential targets, and develop a deal model that the investor used to negotiate the deal.” - Recent alum “Each of my courses involved working with a group on multiple projects throughout the semester. These projects often involved what we were learning in multiple classes and built up to a presentation to professors from multiple focus areas.” - Recent alum “I went on a global study abroad trip, We visited 10 countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia. And at each stop we visited different fortune 500 companies (Nike, Cummins, Barclay Bank, KIA, etc.) That event made me look at business in a new way and I saw the importance of trade and the need to make the world a better place for everyone.” - Recent alum

CAREER OUTLOOK Career outlook for BYU Marriott grads is strong. Some 79% of the Class of 2018 were employed full-time by the end of September with an average overall salary of $55,148. A large majority of BYU Marriott grads, 72%, choose to stay in the U.S. West region after graduation. The second most popular region is the U.S. Southwest, with 12% of the Class of 2018 relocating to that area after graduating.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

91

100 INSTITUTE ROAD, WORCESTER, MA 01609 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 508-831-5286

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

I $248,880 In-State Total Cost

$248,880 Out-of-State Total Cost

36%

Acceptance Rate

1395

Average SAT

$72,937

Average compensation (including bonus)

98.8%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

n September 2018, Worcester Polytechnic Institute opened the Foisie Innovation Studio and Messenger Hall, a 78,000-square-foot facility that they want to be the “front door to innovation.” The $49 million facility is evidence of the school’s dedication to cutting edge business education and innovation..

The space includes the Myles McDonough Maker Space and Fitzgerald Prototyping Lab where students can use state-of-the-art equipment such as a rapid prototype 3D printer. Other unique aspects of the area include the new Aberdale Active Learning Classrooms that will work best for the school’s Great Problems Seminar, where students can work in teams and collaborate, and faculty can move around the room as they teach, and the Noiles Teaching Laboratory, the world turns into a tech and robotic playhouse, as well as a two-story video feature wall, and a Global Lab with Scherer Video Recording Suite.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. The four-year undergraduate business program at Foisie Business School received 357 applications for 2018 entry and admitted a total of 129 students, giving them an acceptance rate of 36% for direct applicants. The acceptance rate for transfers entering the undergraduate business program is 25%.

“Foisie Business School lives at the intersection of technology and business with an emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship in the technology sector,” Norman Wilkinson, executive director of Undergraduate Programs, says. “We develop innovative leaders who can see opportunity, harness technology, and drive change to solve complex human problems.”

100% OF CLASS OF 2018 HAD A CONSULTING PROJECT The student to academic advisor ratio at Foisie is seven-to-one, with students getting all the attention they need in order to thrive. The school shared that 43 of the courses offered include significant applied experiential learning, and 100% of the graduating Class of 2018 were engaged in a consulting project with an external organization.

The school’s signature project-based approach to undergraduate education is known as the WPI Plan, which has led the school to have seven-week terms instead of semesters, allowing students to take three courses per term so they can engage more in cooperative, open-ended project work.

WPI has also eliminated failing grades to encourage students to focus on learning, teamwork, and collaboration, across disciplines, and even with people they don’t know. They believe that the experiences will be more valuable than your fear of failing. Rather than teaching students and then giving them opportunities to practice what they’ve learned, they believe that students should learn through exploration with

worcester polytechnic institute unstructured problems, and the first experience students get with this is the Great Problems Seminar. The progress culminates in a Capstone project that students can do, or a Major Qualifying Project, often done in the senior year in partnership with corporate sponsors.

WPI FINISHED EIGHTH IN THIS YEAR’S CAREER OUTCOMES CATEGORY Through the institute, students at Foisie can choose from over 40 international project centers in over 25 countries available for study abroad experiences. They are extremely proud of the fact that 100% of students receive a Global Project Scholarship, as of the Class of 2022, and the program was ranked among the Top 10 Most Popular Study Abroad Programs by The Princeton Review in 2017–18. To add to that, the school was also ranked No. 1 School for a Scientist to Study Abroad by Popular Mechanics in 2017. The institute has project centers in Namibia, Paraguay, Greece, Costa Rica, and New Zealand, where students have done projects researching endangered dolphins, the ways technology can improve education in rural schools, financial crisis and unemployment, and many others.

And whether you’re interested in Germany, Australia, Armenia, or England, Worcester is prepared to make that opportunity available to you.

The school shared that 80% of students have a global experience before graduation, and majority of alumni of the Class of 2016 said that they had a “great experience.”

An alumnus of the Class of 2016 also shared that she had the opportunity to travel to Beijing, China to work with Pacific Can to improve their drying process. “I was able to work side by side with their engineers, and present to the companies leadership team,” the alumnus who now works as a Senior Process Improvement Analyst, said. “This real world business experience I believe helped distinguish myself from other candidates in interviews, and helped prepare me for the current analysis work I do at Grubhub.”

About 85% of undergraduate business students in the Class of 2017 and 2018 did at least one business-specific internship before graduating. At just under 99%, Foisie had the second-best placement rate of all schools. Those graduates with jobs within 90 days of graduation reported an average salary of $69,930, and 41% of them received an average signing bonus of $7,333.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I had the opportunity to work with Pacific Can in Beijing to improve their drying process. I was able to work side-by-side with their engineers and present to the companies leadership team. This real-world business experience I believe helped distinguish myself from other candidates in interviews, and helped prepare me for the current analysis work I do at GrubHub.” - Recent alum “Through my Major Qualifying Project, I was able to get hands-on experience working for MilliporeSigma that gave me invaluable skills. With these skills, I’ve been able to apply them to my current job in a different field.” Recent alum “I worked on a group project for our business degree Major Qualifying Project. Our project was focused on data analytics since all our team members were majoring in information systems.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

93

403 W. STATE ST, WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA 47907 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 765-494-4343

Purdue University

P $91,768 In-State Total Cost

$166,976

Out-of-State Total Cost

62%

Acceptance Rate

1268

Average SAT

$60,317

Average compensation (including bonus)

95.8%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

erhaps the most important thing to know about Purdue is it’s Purdue.

“We’re Purdue,” says Charlene Sullivan, the associate dean of undergraduate programs at Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management. “And Purdue has traditionally been the engineering, science, and technology school in the state of Indiana.”

Purdue University has deep roots in what has become known as the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. And its business school is no different. Krannert’s original MBA was designed for engineers and scientists. “You had to have calculus before you could get into our MBA program,” says Sullivan, who has been at Krannert as a student or professor for the past three decades.

The original undergraduate degree — a bachelors of science in industrial management — is still its most unique. Some 25% of the required credit hours are engineering and science foundation courses.

No matter the major, all Krannert undergrads majoring in a business degree are expected to take six to eight hours of calculus. “We require more calculus than any other business school in Indiana,” Sullivan boasts.

With strengths in the analytical and quant side of business, it’s no surprise the school’s strengths are operations management and quantitative analysis. And in a surprisingly saturated elite business school market, it’s good to have unique strengths and play those up.

“There are a set of people who go to Notre Dame and they were probably bred to go to Notre Dame. But we definitely go head-to-head with (Indiana University) Kelley,” Sullivan says of in-state competitor schools. “And Kelley has an excellent program. And we say the difference is the analytical side. The companies that come here are looking for MIS, supply chain, operations management — those are strengths for us.”

SOLID JOB REPORTS To be sure, the strengths show up in Krannert’s job report. Some 95.76% of the Class of 2018 seeking employment secured jobs within 90 days of graduation. The average starting salary for that class was $57,473.

“We’re sitting out here in Indiana — in the Midwest. And it’s still heavily manufacturing based,” Sullivan points out. “The companies that come here to recruit are probably full of Purdue engineers. It’s the Caterpillars and the John Deere’s and the Fords and the Chryslers and the General Motors and the GE’s.”

Of course not all students are going into manufacturing and consulting. Cody Lachner is an example of an alum going outside of consulting and manufacturing. Since graduating from Krannert in 2014,

purdue university Lachner has worked as a financial advisor for Carmel, Indianabased Valic Financial Advisors. Lachner chose Purdue for the in-state tuition, which has been frozen for the past five years, and the student and faculty enthusiasm. “Nothing stood out to me at the other schools I was looking at and that pulled me to Purdue,” Lachner says of the enthusiasm he experienced on campus visits.

And that student-interest proved true as Lachner went through the undergraduate program at Krannert.

“The teaching staff was really involved and enthusiastic about what they taught,” he recalls of his time at Krannert. Even in classes with more than 500 students, Lachner says he felt the personal touch. “Purdue went out their way make sure we met with professors in those classes,” he adds.

BUSINESS WITH A SERIOUS SIDE OF STEM For now, Sullivan is focused on continually increasing the quality of students coming to Krannert and giving them a more experiential education. “Our strategy right now is to maintain the enrollment at 2,500 and compete for better students,” she says. “And in my world, you compete for better students with scholarships.”

Once the students are at Krannert, Sullivan plans to give them real-world experiences.

“We definitely feel the need to make what students do here much more experiential because we don’t want them doing something here that you could stay home and get done,” Sullivan explains. “So we’re changing our program to reflect the reality in order to come to this residential campus and spend all this money, it’s important to learn something you couldn’t learn at home.”

According to Lachner, the school is already doing a good job at that. Lachner says the majority of the upper-level business courses he took were experiential. Still, for high school students considering a degree in business, Lachner says to look beyond what is happening at the school. “The biggest thing to look at is alumni placement after graduation,” he says, noting Krannert’s good placement report. “I think the biggest thing to look at for someone majoring in business is if there is demand for the degree in the market.”

With businesses and technology companies increasingly becoming quant-focused and data-driven, it’s easy to see Krannert’s name in demand in the market.

“You’re going to come out of here feeling comfortable with numbers, running regressions, and explaining the results coming out of computer spreadsheets,” Sullivan says. “If you’re interested in STEM and you’re interested in business then Purdue Krannert is the place for you.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I spent 1 week in Taipei, Taiwan with a group of 15 students. We took 4 classes (earning 1 credit hour), met with numerous students who attended the partner university in Taipei, and explored the city. All in all, it was a tremendous experience to meet new and different people, explore a culture that was different to mine (both in a business sense and in a cultural sense), and to step out of my comfort zone.” - Recent alum “I traveled to Shanghai, China with a collaborative group between Purdue University and the Copenhagen School of Business. The experience not only taught me about Chinese business practices and the Chinese markets, but about collaborating with Danish associates.

It was a truly global experience.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

95

632 BOGUE ST, EAST LANSING, MI, 48825 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 517-355-7605

Michigan State University

A $121,268 In-State Total Cost

$223,355 Out-of-State Total Cost

32.2%

Acceptance Rate

1242

Average SAT

$61,953

Average compensation (including bonus)

92.5%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t Michigan State University’s Eli Broad School of Business, 35% of students are international students, first-generation students, and students from underrepresented minority groups. The diversity means some students may need more help transitioning into college than others, and the school has created a summer business program to give them a head start.

“Early intervention is important because a subset of our multicultural students come from urban rural school districts that don’t prepare them as well for the move to studying business at a school like Broad,” Kathy Petroni, associate dean for Undergraduate Programs, says. “They may be high school grads at the top of their classes who have not yet been challenged and don’t have good study habits or understand how or why they should network.”

To help these students manage the move to a big university like Michigan State, which has almost 40,000 undergraduate students enrolled, select students are invited to join the business school in a Summer Business Institute a week before formal programming start to get advice on schedule planning, pick up tech skills in softwares including Excel, make some new friends, and take in the campus before it is flooded with new and returning students. Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, that offers a three-year undergraduate business program through Eli Broad College of Business.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION PRIORITIES AT BROAD Budding entrepreneurs who attend Broad can easily connect with the university’s Director of Undergraduate Entrepreneurship & Innovation, who is housed in the college. Entrepreneurship programs are open to all undergraduate students and teach business concepts and skills that can be used both by the social entrepreneur and in a for-profit business setting.

Students can also choose to take on small projects known as “E&I Experiences,” for “Entrepreneurship & Innovation,” that are a companion to the entrepreneurship minor and they work on during the semester under the guidance of a faculty member. Those who complete the experience will have it on their transcripts as an addition to their resume. Students can have E&I Experiences by adding elements of entrepreneurship and innovation to their program, or by participating in business plan competitions, going through entrepreneurial boot camps, as well as building and launching new companies. If students decide to launch a company, they can transition their work to MSU’s campus incubator, The Hatch, where they may receive funding and ongoing support.

michigan state university The Broad College’s Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, created via a seven-figure gift, helps students compete in national and international business contests and recruit and retain talented instructors with significant business experience, as well as supporting general activities and initiatives of the institute.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COURSE REQUIRED STARTING FALL 2019

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “ “I studied abroad twice in my business program. These were both extremely valuable experiences that allowed me to not only further develop my business skills, but also develop inter-personal skills.” - Recent alum

Students at Broad College begin their education with Michigan State University’s Liberal Learning Goals that include analytical thinking, cultural understanding, effective citizenship, effective communication, and integrated reasoning, before moving to fulfill their prerequisite business courses and develop a disciplinary breadth through hands-on learning across the business applications.

The school is currently in its third year of instituting significant changes to their admissions process. They began allowing sophomore admission to the college in 2016 in order to give students an additional year in the business school compared to if they were admitted as juniors. This gives students not only more time to build relationships with the faculty who can then guide them better, but also do more ensure their business career success through academic and career counseling and better preparation for a successful internship.

In 2018, the school began giving more consideration to students’ experiential profiles and added a proctored case study while reducing the emphasis on grade point averages during admissions.

The shift was intended to encourage students to become more actively engaged outside the classroom and develop better written communication skills and analytical thinking.

Beginning 2019, all students will be required to take an International Business course as well as additional upper level courses on international issues to help them develop global mindsets. And by junior year, students are expected to complete a business core that will give them the foundations for advanced business skills development to take place when they become seniors.

Over 90% of alumni of the Class of 2016 shared that their first job after graduating was in their desired job function, and about 76% said that their job was at their desired company. About 50% said that they had been involved in a “signature experience” while working on their undergraduate degree. From creating, developing and pitching marketing plans to local businesses, to sales competitions, case studies on multinational corporations, and intensive capstone projects with goals such as improving the logistics route of a real-life company, More than 60% of Broad students said that their business school experience was life-changing.

The school shared that about 91% of students in both the classes of 2017 and 2018 took on business-specific internships before graduation, and in both years, about 93% of graduates seeking employment found full-time jobs within three months of graduating.

The average starting salary for the Class of 2018 who secured fulltime jobs was $58,706, and about 60% of them reporting receiving signing bonuses of about $5,430.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

97

800 EAST HIGH STREET, OXFORD, OH 45056 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 513-529-3631

Miami University

T $125,320 In-State Total Cost

$203,388 Out-of-State Total Cost

62.6%

Acceptance Rate

1323

Average SAT

$61,547

Average compensation (including bonus)

91.6%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he Miami University Farmer School of Business launched their First Year Integrated Core (FYIC) program in Fall 2016, with over 1,200 students and 21 faculty members participated in its inaugural year. The following year, the school put an administrative structure in place, with a Director of the First Year Integrated Core, and four faculty members as course team leads.

Students in the program get hands-on learning through four courses that culminates in a business client challenge where they connect with a real company that shares a business challenge with them. After a presentation to faculty and peers, the winning teams get to present their recommendations to senior client executives.

“At the end of the program, every first-year student has a career-ready resume and cover letter, experience with applying for an internship, and coursework in collaboration and teamwork, coding, creative thinking, and business communication,” says Kirk Bogard, associate vice president for Advancement and External Relations.

Miami University is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio, and was founded in 1809. It’s Farmer School of Business offers a four-year undergraduate business program. In Fall 2018, the school received 7,866 applications to their undergraduate business program, and 4,927 were admitted, giving the school an acceptance rate of 62.6 percent for direct applicants.

STUDENTS BEGIN WITH 24-HOUR SUMMER ORIENTATION All domestic students start their Miami experience with a 24-hour summer orientation program, which includes about three hours of Farmer School of Business-specific programming. During these three hours, Farmer faculty and staff conduct presentations on the curriculum, involvement opportunities, expectations, 1-1 advising, and fall class registration to the students. International students and domestic students who cannot attend this June orientation must complete orientation in late August by spending a similar amount of time in Farmer sessions.

To help prepare students, transition programs are also available over Welcome weekend, which is the time between move-in and the start of classes at Miami. Also available is the First 50 Days transition programming, where when combined with Welcome weekend, is seven weeks of almost 400 events to help new students meet new people, make new friends, know where to get help when they need it, figure out the campus, and how to set themselves up for success while enjoying all that the university has to offer. In total, the programs easily exceed 500 hours, though all that’s required is about two hours of college-specific programs during Welcome Weekend, and an hour of summer reading discussions, a university Convocation, and an hour at the Farmer School

miami university of Business college welcome.

HIGH RATES OF ‘SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES’ AMONG ALUMS The leaders at Farmer School consider it “a large business school in a mid-sized public university, with an almost exclusive focus on excellence in undergraduate business education” with over 4,000 students in the school. The school has embedded experiential learning and co-curricular opportunities in the curriculum so that every Farmer School student should have multiple opportunities to learn by doing. From capstone courses with consulting components and hands-on business challenges that engage students in active learning, to the school’s Executive Speaker Series, Finance Week, Wall Street Week, Miami Ad Week: Chicago, Start-Up Weekend, and numerous case competitions and entrepreneurship programs, it’s difficult to avoid building a portfolio in experiential learning at Farmer.

In a survey conducted by Poets&Quants, almost 75% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they were involved in a signature experience while at Farmer.

“The ‘High-Wire Brand Studio’ Capstone enabled me to have an exceptional experience working for PepsiCo with a lot of different types of people on a project that was extremely different than the typical classroom environment,” Jacob Ganger, a marketing major from the Class of 2016, says. “It enabled me to hit the ground running out of school having experience working on high-level business application.”

Half of the alumni who responded to the survey also said that they engaged in a global immersion, trip, or project while at Farmer, traveling to places including Guatemala, Hong Kong, and Australia.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I was engaged in global immersion, a capstone project, as well as case competition programs throughout my time at the Farmer School of Business. The global immersion portions of my experience there were particularly life changing. Studying business abroad was one of the best things I ever did in college, especially considering that I now work for a company whose global reach knows no bounds and I regularly work with coworkers in New Zealand, Europe, and various parts of Asia and India.”- Recent alum

STRONG MIDWESTERN CAREERS REPORT The school shared that over 60% of all Farmer School students have at least one global study experience, and 71% of the graduating Class of 2018 participated in a consulting project with an organization. About 91% of students from the Class of 2018 had business-specific internships before graduation, and nearly 92% found full-time jobs within a couple months of graduation with average salaries of $59,540, and signing bonuses of 5,621.

With an undergraduate business alumni network of about 52,000, the school says their departments have also recently established external partnerships with alumni, which create opportunities for classroom engagement, career mentoring, and even better job placements for students.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS

99

210 OLSEN BLVD, COLLEGE STATION, TX, 77843 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 979-845-4711

Texas A&M University

A $111,552 In-State Total Cost

$218,376 Out-of-State Total Cost

34.1%

Acceptance Rate

1282

Average SAT

$60,285

Average compensation (including bonus)

75%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, the mission is to be a vibrant learning organization that creates impactful knowledge and develops transformational leaders. That mission ties directly to the school’s values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity, and selfless service.

“Aggies are encouraged to be optimistic about their education and to believe that they can achieve their goals,” says Annie McGowan, associate dean for Undergraduate Programs at Mays. “The spirit of transformational leadership is integrated in coursework and high impact learning experiences.”

A CULTURE OF SERVICE Selfless service is heavily integrated in both the culture and opportunities available for Mays students. The Nonprofit and Social Innovation Certificate is one of the ways Mays students can tailor their education towards a career in service. The certificate includes 13 hours of coursework and an internship with a social purpose organization.

“Not-for-profit organizations make up one of the fastest growing employment sectors in the country and are actively looking for graduates who can use their skills to immediately make an impact,” McGowan says.

Students can also enroll in the “Strategic Philanthropy” course where they actively engage in entrepreneurial activities and contribute over $100,000 annually to a local non-profit organization. Claire Raabe is a class of 2016 alum of the school and says she had a number of opportunities to engage in nonprofit work as a student.

“While at Mays, I was able to take classes related to nonprofit business that were extremely relevant when I was given the opportunity to intern with the Tim Tebow Foundation,” Raabe says.

Alden Warr, another class of 2016 alum, highlights one memory he has of a professor inviting over 300 students to his house for dinner one night. The memory, Warr says, exemplifies the culture of selfless service at Mays.

“This was Dr. Shaub’s way of expressing his openness to help us in any way he could and to lead by example in humility, service and generosity,” Warr says. “The experience helped shape my image of what success really looks like. Our sector too often confuses wealth and prestige with success, but the example that Dr. Shaub and others provided throughout my time at A&M helped me understand the aspects of life and career that would ultimately fulfill me and focused my attentions on higher goals.”

A STRONG NETWORK

texas a&m university The values of Mays help contribute to its strong alumni network.

“Everyone knows about the Aggie Network, but the Mays Aggie Network is second to none,” Holly Melvin, a class of 2016 alum, says.

That might be because of the number of resources Mays provides its students to connect with alumni. Mays Career Coordinators are specifically dedicated to serving Mays students by offering targeted services and resources. Through Career Coordinators, Mays students can outline a career management plan based on career goals.

McGowan says the Career Coordinators help Mays students develop their networking from start-to-finish.

“Students are encouraged to begin meeting with a Mays Career Coordinator as freshmen to begin creating or refining their resumes, developing their professional networks, building career readiness skills, and identifying opportunities to gain experience while still undergraduates,” she says. “Career programming for all Mays Business School students includes networking mixers with industry recruiters, career fair preparation, mock interviews with local professionals, and major or industry specific panel discussions.”

HireAggies is another resource available for Mays students to build connections. The online system connects students to job postings for both full-time and internships as well as contact information for thousands of employers to assist in the development of professional networks.

What’s more, the Business Student Council hosts one of the largest business career fairs in the country, attended by more than 700 employing organizations last fall and 500 last spring. The AggiExternship program, hosted by the career center, provides the opportunity for students to participate in multiple one-day visits to companies to gain insight from professionals in their fields of interest. Other opportunities include industry seminar presentations, panel programs, and case competitions.

“The Aggie network perpetuates affection and loyalty to Mays and to Texas A&M University,” McGowan says.

To say the Mays network is tight-knit is an understatement.

“I doubt there is an alumni network in the world that is as strong as the Aggie network,” Warr says. “I’ve been all over the world and have had other Aggies see my Aggie ring and come up to me to introduce themselves, and an immediate friendship is formed.

Aggies, nearly to a fault, will go out of their way to help each other, and I am proud and thankful to be a part of it.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I spent the first half of my two-part study abroad in Beijing, China and the second half in Moscow, Russia. It was an incredible professional and personal experience. I will forever cherish the memories made and lessons learned. My mind and heart have been expanded to dimensions that cannot be again shrunk for the rest of my life.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 101

121 PRESIDENTS DR, AMHERST, MA, 01003 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 413-545-5610

University of Massachusetts at Amherst

I $114,026 In-State Total Cost

$181,213 Out-of-State Total Cost

30.6%

Acceptance Rate

1336

Average SAT

$60,082

Average compensation (including bonus)

88.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

n April 2019, students of The University of Massachusetts Amherst Isenberg School of Management will be able to access the school’s most innovative building to date. Their new Business Innovation Hub is a 70,000-square-foot space that includes a 5,000-square-foot learning commons, a 42-seat business analytics lab equipped to give students experiential learning opportunities, classrooms with flexible furniture and integrated technology for the best teaching and learning experiences, and enhanced career development spaces including 15 interview suites for students to meet with recruiters and secure the top jobs in the industry with all their knowledge and experience.

“At the Isenberg School at UMass-Amherst, we like to say that We Drive the Driven. It is that energy and sense of purpose that has helped us attract some of the most energetic and passionate students around,” Barb Chalfonte, director of Organizational Metrics, says. “Students prepare for success with a wide range of experiential opportunities, network with an engaged alumni network of more than 43,000, and are supported by a dedicated career center.”

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, where the community of about 39,000 is made up mostly of UMass students, and students from the nearby Amherst College, and Hampshire College. About 75% of alumni from the Class of 2016 told Poets&Quants in a survey that they believed their business degree was worth its cost in tuition, and 60% said they believe their business degree from the University of MassachusettsAmherst would help them climb to a new socioeconomic status.

STUDENTS GET ‘POWERED-UP’ BEFORE STARTING FRESHMAN YEAR Students at the Isenberg School of Management begin their business education with a New Students Orientation program that lasts for two full days and an overnight stay on campus. They can also choose to participate in a program the weekend prior to classes starting called “Power-Up,” which lasts three days and allows students to move into the dorms earlier than returning students and get acclimated to the campus before other students arrive.

On the final day of Power Up, the school holds a College Success Workshop where students can get to work laying out an educational plan. The focus is on having an understanding of types of instruction on campus, effective communication with professors, social media presentation, and personal image and branding. Students will also learn about internships, independent study, study abroad programs, domestic exchange program offerings, and community service opportunities to enhance a resume, as well as the best extracurricular activities around that suit a students’ interests and ambitions. Finally, students will

university of massachusetts at amherst wrap up the experience by learning about how to take care of their physical, emotional, and mental health, while at Isenberg.

When students become Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors, the school expects them to step up their job-search efforts, and a twoday Career Conference is held in January to help them learn how to identify, apply for, and secure the best jobs in the industry. Junior year students can also take a course in Management Communication to satisfy their writing requirement. In the workshop-model course will have students engaging each other in their writings as they practice communication in different business settings and situations.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES About 51% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they were engaged in a signature experience while at Isenberg. Sport management alumnus Tom Waterman says he took advantage of several experiential learning opportunities, including directly overseeing and executing “four different, entirely student-run events with a total operating budget of $30,000.” Waterman now works as an Account Executive for the New York Mets.

Davies DeCesare-Fousek, Class of 2016, says he engaged in three rigorous independent studies with professors in operations, research, and business strategy while at Isenberg.

“This work allowed me direct access to researchers, practitioners in the field which ultimately developed my expertise over the course of a semester in an area I was passionate about,” DeCesare-Fousek says. “I have leveraged my Operations Research work to this date in my current role at a F500 CPG in a supply chain strategy capacity.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “A group of students and I were involved in a Capstone project where we had to build and maintain a company in real-life situations. We were required to make adjustments based on the marketing, training, lay-offs, hiring, and making quarterly evaluations of both how it effected our company and how we perceived it would effect the company. It was overwhelming in the beginning. One of those projects I was internally terrified about and feared being inadequate in comparison to my classmates.

However, being thrown into the fire was the best thing that could’ve happened. In order to keep you honest, the Professor would make each individual do a presentation about their contribution to the project and explain what they did and why in the organization. It was a great exercise to separate the students who were there trying to prepare for a career, and the ones trying to simply achieve a degree.” Recent alum

MORE THAN 70 CAMPUS-SPONSORED GLOBAL PROGRAMS The University of Massachusetts Amherst also offers students the opportunity to join in over 70 campus-sponsored programs across the globe. The school reports 35% of their students have a global experience before graduation, and about 86% of students in both the classes of 2017 and 2018 completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation.

They added that 79% of students from the Class of 2017 found full-time jobs within a couple months of graduating. For the Class of 2018, this number rose to nearly 89%. The average salaries earned by graduates with full-time jobs in both classes was about $57,000, the average signing bonus that graduates received increased from $5,140 in 2017 to $5,778 in 2018.

About 82% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said their first job after graduation was in their desired job function, and 80% said their first job was at their desired company. About 85% of them also said that they would recommend the Isenberg undergraduate business program to a close friend or colleague and 65% said that the program had prepared them well for the world of work.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 103

500 EL CAMINO REAL, SANTA CLARA, CA 95053 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 408-551-1000

Santa Clara University

T $259,205 In-State Total Cost

$259,205 Out-of-State Total Cost

46.3%

Acceptance Rate

1366

Average SAT

$68,560

Average compensation (including bonus)

91.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University is grounded in deep traditions of values-based learning in the midst of the innovative Silicon Valley. This unique environment of tradition and innovation creates a remarkable education that builds business leaders.

“We form the next generation of business leaders and global thinkers who will pursue new technology, employ creativity, engage with communities, and utilize an entrepreneurial mindset to support the University’s mission of building a more just, humane, and sustainable world,” Caryn Beck-Dudley, dean of the Leavey School of Business, says.

VALUES-BASED LEARNING Values are an integral part of how students learn at Leavey. Students are taught to be conscientious leaders with the knowledge that to lead others, they must first learn to lead themselves.

“By incorporating personal virtue, purpose, tenacity, and accountability into our leadership education we are unlocking the abilities of our students to become the future business leaders of tomorrow,” Beck-Dudley says.

One example of this is the Conscientious Capitalism course. Through the course, a team of 21 seniors engage in 10 weeks of inspiring guest lectures, provocative case studies and intensive personal leadership development. The goal of the course is to “inspire and teach students to lead themselves and others in a business and social environment undergoing dramatic and increasingly rapid change.”

Another example is the Global Fellows program, a unique, a ninemonth leadership program culminating in a summer international internship. The Program has sent over 250 students to intern in Bolivia, India, China, Indonesia, The Gambia, Morocco, Ghana, Guatemala, Tanzania, Armenia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Zanzibar, and Turkey.

According to Leavey, the goal of the Global Fellows Program is to “foster global citizens of competence, conscience, and compassion through an emphasis on service, academics, and leadership.”

THE SILICON VALLEY CONNECTION Located in Santa Clara, the Leavey School of Business has direct access Silicon Valley’s innovative companies.

For students, that means more internships and job opportunities.

Some of the most popular employers of Leavey grads? The who’s who of blue chip tech companies including Cisco, Google, Apple, EY, Oracle, Deloitte, PwC, Salesforce, Adobe, Intel, Facebook, ServiceNow, and HP. “We have cultivated deep relationships and strong engagements

Santa clara university with the business community in Silicon Valley for internship and career placement, intellectual capital infusion, and educational partnerships,” Beck-Dudley says. “Our students live, learn, work, and play in the world’s capital of innovation.”

One of the ways students can connect with the Silicon Valley region is through the university career center.

“Leavey students also have access to a university-wide network of faculty and staff who, through the Career Center, engage with students through mentoring, advising, and connecting,” BeckDudley says.

Since many SCU alumni live and work in the Silicon Valley, Leavey students can build powerful connections to opportunities in the region.

“This alumni network feeds strong corporate mentorships, internships, executive lectures, and career opportunities,” BeckDudley says.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Our final capstone project involved a thorough analysis of a selected company in all functions ranging from accounting and finance, to marketing and operations. It was great to put on all these different hats to complete the task and really piece together all the learning that cumulated over 4 years.” Recent alum

THE CAPSTONE PROJECT In their first two years, Leavey students take common core liberal arts courses along with introductory business courses. In their junior year, they begin to dive deeper into business courses and specialize in their desired major.

All of this leads to their senior year, when Leavey students take part in the capstone project. Through the project, students work together to analyze a company in all functions ranging from accounting and finance, to marketing and operations.

Andrew Chait, a Class of 2016 alum, says the capstone project was one of the most significant experiences during his time at Leavey.

“I thought the capstone project was really the culmination of what the business school was all about: thriving in a team setting with taking a deep dive into a current business’ model and see if it would be successful and offering ways to create an even more successful business,” Chait says.

Ryan Moyes, another Class of 2016 alum, says he and his team wrote a report covering Amazon’s business model and market strategy for their capstone project.

“I gained valuable critical thinking skills from both the business case studies and capstone project in that class,” Moyes says.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 105

721 UNIVERSITY AVE, SYRACUSE, NY 13244 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 315-443-3751

Syracuse University

I $249,386 In-State Total Cost

$249,386 Out-of-State Total Cost

38.1%

Acceptance Rate

1304

Average SAT

$60,919

Average compensation (including bonus)

90.9%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t’s not to say the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University is the Hogwarts of business schools, but it has at least one similarity.

The Whitman School started the Goodman IMPRESS Program in 2014 to engage all new students. Every individual is assigned to one of four “houses:” Adams, Harrison, Marshall, or Waverly, (not quite Gryffindor, but still) and throughout the course of their first year, will earn points by taking part in activities at the school. Each house is led by a faculty member who has been chosen for their excellence in teaching, communication, and student engagement.

In order to graduate from Whitman, every student must earn a minimum number of points that are translated into an IMPRESS score, something that employers of Whitman graduates now know to look for.

The program hopes to ensure all Whitman graduates leave campus and enter the workplace with all the necessary soft skills and more.

“The Whitman School’s Goodman IMPRESS Program is a differentiator from all other undergraduate business programs,” Lindsay Quilty, assistant dean of Undergraduate Programs, says. “The IMPRESS Program quantifies extracurricular activities, promotes healthy competition, and prepares Whitman students to be the best business professionals they can be.”

Syracuse University is a private research university in Syracuse, New York, and the Whitman School of Management offers a four-year undergraduate business program. The school received 6,187 applications to their program in Fall 2018 and accepted 2,356, giving the program an acceptance rate of 38% for direct applicants.

DUAL DEGREES WITH OTHER ON-CAMPUS COLLEGES At Whitman School, student begin taking business classes in their first year, and should complete 12 classes by their second year. Many of Whitman’s students have multiple majors, some at the business school, and others in another school at Syracuse.

The school has two well-established dual-degree offers with the Newhouse School of Public Communications and the School of Information Studies. They have also recently launched two newer offerings: a dual-degree with the College of Arts & Sciences centered on Business & Science, and the 3+3 program where students can combine their education at Whitman with a law degree in an accelerated six-year program.

The school prides itself on being a “high touch” program when it comes to supporting students. Students are assigned an academic advisor, career advisor, and a faculty mentor in their first year, also known as the student’s support pod. These players will follow the students throughout their experience, from their first year till they

SYRACUSE university graduate, creating a wider network and a safety net.

“Since students have three points of contact from the beginning, students can easily identify someone who can help in the wide array of situations they may face during their college career,” Quilty explains. “On the other side, the support pod is actively working to prevent small issues from turning into bigger problems. Our approach helps address challenges early on in an effort to increase student success.”

Freshmen who join the Whitman School can also be mentored by a sophomore or junior year student as they go through the transition to college, and apply to become mentors when they are no longer new students.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I studied abroad in Hong Kong through my business program and it was one of the most formative experiences I’ve had in my life.

I had the opportunity to complete a 5-week internship at a start-up, travel around China on a seminar offered through the program and be taught by international business professionals.” - Recent alum

NEARLY HALF OF ALL STUDENTS HAVE A ‘GLOBAL EXPERIENCE’ The school reports that 9% of incoming Fall 2018 students are first-generation college students, and about 6% of incoming Fall 2018 students are international students. Another 9.5% of the class identifies as an underrepresented minority group. To better support these students towards success at Whitman, the school has increased its efforts on intersectionality.

In Fall 2018, Quilty says the school enhanced the first-year experience both inside and outside the classroom by immersing students in topics related to diversity, inclusion, and health & wellness as part of the formal curriculum as well as through cocurricular programming.

“Students have participated in a shared reading with a related group dialogue class as well as listened to role models and business leaders from diverse backgrounds throughout the fall semester,” she says. “The enhanced experienced is designed to encourage students to think critically about who they are, build campus community, improve cultural understanding and sustain healthy habits.”

For business students who are interested in taking their education and making it even more inclusive with a global perspective, Syracuse University offers over 100 study-abroad programs in 60 countries.

Jose Godinez, Class of 2016, spent a semester in Hong Kong while at Whitman before going on a 2-week travel seminar.

“I studied abroad in Hong Kong through my business program and it was one of the most formative experiences I’ve had in my life.” Godinez, who now works as a Content Specialist at Linqia Inc., says. “I had the opportunity to complete a five-week internship at a startup, traveled around China on a seminar offered through the program and was taught by international business professionals.”

The school said that 45% of students have a global experience, and 100% of students in the classes of 2017 and 2018 did an internship while at Whitman.

When it came to full-time employment, about 91% of the graduating Class of 2018 found full-time jobs within a couple months of graduation, earning an average salary of about $59,400.

The average signing bonus was about $6,080.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 107

1 AVENUE OF THE ARTS, NEWPORT NEWS, VA 23606 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 757-594-7184

Christopher Newport University

C $108,929 In-State Total Cost

$152,081 Out-of-State Total Cost

74.6%

Acceptance Rate

1270

Average SAT

$48,172

Average compensation (including bonus)

96%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

hristopher Newport University takes liberal arts and the sciences very seriously. So much so that the small, public university has a Liberal Learning Core Curriculum that requires 41 semester hours of coursework from every student, in addition to 15 credit hours of prebusiness preparatory work before being admitted as a business major.

Students begin their education with workshops and classes in communication, mathematics, logical reasoning, economic modeling and analysis, and a second language, before moving to explore different areas of inquiry looking at creative expressions, global and multicultural perspectives, Western traditions, and more.

“Our program is designed to build character in our students and equip them with knowledge, so they can lead a life of significance, regardless of their majors,”Adam Duncan, the Luter School’s director of Outreach says. “It’s not about gaining one skillset and one perspective, but learning to learn.”

The business school offers a two-year business program, and admits rising juniors twice each year. During the 2018-2019 academic year, the school received 200 applications, and 190 of them were accepted.

Located in Newport News, Virginia, the university is set in the fastpaced, busy urban setting suitable for city lovers, between Norfolk and Richmond.

The small size of the school gives students a personal touch. Luter boasts a 19-to-one faculty to student ratio and class size averages of 24. “When we see a student struggling, we already have a relationship and know their personalities,” Duncan says. “There’s a critical human dialogue that can take place when a community has close knit relationships.” Besides, Duncan adds, students at Luter rarely struggle with the work because those who make the cut, usually already have study and life habits that will lead them towards success.

Students can declare themselves to be pre-business students when they arrive at the university, and Duncan says they have about 600 pre-business students at the moment. However each year, the school graduates about 180 to 200 business majors. Many students either find themselves attracted to other lines of study before entering Luter, or do not maintain the 3.0 GPA required of them. “Whether it’s because some don’t make it, or find other passions, the structure allows us to have the size needed to build the relationships essential to critical conversation with our students,” Duncan says.

HIGH RATES OF SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS While internships are not required of Luter students for graduation, students are certainly encouraged to experience the world of work as early on as possible. Almost 75% of students in the Class of 2017 had business-specific internships before graduation, and almost 80%

Christopher Newport university of students in the Class of 2018 completed at least one before graduation.

In a survey conducted by P&Q, 88% of alumni from the Class of 2016 shared that they had been engaged in a “signature experience” such as simulations, global immersion, experiential learning, or capstone project while in the Luter business program.

Shannon Minnich, a Finance and German major from the Class of 2016, says that for her business capstone, she worked in a team with her peers to simulate supply chain and management decisions, including research and development, marketing, sales, production, and finance. “The capstone was extremely hands-on and experiential,” Minnich, who now works as a transfer pricing analyst for Plante Moran, says. “My team’s company saw significant growth and we placed first.”

EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES The school shared that 80.1% of students in the Class of 2017 reported having found full-time jobs within three months of graduation. Another 17% decided to attend graduate school. The average starting salary for those with full-time jobs was $48,000, with 5% of them receiving signing bonuses averaging $3,250.

Almost 80% of alumni of the Class of 2016 shared that they would recommend the Luter business program to a friend or colleague without hesitation, and about 52% said they felt the program had prepared them exceptionally well for the world of work.

To prepare their students even better, Duncan says the school had begun holding a Business Etiquette Conference and Dinner event for seniors, as well as a two-day conference called Business Exchange, where successful alumni and business leaders came to campus to share their wisdom and experience to provide career guidance to students.

“At the Business Etiquette Conference, students are guided through things like mobile usage etiquette, and dining etiquette,” Duncan says. “The students get to practice this with executives who join us at the event, and it’s a moment of arrival for them as they talk to professionals who speak with them as equals.”

From learning which fork to use for each course of a multiplecourse meal, to figuring out how to eat pasta professionally, the event is intended for Luter students to get practice instead of fumbling when they’re in the situation. On the other hand, Duncan says that part of the work of helping to prepare students includes figuring what employers are looking for and what the industry needs.

“My role here is to know both our students and the outside business world, where employers are worried about retention rates, and how to attract the best and brightest,” Duncan says. “Right now, internships are important for students to get into industries early, and important for companies so they can impress upon students with a positive development experience over summer that will make them want to return.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “The capstone course for the Luter School of Business requires teams of students to run all aspects of a company and manage the growth over the semester and report regularly on the progress and changes then present to the board on your successes at the end.” - Recent alum “I participated in the ECHO project as well as a capstone project which provided simulation learning. I also participated in several marketing projects with local businesses which were a major learning tool.” Recent alum “I was a part of the small business institute where a team of students worked alongside a small business to increase profit margins and to grow toward future expansion.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 109

400 SOUTH ORANGE AVENUE, SOUTH ORANGE, NJ 07079 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 800-THE-HALL

Seton Hall University

A $225,144 In-State Total Cost

$225,144 Out-of-State Total Cost

57.6%

Acceptance Rate

1257

Average SAT

$59,851

Average compensation (including bonus)

75.3%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business, there are so many experiential learning opportunities that every student finds themselves learning by doing at some point during their undergraduate experience.

In a survey of alumni from the Class of 2016 by Poets&Quants, 100% of graduates said they were engaged in a “signature experience” that includes project work, simulations, global immersion, experiential learning, senior thesis, or capstone project.

As a private Roman Catholic University in South Orange, New Jersey, the school also believes that leaders need to “learn to make a difference.”

Students of the Seton Hall University perform over 25,000 hours of community service every year, and ethical considerations are integrated throughout every business class at Stillman.

EVERY STUDENT EARNED A SCHOLARSHIP THIS FALL Stillman School of Business offers a four-year undergraduate business program that is one of 186 programs worldwide to hold the AACSB accreditation for both business and accounting programs. The school saw 3,902 applications to their undergraduate program in Fall 2018, and admitted 2,247 students, giving the program an acceptance rate of 58.6% for direct applicants.

The school estimates that the total four-year cost of tuition and fees, is $155,144, and that additional expenses on room, board, transportation and living expenses, books and supplies, are likely to add up to another $70,000. The school added that every single student in the incoming Fall 2018 class received some form of scholarship support, with the average amount being $22,919. Over 80% of alumni from the Class of 2016 told P&Q that they believed their business degree was worth its cost in tuition, and 87% of them said that the program had prepared them exceptionally well for the world of work.

No matter the major, experiential learning opportunities abound for Stillman students. Finance students get to grow their knowledge and practice their skills at the many classes on Financial News, Fixed Income Analysis and Futures, and Securities Trading at the university. They are also encouraged to bring out their competitive sides at the New York Security Analysts Investment Research Challenge, where the Seton Hall University were the Americas Regional Final Co-Champions in 2017. Students can also get hands-on practice by joining the Stillman School of Business Investment Club, and help run the Hall Street Fund, a student-managed investment that’s an equity, long only fund, and is benchmarked on the S&P 500 index. In 2017, the fund returned 20.41%, beating its S&P benchmark. The S&P 500 returned 18.74% that year.

The school’s major in Mathematical Finance is also unique, comprising a blend of higher-level math and quantitative finance course designed

SETON HALL UNIVERSITY to prepare students for careers in corporate treasury, investment banking, commercial banking, hedge funds, insurance, and risk management.

Marketing majors at Stillman can pick up skills in conducting interviews, moderating focus groups, creating web-based surveys, uncovering insights, and developing actionable solutions for real business clients from a variety of industries at the Market Research Center with state-of-the-art facilities.

In addition to all that is currently going on at Stillman School of Business, the school shared that they recently added a competency in business analytics to the list of required undergraduate learning outcomes. They have also added an option to earn a Certificate in Business Analytics for all business majors, in line with the growing demand for graduates with experience, skill, and knowledge in the way data and analytics can affect demand, supply, and the markets.

The school shared that about 57% of the graduating Class of 2018 participated in a consulting project with an external organization, while 88% of students had a business-specific internship before graduation.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I traveled to Athens, Greece and attended workshops at various businesses to understand how they started, what’s the cash generator and what challenges they were facing as the recession came on. It was an amazing experience and I learned so much about so many different industries.” - Recent alum

VERY STRONG ALUMNI SURVEY RESULTS BOOSTS STILLMAN UP THIS YEAR’S RANKING About 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 told P&Q that they believed their business degree would be instrumental in helping them reach their dream career, and that it would help them climb to a new socioeconomic status. Some 50% said they traveled abroad as part of their undergraduate studies.

Francis Ahmed, Class of 2016, says that he not only traveled abroad while at Stillman, he was also part of a semester-long sophomore assessment project where his team worked on analyzing a case study, then planned and conducted a 40-minute presentation on their findings to an anonymous panel. He also took business writing assessments and a financial literacy test as part of the required business curriculum.

“I traveled to Athens, Greece and attended workshops at various businesses to understand how they started, what’s the cash generator and what challenges they were facing as the recession came on,” Ahmed, who now works as a Financial Analyst with The Boston Consulting Group, says. “It was an amazing experience and I learned so much about so many different industries.”

Over 90% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they would recommend the business program at Seton Hall University to a close friend or colleague, and 70% of them said that their business school experience was very life-changing. Around 90% of alumni also said that their first job after graduating was in their desired job function, and 73% said their first job was also at their desired company.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 111

2100 NEIL AVENUE, COLUMBUS, OH 43210 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 614-292-2715

Ohio State university

A $117,791 In-State Total Cost

$194,207 Out-of-State Total Cost

38.6%

Acceptance Rate

1340

Average SAT

$57,088

Average compensation (including bonus)

77.8%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, the school knows a college transition can be challenging for some. That’s why the school’s developed the Fisher Navigator, a software tool designed to help students discover their career path by finding out more about classes, course requirements for majors, and to create academic course plans.

The Fisher School also recently initiated a summer bridge program called Fisher F.I.R.S.T., which stands for Focusing on Inclusion and Readiness for a Successful Transition. The early-arrival program lasts a year, and is designed to support underrepresented minority and first generation students by giving them a head start.

“Ohio State and Fisher attracts students from all over the country and globe, who have a multitude of backgrounds and bring a variety of interests — both academic and co-curricular,” Melinda McDonald, Executive Director of Undergraduate Programs at Fisher College of Business, says. “Common traits I see among our students are the desire to pursue a top business education ‘plus.’ What I mean by ‘plus’ is, they want a top business education, plus be in a large, dynamic academic environment, plus have access to a city that connects them to industry and entertainment, plus have the opportunity to study or intern abroad, plus explore the thousands of ways to become involved and engaged. Their expectations in the classroom are high and so are their expectations outside of the classroom.”

Fisher alumni from the Class of 2016 had high praise for their alma mater, with almost 80% saying they would recommend the business program to a friend or colleague without hesitation. About 75% said they felt the program prepared them well for the world of work, and almost 60% said they were engaged in a “signature experience.”

NEARLY TWO DOZEN BUSINESS-SPECIFIC GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES There are plenty of opportunities for experiential learning at Fisher College, from choosing to join one of 40 business-specific student organizations to boost a portfolio, to exploring one of 20 businessspecific semester abroad opportunities offered by the school. In addition, 66 of the courses offered at Fisher also have significant experiential learning requirements.

Sophomore and junior level students specializing in consulting can choose to join the Fisher Emerging Consultants program, where they will get guidance developing a consulting-focused job search plan.

This means practicing for case interviews, knowing what to expect in behavioral-based interview sessions, picking up networking strategies, and learning how to dress for success and how to dine with business partners.

ohio state UNIVERSITY Alumni from the Class of 2016 shared with P&Q that they were involved in Real Estate Case Competitions, did consulting projects for The James Cancer Research Hospital and GE Aviation, and created a field marketing project for the Cleveland Indians as a capstone project. A few even said that they had earned a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt while at Fisher, while many mentioned how life changing the Fisher industry clusters were.

One of the ways the college helps prepare its students for the world of work is through the Industry Immersion program, which is divided into ten industry sectors. As part of the Industry Immersion program, students will work with external companies on projects solving real problems, and the experience helps them build a relationship with executives and broaden their network.

All participants will receive professional headshots, and the chance to engage in professional development meetings as well as travel offsite for company visits. There is even the possibility of traveling abroad with other immersion students to familiarize themselves with a specific industry abroad. The program boasts that 80% of participants have secured full-time internships or jobs worldwide.

And schoolwide, 98% of students in both the classes of 2017 and 2018 had at least one business-specific internship before graduation.

“We remain firmly committed to the view that hands-on engagement with real-world cases and industry partnerships is critical to management education. For this reason, our coursework is heavily dependent on the use of in-class business simulations, case discussions and industry-driven project work,” McDonald says. “These kinds of activities force students to take on the perspectives of multiple stakeholders and organizational functions, thereby gaining an appreciation of differences in goals, constraints and biases. Students develop a systematic understanding of how business functions and supply chain partners interact and drive value, while learning how to deal with realist levels of complexity and uncertainty in practical decision making.”

Some 72% of graduates in the Class of 2017 found full-time employment within three months of graduating, and about 78% of the Class of 2018 did the same. The average salary for graduates of the Class of 2018 with full-time jobs was about $1,000 more at $54,740, and their average signing bonus was about $500 more than graduates of the class before them at $5,728.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I had an internship in Sydney, Australia in the summer after my sophomore year. It was a program through my business school and was a life changing experience, both from a work and personal perspective.” - Recent alum “I was a member of the student organization, FisherCares sponsored by the business school.

Each spring break my junior and senior year, we traveled to Sarasota, Florida to volunteer at the The Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center. Not only was this experience personally rewarding, but it connected me with various other business students in different functional areas of the school itself. Without Fisher, I never would have met one of the main beneficiaries, Betty Schoenbaum herself.” Recent alum “I interned in Hong Kong via a business school program. The experience was incredibly valuable both personally and professionally, and was instrumental in securing both an interview and job at Amazon.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 113

OLIN HALL 115, 5998 ALCALA PARK ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 619-260-4830

University of San Diego

T $250,134 In-State Total Cost

$250,134 Out-of-State Total Cost

53%

Acceptance Rate

1275

Average SAT

$57,119

Average compensation (including bonus)

90.9%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he University of San Diego is a private Roman Catholic research university located in the Linda Vista neighborhood of San Diego, California. Their four-year undergraduate business program received 13,287 applications in Fall 2018 from first-year students, who do not need to declare a major upon entry, or go through an admission process. In total, 7,031 were admitted for an acceptance rate of about 53%.

USD takes study abroad very seriously and boasts a plethora of options. The university was ranked second in 2017 nationally for their study abroad participation, with undergraduate students getting to choose from almost 140 academic study abroad programs in 44 countries and 76 cities. The school told P&Q in a survey that 56% of business school majors studied abroad in the program prior to their 2018 graduation.

The School of Business also boasts plenty of opportunities for students to participate in hands-on learning, including their Venture Vetting and Global Social Innovation Challenge (GSIC) competitions.

Students receive coaching, mentoring, and instruction when they choose to participate in these competitions, and can collaborate with the university’s Small Business Development Center for continued support after receiving funding.

The school also has a $1.4 million endowment for their Student International Business Council (SIBC), which engages in real-world business projects, with an emphasis on international projects. The SIBC also takes part in biennial competitions with the University of Notre Dame and Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. In 2017, the group completed undergraduate consulting projects for Facebook in Palo Alto, VectorPharma in Mexico City, Pacifico Aquaculture in Mexico, and Sisois Family Olive Grove in Crete. For the 2018 - 2019 academic year, students are working on consulting projects with Tesla Motors, Ziobaffa Organic Wine in Italy, Procat in Turkey, and Urrea Global Branding in Mexico.

The Procat project involves students conducting an analysis of the use of artificial intelligence in call centers.

The business school also has a student-run investment fund of about $500,000 that is managed through a one-unit class that is taught by a real-world financial investor. Part of the proceeds of investment returns over a certain percentage go to the budget for the business school.

“Students do research on companies and implement investment decisions that the entire school then monitor,” Stephen Conroy, associate dean of the undergraduate business program at the School of Business, says. “It’s a great experience to work with real money on the line, applying theoretical knowledge to the real world. It’s a win-win situation where the school wins from earnings, and students gain some experience, and their future clients win by having employees that have already learned these real-world lessons.”

UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY SERVICE ENCOURAGED All undergraduate business majors at the School of Business are required to complete the Professional Development “Passport Program” by their senior years. In order to complete the program, students must attend career fairs and attend career workshops, practice networking at events, and attend a speaker panel and professional-related seminar outside of the classroom. All students are encouraged (though not required) to take on an internship that is related to their career, and upon completion, write a reflection that must be submitted to the school’s Career Development Center team.

A community service project is also encouraged.

“We’ve heard from alumni and partners that employers value soft skills, and the program provides a vehicle for students to acquire this,” Conroy says. “Communication skills are not learned in the classroom but over time with practice and we are intentional in making sure our students pick this up while with us. I think it’s why employers love our students.”

Almost 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that their business school experience was life-changing and that the school’s extra-curricular opportunities offered them opportunities to nurture and improve their business skills. Another 60% said they felt the program prepared them exceptionally well for the world of work.

The School of Business’ Career Development Program also recently implemented an initiative called “Torero Treks,’ that involve career exploration by visiting companies nationally. Each trek usually includes visits to three organizations in a region or industry, where students also get to engage in alumni panels, office tours, and networking opportunities that allow students to learn about career paths and grow their professional network.

In October 2018, a team of 25 students from the university went to Orange County, CA, to meet with corporate representatives from PIMCO, Green Street, and Capstone Partners. And in January 2019, about 20 students will be flying to Seattle, Wa, to meet with corporate recruiters and alumni at companies including T-Mobile, Boeing, Zillow, Microsoft, and Alaska Airlines.

With an alumni network of about 15,300, students from the College of Business have plenty of resources. The school shared that almost 91% of students from the Class of 2018 found full-time employment within a few months of graduation. The average starting salary for the Class of 2018 was $57,119, with 79% receiving signing bonuses.

“The graduates that leave our school are technically well-trained and have undergone a rigorous academic curriculum that includes a liberal arts foundations, and a strict business curriculum. They know how to socialize, network, and build careers,” Conroy says. “As a changemaker university, we hope they leave with a changemaker personality, taking control when they see a problem to try and make change.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “In one of my capstone projects at USD, we were tasked with assisting the San Diego Padres with a marketing campaign. It was a fantastic learning experience that pushed students into a professional environment. It gave students a chance to speak with executives and employees about career paths and opportunities!”- Recent alum “I was able to study abroad in Madrid, Spain and had a couple business oriented classes. During my senior year, through my management class, I was able to work on two projects. The first was working with a local coffee shop and brainstorming a way for them to scale their business over the next 5 years.

They had looked into options for opening a brick and mortar store so our task was to analyze this from a business perspective and share our thoughts on how they could do this. With the same class, I also entered into our school’s Social Innovation Challenge.

We had to build a business model and pitch a company focused on social change. Out of roughly 100 applicants, I was selected as a top 10 finalist and was given an opportunity to pitch my business case for a chance at winning $20,000.” - Recent alum “Most of my senior level classes had projects involved. First of all, it helped me to get to know the different thoughts and perspectives of my classmates through group projects. Second, it gave me the freedom to pick topics that I find interesting in the curriculum in which allowed me to explore outside of class. Last, it involved interacting with professionals who are practicing what I’m researching. Which benefited me in my career now with researching data, interacting with more senior employees, and my interpersonal skills.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 115

5250 UNIVERSITY DRIVE, MIAMI, FL 33146 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 305-284-4641

University of Miami

I $255,772 In-State Total Cost

$255,772 Out-of-State Total Cost

57.6%

Acceptance Rate

1257

Average SAT

$59,851

Average compensation (including bonus)

75.3%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

n October, 2017, the University of Miami, Miami Business School announced that John Quelch would be their new dean. Prior to joining the school, Quelch was the Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He was also a professor of health policy and management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and was the first to hold a primary appointment in both schools.

Quelch was also dean, vice president, and distinguished professor of international management at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) from 2011 to 2013. “This is a very exciting location with a tremendous amount of potential,” Quelch said in an interview with a marketing major from the business school.

THREE NEW BUSINESS CORE COURSES OFFERED IN SPANISH TO TAP INTO LATIN AMERICA MARKET Over the past three years, the program has made multiple curriculum innovations to attract students, and in turn, make those students more attractive to employers. The school has introduced three business core classes conducted in Spanish — Accounting 1, Business Law, and Business Technology. They have also added an elective that prepares students to do business in Latin America. In a school where 35% of incoming students for the Fall of 2017 are under-represented minorities, the move to provide core classes in another language is a natural and considerate move that many other universities have yet to adopt.

Miami’s School of Business offers a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. Undergraduates can choose from 14 majors available. With exception to the Schools of Architecture, Engineering, and Music, students can add a second major from the business school or any other college within the University of Miami.

Part of the school’s vision is to prepare individuals and organizations for the complex, dynamic, and interconnected world of international business. The school is also home to the University of Miami Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) that offers international learning opportunities to students. As part of community engagement, the school has chosen to focus their efforts on fostering intellectual and economic vitality in South Florida and Latin America.

Another change that the school recently introduced is the Global Business Studies program. Currently, the program is Latin Americafocused. Students combine a co-major in Latin American studies with a major in a functional area of business. The school reports that 25% of their students have a global experience before graduation and 50% of students in the Class of 2017 had internships before their senior year.

Nearly 82% of 2018’s graduating class found employment within 90

university of miami days of graduation.

Within the School of Business Administration at Miami, there are several programs in place to provide students with hands-on learning. The school’s Category 5 Student-Managed Investment Fund is both an investment portfolio and a track of classes. Students conduct research to make investment decisions on $500,000 in assets.

Only outstanding undergraduate business students interested in the investment management industry with a GPA of 3.5 and above in their major can apply to the prestigious program. Once they are in, students join one of six groups: Energy and Utilities, Health Care, Industrials and Materials, Real estate and Financials, Tech, and Media and Telecom.

For sophomore students who have clear interests in the investment industry, they can apply to join the Bermont/Carlin Scholars program. Accepted students start off by reading about current events and devouring new and classic books on the investment industry. They then prepare an in-depth research report on a target bulge-bracket firm offering summer internships in the New York City area.

For students with no interest in Finance, the Hyperion Council may be the organization to help them accumulate hands-on learning to boost the community engagement factor on their resumes. Each year, the council initiates an international project that involves students putting their knowledge in technology, entrepreneurship and marketing, accounting, finance, and business to use while helping a micro or small for-profit or not-for-profit grow.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “As an equity analyst of the Student Managed Investment Fund, I was a key member of the group tasked with managing an investment portfolio including making decisions that had direct implications on the performance of the fund. Some of the real world financial exposure I experienced while an analyst was equity valuation using discounted cash flow models and multiple comparable valuation models, financial statement analysis, macroeconomic and industry observation in order to better predict future movement of equity markets, and several insightful seminars conducted by top level CEOs and high ranking financial managers. Many of the skills and experience I acquired as a member of the fund are useful and are implemented on a daily basis in my career.” - Recent alum

MARKETING THE STUDENTS Every year, students in the marketing division who are selected for the marketing scholars program take an all-expense paid trip to New York City. Over the course of three days, sophomore and junior year students meet and hear presentations from leading marketing companies including Unilever, PepsiCo, Edelman, Nielsen, and Horizon Media. The networking opportunity is also a chance for students to build relationships with top company executives, who may later make internship and employment offers.

“The goal of the trip is to give our most outstanding marketing students an opportunity to meet with the most outstanding marketing companies,” explains Jeffrey Weinstock, the marketing lecturer at the School who runs the program. “The meetings are very focused on internships and full-time job opportunities.”

For the school’s undergraduate entrepreneurship majors, their capstone experience is a real-world experience where they become consultants for real people and real businesses. Ranging from small businesses and nonprofits to high growth companies, Miami students have worked with more than 80 entrepreneurs and businesses including the Miami City Ballet, Miami-based wireless company Brightstar Corporation, and Mediterranean restaurant Pasha’s, located Downtown Miami.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 117

100 ROCKAFELLER RD SUITE 1008, PISCATAWAY, NJ 08854 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 848-445-3600

Rutgers Business School At New Brunswick

E $110,720 In-State Total Cost

$175,952 Out-of-State Total Cost

46%

Acceptance Rate

1349

Average SAT

$62,710

Average compensation (including bonus)

85.3%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

veryone knows that there’s a road to Wall Street, but not everyone might know how to get on it. At Rutgers University-New Brunswick, high-achieving students who have their eyes set on the financial industry are connected with alumni who are already in places they dream of being. This is part of their Road to Wall Street program.

The program begins preparing students in their sophomore year for top finance careers. It also gives students access to a valuable but usually difficult-to-penetrate network, where they’ll be able to seek out mentors and grow their industry connections before leaving Rutgers University, leading to possibilities that include interviews, internships, and job offers.

Dean Lei Lei also shared in conversation with P&Q that starting in Spring 2019, business students would have to attend a boot camp designed to meet the demands of a fast changing world of tech economy.

There, students would learn about cybersecurity, Tableau, and data analytics.

Rutgers University is a public research university in New Jersey, with campuses in Newark and New Brunswick. The New Brunswick campus has about 4,500 undergraduates in the four-year business program, and about 43,000 students in total on campus. In Fall 2018, the business school received 12,403 applications to join their undergraduate business program, and 5,757 were admitted.

MANAGEMENT SKILLS COURSE REQUIRED FIRST THING As soon as a student enters Rutgers at New Brunswick, they are required to take a Management Skills class, which helps them develop their interpersonal skills. All students must also go through about 20 hours pre pre-orientation programming.

The New Brunswick campus is just an hour away by train from New York City, and two hours away from Philadelphia, providing business students with access to Fortune 500 companies, including Verizon Communications, Time Warner, MetLife, Citigroup, McGraw-Hill, Estee Lauder, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. The New Brunswick business school attracts many senior executives to teach on campus, and will soon begin offering students a new undergraduate course in marketing analytics, in line with the burgeoning demand for graduates with experience in data and analytics.

MANY EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Outside the classroom, Rutgers students in New Brunswick have access to a number of extracurricular activities to supplement their inclass knowledge. On top of tutorials and personal lessons on resume writing, interviewing skills, business attire, business etiquette, LinkedIn,

rutgers business school at new brunswick presentation skills, and soft skills, students can choose from 24 business-specific student organizations to add to their portfolios.

And in addition, students also have access to over 400 other student groups on campus..

The business school also as a blockchain club that is a year old but has already recruited over 500 students who are interested in cryptocurrency, and Rutgers Consulting allows students to work on their learning and development, client service, and postgraduate opportunities. The team not only works with industry players to host workshops on topics including Power Modeling, and Case Interview Prep, but also partners with the Small Business Initiative for students to work with the local business community by providing consulting services. And every Fall, the group connects students with career opportunities by setting up events that engage top-tier consulting firms.

The school’s Women BUILD (Business Undergraduates in Leadership Development) mentoring program helps instill confidence in young women at Rutgers by connecting them with working professionals, encouraging them to network and gain work experiences in their first year. In the second year, students attend leadership roundtables and engage in project that utilize their business knowledge and experience, as well as provide peer mentoring to sophomores in the group while helping to plan a conference or summit on Women’s Business Leadership.

Participation in the third year of the program is by invitation only as students serve as ambassadors and represent the team at conferences and corporate events. By participating in events, students can earn points, and those who complete all components of the program earn the Women BUILD Certificate in Women’s Business Leadership.

Almost 80% of alumni shared that they would recommend the business program at Rutgers New Brunswick to a friend or colleague. Around 60% said they felt the program had prepared them well for the world of work. Three-quarters of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they felt their degree was worth its cost in tuition, and almost 90% said their first job after graduating was in their desired job function.

WHAT STUDENTS SAY “Nearly every class (especially the core classes) in the business school includes detailed group projects which exponentially increased my project management skills and teamwork IQ. These project management skills are directly relevant to the projects which I am working on in the industry today - supervising teams of associates on two separate Fortune 500 public company audits.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 119

100 CAMPUS DR, ELON, NC, 27244 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 800-334-8448

Elon university

A $189,825 In-State Total Cost

$189,825

Out-of-State Total Cost

72.1%

Acceptance Rate

1249

Average SAT

$54,351

Average compensation (including bonus)

93.4%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t Elon University’s Martha & Spencer Love School of Business, almost all students in the Classes of 2017 and 2018 completed one or more business-specific internships before graduation.

About 81% of students had a global experience while working on their undergraduate degree, and every student has to complete a senior capstone experience, service learning, and undergraduate research experience as part of their journey towards graduation.

The school’s dedication to having their students learning both inside and outside of classrooms seems to have paid off, as almost 93% of their 2018 graduates found full-time employment just a few months after graduation.

Elon University is a private liberal arts university in Elon, North Carolina, that has five schools, including the Martha & Spencer Love School of Business, where their mission is to be “leaders in the design and delivery of transformational education experiences through engaged learning, excellence in teaching, mission-driven applied and pedagogical scholarship, and service, with a rigorous program of student that produces graduates able to provide principled leadership in the global community.”

As part of its attentiveness and responsiveness to student needs, Elon employs a four-credit structure for its courses, rather than the more common three-credit course structure, which Robert Springer, Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness, says is “designed not for additional lecture time but is designed instead to allow sufficient time during a class for students to begin, complete, and debrief on projects that engage them in learning a topic or concept.”

BLOOMBERG LAB ONE OF MANY NEW ADDITIONS TO THE SCHOOL In the past three years, the school has made a number of changes to their offerings, including an upgrade to The William Garrard Reed Finance Center computer lab, where there are now 12 Bloomberg terminals. The new Bloomberg lab will house some upper-level Finance courses, as students get to familiarize themselves with industry technology while at Elon.

In the beginning of the 2018 – 2019 academic year, students began taking an introductory business statistics course where they were taught R programming, in response to feedback from alumni and employers.

Sankey Hall, the second building for the business school, opened its doors in Fall 2018 to serve as a gateway to business for the rest of the Elon campus. The three-story, 30,000 square-foot building will provide even more classroom, office, and collaboration space, while housing the Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Chandler Family Professional Sales Center, a Design Thinking Center,

elon university and Financial Education Center.

In a review of the core curriculum by Love School faculty, the school introduced an innovative course to be offered to students early on called Gateway to Business. The course exposes students to the role of business in society, the importance of finding meaning in work (and therefore in their choice of major), and, by means of a simulation, the core functions of business: Accounting, Finance, Management, and Marketing.

In a survey of the Love School Class of 2016, 70% of alumni said they would recommend the program to a friend or colleague without hesitation, and that the program had prepared them well for the world of work.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE The Love School of Business also has its own dedicated career services center, where students can get one-on-one consultation appointments to make sure they are going in the right direction, and on the right path for them. About 50% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that their business school experience was life changing, and that their business degree would be instrumental in helping them reach their dream careers.

Students at the Love School of Business with a GPA of 3.8 and above, and a combined SAT score of 1380 with at least 600 on the math section, can apply to join the Business Fellows program. Each year, 30 students are selected for the program, and 22 are given $5,500 scholarships which they can renew annually if they remain in good standing.

The Business Fellows program is especially attractive to entrepreneurship, finance, management, marketing, international business, economics, consulting, and accounting majors as they get to visit Wall Street, network with Elon alumni, visit the New York Stock Exchange, and visit companies including Thomson Reuters, UBS, Bloomberg, and Credit Suisse.

“The Business Fellows had a capstone project where I helped managed $250,000 of Elon’s endowment portfolio. We also had a trip to New York City, and networked with alumni and parents in addition to on site visits to multiple companies such as JP Morgan, Blackrock, etc. I also was part of an Undergraduate Research project where I studied how mobile and online banking is reshaping financial services strategy,” says Adam Gill, a 2016 graduate of the school who participated in the program and is now a senior consultant at Ernst & Young. “It was also part of my experience to hold internships where I interned at two companies — one being where I am currently employed. They truly encourage and ensure you have many different experiences that grow you as an individual.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I conducted undergraduate research in the business school for 2.5 years with a faculty mentor from the Entrepreneurship department.

I received funding from the Love School of Business to pursue my research, and I wrote an article with my mentor that was published last year in “Organizational Dynamics.” This was a defining experience in my undergraduate career, and I am forever grateful to the Love School of Business for giving me the opportunity to dive deeply into an area of interest and cultivate lasting relationships with my professors.” - Recent alum “I participated in one of Elon’s various winter term abroad experiences. The course which I enrolled in, entitled, ‘Business and Culture in Vietnam’, was invaluable as it pertains to my growth as an aspiring business professional, as well as my personal growth. My peers and I traveled from Hanoi (northern Vietnam) down the coast to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Along the way, we were introduced to a number of businesses (e.g., Hanoi Stock Exchange, a furniture manufacturer, a local entrepreneur who, alongside his son, hand crafts bicycles from bamboo, among others). Not only did we get to immerse ourselves in the culture of the Vietnamese people, but we were given the opportunity to converse with and learn from business owners of organizations both small and large.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 121

201 SHIELDS BUILDING, UNIVERSITY PARK, PA 16802 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 814-865-5471

Pennslyvania State University

S $128,579 In-State Total Cost

$191,193

Out-of-State Total Cost

37%

Acceptance Rate

1319

Average SAT

$63,063

Average compensation (including bonus)

71.6%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

tarting college in the midst of the recession had a big impact on Caitlin Silver’s education and career. She entered the Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Business hoping that a major in accounting might guarantee her a job.

Even though Penn State is Silver’s family school, it wasn’t initially her top choice. “The culture at Penn State is very ‘football, football.’ My parents went here. My grandparents went here. I just fell into it; I didn’t come here with that enthusiasm,” she says.

But when she got into the honors program, she decided to go. And as it turned out, Smeal’s accounting major and career services were everything Silver wanted. And as an added bonus, the college ran with the mentality of a small liberal arts school within the big university.

“I had classes with 500-plus kids, and I could still go to office hours. I had a professor who taught me and 700 other students, and we were still in touch,” she says. “And the Business School would check in with me to make sure I passed the CPA and things like that.”

PENN STATE’S 19 CAMPUSES PROVIDE UNIQUE OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS When students arrive at Smeal, they begin the Entrance to Major requirements, which they’ll complete within the first two years. One of the classes is a freshman seminar dedicated to exploring the different business majors. The rest are courses in math, writing, and economics, and introductory courses in accounting, management, finance, and statistics.

And because Penn State is a multi-campus institution, students don’t have to complete the Entrance to Major requirements from the University Park campus. There are 19 other Penn State campuses, which traditionally have allowed students to spend the first two college years closer to home. Business students can spend all four years on the Smeal campus at University Park, or just the last two after they declare a major.

Once students pick a major, the coursework is still fairly flexible.

Each major has a core set of required classes, but students are usually given two choices within that field of study. For example, students can study accounting with a focus on finance, or accounting with a focus on something else. On top of major courses, Smeal also has the ‘twopiece requirement,’ where they choose two classes from a business focus outside their major.

INTRODUCING COURSES IN ETHICS, SUSTAINABILITY, AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Jeff Sharp, associate dean for undergraduate education at Smeal, says the business students are highly motivated to accomplish and study

Pennsylvania state university matters within and outside the classroom, and to make sure the school is providing what students want, they’re constantly looking for new opportunities to help students grow and explore.

In recent years Smeal has responded to student demand by introducing new majors within the business school and integrating ethics, sustainability, and social responsibility into upper-level core classes for all students. And they have a good number of applied learning options including study abroad, leadership opportunities, and an investment fund. In fact, Sharp says they’re getting close to 90% of their graduates having some applied learning or leadership experience.

Concerning study abroad, Sharp says approximately one third of Smeal students participate, and they hope to see a 10% increase soon. “We’ve been very selective in terms of our study abroad opportunities,” he says. “I know there are many suppliers of study abroad programs out there in the private sector. We’ve been very careful to make sure we’re partnering with selective universities.”

FINANCE MAJORS HAVE ACCESS TO $7 MILLION STUDENTMANAGED INVESTMENT FUND

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Many case studies were done with in depth discussions on students ideas and actual implementation in the real world. We also participated in simulations which included a stock market simulation where we competed to have the most stock growth in a given period of time. We completed a supply chain simulation where we ran our own company in areas of procurement, logistics, marketing etc. where decisions made against other students would place in a ranked position. Strategies for the simulation could vary, but it was the execution of the strategies that resulted in an increased revenue. It was a great learning experience!” Recent alum

For finance majors, Smeal has the Nittany Lion Fund, which is a $7 million student-managed investment fund. With private investors and student managers, it’s one of only a few student-managed funds that uses actual investor money.

And all students follow the Smeal Honor Code. Sharp says the code was written by students in the Smeal MBA program in 2006, and was adopted by the undergraduate program in 2007.

“We have found a great deal of enthusiasm in students wanting to know what’s going on beyond the university, concerning ethical issues in the world, in business, and in the government,” Sharp says.

“This is a real distinguishing part of the Smeal College experience, and we’ve received a great deal of support and enthusiasm from alums who represent some of the finest leadership in business.”

Specifically, the Honor Code states that those in the Smeal community will aspire to the highest ethical standards, and hold each other accountable to them in their academic lives and future careers.

“I think students realize that we live in a world in which – often times – some send the signal that it’s purely a bottom line business,” Sharp says. “And I think that the students are very wise, that they know it’s about more than just who makes the most profit, it’s about how you conduct yourself and your business and about building long term quality relationships of honor and integrity. And in the end that’s what’s best for business.”

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 123

1 CUNNINGHAM SQUARE, PROVIDENCE, RI 02918 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 401-865-2332

Providence College school of business

B $260,912 In-State Total Cost

$260,912

Out-of-State Total Cost

51%

Acceptance Rate

1247

Average SAT

$59,014

Average compensation (including bonus)

78.6%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

usiness students at Providence College receive a rigorous business education that includes core classes in finance, accounting, economics, management, and marketing. But on top of the common skills and knowledge that the industry expects, the school has identified that the mark of a great business person is the ability to read with clarity and understanding, analyze text, and communicate well with people both like and unlike themselves. That’s why the school has a Development of Western Civilization program that every student takes.

In this program, students explore human history through multiple lenses, from literature and philosophy, to theology and art. With guidance and through practice, students develop the habit of drawing connections, and noticing how details make a larger picture.

Paired with the school’s First-Year Experience program, an Experiential Learning Activities program, an Ethics in Business Education program, and offerings that include a summer Data Analytics Bootcamp, it’s easy to see why top employers for Providence College business graduates include PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, JP Morgan, and Deloitte.

Providence College is a private, Roman Catholic university located in Providence, Rhode Island, and their School of Business offers a four-year undergraduate business program. In Fall 2018, the School of Business at Providence College received 3,038 applications to their undergraduate business program and 1,540 students were admitted. In total, 404 business majors entered, and the full-time enrollment for all business majors in Fall 2018 was 1,712.

In a survey conducted by Poets&Quants, over 50% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they felt their business degree from Providence College was absolutely worth its cost in tuition. About 50% also said that the school has prepared them exceptionally well for the world of work. And in one of the highest scores among P&Q surveys of alumni of undergraduate business programs across the nation, over 73% of alumni from the Providence Class of 2016 said that they would recommend the business program to a close friend or colleague without hesitation.

NEW PROGRAMS LAUNCHING THIS YEAR Starting in the 2018-2019 academic year, the school launched a pilot program which includes an Experiential Learning Activities program for first-year students. And in January 2019, the college announced that it had been accepted into the Bloomberg Experiential Learning Partners Program by having 12 Bloomberg terminals and over 100 students having earned their Bloomberg Market Concentration (BMC) certification each year. In fact, in the 2017-2018 school year 275 students completed the BMC certification. Providence College is one of almost 20 schools that is part of the Bloomberg program.

PROVIDENCE COLLEGE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Starting Spring 2019, the college will begin offering the Michael Smith Regional Ethics Case Competition which builds on the success of their internal case competition. Undergraduate students will work in teams of three or four to analyze a business ethics case over two weeks in April 2019 before presenting their solutions to judges. The competition will award $2,000 and $1,000 in prizes to the first- and second-place team, respectively.

In recent years, other changes the school has made to the curriculum including offering a Data Analytics Bootcamp in the summer for undergraduate students as well as adding two elective courses in financial modeling and decision-making, and accounting data analytics. To better meet the needs of high-achieving students at Providence College School of Business, the Department of Finance instituted a Fast Track program for incoming freshmen with qualifying secondary AP credits and a declared major in finance in Fall 2017. In Fall 2018, the Department of Marketing launched a Marketing Fellows program for top, career-driven students In a survey conducted by P&Q, 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they were part of a signature experience while at the School of Business. From developing full pitches and performing stock price analyses, to working on capstone projects, graduates said they had plenty of opportunities to learn hands-on.

Sammy Elsayed, a finance major from the Class of 2016, says his time at Providence was somewhat life-changing.

“My finance capstone project helped me visualize everything I learned throughout my four year career as a PCSB student in one go,” Elsayed says. “The time I spent on the project as well as the valuable insight I achieved by completing it helped me immensely in regards to setting my expectations for life in the real working world.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I was given the opportunity to study abroad through a program with BU that was credited towards my schooling. In participating in it I was able to get an internship and experience in a publicity company in London. I had to create a product and product marketing plan for an international market (Tunisia). To do so I had to look at a full SWOT analysis and explore the politics of the region.” - Recent alum

EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES The school shared that 87% of business students from the Class of 2017 completed a business-specific internship before graduation, and 93% of students from the Class of 2018 did the same. For the Class of 2018, nearly 79% reported they had full-time employment within three months of graduation, with an average salary of $57,174.

About 25% of them received a signing bonus that averaged $7,360.

Almost 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that the quality of teaching in business courses at Providence was outstanding, and that there were exceptional opportunities given to them in the business program to nurture and improve their business skills. Some 60% also said they believed their business degree would help them climb to a higher socioeconomic status, and 93% said that their first job after graduation was in their desired job function.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 125

2000 PENINGTON RD, ERWING, NJ, 08628 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 609-771-2131

The College of New Jersey

T $116,433 In-State Total Cost

$160,583

Out-of-State Total Cost

41%

Acceptance Rate

1254

Average SAT

$58,830

Average compensation (including bonus)

71.3%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey offering a four-year undergraduate business program featuring three majors — accounting, economics, and business administration. In a survey conducted by Poets&Quants of alumni from the Class of 2016, over 80% said they felt their business degree from The College of New Jersey was worth its cost in tuition.

Over 80% also said the program prepared them well for the world of work, with alumni sharing that they had found jobs in companies including Deloitte, Johnson & Johnson, Ameriprise Financial, Merck & Co., American Express, and RBC Capital Markets.

The TCNJ program features five distinct Signature Experiences. They are Personalized, collaborative and rigorous education; Undergraduate research, mentored internships, and field experiences; Community engaged learning; Global engagement; and Leadership development.

Almost 75% of alumni surveyed said they were engaged in a signature experience while at TCNJ and were involved in case competitions, capstone projects, internships and co-op experiences, simulations, and projects done in partnership with real companies.

Kevin Boise, Class of 2016, said he was part of the Student Investment Fund while at TCNJ where they managed over $300,000 in assets.

His involvement allowed him to gain experience with the day-today activities of the fund, which included developing buy or sell presentations for the portfolio, and voting on actions.

At TCNJ, 87% of students in both the classes of 2017 and 2018 completed at least one business-specific internship while working on their undergraduate degree. The school has placed students in a list of international organizations including Bloomberg L.P., Citibank, Goldman Sachs, NBCUniversal, Northwestern Mutual, Thomson Reuters, and Target. Several students in the Class of 2016 shared that they had eight-month co-op experiences with Johnson & Johnson where they were paid for working 40 hours a week and received school credits while taking classes full-time.

STUDENT CLUBS & STUDY ABROAD OPTIONS The school also has 17 business-specific student organizations that students can join to gain more skills, knowledge, and connections in their area of interest. The Women in Business club helps to connect female business students with mentors in the industry. The group also picks a topic every week, ranging from personal branding to selfdevelopment, to discuss with members.

Through the TCNJ Entrepreneurship Club, students who are interested in entrepreneurship can not only listen to guest speakers, but also meet peers with similar entrepreneurial interests. The Financial Management Association chapter at TCNJ is a place where students

the college of new jersey hoping to go into accounting, finance, banking, and investments, can begin their networking and career design process on top of classroom work. Through industry associations, members get to interact with business executives and build relationships that can lead to internship and job offers later on. Finally, The Bull, Bear & Lion is TCNJ School of Business’ school newspaper, that keeps students up to date in the world of business. The club also offers students a chance to practice business reporting.

The university offers students over 200 semester-abroad options, and the business school shared that 11% of students spend at least four weeks abroad before graduation. In response to the P&Q survey, 23% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they traveled abroad while at TCNJ, with many saying that they took classes at the European Study Center in Heidelberg, Germany. Over 60% of alumni shared that their time at TCNJ was life changing, and over 90% from the Class of 2016 said they would recommend the program to a close friend or colleague.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I studied abroad in Heidelberg Germany, at TCNJs European study center. It was a great program, the best deal in studying abroad as tuition and classes were all part of the business school.” - Recent alum “The finance capstone at TCNJ greatly prepared me for my work as a financial advisor.

We were encouraged to maintain individual thinking and create unique projects.” - Recent alum

CAREER REPORTS The school shared that about 71% of 2018 graduates seeking employment found full-time jobs within three months of graduation.

Those graduates reported an average starting salary of $58,000.

Some 17% of those with full-time employment reported an average signing bonus of $4,880.

Almost 70% of alumni from the Class of 2016 shared that they believed their business degree would assist them in climbing to a higher socioeconomic status, and that their degree would be instrumental in helping them reach their dream careers. About 77% said their first job after graduating was in their desired job function, and over 90% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said their first job after graduation was at their desired company.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 127

230 Jesse Hall, Columbia, MO 65211 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 573-882-7786

university of Missouri At Columbia

N $119,632 In-State Total Cost

$188,284

Out-of-State Total Cost

69.2%

Acceptance Rate

1220

Average SAT

$51,611

Average compensation (including bonus)

95.4%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

estled in the quaint college down of Columbia, Missouri is the 54thranked business school on the third annual Poets&Quants’ ranking.

Those lumping Missouri as a fly-over state have likely never stepped foot in the town of a little more than 100,000, which is one of the most educated and culturally rich towns in the middle of the country.

Despite being a two hour drive from any significant metropolitan area, it hasn’t slowed down the school’s ability to get it’s graduates full-time career positions soon after graduation.

“We have extraordinary success with placement for our students,” says Mary Marrs, the assistant dean of undergraduate programs at the University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business.

Indeed, Trulaske placed 34th in employment category, buoyed by a required business internship and greater than 95% placement rate for its Class of 2018 within 90 days of graduation.

From the moment students arrive on campus, they begin work in the required Professional EDGE program. To be sure, the professional EDGE program is the main unique selling point of a Trulaske degree, which includes six majors to choose from. Established on a point system, students must earn 200 “points” before graduating. Points are earned by attending campus workshops and events.

After 200 points are earned, all students take BA 4500, the required internship course. Within the course, Marrs says, students must go through a “professional competency model,” created by industry partners and designed to give students a “360 degree” evaluation of the competencies. “That’s why we consistently see placement percentages north of 90,” Marrs believes. While the internship is required, it’s certainly not handed to the students, Marrs says. “The students aren’t given an internship. They have to hustle for it on their own,” Marrs says.

“Our students graduate with 1.7 internships.”

And the course credit certainly isn’t given to the students, either.

Students must complete a minimum of 120 hours of work and spend at least eight consecutive weeks at the internship. Also, Marrs says, before even getting the internship approved, students must submit an application with their duties as an intern.

CORNELL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR HIGH ACHIEVING STUDENTS A gem within the Missouri undergraduate experience for high achieving high school students is the Cornell Leadership Program.

High school students scoring higher than 1,320 on the SAT and 28 on the ACT may submit an application for one of 30 spots in the four-yearlong program. Accepted students receive mentoring from upper-level students and alums, along with traveling the country and the world meeting with top execs.

University of missouri at columbia “They are having opportunities to question some of the greatest business minds in the world,” Marrs says of the students in the program. “These are the students that go to Wall Street. They have incredible opportunities.”

Marrs says the leadership program has established a pipeline of sorts to Wall Street jobs. Investment-minded students also have the opportunity to manage the Mizzou Investment Fund alongside other undergrads and MBAs. Through the Investment Management Fund course, students manage more than $1.6 million of the university’s endowment. Plus, Marrs says, students can take the Warren Buffett course the school offers, which includes a trip to meet with the legendary investor.

FROM COLUMBIA, MISSOURI TO WALL STREET Still, it’s a relatively small number of students who leave Columbia, Missouri for Wall Street, which is reflective in the school’s low average salaries for the Class of 2016. Marrs says salary is a “concern,” but the majority of Trulaske students come from Missouri, which has a lower cost of living compared to pretty much every other state. Also, Marrs points out, Trulaske has a “fair” amount of graduates joining the Peace Corps or going to work for a nonprofit organization, something that is representative of the school’s student population.

“This generation of students have a very strong service-oriented interest,” Marrs says, noting there is actually a required service program in the Professional Development Program. “Students seek out those opportunities,” she continues. “They want to make the world a better place.”

The point, Marrs explains, is a Mizzou business degree is more nimble than what she believes is common perception.

“Students can go to Wall Street with a degree from Mizzou. But they can also go to a nonprofit in the Midwest,” she says.

Despite having nearly 5,000 students enrolled in the undergraduate business program, Marrs says Trulaske provides a smaller community setting within the larger land grant university.

“There is very much a family feel to it,” she says, noting students have direct access with career coaches and advising. “All of these programs create a community,” she adds For Marrs, one of the most important aspects of Trulaske is the school’s community and alumni.

“We have a unique commitment to our students while they are on campus and afterwards,” Marrs says. “Everywhere we go, the alumni are so excited to see the students. And they want to network with them and help them find internships and full-time employment. And they just want to give back. They are so engaged.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I participated in the business school summer study abroad program in Italy. Not only were the classes with Italian students a wonderful cultural experience, but the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel the world was worth more than money can buy.” - Recent alum “Studying abroad in Argentina and Chile was life changing. I was able to broaden my perspective on how business is conducted in other countries and have a lot of fun!” Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 129

4434 UNIVERSITY DRIVE, HOUSTON, TX 77204 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 713-743-4900

University of Houston

T $104,380 In-State Total Cost

$164,470

Out-of-State Total Cost

25.2%

Acceptance Rate

1309

Average SAT

$55,078

Average compensation (including bonus)

71%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston is located in one of the fastest growing economic hubs in the U.S. Located in Houston, Texas, the city is headquarters to over 20 Fortune 500 companies, which is fourth on the 2018 list of cities with the most Fortune 500 headquarters, behind New York, Chicago, and DallasFort Worth.

“The hallmark of Bauer College is business education for the real world of business,” Todd Chaykosky, director of assessment and accreditation at the college, says. “Located in the fourth largest city in the U.S., Bauer College provides rich internship experiences, as well as access to speakers and adjunct faculty from industry, and opportunities for faculty to conduct research based in real world settings.”

The public research university offers a four-year undergraduate business program where students can choose from seven majors.

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE To help students transition to college life, all freshmen students are required to attend a two-day Freshman New Student Conference organized by the university. Once they are part of Bauer College, all students become part of the Emerging Leaders Academic Success Program. The program assigns students to Peer Leaders who can help answer questions regarding school life. It also provides a semester-long seminar experience where freshmen discuss various topics such as time management, academic mapping, and degree planning. Peer Leaders also help organize social events to help new students build relationships and integrate into the Bauer community.

Freshmen at Bauer can also apply to join Cougar Village, where “business-themed” housing allows business students to live together.

Other wings of the housing option are available to students studying in other areas such as communication, engineering, and technology.

For Finance students who are interested in jump-starting their careers while at Bauer, the finance association has over 250 members and organizes over 60 events every semester to connect students to alumni, industry professionals, and potential employers.

For students who are interested in entrepreneurship, the BBA program in Entrepreneurship at Bauer features six custom-design courses.

Between 35 and 45 students are admitted to the entrepreneurship program each year. Over the last 15 years, entrepreneurship students representing the school’s Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship have won over 50 awards in national business plan competitions, more than any undergraduate program in North America. In 2018, Bauer teams placed first in the HCC Ideas Pitch Competition, second in the MIT Clean Energy Prize, and third in the Department of energy Cleantech University Prize hosted by Rice University, among others. In total, Bauer

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON students won almost $50,000 in prize money.

About 50% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they were engaged in a signature experience while at Bauer, with many sharing stories of group projects, simulated working environments, participation in competitions, and partnership projects with local companies.

“I took part in group projects in classes which were very useful and practical. Moreover, almost everyone in the business school was in a student organization where we expanded our professional network and improved our soft skills,” one 2016 grad told Poets&Quants. “Those experiences were critical to the success I had at my job.”

About 20% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they traveled abroad while at Bauer, though the school shared that 3% of undergraduate students had an international experience of four weeks or more.

CAREER OUTCOMES The school shared that about 45% of students in both the classes of 2017 and 2018 completed at least one business-related internship before graduation. About 71% of 2018 graduates seeking employment found full-time jobs within three months of graduation.

The average starting salary for those with full-time position was $54,144, and the average signing bonus received was $5,835.

About 70% of alumni shared that their time at Bauer was lifechanging, and 60% said they believed their business degree would help them climb to a higher socioeconomic status.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I took part in group projects in classes which were very useful and practical.

Moreover, almost every one in business school was in a student organization where we expanded our professional network and improved our soft skills. Those experience were critical to be successful at my job.” - Recent alum “I led a small group of students in my project management class to assist a non profit organization upgrade their databases system. It was the most rewarding experience during my time as an undergraduate.” - Recent alum “As part of my undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business, I was able to work on case competitions as well as in class presentations that were judged by partners of the big four as well as other local firms. I truly believe I wouldn’t have achieved my goal of working for Deloitte if it wasn’t for my time at Bauer.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 131

4293 PEREIRA DR, IRVINE, CA 92697 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 949-824-4565

University of California At Irvine

T $135,432 In-State Total Cost

$251,400 Out-of-State Total Cost

22%

Acceptance Rate

1359

Average SAT

$55,880

Average compensation (including bonus)

75%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he undergraduate business program at the University of CaliforniaIrvine’s Paul Merage School of Business is in high demand. This past fall, the school received 12,087 applications and only 1,171 were admitted, for an acceptance rate of about 22%. Just graduating it’s seventh class, the Business Administration degree at UC-Irvine is one of the youngest on this year’s ranking.

UC-Irvine is a public research university located in Irvine, California.

It is one of 10 campuses in the University of California system. If this were a ranking based on geography alone, it would be hard to beat UC-Irvine. Located in Orange County, California, the school enjoys year-round warm weather, sunshine, and sits between beaches and mountains. Plus, it’s near growing economic hubs Los Angeles and San Diego.

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE In Spring 2018, the school founded the Merage School LEADS (Leadership Experience and Development for Success) Program to provide a select group of students with enhanced professional development, mentoring workshops, and networking events with alumni and community leaders. The aim is to help the students improve their skills and confidence in relationship building, communication, problem-solving, leadership, and personal branding, through a series of activities.

The school boasts 17 business-specific student organizations. Finance students interested in Wall Street-like jobs can explore the Student Managed Investment Fund, where they can get hands-on experience dealing with stocks, fixed income trade, stock analysis, and macro economic prediction. The group also participates in the annual Orange County CFA committee competition.

Students who want to give back to the community can join the Students Consulting for Non-Profit Organizations group, an organization with chapters in universities nationwide. Working in 15-week project cycles, the group works to come up with insights and solutions for their clients.

Over at the Real Estate Association, students can learn more about the real estate industry, explore career opportunities in the field, and meet alumni and professionals who are currently working in real estate.

In August 2018, the school also received a $100,000 gift from the Bixby Land Co. to start a new endowed fund at the Center for Real Estate that will provide merit-based financial assistance to students with interest in real estate, and participation in the Center’s activities.

The university’s Study Abroad Program also provides students with the option of choosing from over 400 programs in 46 countries. The program has partnerships with over 60 schools of business or economics

university of california at irvine globally. The school shared that about 16% of students have a global experience before graduation.

CAREER OUTLOOK The school shared that 69% of 2018 graduates had at least one business-specific internship before graduation. Among 2018 graduates seeking employment, 74% had secured full-time positions within three months of graduation. The average salary for those graduates was $54,479.

In a survey conducted by P&Q of the Class of 2016, about 30% said their business school experience at UC-Irvine was life-changing.

Some 40% said they believed their business degree would assist them in climbing to a higher socioeconomic status. This past fall, the school’s incoming class was 46% first-generation college students — more than any other school on this year’s ranking.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “We were required to take an international business class. In international business law we had a culminating project where we proposed a business plan to bring a company into the international sector. Through this, I learned a lot about international laws, barriers to international expansion, and am now able to make quick but thorough decisions on general international business decisions.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 133

1014 GREENE ST, COLUMBIA, SC 29208 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 803-777-3178

university of South Carolina

A $93,692 In-State Total Cost

$171,118

Out-of-State Total Cost

65.1%

Acceptance Rate

1299

Average SAT

$64,255

Average compensation (including bonus)

86.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business, all students begin their business education by taking the Business Core Curriculum. At the end of the foundational core competency courses, a professional communications course is required.

“The 14-course program for freshmen and sophomores covers the functional areas of business to give the students a holistic perspective,” Peter Brews, dean of the Moore School of Business, says. “Our job is to keep the students motivated and learning, drive their desires to get internships, and help them develop business careers in the global economy.”

The school’s undergraduate curriculum shifted from a two-year to four-year program in 2016. The reason? Getting the students into the core classes as Freshmen gives them exposure to functional areas and ample time to decide on a major that matches their interests.

“Moore School students come out with training in hard skills, paired with soft skills, that employers are asking for,” Brews says. “It’s their professionalism, teamwork skills, presentation abilities, projects and experiences that differentiate them from other graduates.”

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Highlighting the academic experience at Moore is the international component. Besides the International Business major, all Moore students must complete a minimum of nine credits of internationally-focused content. For those that do decide to major in International Business, the focus will be on economics, political science, anthropology, and sociology. International Business majors are also expected to double major in a second business functional area, fulfill extensive language requirements, and study abroad for at least one semester.

All students may also choose from one of the Moore School’s 19 ShortTerm Study Abroad programs taught by Moore faculty. These courses are offered in three sessions — spring break, the Maymester, and during the summer.

Alumni from the Class of 2016 shared having done summer internships in Ecuador, language immersions in Spain, studying abroad in Scotland, and living in London. Jason Blanco, Class of 2016, took an International Business course where they traveled to Japan to learn about the business culture.

“It was a great experience and opportunity to learn how the Japanese people approached business strategy and how their operational techniques differed from those of the business culture in the United States,” he says. “Further, I was able to engage in classroom studies at Japanese universities, take factory and facility tours for world renowned car dealerships, and explore the historical side of Japan.”

Currently trending in popularity at the Moore School is the 12-credit

university of south carolina Business Analytics Concentration. Created in 2016, the concentration has gone from 30 students the first semester to more than 400 in Fall 2018. It’s now the most popular concentration at the Moore School.

Also created in 2016 is the Finance Scholars Program. The most promising Junior Finance students are selected to participate in specialized course work, data source instruction, live case studies with industry partners, career management training, internships, and alumni networking. Students in the application-only program attend a three-day boot camp covering Excel, Bloomberg, and CapIQ, and take separate and advanced sections of Corporate Financial Analysis and Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management. The program boasts a placement rate of 100% with students employed in investment banking, consulting, credit risk, and asset management.

The school also has a Marketing Scholars Program that was established in 2017 in conjunction with the inaugural Center for Sales Success. Designed to educate, prepare, and place their top marketing students, the program features a dedicated four-course sales sequence taught by in-house marketing faculty. The sequence leads to the Certified Professional Sales Person credential awarded by the National Association of Sales Professionals.

Outside the classroom, Marketing Scholars engage with corporate sponsors to learn from proven sales strategies and hone their professionalism. The program has a placement rate of 87% at graduation with employers such as Pepsi, ADP, Insights Global, and Under Armour.

CAREER OUTLOOK While internships are not required for graduation at Moore School of Business, the school shared that about 68% of students in the Class of 2017 and 2018 completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation. Students can pursue internships and co-ops with on-campus recruiters or companies connected through the Moore School’s career management portal and through the Fall and Spring Business Expos, Internship Blitzes, and Industry Forums.

And for those who choose not to, there are plenty of other hands-on learning opportunities to experience, from consulting projects, team competitions, and research with faculty, to leadership and service commitments, and study abroad and semester-exchange programs.

The school shared about 87% of 2018 graduates seeking employment found full-time positions within three months of graduation. For those that found jobs, the average starting salary was $61,946. Almost 85% of Moore alumni from the Class of 2016 said their first job after graduation was in their desired job function, and almost 80% said they found employment at their desired company.

“Our students come out data proficient, analytically capable, and functionally deep,” Brews says. “They are prepped to be successful in the 21st century business world.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Every student who is majoring in Global Supply Chain/Operations Management must engage in a senior capstone project. For this project, I worked with a team of four other students to help consult a local company on certain business practices and provide a solution to an issue they were having. For this project, I helped lead a Six Sigma team to identify process improvement opportunities for an $8 million business segment. We utilized DMAIC Framework which we learned in the classroom to understand and diagnose defects of the North American import process for the company we were working for. This project allowed me to gain real-world consulting experience before going into a software consultant position at my current company.” Recent alum “I was in a Capstone project which allowed me to act as a consultant for an international company and receive my Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt. I was also involved in a Finance Scholars program which included hands-on learning experiences with investment banking.

Additionally, I served on the Moore School case competition team which included international travel for case competitions.” - Recent alum “I took an International Business course where we traveled to Japan and learned about the business culture there. It was a great experience and opportunity to learn how the Japanese people approached business strategy and how their operational techniques differed from those of the business culture in the United States. Further, I was able to engage in classroom studies at Japanese universities,take factory/facility tours for world renowned car dealerships, and explore the historical side of Japan.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 135

10 GARRISON AVE, DURHAM, NH 03824 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 603-862-1981

university of New Hampshire

A $134,292 In-State Total Cost

$198,792

Out-of-State Total Cost

64.1%

Acceptance Rate

1171

Average SAT

$52,715

Average compensation (including bonus)

92.9%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t the University of New Hampshire, Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, every first year student goes through FIRE. The school’s First Year Research and Innovation Experience (FIRE) program is aimed at helping students make the transition to college while building the foundation for their success over the next four years. Students are put in teams of about 20 each, and work for an entire year on a challenge designed to help them identify the resources and skills they’ll need to construct a business plan.

“FIRE gives students an opportunity to make friends outside their dorms, get involved in things, and start feeling that sense of community that isn’t just about business, but also about becoming a part of the Paul College community,” Neil Niman, associate dean of Academic Programs at Paul College, says. “We’re giving our students the skills and tools to be successful in order to get the opportunities they have always dreamed of securing.”

The University of New Hampshire is a public research university in Durham, New Hampshire, and Paul College students can choose from seven majors. The FIRE program is one of the biggest and newest programs started at Paul College, and uses game mechanics such as leaderboards to motivate students to get involved in experiences from the start. Niman says the school has been giving out more points each year as students are increasingly active and involved. In its fourth year, Niman says 600,000 points will be dished out to the freshman class this year. No single event is worth more than 30 points.

To support the FIRE program, the university has even created a mobile app called LinkedUp, where students can find other students with similar interests and link up to grow their personal and professional networks.

“We are focused on using technology to encourage our students to connect face-to-face. It’s important to us that students get together and have shared experiences,” Niman says. “We want students to know that they don’t need to make up their mind about the rest of their lives on the first day, but there are things they need to start doing in their first year and over the next four years in order to be professionally successful.”

BUSINESS IN PRACTICE IS ‘FUTURE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION’ Over 70% of alumni from the Class of 2016 told P&Q that they had been engaged in a “signature experience,” and 72% said they would recommend the program to a friend or colleague without hesitation.

Andy McAuliffe, Class of 2016, shared that he worked with the Environmental Protection Agency to build a campaign spreading awareness of clean and healthy products that were allergy sensitive and environmentally friendly as part of his marketing capstone. “We went onsite to the EPA and worked with them to build the campaign,

university of new hampshire implement it and present it at the end of senior year,” McAuliffe says.

Another unique aspect to Paul is the Business in Practice program — something Niman calls “the future of business education.”

“We have opened up a small portion of our curriculum to the business community, and are engaging corporate partners to ask them what they want to see in our graduates. When they tell us what they need, we ask them if they would like to contribute a project or data that our students can work on, or if they would like to help design a two-credit curriculum that would help students gain the skills or knowledge they are looking for,” Niman says. “Sometimes, we ask if they have someone who can teach the course.”

The program is aimed at providing a formal structure for experiential learning in core competency areas, and to more actively engage business partners in the students’ education. Students are required to take one course in each of the four competency areas: Social Intelligence, Analytical Intelligence, Competitive Intelligence, and Professional Intelligence.

CAREER OUTCOMES The school shared that 48%of the graduating class of 2018 participated in a consulting project with an external organization.

And in both the Class of 2017 and 2018, about 85% of students completed business-specific internships before graduation. Paul College has an undergraduate business alumni network with almost 20,000 individuals, and in addition to the business-specific career office, and dedicated business school career advisors.

Nearly 93% of 2018 graduates seeking employment had full-time offers within three months of graduation. The average starting salary for those with employment was $50,420.

“We are seeing more of our top students secure jobs before their senior year starts. The aim is to place them in great internships during their junior year summers so they come back with a job offer,” Niman said. “We encourage our students to do multiple internships because the first one is not always the right one. But we believe we have been successful if our students don’t need to look for a job because they’ve been placed in an internship where they like the company and the company likes them.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I had a Marketing Capstone where we worked with the EPA to help build a campaign to spread awareness of healthy and clean products that were allergy sensitive and environmentally friendly. We went onsite to the EPA and worked with them to build the campaign, implement it and present it at the end of senior year. I also was credited for 2 internships, working 20 hours a week at a SaaS tech company and wrote a 20 page thesis on how my current learning in the classroom at the time applied to the internship and the different skills I learned in the corporate world that I would apply in my future career.” Recent alum “As part of the UNH University Honors Program, and Honors in Major Program, I completed a senior thesis. For several semesters leading up to the project, I was able to have meaningful conversations with professors outside of class, which helped me narrow down the topics I was interested in. During my senior year, I worked closely with my thesis advisor to conduct academic research on my topic. In the spring I presented at the school’s Undergraduate Research Conference (URC), and handed in a final report to my advisor.” Recent alum “I wrote my senior capstone on AirBnB. Through the project, I learned everything about AirBnb from their culture to whether or not the pre-IPO company was over/undervalued depending on their product offerings and market strategy. It was the first full-company analysis that I ever performed, and it was a tremendous learning experience.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 137

BOWLING GREEN, OH ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 419-372-2531

Bowling Green State University

A $97,146

In-State Total Cost

$127,062

Out-of-State Total Cost

70%

Acceptance Rate

1128

Average SAT

$53,772

Average compensation (including bonus)

93.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

ll students at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) College of Business start their business education with the signature Applied Core. In their freshman year students develop an understanding of consumers before moving to products and services in their sophomore year. During their junior year, they are guided towards an understanding of companies and organizations, and in their final year, they integrate all they have learned.

“BGSU has adopted a bold, innovative and broad-based approach to business education. It is designed to allow for discovery-based learning, hands-on experimentation, and collaboration to support the development and education of future business leaders and entrepreneurs,” Zubair Mohamed, associate dean at the College of Business, says. “Faculty use high impact methods of teaching that facilitate deeper learning.”

Bowling Green State University is a public research university with a four-year undergraduate business Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) program featuring 14 majors and 11 minors.

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE Before school starts in the fall, pre-orientation programming begins with Peer Leaders reaching out to assigned freshmen as early as June.

The summer communication is focused on making the initial contact and urging students to complete the Summer Success Checklist to help them connect and engage with the college before the fall semester begins.

Students can apply to the Peer Leader Program in their sophomore year.

The peer leaders are mentored by the Dean and faculty, and other than helping freshmen acclimatize to college life, they also help the faculty conduct classes, and with the living learning community, The Business District.

The Business District is open to all first-year students and is a learning community where students live and interact with each other. The time spent together and closeness developed help support students as they progress through the college experience. It also exposes students to networking opportunities with industry professionals, frequent interaction with faculty, and even mentorship, field excursion, and conference participation opportunities.

The College of Business has also made several changes to their curriculum in recent years.

“Based on the survey response from business leaders and faculty, the entire business quantitative curriculum was revised to enhance students’ quantitative skills and knowledge needed to succeed academically and professionally,” Mohamed says. “The newly designed and implemented five-course business analytics course sequence is designed to systematically develop students’ quantitative skills and knowledge in

BOWLING GREEN STATE university a progressive manner. The ability to draw intelligence from the data and make data-driven decisions is a very critical skill highly desired by the employers.”

In addition, the school has also increased the number of opportunities students have to engage in experiential learning. Not only has the faculty retooled their teaching methods to employ active-based learning in their classes, Mohamed adds that all classrooms in the college have been refurbished to promote active learning. Faculty now act more as guides and mentors to engage students to work more in teams and discuss assigned materials.

“This is to prepare students for real world where one is expected to show up prepared for meeting and lead discussions,” he says.

The efforts are part of a plan to design a responsive business education for the students, where the Student Persona is developed by faculty and students, while employers provide the blueprint for strategic initiatives and help guide the actions of the school.

Other way students at BGSU are prepared to lead in today’s workforce is through the implementation of design thinking principles in classes alongside traditional business education. Every business graduate from BGSU has experience with business data analytics as the school has recognized the adeptness in data-driven informed decision making that is crucial for success.

“By understanding the profile of the incoming students, and the qualities and qualifications that matter to the employers, the Persona dictates our actions in how we mold our students into highly desirable workforce by their employers,” Mohamed says.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Capstone helped me develop skills and the vision I had to have in order to succeed in any career path. Teamwork, innovation, hiccups in business/plans, and start to finish involvement.

Very excellent for incorporating in to an actual business setting, seeing the bigger picture and how every detail matters.” - Recent alum

CAREER OUTCOMES At Bowling Green State University College of Business, every single student in the Class of 2018 took part in a consulting project with an external organization. The school shared that 72% of students from the Class of 2018 had at least one business-specific internship before graduation.

Nearly 94% of 2018 graduates seeking employment secured fulltime jobs within three months of graduation. The average salary was $53,300. Over 90% of the Class of 2016 said their first job after graduation was in their desired job function. More than 80% said their first job was at their desired company.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 139

ADMISSIONS OFFICE: +1 415-869-0126 (SAN FRANCISCO) +1 617-619-1707 (BOSTON)

Hult International Business School

I $180,000 In-State Total Cost

$180,000

Out-of-State Total Cost

50%

Acceptance Rate

1264

Average SAT

$34,708

Average compensation (including bonus)

94.8%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

n a survey with Poets&Quants, over 90% of Class of 2016 alumni from Hult International Business School said they had engaged in a “signature experience” while working on their undergraduate degree. From capstone projects and business challenges, to consulting opportunities with external organizations and research opportunities, alumni shared that almost all of them had multiple hands-on learning opportunities.

What’s more, 60% also said they were part of a global immersion, trip, or project while at Hult. Rudy Hertanto, a 2016 grad, described his time at Hult as being “very hands-on and real.”

“We were put in a situation where dealing come one after another, and high-level, high-intensity, stressful situations where they demanded for us to excel and execute any strategy that we were willing to implement,” Hertanto said.

He added that he took advantage of the Hult campus in Shanghai to go on a global campus rotation. The Global Campus rotation program for undergraduates at Hult allows students to choose to start their business education at the London, Boston, or San Francisco campuses, before moving to any campus location they want. The school also has campuses in Dubai and Shanghai.

“We live in a fast-paced world, and it’s no secret that the way we do business is changing. At Hult, our approach to academic learning is based on helping to prepare our students for this ever-changing business landscape,” Lorena Leston, director of Strategic Initiatives & Institutional Research, says. “Our approach is designed to build the knowledge, skills, and mindsets that our students need to be successful in business today and in the future. We are first and foremost a business school, but we are also a global school that takes our students beyond the fundamentals of business.”

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE Hult International Business School is a private business school with its headquarters in Cambridge, Ma. They offer full-time and summer school programs for undergraduates. The student body at Hult is made up of over 129 nationalities speaking over 71 languages. According to Hult officials, about 94 percent of their students are international and studying on a campus in a country different than their own country of origin.

Hult prides itself in being the first and only U.S. business school to be accredited by the three most prestigious accrediting bodies: AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA. It is also one of the only schools in the world where students will earn both a U.S. and U.K. accredited bachelors degree, regardless of which campus location they graduate from.

“Our undergraduate program gives students the opportunity to focus

hult international on themselves, develop a growth mindset, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and gain the skills relevant to employers now and in the future,” Leston says.

Hult’s mission is to “become the most relevant business school in the world.” And in a recent redesign of the curriculum, the school decided to focus on the four core themes of: business, world, future, and you, with the aim of ensuring students are as prepared as possible for their first careers and beyond. Every single course at Hult now touches on one or more of the four core themes, and several new courses have since been introduced.

The curriculum redesign also included research in collaboration with Burning Glass Technologies to identify which skills business students would need most in the future. As a result from this research, the Hult faculty have developed their own skill framework, which includes using common terminology and increasing collaboration in how they teach, assess, and give feedback across different skill areas.

Students at Hult will now also work on one Core Challenge every year as part of the new curriculum. First years will face the Startup Challenge, second-year students will take on the Social Impact Challenge that is modelled on the Hult Prize Competition, and third-year students will complete a challenge within their areas of specialization. In their final year, students will work on the Hult Impact Challenge, where students complete a live client consulting project.

“Hult has a strong emphasis on experiential learning and practical experience,” Leston says. “Case studies, simulations, debates, and case challenges with real business clients give our students the opportunity to practice business theory in the real world.“ A recent Hult faculty survey revealed that over 20 core courses and 60 electives at the school have experiential elements. The school also shared that 100% of the graduating Class of 2018 participated in a consulting project with an external organization, and 100% of students have a global experience before graduation.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “We took several trips around California, like Silicon Valley and other startups. Being in such an international school opened up your perspective a lot. I went to Africa to volunteer for a program that was founded by one of the students at Hult.”- Recent alum

CAREER OUTCOMES In response to the P&Q survey, over 70% of alumni said they would recommend the program to a friend or colleague. About 68% said the program had prepared them well for the world of work.

Some 44% said that the school’s career advising was exceptional, and over 75% said their time at Hult was life-changing.

Nearly 95% of 2018 graduates seeking employment secured jobs within three months of graduation. The average starting salary of $34,708 was the lowest of all B-schools ranked by P&Q this year.

Over 80% of Hult alumni from the Class of 2016 shared that their first job after graduating was in their desired industry, and about 56% said they were working at one of their desired companies. Hult alumni reported they are currently working at companies including Tesla, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Oxford Business Group, Babel Ventures, and CEMEX.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 141

210 SOUTH COLLEGE AVENUE, NEWARK, DE 19716 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 302-831-4369

University of Delaware

A $108,150 In-State Total Cost

$184,810

Out-of-State Total Cost

46.4%

Acceptance Rate

1285

Average SAT

$56,555

Average compensation (including bonus)

80.5%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t the University of Delaware Michael and Rosann Geltzeiler Trading Center, undergraduate business students at the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics build their investment chops before leaving campus. The Blue Hen Investment Club has a studentmanaged investment fund with $1.8 million in assets and is open to students from all majors because. The opportunity to be part of a real dollar investment portfolio puts students through hands-on training to learn about and practice researching, public speaking, financial analysis, and investing, as well as softer skills such as teamwork, communication, and collaboration.

In order to join, students submit their resumes and those chosen are interviewed. Graduates of the fund have gone on to work with prestigious international financial service companies such as JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, McKinsey, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and KPMG. Lerner College administrators shared with Poets&Quants that about 90% of both the classes of 2017 and 2018 completed at least one businessspecific internship before graduation. Some 80% of 2018 graduates seeking employment secured jobs within three months of graduation.

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE The University of Delaware is a public research university in Newark, Delaware. Students can be admitted directly to the four-year undergraduate business degree program at Lerner or apply and transfer in afterwards. Business students may pick from 16 different majors.

According to the school, about 25% of students at Lerner choose to double major. Double major students can graduate in four years by taking classes during the Summer and Winter sessions. The school also claims 96% of Lerner students graduate with real-world experience. In a survey conducted by Poets&Quants, almost 85% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they would recommend the program to a close friend or colleague.

There are plenty of experiential learning opportunities for students at Lerner ranging from business competitions and a speaker’s series, to working alongside faculty doing research and joining one of the university’s 29 business-specific student organizations. The college is also home to several experiential learning centers such as the Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, the JPMorgan Chase Innovation Center, the Michael and Rosann Geltzeiler Trading Center, the Marriott Center for Tourism & Hospitality, and Vita Nova Restaurant.

Many graduates from the Class of 2016 also shared with P&Q that their experience in a capstone class was memorable. The alums reported they had to use skills and knowledge they had accumulated over the

UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE years at Lerner, and work in small teams to complete the capstone.

The school also shared that 50% of Lerner undergrads have at least one global experience before they graduate. The university offers 25 semester-abroad opportunities. Graduates from the Class of 2016 shared having studied in Singapore during the winter semester and visiting businesses in different countries to learn about the differences in doing business in different settings, as well as attending the Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality and doing graphic design for a pharmaceutical startup in Scotland.

Other than the Blue Hen Investment Club, students at Lerner can also work on their professional network and experiential skills by joining student organizations such as the Blue Hen Marketing Club, Women in Business, Women in Finance, Hospitality Club, or Sport Management Club.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Global Enterprise Technology program was an outstanding program I was lucky enough to participate in. It paired students up with real companies and allowed us to solve real business problems through our co-op experience. It was a great way of transitioning from classroom to office.� - Recent alum

CAREER OUTCOMES About 80% of graduates from the Class of 2016 said the program at Lerner prepared them well for the world of work, and over 50% said they believed their business degree would assist them in climbing to a new socioeconomic status. The average salary for business majors with full-time employment from the Class of 2018 was $54,087. Of those, 35% reported receiving an average signing bonus of $7,051.

Almost 73% of students from the Class of 2016 told P&Q that their first job after graduating was in their desired job function, while 64% said that their first job was at their desired company.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 143

3141 CHESNUT ST, PHILADELPHIA, PA, 19104 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 251-571-3767

Drexel university

D $262,843 In-State Total Cost

$262,843

Out-of-State Total Cost

74%

Acceptance Rate

1262

Average SAT

$58,882

Average compensation (including bonus)

78.8%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

rexel University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s best known for its cooperative education that has been offered since 1919. The university partners with over 1,500 companies and institutions to give their students a taste of the real world before they graduate. The Drexel Co-op experience is a full six-months and focuses on the students’ chosen area of study. Students not only earn credit for it, they are also usually paid, and appear on their academic transcripts.

The LeBow College of Business at Drexel offers an undergraduate business program that is comparable to other four-year programs, but with the Co-op, the program often becomes five years.

Tracy Venella, from the Class of 2016, says that while at LeBow, she was required to complete three six-month co-operative experiences within a role related to her major in Accounting. Venella benefited immensely from the experiences, she says, and is now working as an Audit Senior with Campbell Soup Company. Another 2016 alumnus, Bradley Shaw, shared with Poets&Quants that he, too, had three coop experiences related to his major in Marketing & Legal Studies. He is now working as an Assistant Manager in Strategic Partnerships at Destination Maternity.

INCLUSION & DIVERSITY EFFORTS At LeBow, students can choose from 13 majors and co-majors, and must fulfill a liberal arts core and a general business base. Brian Ellis, associate dean for Academic Programs Administration, and Lisa DeLuca, director of Undergraduate Career Services shared that the school has been stepping up their intentional efforts on diversity and inclusion recently.

The school reported that 28% of their incoming Fall 2018 students were first-generation college students, 14% were international students, and 9% were from underrepresented minority groups.

One example of the effort is Lebow recently developed six areas of focus to intentionally infuse diversity and inclusion. The areas the school has identified are Resources, Pressure Points Series, Student Voices, Diversity Case Competitions and Conferences, Faculty and Professional Staff Development, and College Bylaws.

LeBow’s Pressure Point Series have seen the school host dialogue by inviting guest speakers to engage in conversation on topics that are pressure points in today’s society. In October 2017, the school invited sports journalist Kevin Blackistone to the campus to engage in conversation about sport as a social institution, and the relationship between race and sport. In 2018, the college hosted their 2nd annual Diversity and Inclusion Case Competition, where 18 undergraduate student teams took the role of management consultants or members of

drexel university the board of directors and had to negotiate the best course of action for an organization.

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES Over 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 told P&Q that they were engaged in a “signature experience” while at LeBow. At Drexel, business students can help manage the Dragon Fund, LeBow’s student-managed equity portfolio, that was started in fall 2007 with $250,000. Since then, it’s grown to over $1.8 billion.

Another notable experience LeBow students have is the LeBow BRIDGE program. BRIDGE scholars come from all majors at Drexel, and as part of the program, are guided through community service, financial literacy, and social engagement even as they maintain their academic excellence.

Drexel University also offers over 100 semester abroad opportunities, 10 of which are business-specific. Some opportunities, like the Drexel in Berlin + London program, offers students the chance to visit two cities in just one summer, and each of the programs are dedicated to a specific area of interest. For example, Drexel in China is focused on Shanghai Business, Language and Culture, and Drexel in Singapore is focused on Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

The school shared that 6% of students have a global experience before graduation, and 25% of alumni who responded to the P&Q survey said that they were part of a global immersion, trip, or project while at LeBow.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “As part of Drexel and the LeBow business school program I was enrolled in I was required to complete three 6 month co-operative experiences within a role related to my major.

I benefited immensely from those experiences.”

“The co-op program is the single greatest advantage Drexel has provided me in landing my dream job in my field.” - Recent alum “The degree utilized simulations and a capstone project that reinforced the academics with real world scenarios. These elements prepared me not only for experiences in the work place, but also for my MBA program, and for subsequent interviews for high level positions.” - Recent alum

MANY STUDENTS COMPLETE UP TO FOUR INTERNSHIPS DURING UNDERGRAD With its popular co-op program, the school shared that 87% of students from both the classes of 2017 and 2018 had at least one business-specific internship before graduation. Most of the alumni from the Class of 2016 shared with Poets&Quants that they had done between three and four internships while working on their undergraduate degree. About 79% of 2018 graduates seeking employment landed full-time positions within three months of graduation. For those receiving jobs, the average salary was $57,185.

Of those, 24% received an average signing bonus of $7,069.

Some 80% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they would recommend the undergraduate business program at LeBow to a close friend or colleague. About 86% said their first job after graduation was in their desired role and 72% said their first job was at their desired company.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 145

105 LOMB MEMORIAL DR, ROCHESTER, NY 14623 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 585-475-7935

Rochester Institute of Technology

A $154,109 In-State Total Cost

$154,109

Out-of-State Total Cost

72.1%

Acceptance Rate

1204

Average SAT

$52,161

Average compensation (including bonus)

93.6%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t the Saunders College of Business, all first-year business students begin their education with The Freshman Experience: Biz 1+2 during their first two semesters. Studying in cohorts, the program helps to jumpstart the students’ business education through a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum from day one. After two semesters, a student will have been exposed to all business disciplines so they have a better idea of where their interests and skills lie.

After completing their first two years of coursework, students are expected to do a co-op experience that is full-time work for a semester or two semesters of part-time work. The school defines co-op employment as paid, productive work related to a student’s area of study, and students who choose a full-time co-op will not pay any tuition for that semester. Because of the school’s co-op program requirement, every single business student from the Class of 2018 at Saunders completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation.

“Co-ops were a huge experience and that’s why Rochester Institute of Technology prepared students better than any other university,” Kristyn Wasikowski, a 2016 graduate, says. “Our Capstones were also very challenging and encouraged us to explore new areas.”

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university in Rochester, New York, that offers a four-year undergraduate business program at the Saunders College of Business. Students may pick from 10 different business majors. In a survey conducted by P&Q, about 67% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said their business degree was absolutely worth its cost in tuition. Some 72% said they would recommend the undergraduate business program at RIT to a close friend or colleague without hesitation.

Regardless of which major a student at Saunders chooses, all students must also take a Technology Core which includes classes in Information Systems & Technology, Computer-Based Analysis, and Operations Management. Undergraduate business students also take core classes in Financial Accounting, Management Accounting, Organizational Behavior, Financial Management, Principles of Marketing, Strategic Management, and Careers in Business.

Other than compulsory co-op experiences, the school shared that business startup projects and capstone projects are used throughout the program, and students are required to complete 22 liberal arts courses in order to graduate, ranging from Scientific Principles and Writing, to Communications and Economics.

To help students begin seeing their business education in a global context, all business students are required to take a Global Environment course as well. Those majoring in International Business must take

rochester institute of technology the Exporting & Global Sourcing and Global Entry & Competition Strategies courses, on top of two International Business Electives.

Finance majors are required to take Finance in a global Environment.

The university offers 678 semester abroad opportunities, 512 of which are business-specific. The school shared that about 3% of students have a global experience before graduation despite the number of opportunities available. However, 56% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they were engaged in a signature experience while at Rochester.

Half (50%) of alumni from the Class of 2016 said the school’s extracurricular opportunities offered did an exceptional job of helping them nurture and improve their skills in business, and over 72% of alumni said their time at Saunders College was life-changing.

The school reported that nearly 94% of students from the Class of 2018 found full-time jobs within three months of graduation, and received an average salary of $51,273. About 10% of them received signing bonuses, and the average amount was $9,553.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I liked how a lot of my coursework was project based, especially for marketing, because that translated well to the real world.” Recent alum “Co-ops were a huge experience and that’s why RIT prepares students better than any other university; the capstone was also very challenging and encouraged you to explore new areas.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 147

1000 LASALLE AVE, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55403 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 651-962-4200

university of St. Thomas

A $242,782 In-State Total Cost

$242,782

Out-of-State Total Cost

83%

Acceptance Rate

1215

Average SAT

$48,000

Average compensation (including bonus)

94.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

n impressive 75% of alumni from the Class of 2016 at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business told Poets&Quants that they were involved in a “signature experience” while working on their undergraduate business degree. For many of them, the capstone project, working with real organizations, deeply influenced where they went after graduation, both in terms of industry and the job function.

And according to the say survey, about 83% said their first job after graduating was in a job function they desired, and 78% said their first job was even at a desired company.

Administrators from Opus said that 83% of 2018 graduates had a business-specific internship before graduation. And within three months after graduation, almost 95% had found full-time employment. The average salary those students received was $48,000.

The University of St. Thomas is a private Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. The Opus College of Business offers a four-year undergraduate business program and features a dozen majors. Sheneeta White, Interim Faculty Director of Undergraduate Business Programs at St. Thomas, says the school recently did a complete revision of the undergraduate business curriculum which now includes three business courses available to students in their first year, a comprehensive overview of the functional areas of business, and ten elective credits within the business program.

“We went from core business curriculum of eight four-credit courses to a core business curriculum of ten courses and ten general business elective credits,” White says. “To do this, we replaced seven of the old four-credit required courses with two-credit required courses.”

In order to graduate, every student at Opus must take Business 200: Business Learning Through Service, a required course where students are expected to complete 40 hours of service to the community, as well as undertake a series of reflective seminars. The noncredit, tuition-free program has been in place since 1991, and has been completed by over 200,000 students, in the U.S. and around the world, and is in line with the Catholic university’s tagline “All for the Common Good.”

STUDYING ABROAD AND CAPSTONE About 50% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they were engaged in a global immersion, trip, or project while at Opus. Anne Marie Keating, a Business Marketing major with a bio-med concentration, says that she studied in Sevilla, Spain for a semester during her junior year. “My classes were taught in Spanish, and I took international marketing, global economics, biochemistry, intro to international business, and a Spanish language class,” Keating says.

Madeline Dunn, a Business and Marketing major also from the Class of 2016, says she had the opportunity to study in Italy in Fall 2014. “I

university of st. thomas took International Business, Business Law, Marketing, and Italian,” Dunn says. “It was a great experience to take my coursework to another country and understand business perspective from another culture.”

Both Keating and Dunn also said one of the best experiences at St. Thomas was the capstone project. Dunn did her capstone project with a small business in Minnesota, which she described as the “closest experience with a real company” in her community outside of her internships.

“My capstone group was paired with a small business and we sought to understand their business struggles and concerns and offer solutions or ideas to improve those concerns,” Dunn says. “We presented the final result to our teacher and contact at the company.”

MORE THAN 140 STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS ON CAMPUS For students who wish to gain even more hands on opportunities, St. Thomas offers over 140 student organizations, 16 of which are business-specific. Students who are interested in entrepreneurship can join the entrepreneurship society, where they can meet students from all majors who are interested in entrepreneurial careers, startups, and ventures. The student who is interested in a career on Wall Street or in investment banking should join the Investments Club, where students not only learn about the industry and how it works, but also functions as a place to discuss current market trends and activities, as well as gain hands-on experience managing money using a real-time simulator.

If you’re a woman in business, the Women in Business club at the university provides a space and opportunity to meet others like yourself and find a mentor.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “My capstone project provided me the opportunity to work first hand with clients that posed real-world business problems that we worked together to solve. I also studied abroad where I had the opportunity to take global business courses that expanded my view of doing business around the world.” - Recent alum “I went on London Business Semester, where I lived in a suburb in Northern London and commuted into the city center for school via train like the locals do. I was fortunate to travel to European countries and learn about different cultures and customs. My experience opened my mind and has influenced how I carry myself in the business world today.” - Recent alum “I studied abroad in Fall of 2014 in Italy with my courses concentrated in business.

I took an international Business, Business Law, Marketing and Italian. It was a great experience to take my coursework to another country and understand business perspective from another culture.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 149

2101 S. UNIVERSITY BLVD, DENVER, CO, 80208 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 303-871-2036

University of Denver

A $176,712 In-StateTotal Cost

$176,712

Out-of-State Total Cost

46.3%

Acceptance Rate

1299

Average SAT

$51,486

Average compensation (including bonus)

83.1%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t the University of Denver, hands-on learning takes precedence.

This means that undergraduate business students at the Daniels College of Business not only get plenty of opportunities to learn by doing in classrooms, they are also encouraged to do internships, travel abroad, and join a student organization.

Grace Druml, a Marketing and Management major from the Daniels Class of 2016, told Poets&Quants in a survey that she was required to complete a Marketing Senior Seminar as a capstone to her coursework.

“The course consisted of four projects where we went on site to a real business/client, listened to their business needs and SWOT analysis, and then developed a marketing strategy for the company,” Druml says. “That was by far the most I ever learned out of any class at the University of Denver.”

From a stock portfolio that is part of the university’s endowment fund, to creating business plans from scratch and working with real-world companies, Daniels students have ample opportunity to learn outside of the classroom.

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE The University of Denver is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. It was founded in 1864, and offers a four-year undergraduate business program with seven majors. In a survey conducted by P&Q, about 20% of students from the Class of 2016 said they believed their degree was absolutely worth its cost in tuition, and almost 60% said they felt that the program prepared them well for the world of work. Almost 70% of alumni said they would recommend the program to a close friend or colleague and 40% said their time at Daniels was life-changing.

The first year experience of a business student is kicked off by the Gateway to Business course where students are engaged in a real-life entrepreneurial challenge. They also go through the Data Analytics sequence, take a course in Leading Organizations to study the success and failures of companies, and begin working on their career development.

An integral part of the Daniels first year experience is engagement in the required Daniels Professional Development Program, where students attend information sessions, join career prep workshops, and begin meeting potential employers. The school’s career services help students with their resumes and cover letters both in person and by email.

During their second year, students take a Strategic Business Communication course and learn to prepare speeches, pitches, and presentations. Second year students also take a course in Business Law as well as an ethics Boot Camp where they work alongside business leaders and faculty on a community service project.

university of denver By the third year, Daniels students must fulfill an international experience requirement, either through a four-credit course or going abroad. About 70% of students choose to travel, and the school offers study abroad options in 150 universities in 55 countries for them to pick from.

An alumni from the Class of 2016 reported he traveled to attend the business school at the University of Ghana. “It was very important for me to immerse myself in a completely different culture and learn how other countries navigate different business environments,” he said. “After my experience, I added International Business as one of my majors.”

During their final year, students are expected to work on capstone projects, finish up major coursework, and work with career counselors to secure a job or discuss graduate school possibilities.

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES AND CAREER OUTCOMES

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I worked through my senior year at two different internships throughout the year.

One of which led to my previous employment at an advertising agency. I was able to use those internships as credit and learned a tremendous amount through experience. I had the opportunity, as many DU students are encouraged to do, to study abroad my Junior year at the business school. I chose the program Semester at Sea where I took two business courses, Consumer Behavior and International Business, with the most unique global perspective. An experience that truly affected my life for the better.” - Recent alum

Almost 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 told Poets&Quants they were engaged in a signature experience while at Daniels. The Reiman Fund is a class at Daniels where undergraduate business students manage a $350,000 portfolio. The school’s annual Daniels Undergraduate Case Competition is another way students can gain hands-on learning as they work in teams to come up with innovative, real-world business solutions. Teams are given 20 hours to work with a business question before having to present their persuasive recommendations. The winning team will receive $5,000 while second and third-place winners win $3,000 and $2,000, respectively.

The school reported that 87% of 2018 graduates completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation. About 83% of 2018 graduates seeking employment found full-time jobs within three months of graduation, pulling an average starting salary of $50,975. Out of those, 9% reported receiving signing bonuses that averaged $5,810.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 151

110 8TH ST, TROY, NY 12180 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 518-276-6216

Rensselaer Polytechnic University

G $287,988 In-State Total Cost

$287,988

Out-of-State Total Cost

42%

Acceptance Rate

1291

Average SAT

$70,494

Average compensation (including bonus)

93.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

oing to school at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lally School of Management is a unique experience in itself. The school recently launched the Arch, a program where all students take a full academic summer between their sophomore and junior years. The Class of 2020 took part in the pilot 2018 program of the Arch, which included trips to local companies and attended lectures from practicing experts, while also visiting local cultural venues.

Some summer courses are also likely to offer an international component, and students can also participate in a variety of Pop-up courses with faculty and peers. In their Junior year, students then get to take an Arch semester away of their choice, where they can engage in cocurricular and experiential activities off-campus, including international experiences, internships, co-ops, collaborative research, and engagement in community service projects.

At RPI Lally, undergraduate students can choose from six majors.

The school is also adding a new major in Business Analytics which is currently awaiting New York State approval. Michele M. Martens, Data Analyst at RPI Lally said that the major would offer students the opportunity to take more quantitative and technical courses, as well as a range of quantitative concentrations.

“The program builds off of our highly successful graduate program in Business Analytics and will include multiple courses in data management and computer science,” Martens says. “Students will gain a very strong grounding in one of the most challenging, in-demand areas of business.”

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

About 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 told Poets&Quants in a survey that they were engaged in a signature experience while at the Lally School. They shared they engaged in team projects in most classes, while often working with local businesses. Jack Schiel, a Business Administration major with a concentration in Business Analytics from the Class of 2016, said that he worked on several large projects in many of his classes that required deep analytical thinking, comprehensive research, and the production of detailed reports.

“Two that come to mind from my experience are the final project for the Global Markets class, which required picking a developing market and creating a new business plan that would succeed and fill a need in the economy,” Shiel says. “The other would be the project from the Digital Marketing course, which paired us up with local startups and had us develop a full-funnel online marketing plan that they could implement and grow their business.”

At Lally, students are expected to not only take highly technical and quantitative coursework, they are also engaged in frequent hands-

rensselaer polytechnic institute on learning. Students often take classes and work with teams of engineers and scientists in both business and non-business courses, and the school’s ensured small class sizes make sure students get the attention they need to design an education that will bring them towards their ambitions.

Beginning with the Class of 2021, the school will require that students complete an approved internship or co-op in order to graduate. The school shared that students will typically complete this requirement as part of their Arch “away” semester, but will be required to submit their proposed internship or co-op for review by the Lally School and the Rensselaer Center for Career and Professional Development beforehand. Student advisors will also maintain contact during the internship or co-op and students will have to write a report about their experience when they return to school.

About 50% of alumni told P&Q that the business program at Lally prepared them well for the world of work and that their experience in the program was life-changing. They also said they believed their business degree from RPI would help them climb to a new socioeconomic status, and that it would likely be instrumental in helping them reach their dream careers.

Another experiential learning opportunity that was recently launched at RPI Lally is the creation of a new interdisciplinary course in partnership with the School of Engineering’s Multidisciplinary Design Lab. The New Product Development course is a place where business students will work alongside engineers in teams for a business that has contracted with Rensselaer for students to solve a real problem for them. Lally students will work on budgets, market research, commercial viability, and other business areas as their team designs and builds new products for the client.

The university offers 35 semester abroad opportunities to students, 17 of which are business-specific. Students can also choose to go on short-term and faculty led international programs, as well as other international experiences such as internships and service learning.

About 10% of alumni from the Class of 2016 reported going abroad while at Lally, a number that may increase with the Arch program.

The school shared that about 94% of 2018 graduates seeking jobs found full-time employment within three months of graduation.

Of those, the average starting salary was $67,200, with almost 45% receiving an average signing bonus of $7,486.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “There were several large projects in many of my courses that required deep analytical thinking, comprehensive research, and detailed reports. Two that come to mind from my experience are the final project for the Global Markets class, which required picking a developing market and creating a new business plan that would succeed and fill a need in the economy, and the other would be the project from the Digital Marketing course, which paired us up with local start-ups and had us develop a full-funnel online marketing plan that they could implement and grow their business.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 153

342 HASLAM BUSINESS BUILDING, KNOXVILLE, TN 37996 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 865-974-5061

university of Tennessee at knoxville

T $126,040 In-State Total Cost

$199,720

Out-of-State Total Cost

85%

Acceptance Rate

1213

Average SAT

$51,112

Average compensation (including bonus)

87.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK), is a public university in Knoxville, Tennessee. The College of Business was named after alumnus and donor James A Haslam in 2014 following a $50 million gift from the Haslam family. The school offers a four-year business program, featuring nine majors.

First-year students can join the Venture Living Learning Community at the Haslam College where they attend classes with their peers, live in the same residence hall, and engage in enrichment and leadership opportunities together. From forming study groups and joining tutoring sessions, to interacting with business faculty and executives visiting the community, there are plenty of benefits to moving in.

The school also has an Entrepreneurship Learning Community that brings together students from all the colleges at UTK. The purpose of including all colleges is to encourage diverse teams to come together organically. Students in this learning community often participate in Vol Court, a six-week entrepreneurial speaker series together that culminates in a pitch competition with a $1,500 prize that is accompanied by office space at the university’s incubator space.

Just recently, Haslam College has partnered up with the Tickle College of Engineering at UTK to offer students the Heath Integrated Business and Engineering Program. The program uses applied learning that includes joint business and engineering capstone projects, and students graduate with a special concentration and understanding of how decisions affect an organization. Students who are selected for this program will also receive an annual $1,000 scholarship, and be taught and mentored by distinguished alumni while going on site visits to gain first-hand industry information.

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES AND CAREER OUTCOMES The university offers almost 400 semester abroad opportunities.

The school shared that 93 of those are business-specific and about 23% of students have a global experience before graduation. In the Poets&Quants alumni survey, about 70% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they were engaged in a signature experience while at Haslam College.

Jacob Dotson, a Supply Chain Management major from the Class of 2016, says that his time at Haslam was very life-changing, and that he believed his business degree would be very instrumental to him reaching his dream career.

“The executives and leaders brought into business classes at UT to speak were phenomenal experiences to learn and hear from the top of major corporations,” Dotson says. “This was an incredible learning experience.”

Over 70% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they would

UNIVERSITY Of Tennessee At Knoxville recommend the business program to a close friend or colleague without hesitation, and 42% said they felt the program prepared them exceptionally well for the world of work.

School officials reported that 55% of 2018 graduates completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation. About 88% of 2018 graduates seeking employment found full-time jobs within three months of graduation. The average starting salary was $50,446.

About 80% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said their first jobs after graduation were in their desired function, and 70% said their first jobs were at their desired company. With over 50% saying their time as Haslam was life-changing for them, it’s easy to see why over 50% also said they believed their business degree would be very important in helping them climb to a new socioeconomic status.

A Class of 2016 alumni said his greatest takeaway from the program was to be able to identify opportunities. “I believe the most important experience from this program was believing that opportunities will present themselves and to be ready to take a new adventure,” he shared. “As it turns out, someone retired recently leaving the institute in a teaching bind, and I took the opportunity to expand my skills and value to the university by volunteering to be a lecturer.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “The Supply Chain Case Competition was absolutely the most important thing that prepped me for the workplace. Gave me unparalleled experience on real world problems and how to implement and pitch supply chain solutions against them.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 151

3674 LINDELL BOULEVARD, ST. LOUIS, MO 63108 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 314-977-2500

St. Louis university

A $175,536 In-State Total Cost

$175,536

Out-of-State Total Cost

83%

Acceptance Rate

1241

Average SAT

$64,183

Average compensation (including bonus)

98.6%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t Saint Louis University’s Chaifetz School of Business, the tagline is “Men and women for others.” And the school makes sure its students remember that they should be using their business skills and knowledge to make the world a better place. The school’s Service Leadership Program was started in 1996, and since then, students have completed over 100,000 hours of service in the community. From helping out at the university’s Campus Kitchen, to mentoring a younger person through the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, business students at Chaifetz are finding time to give back.

“Our students are highly ethical and want to make a difference in the world and in any corporation they go into. It’s not always about the profit,” says Mark Higgins, dean of the business school. “Employers tell us they like their strong work ethics, and they’re different from other students because they aren’t looking to do well at the expense of others.”

Saint Louis University is a private Roman Catholic research university in St. Louis, Missouri, with students that tend to come from the midwest region of the U.S. whom Higgins describes as “socially conscious and heavily engaged in service leadership.” The school was formerly known as the John Cook School of Business, but was recently renamed after trustee Richard Chaifetz and his wife, Jill, made a $15 million gift to the business school.

DOUBLE DIGIT MAJOR OPTIONS Students at Chaifetz can choose from 10 majors. Over the last three years, the school has introduced a Real Estate Finance concentration within the Finance major, as well as a new major in Analytics and Enterprise Systems, in line with the industry’s growing demand for students with skills and experience in dealing with data and analytics.

“At Saint Louis University’s Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, we weave together three important elements — values, leadership and action — to create a unique and stimulating environment as the foundation for success,” Higgins tells Poets&Quants. “In addition to our highly ranked business programs, we focus on career planning, internships and opportunities to help our students connect with professionals in each of our areas of study.”

Every undergraduate is expected to complete a Career Foundations course with the school’s Career Resources Center, where they are taught the skills to identify and select their major and career path and learn how to market themselves to employers.

Students who choose to do an internship as part of their major can earn up to three credit hours if they complete at least 180 work hours during a semester, and the school shared that 73% of 2018 graduates completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation.

Within three months of graduation, nearly 99% of 2018 graduates

st. louis university seeking employment had full-time positions with an average starting salary of $47,676.

In a survey of the Class of 2016, over 70% of alumni said they would recommend the program to a friend or colleague. Some 55% said the program prepared them well for the world of work. About 80% of them said they believed their business degree would assist them in climbing to a new socioeconomic status, and over 72% said their first job after graduating was at their desired company.

SENIOR FINANCE MAJORS GET TO MANAGE A $1 MILLION ENDOWMENT FUND In order to give students the opportunity to gain real-world experience while on campus, there are various experiential learning opportunities that have been embedded in the curriculum and extracurricular activities. For senior-level finance majors, an opportunity is to manage over $1 million in University endowment funds while learning how to evaluate common stocks as investments, and about the fiduciary management of investment assets. Students with a passion for entrepreneurship can join the SLU Entrepreneurs Club to be connected to entrepreneurship opportunities in the community.

The student-run organization also hosts an event twice a semester where startups in St. Louis are invited to network with students and discuss internship and career opportunities.

In all, SLU boasts over 150 student-organizations, 17 of which are business-specific. Chaifetz officials shared that 45 courses offer significant applied experiential learning such as class projects, consulting projects, or simulations, though none are required. About 60% of alumni in the Class of 2016 said they were engaged in a “signature experience” while in the business program.

Abby Voss, Class of 2016, says in her Entrepreneurship capstone class, they spent a semester creating a business from scratch and preparing a business plan. “It really made us think about every little thing that goes into actually starting a business,” Voss says.

“Some of my classmates even took those projects and started actual businesses out of them.”

When it comes to providing a global business education, students at Chaifetz can choose from over 48 semester abroad opportunities, with nine business-specific programs. The school estimates that 45% of students have a global experience of at least four weeks of international study before graduation.

About 30% of the 2016 reported they traveled abroad while working on their undergraduate degrees. Gian Carlo Hernandez spent a semester at the Saint Louis University Madrid Campus. “The experience was life changing, both academically and outside of class.

Several relationships were fostered during that spring semester, and continue up to this day,” he says. “Saint Louis University provided me with that opportunity, and for that I am thankful. The process of moving from main campus to Madrid was seamless.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Global Immersion in Budapest, Hungary and Hong Kong were life changing experiences from a cultural perspective. Also, allowed me to explore the world of international consulting which introduced me to business contacts and situations that mirrored situations I’d end up finding early in my career after college.” Recent alum “At SLU, we were involved in a capstone project that required us to think outside of the box to sell products to different regions and demographics. It gave us an opportunity to take what we learned in class and use those skills in a simulated manner.” - Recent alum “I studied abroad at the SLU Madrid Campus for a semester. The experience was life changing, both academically and outside of class. Several relationships were fostered during that spring semester, and continue up to this day. Saint Louis University provided me with that opportunity, and for that I am thankful. The process of moving from main campus to Madrid was seamless.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 157

800 WEST CAMPBELL RD, RICHARDSON, TX 75080 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 972-883-2750

University of texas at dallas

O $117,144 In-State Total Cost

$212,512

Out-of-State Total Cost

59%

Acceptance Rate

1242

Average SAT

$59,927

Average compensation (including bonus)

69.3%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

ver the past three years, a lot has been happening at the Naveen Jindal School of Management at the University of Texas-Dallas.

The four-year undergraduate business program where students earn Bachelor of Science degrees with nine major options and not BBA degrees, has made it compulsory not only to engage in a community engagement experience, but also to have at least one internship during their time with the school. Currently, the school reports about 80% of graduates do business-specific internships before graduation.

Another aspect to Jindal’s undergraduate program is the appreciation for diversity and inclusion. Over 17% of incoming Fall 2018 students were first-generation college students and 16% identified as coming from an underrepresented minority group. To provide students with multiple avenues of support, the school has a three-prong mentoring method, where every student can be mentored by a peer, a faculty member, and an alumni member.

Community involvement is another aspect to the program. One of the ways in which that manifests is through the Jindal Young Scholars Program, where current Jindal students mentor high school students towards college admittance. Upon completion of the program, they can apply to the School of Management and earn a full-ride scholarship if they are admitted.

“There are many smart kids out there who, for one reason or another, feel like they cannot attend college,” says Marilyn Kaplan, associate dean for Undergraduate Programs. ”When our students give back and help younger students in need think about the majors they are interested in and get prepared in high school, they become more mature themselves, and prepare for leadership through service.”

Jindal alumni also continue to be involved in many other ways with their alma mater. Kaplan shares that in the school’s business communications course first-year students are assigned to interview a professional in the field they want to go into. The reason is to have them reach out to alumni members and create relationships.

“We want them to practice reaching out and looking for advice to make the right career choices, and most alums are prepared to mentor someone younger because they received the mentorship themselves,” Kaplan says. “The alums are excited to work with someone new at things, and they don’t have to remain committed beyond the course assignment, but we’ve seen most maintain the relationship.”

Students at Jindal can choose from 173 semester abroad opportunities offered by the university, with the school offering 33 business-specific opportunities. The school also offers several Global Experience Courses, where students get to travel as part of their learning. Jindal students can also choose to attend an International Summer Program at many renowned schools abroad, such as the London School of Economics, or work on an internship abroad.

university of texas at dallas A little closer to home, students are also encouraged to leave their classrooms and give back to the community around them, believing that students can learn by doing for others. The Jindal Outreach program was started in 2015 to allow students to gain experience in the community, while building their skills and knowledge based in the classroom. The aim is for students to know how to apply theoretical information to real-world settings, while building up their interpersonal and social skills. After all, a businessperson with no network will find it hard to succeed.

Business undergraduates are required to fulfil a social engagement component before they can be considered for graduation, and to do so, students can either choose to do a social sector engagement and community outreach practicum, or take a project-based social engagement course.

EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES The school shared that just 69% of the Class of 2018 seeking employment found full-time positions within three months of graduation.

“Our graduates are smart and serious, and possibly even nerdy.

They come to class ready to be professionals, and by the time they graduate, they are professionals,” Kaplan says. “I tell parents how safe it is here, because the students have their eyes set on careers.

This is not a party school.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Since the school is in Dallas, I was able to work at an internship while attending classes in the Spring and Fall and receive course credit for my work. This ability to showcase myself during non-traditional internship seasons allowed me to secure a full-time position.” Recent alum “The most memorable (experiences) were the simulations for organizational behavior. These have been the most useful to me throughout my career because I feel that they have allowed me to properly read the environment within the company and have proven useful in diffusing difficult situations.” - Recent alum “Through DMHP (Davidson Management Honors Program), I was able to travel to Sydney, Australia; Prague, Czech Republic; and Hungary, Budapest. Through PPA (Professional Program in Accounting), I was able to study abroad for a semester in Marburg, Germany.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 159

P.O. BOX 210108, TUCSON, AZ 85721 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 520-621-2505

University of arizona

A $116,728 In-State Total Cost

$195,083

Out-of-State Total Cost

79%

Acceptance Rate

1110

Average SAT

$57,348

Average compensation (including bonus)

80.9%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, students get used to teamwork and competition right at the start. At the core of the Eller Experience is a program where students compete in six embedded formal competitions within classes, and with their equally motivated peers. They are then formally judged, getting the students used to being confident presenting their ideas and building consensus for innovative ideas and strategies. This contributes to high rates of internship placement for students to get a foot in the door.

The school shared that about 90 percent of students in both the Class of 2017 and 2018 had business-specific internships before graduation.

And in response to a survey by P&Q to the Class of 2016, over 70% of alumni shared that they would recommend the program without hesitation, and that their Eller Experience was life-changing.

“Our students are very well prepared for presentations and leadership, to listen, draw ideas, and put plans together,” says Pamela Perry, senior associate dean for Undergraduate Programs at Eller. “The Eller Experience is very challenging with a lot of support. Students transform together and develop life-long personal and professional connections.”

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AT THE FOREFRONT In a Poets&Quants survey, over 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 shared they had been involved in a “signature experience” while studying at Eller. One thing that is clear from the alumni’s responses is that students got hands-on experiences regardless in which areas they chose to major. Alumni in the entrepreneurship program shared that the experience of working for a year to bring a business from concept to launch provided them with invaluable experience. Students in consulting worked on a corporate social responsibility project with a high school attended mostly by students from low-income families to help bolster their alumni network to benefit the current students. The school shared that 100% of students in the graduating Class of 2018 participated in a consulting project with an external organization.

Jazmin Beltran, an alumni from the Class of 2016, says that she had a great experience taking part in an advertising case competition where they competed on a regional level and placed second.

“We were in charge of creating an entire advertising campaign and plan for Snapple and pitched it at a conference,” Beltran says. “It was a great experience as I was the ‘agency director’ and handled all operations of the student team. I learned hands on about research, collaboration, workflows, and presentation dynamics.”

Regardless which track a student chooses, every student is expected to take the required experiential learning Business Communications class. There, students learn to and practice writing business letters,

university of ARIZONA formal notices, and memos. Alumni shared that they found it one of the most useful classes they took in college, as they even worked in teams to research and analyze perceptions of brand buzzwords for local businesses.

GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES AND CAREER OUTCOMES Over 75% of alumni from the Class of 2016 shared they were engaged in a global immersion, trip, or project through Eller. The Global Business Program at Eller College is a program only available to the business students, where students study about international business environments, with a study abroad component.

Students can also choose to join the Global Business Cohort, where they complete 15 credits in nine weeks. In Summer 2019, students in the cohort will work on the first semester of their upper-division core Eller requirements in Fortaleza, Brazil, studying the business environment in Brazil, organizational behavior and management, and business communication.

At Eller, all the experiential learning and global exposure seems to have paid off through employment. Some 81% of the Class of 2018 seeking employment found full-time positions within three months of graduation. That class reported an average starting salary of $54,041. Some 50% of those with full-time employment reported an average signing bonus of $6,613.

“We have people that can make individual dreams happen. 60% of the students we attract are not from Arizona, so they’re ready to go home or elsewhere, and employers tell us that they love our school because the students are not afraid of relocation,” Perry says.

“I realize that everyone comes with some kind of dream, and if they come to us, and we know what they want, we’re ready to open up our network, bring in our alums and partners, to be the leg up to their ambitions.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “We had several major projects that taught key skills which I found extremely useful in my career, including a project analyzing financial statements to evaluate companies via public information. We also participated in a business communications project that paired us with charitable partners in the community, enabling us to act as consultants and solve real-world problems.” - Recent alum “If I were to highlight one specific experience, it would be the Portfolio Management class offered by Eller. In this class students get a very hands on investing experience, allowing them to make investment decisions for part of the endowment. Students were able to make pitches for stocks and engage in dialogue regarding those opportunities. Ultimately the students were held accountable by an investment committee of senior investment alumni that the students engaged with.” Recent alum “Almost every course I took during my time at Eller offered projects that were relevant to having a career in business. Examples are valuing a company financially, simulating business decisions and impacts, and developing skills I use every day in my professional career.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 161

SCHRODER BUILDING, LINCOLN AVE, EVANSVILLE, IN 47714 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 812-488-2851

University of evansville

S $208,760 In-State Total Cost

$208,760

Out-of-State Total Cost

88.6%

Acceptance Rate

1171

Average SAT

$50,537

Average compensation (including bonus)

95.8%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

tudents at the University of Evansville who are selected for the Schroeder School of Business LEAD Forward Program will spend 24 hours together engaging in team building activities, ropes courses, group dynamics lessons, and become acquainted with the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment.

The ten student leaders, also known as LEAD Forward Fellows, will also get a chance to network with regional and national business leaders.

Other networking opportunities will include city treks, where fellows visited corporations in nearby cities such as Chicago, St. Louis, and Indianapolis.

“The LEAD Forward program has been launched where students engage with business leaders, receive unparalleled access to real business leadership issues, and engage peers in a leadership retreat,” says Greg Rawski, who serves as the Schroeder Family Dean. “In LEAD, core leadership skills are developed as students are mentored by former Starbucks Category Manager for Brewed Coffee and Espresso Professor Mindy Sagez, director of the LEAD Forward program.”

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE The University of Evansville is a private liberal arts university in Evansville, Indiana, and offers a four-year undergraduate business program. Students at Schroeder can choose between BS degrees in Economics or Accounting or a general BBA degree with five focus areas.

To increase the number of experiential learning opportunities for students across Schroeder, the school is continuing to grow the newly-created Institute for Banking and Finance, business consulting opportunities, and classroom experiences. Almost 70% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said in the Poets&Quants alumni survey that they were engaged in a signature experience while at Schroeder.

Alexandra Hollingsworth, a Marketing and Legal Studies major from the Class of 2016, says she worked with many local businesses and helped them with their business plans while at the University of Evansville.

“Working with the city to develop the new bike trail on Main Street was by far one of my favorite projects I have ever worked on,” Hollingsworth says. “Being able to see the difference you are making and working with the community is an incredible feeling.”

Several other alumni shared that they were part of the Global Assistance Program, where they consulted with real companies and were mentored by professionals in the community while practicing their marketing and business management skills.

On top of classroom work, all students are also expected to take a course called ACES Passport Program, where they earn points over

UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE four years for their professional involvement while acquiring career advancement techniques and building up their networking skills.

As part of the course, students are required to build an alumni and career mentor relationship, attend career fairs, and participate in other professional development activities such as joining a business club, attending speaker events, signing up for mock interviews, and engaging with employers at company information sessions.

One of the ways students at Schroeder can add to their portfolio is by joining ChangeLab, a semester-long course where students partner up with businesses, nonprofits, and the community, to help create positive change. One of the biggest accomplishments of the students work in ChangeLab has been earning a $90,000 solar panel grant for a community center, and helping to increase a company’s revenue by $1 million.

Spring 2019 projects that students in ChangeLab are working on include partnering with the Southern Indiana Regional Coalition Against Trafficking to raise awareness of human trafficking in Southwestern Indiana, creating and playtesting a prototype of an anti-bullying game with youths to gather feedback for revision, and working on a plan to use Tiny Homes to help alleviate homelessness in the community.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I was involved in so many experiences, but one that I’d like to highlight is a simulation class that I took as a senior. It was a class based around simulation software that put us in to groups and had us make business decisions such as: how we’d like to allocate our assets, what levels of risk we’d like to take given the current market information, etc. I really feel like that class specifically helped me navigate the ever-changing industry of manufacturing.”

- Recent alum

EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES Almost 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they would recommend the undergraduate business degree program at Schroeder College to a close friend or colleague without hesitation, and 50% said the quality of teaching in business courses was outstanding. About 57% also said the school offered great extracurricular opportunities to nurture and improve their business skills, and about 50% said it was likely that their degree would be instrumental in helping them reach their dream career.

The school shared that 83% of students from the Class of 2018 completed a business-specific internship before graduation. Nearly 96% of 2018 graduates seeking employment found full-time positions within three months and reported an average starting salary of about $50,850.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 163

1655 SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84112 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 801-581-8761

University of Utah

T $94,736 In-State Total Cost

$166,400

Out-of-State Total Cost

40.8%

Acceptance Rate

1270

Average SAT

$53,600

Average compensation (including bonus)

85.4%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he University of Utah is a public research university located in Salt Lake City. The Eccles School of Business offers a four-year undergraduate business program featuring nine majors. At Eccles, a foundation for every business person is possessing the mind of an entrepreneur.

A commitment to this manifested in the Fall 2016, when the school opened Lassonde Studios, a residential living home for student entrepreneurs and innovators. The space includes themed residential floors, a 20,000-square-foot innovation space for students to connect, dream up ideas, build prototypes, launch companies, and learn by doing. To reinforce the school’s belief that diversity benefits everyone, the space is open to students across campus, bringing together Eccles students with engineers, artists, designers, and others.

“The Eccles School has a strong commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship, offering a major, minor, and interdisciplinary certificate in Entrepreneurship,” administrators of the school shared with Poets&Quants For Undergrads.

FEATURING A REVISED AND BRAND-NEW CURRICULUM In Fall 2017, the faculty at Eccles approved several changes to the core curriculum. The new core will launch in Spring 2019, and will utilize integrated courses to ensure students develop an ability to understand business problems. Students will also focus on how to effectively apply problem-solving frameworks, have a functional and holistic understanding of business processes, and build on this integrated knowledge with specialization in a particular business discipline.

Eccles students will take a year-long first-year course on Frameworks for Business Problems with the new core, which will incorporate critical thinking, data analytics, data collection, and statistics, as well as an integrated core course in their sophomore year. This second course will cover accounting, finance, management, marketing, and operations in a comprehensive course while engaging students in case studies and projects for hands-on learning.

In addition to these broader curriculum changes, the Eccles school also introduced multiple new minors and emphases that are intended to enhance the degrees of both business and non-business students through more specialized learning to complement their majors. The school had previously offered minors in Business and Entrepreneurship.

Their new Information Systems minor is available for business students who want to add deeper technical skills to their major. Meanwhile, the added emphasis or minor in Advanced Financial Analysis through the Department of Finance, and Professional Selling and Business Development through the Department of Marketing, provide more specialized options for students interested in furthering their skills in

university of utah those areas.

STUDYING ABROAD AND EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES About 50% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they were engaged in a signature experience while at Eccles. From taking part in case study competitions and working on capstone projects, to performing semester-long business valuation projects and joining the schools Business Scholars Program, many said that their experiences left lasting impressions.

Several also shared that they were part of the Honor Student Investment Fund, where undergraduate students get hands on investment experience while managing a portfolio of exchangelisted equities, ETFs, and money market investments. Through individual and group research projects, students learn about analytical techniques, and get practice making presentations oncampus.

Utah offers 118 semester abroad opportunities to choose from.

Eccles also offers 15 business-specific semester abroad programs. In terms of shorter options, the school also offers four-week summer abroad programs. In 2017, the school launched its first semesterlong Eccles Global program in London, which will soon be available to students during the fall and spring semester. The program is intended for sophomores and for the 2018-2019 academic year, the program expanded to Sydney, Shanghai, and multiple locations in South America.

About 20% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they traveled abroad while at Eccles. Landon Ruud, a Business Administration major from that class, says he traveled to Paris and Japan with the business school. “Both experiences provided me with new perspectives in global culture and business,” Ruud, says.

“Additionally, I got closer to my peers and professions.”

The school shared that 31% of students from the Class of 2018 had a business specific internship before graduation. About 85% seeking employment found full-time jobs within three months of graduation with an average starting salary of $51,478.

Over 50% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they believed their business degree would assist them in climbing to a new socioeconomic status. Some 77% said that their first job after graduation was in their desired job function. About 46% said their time at Eccles was life-changing, and 70% said they would recommend the program to a close friend or colleague without hesitation.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “The Lassonde entrepreneurship program was incredible. Learning finance along side start up company hurdles has helped me land 6 figures only 3 years after graduating. I LOVE what I’m doing!” “I did a study abroad program through the business school in Paris, France. It was the best summer of my life.” Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 165

421 BLUESTONE DR, HARRISONBURG, VA, 22807 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 540-568-3254

James Madison University

S $88,432 In-State Total Cost

$154,032

Out-of-State Total Cost

68.3%

Acceptance Rate

1217

Average SAT

$60,232

Average compensation (including bonus)

78%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

tudents at James Madison University apply for admission into the College of Business at the end of their sophomore year. Once a student has completed the lower-level core classes, and a student is accepted into the College of Business, they can begin working on their upper-level core classes, which consist of a series of integrated business courses.

As students work on COB300, a 12-credit integrated class intended to help students tie together the different aspects of business, they are separated into small teams made up of students from different functional areas to create a business plan. It is then that James Madison business students realize that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

In a survey conducted by Poets&Quants, over 80% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they were engaged in a signature experience, and several of them mentioned that the process of starting a business from the ground up and giving a final presentation at the end of the semester helped them learn to think about issues from different perspectives.

James Madison University is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It’s College of Business offers students a twoyear undergraduate business program, where students can choose from eight majors.

CAPSTONE PROJECT HAS BEEN A ‘LIFE CHANGING’ EXPERIENCE One of the most memorable experiences for a James Madison business, according to the survey of the Class of 2016, is the capstone project. Greg Frattaroli, a Business Management major with a Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship concentration, says that as part of his Capstone project, he worked on a consulting project for a local barn and shed manufacturer.

“The project was to institute an HR division that could withstand the organization’s scaling aspirations from about 40 employees to more than 150 over the next five years,” Frattaroli explains. “It was a life changing experience.”

As part of the school’s Engaged Learning efforts, students also go on visits to companies and networking events to learn more about industry positions and meet professionals. In October 2018, business students at James Madison University in a Supply Chain class visited Target’s distribution center in Stuarts Draft, Virginia, to learn about operational challenges the company had experienced.

Over 85% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they would recommend the undergraduate business program to a close friend or colleague, and almost 70% said the program prepared them well for the world of work.

james madison university NEW SEMESTER-LONG STUDY ABROAD OPTIONS ON THE WAY While there are no required global business courses, the university’s Center for Global Engagement offers 85 different semester abroad opportunities, eight of which are business-specific.

Students can also opt to complete the semester-long integrated business COB300 course in Antwerp, made possible through coordination with the University of Antwerp.

Frattaroli shared with P&Q that he was involved in a twoweek study abroad program to Brussels, Belgium and Geneva, Switzerland as part of his International Business Management education.

“The month leading up to the trip involved heavy coursework,” he says. “It was amazing to see the policies and organizations we learned about spring to life in the form of tours and speakers.”

In 2019, the university will offer semester-long study abroad program to Belgium, England, Italy, Spain, and Scotland. But when it comes to travel abroad opportunities that last for less than a month, there are programs available in over 80 countries.

The school shared that about 65% of students in both the classes of 2017 and 2018 completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation, and about 78% of 2018 graduates seeking employment secured full-time jobs within three months of graduation. The average starting salary for 2018 graduates was $58,257.

About 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they believe their business degree will be instrumental in helping them reach their dream career, and 76% said that their first job after graduating was in their desired job function.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I completed the Computer Information Systems (CIS) capstone in 2016. The experience was great and prepared me exceptionally well for my professional career.

I am a full-stack web developer and the broad scope of the capstone program (requirements gathering, development, implementation, etc.) was very beneficial when I first began my job and I still carry much of that knowledge with me every day in the office.”- Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 167

600 FORBES AVENUE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15282 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 412-396-6277

Duquesne University

A $197,596 In-State Total Cost

$197,596

Out-of-State Total Cost

76%

Acceptance Rate

1197

Average SAT

$51,342

Average compensation (including bonus)

86.1%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t Duquesne University Palumbo Donahue School of Business, students get plenty of opportunities to learn by doing, build a portfolio, and cultivate a network, all while working on their undergraduate business degree.

“We have a culture and ethos of caring that permeates the environment at the school. Duquesne offers a great education and a strong sense of community,” says William Spangler, associate dean for Undergraduate Programs and Academic Affairs at Palumbo Donahue..

“We have a warm, tight-knit campus that sits on a beautiful bluff with river and downtown views. It offers students a secluded oasis just a short walk from top attractions, restaurants and sports activities downtown. Students are our top priority and we provide close personal attention from our terrific and dedicated faculty.”

Duquesne University is a private Catholic university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with about 9,000 students in the entire university, and about 1,300 in the business school. Spangler says their students are primarily from Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland, with about 70% coming from within 150 miles of Pittsburgh. However, that is changing as they are seeing more students from outside the region, coming from New jersey, California, and Hawaii.

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE Business students at Duquesne University can choose from nine majors. The school requires students to complete 16 hours of preorientation programming before the formal start of the academic year.

All biz majors at Duquesne also go through the First Year Innovation Experience as part of the recently redesigned undergraduate business core. The experiential learning course that was launched in Fall 2017 is intended to push students towards design thinking and challenges them to apply it to real-world problems by coming up with creative solutions for the communities around them.

In working with client organizations such as the City of Pittsburgh, and Sustainable Pittsburgh, students working in small teams have come up with plans to help improve neighborhoods. Part of the experience also required the students to deliver elevator pitches and make presentations to judges from the outside organizations, and the program kickstarts success skills in the students that are embedded across the business curriculum, including cultural intelligence, a sustainability perspective, influence skills, and an entrepreneurial mindset.

With the school’s strategic plan to create a “cornerstone to capstone” experience, all students conclude their business experience with the capstone. For this final course, students once again work in small teams with client companies, and the students once again work on solutions and present their work.

DUQUESNE UNVERSITY Jacob Fox, Class of 2016, told P&Q that as part of his capstone project as a Information Systems Management major, he worked on a project with the National Aviary, and “gathered requirements for a system that would track data.” The team then built the application, and Fox added that he truly “enjoyed the experience of working on the process from start to finish.”

“I’m a firm believer of learning-by-doing, that students can internalize knowledge and capability better by engaging with a problem,” Spangler says. “It’s particularly beneficial for students to get outside of their comfort zones because it’s required of any successful business professional, even as they develop the tools and knowledge to solve any issue. Much of business professional success is interpersonal.”

STUDY ABROAD AND CAREER OUTCOMES Students who wish to study abroad have many options. One of those options is the Maymester, which allows students to travel for about a month in May. In 2019, students can choose to attend Maymesters in Rome, Ghana, Finland, and Belize. The school estimates that about 35% of students have a global experience before graduation.

Michael Leonard, another 2016 graduate, says his study abroad experience in Rome was amazing. “I met lifelong friends and traveled Europe all while learning from my classes, specifically my art history class taught by world-renowned art historian Elizabeth Lev,” Leonard says. “She took us to sculptures and paintings all over Europe and explained their origins and meanings. It was an unparalleled experience.”

The school shared that about 90% of students in both the Class of 2017 and 2018 had business-specific internships before graduation.

About 86% of 2018 graduates seeking employment found full-time jobs within three months of graduating, witch an average salary of $50,592.

“The preparation that we give them here is aimed at developing outstanding business professionals who can lead with integrity, seize opportunities and embrace diverse environments, “ Spangler said.

“When they graduate, they get hired in large numbers by employers who return year after year. Our focus on ethics has our students doing right by doing good, and we hope that has an impact on the marketplace and any workplace they go to.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “As a double major, my main major was in Entrepreneurship. The Entrepreneurship program at Duquesne was extremely rewarding and allowed for real-world experience and access to the business and entrepreneurial community in Pittsburgh. As part of my capstone course, I was chosen to compete as one of 12 finalists in the Carnegie Mellon Venture Challenge, the M.I.T. Enterprise Forum PitchFest, and was able to visit various Angel Investors and Startup coworking spaces/incubators throughout my time at Duquesne. I also was part of Phi Beta Lambda in the business school and during my spring semester of Senior year won first place at Nationals in Atlanta for my business plan.”

- Recent alum “We had a number of capstone courses through our senior year relating to our majors.

For instance, I had a capstone projects for my supply chain major, international business major, and every student takes a capstone management course. These courses were mainly projects where students were expected to demonstrate their learnings throughout their academic careers.” - Recent alum “My signature experience was building quantitative asset pricing models for my senior capstone project. The model I created is now the model that is used in my current role as portfolio manager at Quesne Capital, LLC. A company I co-founded with a fellow alumnus and with massive help from the finance faculty at Duquesne.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 169

865 RESERCH PARKWAY, 3RD FLOOR OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73104 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 405-325-5599

university of oklahoma

T $114,776 In-State Total Cost

$176,300

Out-of-State Total Cost

61.8%

Acceptance Rate

1212

Average SAT

$54,727

Average compensation (including bonus)

86.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he Michael F. Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma is focused on developing well-rounded culturallycompetent graduates. To do that, the school has implemented a number of initiatives to make Price more than just an education, but an experience.

One of those initiatives is the Price Passport to Success, a program that gives students the tools necessary to enhance their personal and professional lives and become successful global leaders. “The Passport offers a flexible, yet structured framework for students to participate in workshops, programs and opportunities in four areas known as pillars,” Laku Chidambaram, associate dean for Academic Programs and Engagement at Price, says.

Those four pillars include globalization, community, work-life skills, and leadership. The pillars are critical to setting students up for success.

“When students complete their Passport, they walk away with the confidence and competency in the broader aspects of business and community unmatched by their peers at other institutions,” Chidambaram boats.

THE INTEGRATED BUSINESS CORE Integrated Business Core (IBC) is a cornerstone of the Price experience.

Students in the IBC program work in teams to form an actual company — from start to finish.

“From brainstorming and market analysis, to managing employees and the legal implications of business transactions, to selling products and closing the books on the last sale, IBC develops the skills that it takes to launch a successful business,” Chidambaram says.

Additionally, all profits earned by the company gets donated to local nonprofit charities along with 500 hours of community service.

Companies formed through IBC have donated profits of over $1.3 million to local charities since it launched in 1995. It has also donated over 72,000 hours of community service.

Hector Javier Alanis, a class of 2016 alum, took part in the IBC program his junior year. He says the experience has taught him more about business and himself than any other event in his life.

“We had to do market research to see what product would sell, how we were going to sell it, store it, company hierarchy, and then finally we had to present to a regional bank to secure a loan,” Alanis explains. “We got the loan, sold out of our inventory and donated all profits to a local school that focuses on children with disabilities. The experience truly solidified the importance of the social responsibility that business have towards their community.”

Another student surveyed by Poets&Quants For Undergrads recalls IBC being one of the hardest, yet most rewarding experiences at Price.

university of oklahoma “It makes you challenge what little knowledge you think you have about business and gives you the tools to succeed in the real world.”

AN ABUNDANCE OF HANDS-ON LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Price doesn’t hold short on ensuring its students have enough opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom to the real-world. Nearly 71% of alumni surveyed by Poets & Quants for Undergrads said they were engaged in a “signature experience” through the business program that was a key part of their business learning.

The JCPenney Leadership Program is one example of those opportunities. The program provides high performing undergraduate business students with opportunities to build their leadership skills through a variety of learning experiences. Stephanie Robertson, another 2016 alum, says the program was one of the most significant experiences during her time at Price. “(The) JC Penney Leadership Program took us on a global leadership course to Costa Rica where we got to visit amazing companies and participate in leadership exercises all while studying abroad in a culturally rich environment,” Robertson says.

Sean Pringle, also graduating in 2016, took part in a capstone class. Pringle worked in a team to select and research a franchise.

Throughout the process, he spoke with real franchise owners, real estate professionals for land costs, and government agencies for licensing and permits. Pringle says the collaborative aspect of the class was a big learning experience.

“Each member of the group had a different major, so each had a specific function in the group,” he says. “We learned to rely on other functions of business, and to work in teams to accomplish our goal.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I studied abroad with the business school in Italy that provided me with visibility into the global business environment, and also an appreciation for different customs between countries (with a strong focus on the differences in business practices for Asian countries, which prompted me to study abroad in China, as well). I was also involved in an Honors thesis through the Honors College that was tied to the Business College based on my degree. It gave me multiple opportunities to connect with future employers and prospective employers, and allowed me to increase my business network before graduation.” - Recent alum

CAREER OUTLOOK Among the Class of 2018, nearly 87% seeking employment were employed full-time by the end of September, with an average salary of $53,134. A large majority choose to stay in the U.S. Southwest (86.97%).

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 171

4400 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20016 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 202-885-1000

American University

I $260,956 In-State Total Cost

$260,956

Out-of-State Total Cost

31.6%

Acceptance Rate

1256

Average SAT

$59,588

Average compensation (including bonus)

81.3%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

n the last three years, American University’s Kogod School of Business has changed their entire curriculum to a brand new General Education Program called the AU Core. Students at Kogod begin with a first-year experience. The novel experience includes courses in foundational skills that include both in-person and online learning in small group sessions led by instructors as well as peer facilitators.

In the first semester, students will complete American University Experience 1, also known as AUx1, which is designed to help them transition to college life by addressing themes such as freedom of expression, health and wellness, finding community, and diversity, bias, and privilege. The course also informs students of resources on campus, as well as guides them through budgeting time and money and how to build and plan their academic success.

In their second semester, students take AUx2. In it, they will explore structures of power, privilege, and inequality, while engaging in discussion on ethics and integrity, and the impact that individuals can have on communities and structures.

American University is a private research university in Washington, D.C., that offers a four-year undergraduate business degree program.

In a survey conducted by Poets&Quants, about 31% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they felt their Kogod business degree was worth its cost in tuition, and 45% said they felt the program prepared them well for the world of work. About 60% also said they would recommend the business program at Kogod to a close friend or colleague, and 30% said that their experience at American University was life-changing.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Undergraduate business students at Kogod School of Business can pick from five majors. Over 60% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said that they were engaged in a signature experience through the business program while at American University. Those experiences included consulting projects with real-world firms, internships, and capstone projects that often involved local businesses.

Kathleen Escarcha, a 2016 graduate, says she participated in many group projects at Kogod.

“For one project, we acted as IT consultants for one AU office,” Escarcha says. “We worked with this office to figure out the scope of the problem, brainstorm solutions, and design the solution. We presented our solutions and demoed our product to the AU office and in front of the class.”

For students who are interested in entrepreneurship, the university’s Entrepreneurship Incubator is a great place for undergraduate students to seek out mentors, ask for advice on plans, and create prototypes.

Ideas that have blossomed at the incubator include WhoU?, a facial

american university recognition software that can identify actors and actresses so viewers can download their TV shows and movies, to Sand Scan, a software that quickly and effectively measures erosion that is essential information to coastal communities.

The school shared that 86% of students in the Class of 2017 completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation. For the Class of 2018, the rate dipped to 77%. Two members of the alumni from the Class of 2016 reported that they did seven business-related internships while at Kogod School of Business.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “My Primary job training came through my interning experience - an experience I was afforded due to the Kogod School of Business emphasizing the need to intern as much as possible.� - Recent alum

STUDYING ABROAD AND EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES Going to school in Washington, D.C. in itself can feel like studying abroad, with the extent of diversity in the people that live and work in the area. Still, American University offers students the opportunity to study at one of their three Premier Centers Abroad, in Brussels, Belgium; Nairobi, Kenya; and Madrid, Spain. About 35% of alumni from the Class of 2016 reported being engaged in a global immersion, trip, or project while at Kogod.

The program in Brussels bring students into the heart of the European Union and NATO as they develop an understanding of on global politics, boundaries and agreements, and how they affects cultures, economies, and communities. In Nairobi, students get a chance to look into the economy and culture of a country where basic necessities are scarce, and education is not a given, and are pushed to contemplate how their skills and training can help developing communities around the world. In Madrid, students can put their Spanish skills to practice as they attend classes in Spanish and homestay with locals.

The school shared that about 81% of the Class of 2018 found fulltime employment within three months of graduation. The average salary for business majors with a full-time job from the Class of 2018 was $58,670. About 12% of those received signing bonuses averaging $7,652.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 173

8000 UTOPIA PARKWAY, QUEENS, NY 11439 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 718-990-2000

St. John’s university

T $245,632 In-State Total Cost

$245,632

Out-of-State Total Cost

59%

Acceptance Rate

1208

Average SAT

$59,146

Average compensation (including bonus)

81%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he St. John’s University Peter J. Tobin College of Business is based in New York City, but it’s opportunities stretch beyond its NYC classroom setting. The school, which has recently changed leadership to Dean Norean Sharpe, features strong experiential learning opportunities and generous financial aid.

To enhance academic and experiential learning for students, Tobin opened a newly renovated business school building this year that includes a business analytics lab, accounting lab, and innovation incubator space.

“This modern building is the centralized home for academic rigor in business and serves as a beacon,” Sharpe, who also serves as a professor of Decision Sciences at the Tobin College, said at the time of the opening of the building. “It sends the message that the Tobin College of Business is well-poised to recruit talented students and faculty in keeping with the top business school programs in the United States.”

Among other changes at Tobin include a new Tobin Business School CEO Seminar Series that highlights alumni executives in Manhattan twice a semester, a newly refocused department of business analytics, and adding Dublin and Barcelona to Tobin’s Global Destination Course Program.

EVERY SINGLE CLASS OF 2017 GRADUATE COMPLETED AN EXTERNAL CONSULTING PROJECT Tobin offers a number of experiential learning opportunities for business students. The Executive in Residence Program (EIRP) is an experiential learning course where students consult with multinational firms. The GLOBE program is a global micro-lending program that takes students to Central America and Africa to support local women entrepreneurs. The Student Managed Investment Fund is a studentrun investment fund that tasks students with investing university endowment dollars. Tobin Business School reports that 100% of the graduating class of 2017 participated in a consulting project with an external organization.

“As part of these three programs, I was able to tackle real world problems while been tasked with delivering results that would impact businesses, individuals, and economic returns for our student managed fund,” one Tobin alum who completed P&Q’s alumni survey said. “The skills I gained further developed my critical and analytical skills. These skills translated well when I landed a job as a M&A Consultant.”

Leilani Blira-Koessler is a graduate of Tobin and currently works as a Community Outreach Coordinator for the Queensboro Council for Social Welfare. She tells P&Q that GLOBE and EIRP were two of the best courses she took while at St. John’s.

“They helped with public speaking with a focus on working with

st. john’s university business executive,” she says. “Other beneficial experiences would be in high level projects presentations. The student evaluations would very helpful where we evaluated our peers in the groups we work in.

EXPENSIVE SCHOOL, BUT SCHOLARSHIPS ALL AROUND! The total four-year cost at St. John’s Tobin College (including tuition and all university fees, but not including room and board, transportation expenses, or books and supplies) for a graduate in the class of 2017 was $159,340.

According to the P&Q survey, Tobin reports that 100% of its incoming fall 2017 business students received scholarship support (including merit- and need-based federal, state, institutional, and external grants and scholarships) once accepted into the business school. The average scholarship amount for students entering in fall 2017 was $26,593.

CAREER OUTLOOK Tobin also reports to P&Q that 85.3% of 2017 grads seeking employment were employed full-time within 90 days of graduation.

That’s a slight uptick from last year’s 84.75%. Some 18.9% of 2017 grads sought continuing education compared to 22.3 % of 2016 grads.

Average salary for 2017 Tobin grads working full-time is $58,613— a slight drop from $58,658 for 2016 grads. Four-fifths of Tobin grads surveyed by P&Q reported that their first job after graduating was in their desired industry with 57.89% saying their first job was at their desired company.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “St. John’s University runs three unique, experiential, on-hands programs. They are the Student Managed Investment Fund, the Executive-in-Residence Program, and GLOBE (Global Loan Opportunities for Budding Entrepreneurs). As part of these three program, I was able to tackle real world problems while been tasked with delivering results that would impact businesses, individuals, and economic returns for our student managed fund. The skills I gained further developed my critical and analytical skills. These skills translated well when I landed a job as a M&A Consultant.” - Recent alum “The GLOBE program first exposed me to social entrepreneurship and put me in an environment where I was treated as a professional and learned many of the soft skills required in the professional world. The program also gave me the opportunity to travel and see global poverty. The GLOBE program was truly life and career altering for me and remains a highlight of my college career.” Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 175

ONE WASHINGTON PARK, SUITE 324, NEWARK, NJ 07102 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 973-353-5169

Rutgers Business School at Newark

S $104,608 In-State Total Cost

$161,608

Out-of-State Total Cost

55%

Acceptance Rate

1157

Average SAT

$54,954

Average compensation (including bonus)

75.4%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

tarting Spring 2019, students at Rutgers Business School in Newark will be part of a bootcamp designed to help jumpstart their skills and knowledge to meet the demands of a fast-changing world and economy. During the bootcamp, Dean Lei Lei says students will be learning about cybersecurity and data analytics and softwares like Tableau during this bootcamp.

While the school might be training students with newfangled technology, founded in 1766, Rutgers is one of the continent’s oldest institutes of higher education. Rutgers Business School has two locations — Newark and New Brunswick. Newark’s location is one of the most diverse to make this year’s ranking. Some 31% of incoming Fall 2018 students were first-generation college students and 35% came from under-represented minorities.

Students at Rutgers Business School, Newark, can choose to from six majors. In line with the growing industry demand for data-fluent graduates, students at the school can now choose to work on electives in cybersecurity, designing and creating websites, a special topics course in data mining, and analytics.

Among the most innovative changes that have happened at Rutgers in the last three years is the opening of the school’s Accounting tutoring center, thanks to a $30,000 gift from CohnReznick LLP in 2017.

According to Robert Kurland, the associate dean at Newark, the money will help fund tutors for three years, Since its inception, the center has made 1,077 tutoring appointments and helped 333 students. Kurland plans to solicit corporate sponsorship so the tutoring center can be expanded with even more tutors serving different areas of study.

The school has also recently launched concentrations in Business of Fashion, Real Estate, Sales, Global Business, and Leadership for business majors, and minors in Business of Fashion, Real Estate, and Marketing for non-business majors. The School has also recently split their Finance major into two tracks: Financial Planning, for those who aspire to become Certified Financial Planners, and Financial Management for traditional finance majors.

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE For some students, their time at Rutgers can begin earlier through the Summer Business camp, where high school students can learn the fundamentals of business. Working in small teams, students learn to develop business plans for a business venture they create, and present their ideas in a business plan competition. Not only do the students begin getting used to thinking like a businessperson, the $1,500 summer camp allows students to practice making business presentations, while visiting various businesses and organizations such as AT&T and Johnson & Johnson.

rutgers business school at newark Given the high levels of diversity at the school, the Rutgers Business School Business Student Transition at Rutgers Program (B-STAR) is offered by the Office of Diversity to assist freshmen minority students. Students kick off the intensive, six-week, summer academic program by living on campus and taking two required college courses in Management Information Systems and English Composition for full academic credit. Students in the B-STAR program will be guided throughout their time at Rutgers, and up to 20 students are selected each year. The tuition is estimated to be about $5,000, but most participants have all of their expenses covered by the program scholarship, and they’ll just need to put down a refundable $125 deposit.

“We want our students to succeed, and we have many programs in place to help them towards success,” Lei says. “We prepare our students academically and professionally, and our brand that is represented through our students is all about resilience resourcefulness, and responsibility. We are looking to build leaders.”

According to a Poets&Quants survey, 40% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they had been engaged in “signature experiences” that enriched their undergraduate business experience.

Natasha Pojedinec, Class of 2016, says the Entrepreneurial Practicum class provided her with valuable hands-on experience.

“It was an amazing class where I got to work directly with a multimillion dollar, private New Jersey company to help solve a real business need,” she says. “I took a tour of the company, and my team and I worked with the owner and founder to create a pitch book of our solutions to fix his e-commerce website and expand sales.”

Other alumni shared they helped run the Student Managed Fund, which managed $100,000 provided by the school to learn about investment theory. They also took multiple trips to investment banks and connected with assets managers, and to the New York Stock Exchange to ring the opening bell.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I took the Entrepreneurial Practicum class taught by Professor Peter Kestenbaum.

It was an amazing class where I got to work directly with a multi-million dollar, private NJ company to help solve a real business need. It was hands-on. I took a tour of the company, my team and I worked with the owner and founder. Created a pitch book of our solutions to fix his e-commerce website and expand sales.

I attached part of my research project when I applied to Bloomberg and talked about it during my interview.” - Recent alum “Group (current) case study projects (Toys”R”Us, Amazon & Scope) were a realtime learning experience that connected to current events. Those projects really taught me to effectively work with my team’s capacities.

We needed to find information when there was not much available from our instructor and create feasible solutions that was supported by the research and numbers. The computer simulation of a dynamic Marketing (micro and macro) eco-system that reacted based on the total class’ input was also a great lesson in operating effectively under uncertainty. It was a group project and we were all responsible for different segments of the business’ success.

It really taught me about collaboration across business units. This was an ongoing project that we turned in weekly deliverables for and received an overall score based on results of the simulation.” - Recent alum “I ran the Student Managed Fund which was $100,000 of real money the school provided for the students to learn long-only investment theory.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 177

CAMERON HALL, 601 S COLLEGE RD, WILMINGTON, NC 28403 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 910-962-3000

University of north carolina at wilmington

A $91,672 In-State Total Cost

$147,600

Out-of-State Total Cost

61%

Acceptance Rate

1177

Average SAT

$44,507

Average compensation (including bonus)

91.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

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ll schools have alumni networks, and some have networks that are more active than others. At the University of North CarolinaWilmington Cameron School of Business, students have more than their alumni to turn to for academic and career guidance, for internship advice, and wisdom in life. The Cameron Executive Network (CEN) is made up of about 250 retired and practicing executives who mentor the undergraduate business students in one-on-one relationships designed to improve resumes, interviewing skills, and leadership abilities.

About 450 students at Cameron School of Business currently have CEN mentors.

UNC-Wilmington, is a public university located on North Carolina’s beach. The Cameron School offers a two-year program to students featuring three majors: a BA in Economics, BS in information technology, and BS in Business administration. Students in the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration have 13 concentrations to pick from. In a poll conducted by Poets&Quants, about 55% of Class of 2016 alumni said that they felt their degree was worth its cost in tuition and 50% said that the program prepared them well for the world of work.

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE At Cameron, applied learning is taken very seriously. Multiple initiatives in each department exist to reinforce classroom studies while providing experiential learning opportunities. About 67% of alumni from the Class of 2016 shared that they were involved in a signature experience while at Cameron.

Accounting students, for example, can participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program where they help low-income communities file their tax returns. Meanwhile, Management students can take part in the “Innovation Concept” Pitch Competition, Business Plan Competition, or Innovation Challenge.

Students with a passion in Economics and Finance can join the BB&T Student Managed Investment Fund where they get hands-on learning with securities analysis and investment portfolio design before putting their knowledge to the test by helping to manage a multi-million dollar student-run fund.

Economics and Finance students can also apply to a three-credit course that takes them to Prague, Czech Republic, to present their findings and recommendations after working on an in-depth financial and marketing analysis for a local business. Additional opportunities to build a robust resume include taking part in the Fed Challenge, CFA Investment Research Challenge, and joining the Banking Research Group.

Lauren Martinez, a Finance major, says she took part in the CFA Institute Research Challenge and the UNCW Portfolio Management Class. “I strengthened my public speaking skills, along with gaining

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT WILMINGTON extraordinary experience and skills doing equity valuations and learning how to build and manage portfolios, along with helping me prepare to take the CFA Institute Program exams,” Martinez, who now works as an investment officer, says.

Martinez also went to England to study International Business and Finance as part of the business school and said that the experience left a deep impression on her. “The professors were superb and it was a priceless experience,” she says. “We went on company tours as well and it furthered our learning as we gained hands-on experience.”

The university offers hundreds of opportunities for international study abroad, with many individual students attending international universities. The Cameron School offers nine businessspecific study abroad opportunities in Australia, China, France, Germany, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

The school shared that about 25% of students have at least four weeks of studying abroad before graduation.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I studied abroad at KEDGE business school in Marseille, France. It was a great experience to learn about international business in a truly international world. The ability to take classes with students from all over the world helped shaped the person I am today.” - Recent alum

CAREER OUTCOMES In recent years, the school has made several innovative changes to the undergraduate business program, such as including a business writing lab as a required part of the curriculum. The business analytics and supply chain tracks for the Bachelor of Science degree program are also recent additions. The school has also expanded their undergraduate advising office to provide advice to all prebusiness students, and also launched career placement fairs in both the Fall and Spring semesters.

About 45% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said their time at Cameron School of Business was life-changing, and 80% said they would recommend the program to a close friend or colleague.

The school shared that about 63% of students in the classes of 2017 and 2018 completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation, and about 80% of graduates from the Class of 2017 found full-time jobs within six months of graduation. The business majors with full-time jobs received an average salary of $46,831.

About 63% of Class of 2016 alumni said that their first job after graduation was in a desired function, and 51% said their first job was at their desired company. Over 50% of alumni also said they felt their degree would help them climb to a higher socioeconomic status.

“We had the opportunity to brainstorm, develop, and execute our own research project on topics that related to the company or field we wanted our career to be in,” Tia Nelson, Class of 2016, says of her time at the business school. “They even helped to prepare us to present the research to our dream companies.”

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 179

740 GARDEN RD, DEKALB, IL 60115 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 815-753-1000

northern illinois University

A $114,592 In-State Total Cost

$152,910

Out-of-State Total Cost

53.8%

Acceptance Rate

1110

Average SAT

$51,369

Average compensation (including bonus)

67.9%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t Northern Illinois University’s (NIU) College of Business, developing the whole businessperson is a priority. The school’s Business Passport Program lies at the core of their undergraduate experience, where students engage in a variety of learning activities that the school has identified as a must for anyone hoping to become a strong business leader.

Students must “visit” seven passport continents while working on their undergraduate degrees: Business Communications, Career Development, Ethics, Experiential Learning, Global, Leadership, and Service. Juggling ethics, communications, and global perspectives, is what the school’s administration believes will build future student leaders.

“We had so many students who were going above and beyond classes that we decided we wanted the rest of the students to do this too. That’s why we added the Business Passport Program as a requirement to help develop well-rounded individuals to join the business world,” says Amy Buhrow, senior director of Strategy, Student Success and Accreditation.

“The program helps them prepare to hit the ground running.”

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE & OUTCOMES Students at the College of Business can choose from six majors. But as part of NIU’s Business Passport Program, students must fulfill all seven passport continents.

“When our graduates enter their first job, they are prepared with a number of frameworks to solve problems and address ethical issues, to communicate, and to apply technology to complex business issues,” Buhrow says. “They have grit, and ready to pay their dues to get the job done and advance.”

One major component of the Business Passport Program is the Experiential Learning continent, meant to direct students towards hands-on learning of business in the real world. Whether through projects, consultation, or internships, students are expected to put themselves out there and learn by doing, and at NIU, there are plenty of opportunities. Many alums in the Class of 2016 told P&Q that their participation in an Experiential Learning Center projects was amazing, even “phenomenal.” “The program is selective, and it delivers on its promise. 100% job placement after graduation,” Michael Howell, from the Class of 2016 says. “A graduate from this program will be leaps and bounds ahead of other graduates.”

Howell also shared that at NIU, every College of Business student must also complete a cross-functional, semester-long, business simulation as a capstone class, where students learn how to operate a publicly traded company and how to communicate with people of different business functions. His peers agree with almost 90% saying

northern illinois university they would recommend the NIU business program to their friends and colleagues.

In a survey conducted by P&Q with the Class of 2016, almost 90% of alumni said that they felt the program at NIU prepared them well for the world of work. The school shared that about 64% of students in both the Class of 2017 and 2018 had business-specific internships before graduation. But at about 68%, the school had one of the lowest full-time employment rates three months after graduations out of the schools ranked this year. The average salary for graduates from both 2017 and 2018 classes who found full-time employment was about $51,200, with signing bonuses falling slightly for graduates across the years from $3,196 to $2,600.

“We want our students to experience real world situations where they have to adapt their styles and customize their deliverables,” Buhrow said. “Our students are given the chance to practice their professional skills in a safe and supportive environment where it’s OK to fail. When they leave, they’ve proven themselves in the academic environment, and can handle tricky situations.”

MORE DOMESTIC DIVERSITY THAN ANY OTHER SCHOOL At the Northern Illinois College of Business, 45% of the incoming Fall of 2018 students identify as underrepresented U.S. minorities, and the student organizations show how these students are wellsupported so they can succeed in college. From the Association of Latino Professionals of America and National Association of Black Accountants, to Women in Business Professions organization, students can choose to join solid communities who share similar experiences and interests. Beyond the School of Business, NIU offers over 300 student organizations for students to build up their portfolios and find themselves.

“We work with them to identify their goals up front, and recognize that everyone comes to us with a different background,” Buhrow says. “We want to help them achieve success however that is defined.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “At NIU, every College of Business student must complete a cross-functional, semesterlong, business simulation as a capstone class. Assists you with understanding how to operate a publicly traded company and how to conversate with people from different business functions. Additionally, I graduated with a Certificate in Professional Selling.

This program is the EXPECTATION for a sales program. The program is selective, and it delivers on its promise. 100% job placement after graduation. A graduate from this program will be leaps and bounds ahead of other graduates. Finally, I took a week long class where I traveled to Silicon Valley with a dozen other students, and we met with some of the greatest minds in our country. We had the opportunity to see how the real world meets the classroom. How many other students can do this? NIU has a chip on its shoulder. They’re in Big 10 country, so we must find ways to beat our Big 10 counterparts. I believe it does!”

- Recent alum “I did a cross-functional team project which lasted an entire semester. We were to create a fictional business plan for international expansion within an assigned country and product category. Intermittently, the class also included real-world case studies that we were to assess as a team. There were additional opportunities for experiential learning within the College of Business that I didn’t participate in. The NIU CoB has much to offer in education integrated with the actual business world.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 181

2500 BROADWAY, LUBBOCK, TX 79409 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 806-742-1480

Texas Tech University

T $105,752 In-State Total Cost

$155,552

Out-of-State Total Cost

76.4%

Acceptance Rate

1093

Average SAT

$53,473

Average compensation (including bonus)

91.1%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

exas Tech University Rawls College of Business is situated in the city of Lubbock, Texas, where the energy industry has an extensive impact. Because of this, the school’s Energy Commerce & Business Economics program has consistently been rated as the best in the country.

In 2017, the oil and gas industry supported 325,439 direct jobs, according to the Houston Chronicle, and this past January, Time.com published an article discussing how the oil boom in West Texas is reshaping the world. To prepare their students to take advantage of all the opportunities in this rapidly growing sector, the Energy Commerce program at Rawls College offers courses in Petroleum Land Management, Oil & Gas Law, Energy Quantitative Methods, and Exploration and Production Techniques.

But that’s not all Rawls College has to offer.

Students can also choose to major in Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing, Management Information Systems/ IT or Supply Chain Management.

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE Rawls College offers undergraduate certificates in Accounting, Data Analytics, Energy, Finance, Leadership, Information Technology, International Business and Sales and Customer Relationship Management. With dual degree opportunities students can also pair their general business degree with a degree in Architecture or Agricultural and Applied Economics.

In addition to business requirements students at Rawls College are expected to take 15 courses in liberal arts, which can include Introductory Mathematical Analysis, American Government, Texas Politics and Topics, and Creative Arts.

Outside of the classroom, students at Rawls College can get involved with one of the nine labs, centers, or institutes housed in the college.

At the Center for Entrepreneurship and Family Business, students can engage in entrepreneurial research or get to work with the greater Lubbock community. At the Center for Energy Commerce, students can kickstart their careers by attending the Jerome Schuetzeberg Distinguished Lectureship Series to learn from the industry leaders, or attend a Lunch and Learn Industry Speaker Series. At the school’s Career Management Center, business students can participate in workshops and events designed to prepare them for internship and job interviews.

In April 2018, the school announced that the placement rate of December 2017 graduates rose to about 91% for the first time in Rawls College history. In addition, 59.8% of the graduating class completed an internship, and 19% had a study abroad experience.

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY Almost 72% of alumni from the Class of 2016 told P&Q in a survey that they would recommend the business program at Texas Tech to a close friend or colleague, and about 95% said that the program had prepared them well for work. Some 55% shared they had been engaged in a signature experience while at Rawls College. Experiences ranged from preparing for the CPA exam in a capstone class and working with real-life companies, to taking part in simulations, project work, and performing actual valuations of companies.

Almost 30% of alumni also said that they were engaged in a global immersion trip or project while at Rawls College. The university offers 60 semester-abroad opportunities that take students to partner universities in countries including China, Argentina, Portugal, and Puerto Rico. Nearly 50% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said their time at Rawls was life changing, and 63% said they believed their degree would help them climb to a higher socioeconomic status.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I completed the Masters of Science in Accounting elective course in Prague, Czech Republic. The experience was life changing and the professors along on the trip (Dr. Masselli and Dr. Jason Rinaldo) were very helpful. I highly recommend studying abroad for all students.� - Recent alum

CAREER OUTCOMES The school shared that about 91% of 2018 graduates seeking employment found full-time jobs within three months of graduation.

The average salary is about $52,000. Almost 90% of graduates from the Class of 2016 said that their first job after graduating was in their desired job function, and 75% said their first job was even at their desired company.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 183

5401 PARK AVE, FAIRFIELD, CT 06825 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 203-371-7880

Sacred Heart University

A $223,224 In-State Total Cost

$223,224

Out-of-State Total Cost

60.8%

Acceptance Rate

1156

Average SAT

$54,784

Average compensation (including bonus)

79.1%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

ll freshmen who attend the Welch College of Business at Sacred Heart University go through the First Year Experience, where they are paired with a current upper-class Welch College student for mentoring.

“The Welch Mentor program was conceived because we were finding that students need to not only be academically prepared, but also equipped with soft skills to be successful,” says Dr. Kwamie Dunbar, associate dean of Welch. “The First Year Experience is part of the full Welch Experience, where we empower our students to perform in every experience.”

Sacred Heart is a private roman Catholic university located in Fairfield, Connecticut, and the Jack Welch College of Business is named after the former chairman and CEO of General Electric.

Jack Welch College of Business offers eight majors. Starting Fall 2019, the school will also begin offering Fashion Marketing and Merchandising as a major. Highlighting the Jack Welch experience is an entire department called The Welch Experience, that focuses on student success within the college of business. The Welch Experience oversees student leadership positions such as the Welch Mentors. The Welch Corporate Structure allows students to work for the department in a corporate hierarchy, taking on roles as vice president and managers for different departments in the college, while getting paid to help craft the Welch Experience for their schoolmates.

“Some students arrive on campus and feel lost. To help them towards success, these mentors help to familiarize them with school life, show them to their classes, help them select their classes, and answer the difficult questions,” Dunbar says. “It’s like having a buddy on top of having access to faculty and academic advisors, whom they may feel more comfortable approaching in the beginning.”

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES Another signature aspect of the Welch Experience is the required internship component for graduation. The school reported that 97% of students in the Class of 2018 completed business-specific internships prior to graduation. In a Poets&Quants survey, most alums in the Class of 2016 shared they had completed at least one internship, with some completing as many as seven internships. Over 75% of those alums said they would recommend the program to a friend or colleague, and about 72% said they felt the program prepared them well for the world of work.

Among the “signature experiences” that the alums shared they had while at Welch College of Business was projects developing marketing campaigns, product simulations, and partnerships with local businesses and non-profit organizations to have hands-on learning. They shared

sacred heart university that their internship experiences had helped them make connections to businesses, and realize what they did and did not want out of their careers.

Ryan Byrne, from the Class of 2016, was among those who said they had a positive experience as a Welch student. “The investment management program at SHU offered high-level courses to students admitted, place me on the student managed investment fund, and made me a mentor to younger business students,” Byrne says.

Within three months of graduation, about 79% of the 2018 graduating class seeking employment had secured a full-time position. The average salary drawn by 2018 graduates was $44,125 to $54,784.

MOVING FORWARD The school has recently moved into the state-of-the-art Frank and Marisa Martire Business & Communications Center that is equipped with a number of technology-enhanced classrooms. The Center includes a finance lab, artificial intelligence lab, and business analytics lab, where students will be encouraged to work more collaboratively with each other and have hands-on, real-world experiences in the classroom.

The changes come as the school has noticed employers seeking graduates with more analytical skills who are prepared to start working from day one. Rather than putting employees through extensive training periods, Dunbar says those days are going away, and employers want graduates with experience.

“Sacred Heart has responded by adding more analytics to our program, and making classes more rigorous and analytical,” he said.

“Students can earn credits for an internship, and can take as many as they want. We’re giving them more hands-on training in classes, with more experiential learning built in so students can learn by doing more as they prepare for work.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “The investment management program at SHU offered high-level courses to students admitted, place me on the student managed investment fund, and made me a mentor to younger business students.” - Recent alum “The internships that I was able to obtain through Sacred Heart helped me make connections to businesses, and also to realize what I wanted and didn’t want out of my career.” - Recent alum I was exposed to many projects that included developing marketing campaigns, product simulations, budgeting and generating financial statements and many other relevant projects that help me today.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 185

111 LAKE HOLLINGSWORTH DRIVE, LAKELAND, FL 33801 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 1-800-274-4131

Florida Southern College

A $208,000 In-State Total Cost

$208,000

Out-of-State Total Cost

50%

Acceptance Rate

1203

Average SAT

$44,373

Average compensation (including bonus)

83.6%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

t Florida Southern College, business students have access to stateof-the-art technology focused on hands-on learning experience.

Students can earn a professional Bloomberg Certification in their Bloomberg Trading room, which is one of the largest collegiate Bloomberg centers. Marketing students can make use of a professional focus group facility for market research work while business development students can work on their 3D modeling skills through class projects.

On top of the school’s existing four majors in Accounting, Business Administration, Business and Free Enterprise, and Economics and Finance, the school recently added majors in Healthcare Administration and Sport Business Management. Students in the Business Administration major can choose a career track in Finance, Management, Marketing, or International Business.

The school has also introduced a 4+1 Master of Business Administration program where Florida Southern students in their junior year can apply to be considered for early admission to the MBA program. Qualified students can use up to 12 credit hours to count towards their undergraduate and MBA degree requirement, while paying tuition costs for these credit hours at the undergraduate tuition rate.

Florida Southern College is a private college in Lakeland, Florida, that offers a four-year undergraduate business program. Almost 30% of the incoming 2018 class is made up of students from underrepresented minorities. Some 15% were first-generation college students, and 6% were international students, according to data provided by H. Bernard Davis, executive in residence at Florida Southern College.

About 42% of business alumni from the Class of 2016 told Poets&Quants that they felt their degree was worth its cost in tuition, and almost 60% said they would recommend the undergraduate business program to a close friend or colleague without hesitation.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING A PRIORITY One of the things that the business school at Florida Southern is best known for is the amount of experiential learning opportunities that students have. The school shared that 14 of the required courses involve experiential learning and 80% of Healthcare Management Administration students from the graduating Class of 2018 participated in a consulting project with an external organization, and every single Sport Business Management student did the same.

The school boasts a 100 percent job placement rate for their accounting students, with alumni at almost every prestigious auditing firm such as KPMG and Ernst & Young, and in leadership positions of organizations including The Florida State Attorney’s Office, and Securities and

Florida Southern College Exchange Commission.

Florida Southern College business school is also the only business school in Florida with a Business and Free Enterprise program that combines political science and economics to develop graduates who are able to analyze business decisions from a social perspective.

About 80% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they were involved in a signature experience while at Florida Southern College business school. From working on class projects and capstone courses, to taking on summer and senior seminars, many said the experiences were memorable and had a considerable impact on their post-graduation career.

Joel Brown, a Business Administration major in the International Business and Communications track, says he worked with a group of diverse students to design a way for a company to invest in the future. “We worked with a trucking company, mainly focusing on renewable energy resources, to appeal to potential investors and customers with regards to an accurate business model that we studied for most of the semester,” Brown says.

Korie Taylor, also a 2016 grad, says she had a chance to learn about business strategies and practice them on case studies while completing a capstone course to receive her Business Administration degree at Florida Southern College. “The final project for the course was a group project where we applied all of the concepts we learned to a business of our choosing,” she says.

About 30% of alumni from the Class of 2016 also told P&Q that they were engaged in global immersion, trip or project through the business program.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “In my International Business classes our professor allowed us to visit different places that provided us with differing views on cultures we hadn’t experienced. Seeing how cultures crossed together to make financial matters work was amazing to see, and being able to do it at such a young age was even more helpful. Whether it was a Spanish flea market in Plant city, Jewish Synagogue in Orlando, or a class trip to Colombia to see the effect our economy has on other currencies while accessing the benefits/deficiencies involved with those transactions”- Recent alum

EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES The school shared that while about 60% of students in both the Classes of 2017 and 2018 completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation. About 84% of students from the Class of 2018 found full-time jobs within a few months of graduating.

The average salary for business majors with full-time jobs from the Class of 2018 was $43,366. About 21% of those also received signing bonuses that averaged $4,699.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 187

100 FUNKHOUSER BUILDING, LEXINGTON, KY 40506 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 859-257-2000

University of Kentucky

T $111,648 In-State Total Cost

$179,904

Out-of-State Total Cost

69.8%

Acceptance Rate

1395

Average SAT

$49,911

Average compensation (including bonus)

62%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

he University of Kentucky is a public university in Lexington, Kentucky, which offers a two-year undergraduate business program where students can major in Accounting, Economics, Finance, Marketing, and Management. Gatton College also offers minors in Business, Economics, and International Business.

In a survey conducted by Poets&Quants, about 50% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they felt their degree was worth its cost in tuition and that the school had prepared them well for the world of work. To help students with the transition to college life, the school’s Business Enterprise Living Learning Program brings together both first and second year students as they study and live together at Champion Court 1 in the north campus neighborhood.

On the First Year Track, students who participate in the program will be required for the Freshman Orientation course in the fall semester, and Introduction to Business Enterprise in the Spring Semester to develop an understanding of basic business concepts.

Together, cohorts will attend classes together and have more access to Gatton faculty, staff, and resources than students who are not in the program before they become upperclassmen. They will also have the opportunity to attend workshops that are only available to the community, and go on site visits to companies, and networking events with alumni and industry professionals. Should students find themselves struggling with coursework, not only will they have peers close by for them to seek help from, the community also has in-residence tutoring services.

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE About 50% of 2016 alumni told P&Q that they were engaged in signature experiences while at Gatton College. Other than those who were part of one of various scholars programs, graduates also shared that they wrote senior theses, created business plans, worked on Capstone projects, and had internships that gave them hands-on learning experiences.

An accounting major from the Class of 2016 shared that he found an internship through the school, performing audit work for a local business where his work also contributed to his grade in a class. As part of another course, he also helped to design a marketing plan for other local businesses while looking for areas of potential growth for the firm.

He is now working as an auditor with the DCAA (Defense Contract Audit Agency).

About 28% of alumni said that they were engaged in a global immersion trip or project while working on their undergraduate business degrees. BJ Butler, an accounting major from the Class of 2016, says that he traveled to Iceland to work on a renewable energy project as

University of Kentucky part of his Capstone. Today, Butler is working as a CPA at his own firm.

The school offers study abroad programs in 10 countries and has international partnerships with universities across the world, form Senegal, China, and Malaysia, to Greece and United Arab Emirates.

The university also offers several business-specific student organizations which provide business students with opportunities to brush up on their resume, and add to their portfolios, to broadening their professional network, and score that coveted internship.

CAREER OUTCOMES Almost 70% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said their first job after graduation was at their desired company, and 83% said their first job was in their desired function. Graduates shared that they went from being students at Gatton College to being accountants, investment banking analysts, tax staff accountants, financial analysts, communications coordinators, capital campaign consultants, content marketing managers, buyers, data specialists, and even an anti-money laundering investigator.

The school shared that just 62% of students from the Class of 2018 found full-time jobs within three months of graduation. The average salary for business majors with full-time employment from the Class of 2018 was $49,175. About 20% of graduates received signing bonuses with an average of $3,505.

Almost 75% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said they would recommend the undergraduate business program at Gatton College to a close friend or colleague, with 30% of them saying the schools career and academic advising was outstanding. Some 44% said their time at Gatton was life-changing, and over half said they believed their business degree would help them climb to a higher socioeconomic status.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “The Global scholars Honors program allowed us to be apart of cohort of high achieving business students who had an interest in global business. I worked towards an international business minor with a special curriculum with smaller cohort classes and a requirement to study abroad at least one semester to fulfill international business minor credits. I also attended numerous coffee talks, business visits, and service opportunities with the cohort.” - Recent alum “I studied tax abroad in Ireland with a professor from my university. It was my favorite course in college.” - Recent alum “My study abroad program with Manchester Business School was an incredible, lifechanging experience.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 189

1145 UNIVERSITY CENTER, 4901 EVERGREEN RD., DEARBORN, MI 48128 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 313-593-5100

University of Michigan At Dearborn

A $100,944 In-State Total Cost

$149,880

Out-of-State Total Cost

62%

Acceptance Rate

1148

Average SAT

$49,507

Average compensation (including bonus)

89.2%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

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t the University of Michigan-Dearborn, students are engaged in a web-based game approach to career readiness. While working on various professional development skills, student earn points as they complete “challenges.”

“The Talent Gateway initiative is aimed at giving students more opportunities to prepare for the workforce,” says Crystal Scott, assistant dean of the College of Business. “We want to give them a skillset that is not entrenched in a discipline, but that serves well-rounded thinking skills that will help them become problem solvers. ” Scott says that she knows of at least one student in the college who has attained 50,000 points from her participation, and it will be something to show potential employers as an achievement of initiative and creativity, on top of having good GPAs. The University of Michigan-Dearborn is a public university located in Dearborn, Michigan, with a four-year undergraduate business program.

The school has approximately 1,250 undergraduates and 450 graduate students, and offers nine majors, 11 minors, and two certificates.

“Employers today are not looking for students to have a skillset, but to be able to think outside the box, especially in terms of design thinking,” Scott explains. “We are big on creativity and believe that anyone can be creative, including businesspeople, but it’s a skill that you have to develop and practice.”

ACADEMIC OFFERINGS Starting Winter 2019, the school will be launching a Digital Futures Fellowship Program, where business students will gain real-world experience performing market research on small to medium-sized businesses based in Ghana. The pilot program was started after Scott met a woman who was working with companies in Ghana to make their websites more accessible, and mobile platforms more user-friendly.

Scott says that she believes the experience will help students broaden their understanding of global business. Being able to connect with actual businesses in Ghana that have ambition to expand internationally and being responsible for the market research means the students will have to not only understand what the product and selling point is, but also investigate the best market segment, and open their eyes to thinking about global supple, and global markets.

Because of issues such as the time difference in Dearborn and Ghana, Scott and her team are still working to figure out the details of the program, but believe the initial group will have about 35 students.

At Michigan-Dearborn College of Business, students can choose to do co-ops and internships with dozens of established companies, ranging from interning at the Detroit Food Academy or Ford Motor Company, to Deloitte Tax, or MASCO Corp. Alumni of the Class of 2016 told P&Q

University of Michigan at dearborn in a survey that they had done as many as four internships while working on their undergraduate degrees.

The college shared that about 58% of students from the classes of 2017 and 2018 had business-specific internships before graduation.

Just under 90% 2018 graduates seeking employment found full-time jobs three months after graduation.

In a survey conducted by P&Q, 55% of alums from the Class of 2016 said they would recommend the program without hesitation to a friend or colleague. Some 50% said they felt the program prepared them well for the world of work. About 40% reported their business school experience was life-changing, and 68% said their first job after graduation was in their desired job function.

Alex Krasuski, Class of 2016, says that the college often brought students in contact with external organizations for hands-on learning experiences, “from the local grocery store to Chrysler,” where they would gather information on how those businesses operated, and how they could be improved.

Another way that the College of Business challenges students to take on experiential learning is through iLabs, a three-credit class offering where students work on a project based on a problem delivered by a community partner organization. Students working in small teams have to figure out the best meeting times to work on the project, other than the facilitated meetings with the clients. The class is usually done by students in their junior and senior years as the project requires a level of fluency in statistics.

RESOURCES FOR BALANCING CLASS AND WORK Students who are interested in a career on Wall Street can take classes at the Bloomberg Finance Lab on campus which simulates a real-world trading room.

“The lab provides College of Business students access to a variety of financial simulations and tools for statistical analysis,” Scott said. “Having access to the Bloomberg Terminal allows students to monitor and analyze real-time financial market data.”

When it comes to core business classes, the school has also set up free tutoring that is available almost nine hours a day, where students can walk into an office and ask for help. The school is also experimenting with more online classes and more hybrid classes to further support their unique student body.

“Our students enter a company ready to start performing. These are not kids who have been sitting behind a computer, and are usually more mature than fresh-out-of-college students. They are technically well-prepared skilled communicators with work experience and training,” Scott says. “We are very focused on student success, and these students know how to manage work and life while meeting deadlines.”

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “Most classes offered group projects.

One project in my undergrad Operations Management course had us visit a company, and interview some of its leaders. My group created a report about the operations pros and cons for that company along with describing it.

We then presented our report to our class.” Recent alum “I participated in an independent study in which I was able to work with a team of students to conduct a market research study.

This gave me experience in team work, communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and time management - skills I needed to be successful outside of the classroom. I owe much of my successes both as a student and after graduation to the this experience.”Recent alum “Both Project Management and Managerial Communications had touched on the fundamentals of there disciplines really well.

Managerial communications had a project were we had to pitch a company to a panel of professionals that highlighted business strategy and how we would corner the market. Project management had a project that overlapped engineering 100 freshman with junior and senior project management students to simulate the real world process of managing project deliverables and deadlines. Both were very helpful ‘outside-the-box’ courses.” Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 191

ONE UNIVERSITY PARK DR, NASHVILLE, TN 37204 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 1-877-582-4766

Lipscomb University

A $198,074 In-State Total Cost

$198,074

Out-of-State Total Cost

61%

Acceptance Rate

1156

Average SAT

$46,875

Average compensation (including bonus)

74%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

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t Lipscomb University’s College of Business, students start by launching businesses. During their first semester, all Lipscomb students take Introduction to Entrepreneurship, where they work in small teams to establish businesses. Whether it’s selling coffee mugs or a catering business, dean Ray Eldridge describes Lipscomb as a “practitioner university.”

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Lipscomb University is a private faith-based, liberal arts institution. The business school offers a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with majors in accounting, finance, marketing, and Management.

Eldridge says that the school’s curriculum dedicated to experiential learning has paid off as their graduates are highly sought after. Within six months of graduating from the college, he says 96% of graduates had found jobs and every student in the accounting and finance divisions of the school had offers.

“We see business as mission and we’re looking to create global business leaders,” Eldridge says. “Our students get to work right from the beginning and the learning is hands-on.”

STUDENT-RUN BUSINESSES CREATE A COMBINED PROFIT OF AROUND $5,000 EACH SEMESTER To start their small businesses, students are given seed capital to develop and run with a business plan. They learn about profits, losses, and reinvesting. By the end of their first semester at Lipscomb, most student businesses have broken even and the students pay back the expenses and the profit goes to the school to use for similar educational opportunities. The school receives some capital from donors, but Eldridge says students raise most of the capital for the next class.

Some of these businesses last a semester, but some last much longer, can become lessons in patent registration and win awards in national competitions. Last spring, Eldridge says two students left the school to continue their successful ceramic pottery business in nearby Memphis.

“Every class has a $5,000 to $6,000 profit per semester and the money also goes into our program to help underserved people set up businesses,” Eldridge explains. “The students really learn that profit is good but it takes time to get there.”

THE B-SCHOOL BASED ON THE ‘VIRTUES OF JESUS’ As a Christian institute, Lipscomb University focuses their values on the “virtues of Jesus,” which are being “purposeful, bold, credible, creative, and a servant leader.” But Eldridge says that students of all faiths are welcome and that the school understands that businesses are usually secular. What the values mean for the school of business,

Lipscomb University he says, is that students are encouraged to work in, learn from, and grow with the global community. One example is the school’s Business as Mission program that was established in January 2015.

As part of the opt-in program, students work with struggling communities to help individuals launch businesses.

Eldridge says that program director Rob Touchstone, who graduated from Lipscomb in 1997, often brings up the English proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Except Touchstone, he says, adds, “Teach a man to set up a fishing business and you have fed an entire village.”

SCHOOL LAUNCHED NEW ‘ASPIRE’ PROGRAM FOR JUNIORS

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “I went on a global learning trip and took three classes. It was a month long trip and we were supposed to only take two classes but the faculty modified my schedule so that I would be able to make it work. They were devoted to seeing me succeed in my academic life and in my future career. During that month, I was able to experience the wonderful cultures of four different countries and I would not trade that experience for anything.” - Recent alum

In most business schools across the country, internships are optional, though highly recommended, as employers begin seeking out individuals with theoretical and real-life knowledge. At Lipscomb, internships have been compulsory for years with help from the school’s in-house career center.

In 2018, the ASPIRE program set out to support 25 selected juniors to work 800 hours while attending lessons. In order to be part of the program, students apply and are selected. Once in the program, students take 37 hours of multifunctional classes together as a cohort. For example, a team of teachers may teach students about supply chain alongside marketing. Throughout the two semesters, the students will also go on a month-long overseas trip and be paired with a business for a paid, directed work experience.

“At the end of this program, our highly-motivated students will have one semester left and when they graduate, they will have a business degree and one-year’s work experience,” Eldridge boasts.

NASHVILLE’S BRIGHT FUTURE AS A TECH HUB In 2017, Nashville was identified by BIP-Capital, an Atlanta-based venture capital firm, as an emerging market-leading tech-innovation hub. The lower cost of living and lively music scene has been drawing tech firms from the coasts for at least a few years now.

The Nashville Entrepreneur Center located in downtown Nashville partners with Google for Entrepreneurs as one of nine tech hubs in North America to help the local startup community thrive.

Google provides technical content, business tools, and infrastructure upgrades to support developers and startups while entrepreneurs who run into problems can seek the collective knowledge and experience of over 200 “advisors” who have “been there, done that.”

Eldridge says that being located in the growing business hub makes it easy for them to connect students with job opportunities since many alums have already helped blaze a path into the prestigious firms.

“We want the companies who bring on our graduates to see that you can ask for both integrity and character along with business knowledge and experience,” Eldridge says. “People invest in us because they want a job and we deliver on that.”

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 193

953 DANBY RD, ITHACA, NY 14850 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 607-274-3940

Ithaca College

I $242,812 In-State Total Cost

$242,812

Out-of-State Total Cost

81%

Acceptance Rate

1221

Average SAT

$52,941

Average compensation (including bonus)

59.1%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

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thaca, New York, is a quintessential Northeast college town, home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, which placed 87th in this year’s Poets&Quants Best Undergraduate Business Schools ranking. And by college town, we mean college town. Sean Reid, who has been dean of the School of Business at Ithaca College for slightly over three years, explains.

“When I first started, it was the beginning of summer, and the place was a sleepy, touristy, little town. Then the students started coming back. First was Cornell mid-week, then Ithaca at the end, and it seemed like students were moving in everywhere you looked, and the average age fell by about 25 years,” Reid jokes. “College students make it a very vibrant community.”

But don’t let the sleepy college town feel deter you if connections to a city is important to the college experience. Ithaca is located four hours away from downtown Manhattan. And when Wall Street is just a drive away, there is already an easier geographic connection than the majority of other schools on this year’s ranking. “We are a school with a solid, liberal arts foundation mixed with cutting edge business education for our students, with a strong emphasis on experiential learning,” Reid says.

INNOVATION & CHANGE Over the last three years under Reid’s leadership, Ithaca’s School of Business has made several changes to their program, including completely redesigning the Freshman Business Experience. Today, students engage in pre-orientation interaction with academic advisors, meet with academic advisors during summer orientation, attend an immersive first-year course in business where the professor is also an advisor and features integrated business simulations. Student organization participation is now mandatory, and current events projects have been integrated into the curriculum, facilitated with complimentary subscriptions to Bloomberg Businessweek for every student.

Students at the School of Business can choose from seven majors.

Most recently, Ithaca has introduced a new business analytics minor, with representation from all business disciplines in conjunction with the departments of economics, computer science, and mathematics in the School of Humanities and Sciences. And for students in the accounting program at Ithaca, they can now apply to be considered for the fifth year program, where they complete an MS in Accounting to complement the school’s MBA program designed to allow accounting undergraduate students to meet the 150-credit requirement while concentrating in taxation or audit.

ithaca college THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE One of the main programs at Ithaca College is the Professions Program that runs from start to finish during the undergraduate experience. The co-curricular program is required of all business students, who must attend four workshops: Making Success a Habit, All-Star Interviewing, Securing Stellar Internships, and Life After IC. Students are also expected to complete 30 hours of job shadowing experiences and attend at least eight development events such as panel discussions and guest lectures that alumni attend.

The three other major aspects of the program are Professions Week, site visits, and young alumni mentors. Professions Week is a major event at Ithaca. Students engage in “Dress for Success” presentations, an etiquette dinner, keynote speeches, résumé reviews, and diversity and inclusion panels.

Through alumni donations, student groups also travel to Boston, Houston, and Omaha, Nebraska to further explore their careers and network with industry players. And finally, another major aspect of the Professions Program is the Young Alumni Mentoring Network, where freshmen business students can choose to be connected with young alums. Over 50 graduates from the Class of 2017 are now mentoring freshmen.

At Ithaca, business for good is a priority. This manifests in the way students choose spend their free time. In the Poets&Quants alumni survey, 74% of Ithaca’s business Class of 2016 said they were involved in some sort of “signature experience.” And according to Reid, many students used that key experience to travel near and far, using their developing business acumen and skill to help lowincome individuals and families.

One example is Ithaca students travel to Alaska every year as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, where they help local residents with their taxes. Some accounting students who have moved on into graduate school have continued to join this trip.

CAREER OUTCOMES The school boasts an alumni network of over 8,300 people, and Reid said that many are regular contributors to programs that continue to grow the students who choose their school. Other ways their alumni creates opportunities for student growth is through job placement and referrals, advising and mentoring, and being present and engaged in experiential learning trips the students make to New York City and competitions.

The school shared that 90% of students in the Class of 2017 completed a business-related internship before graduation, but this number fell to 79% for the Class of 2018. At just 59% of the Class of 2018 seeking jobs securing employment within three months of graduation, Ithaca had the worst job placement rate of all ranked schools this year. Reid says, however, employers have been reaching out more to ask about hiring their graduates.

“Our graduates are incredibly hardworking and driven students, and they are attractive to employers because they can take a punch,” he says. “They are known for being gritty and driven.”

For those receiving jobs, the average salary was $50,649. Of those, 44% received a signing bonus averaging $5,210.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY “My capstone Marketing course took place during my final semester as a senior. In that course, we engaged in detailed case studies of present-day companies, engaging with company representatives and further research that significantly shaped my readiness for client and stakeholder interactions.” - Recent alum “I completed two capstone projects, among a number of other experiential learning opportunities throughout the program. One capstone involved a simulation game where a group and I had to make decisions about a shoe company week by week and respond to global market shifts and changes in supply/demand.

The second was a consulting-based project where our group had to find and partner with a local organization to engage in a consulting project around a challenge they were facing.

Both were incredibly helpful, and I use the skills I learned from them every day in my current position.” - Recent alum “I studied abroad in Spain with a focus on business. I got to explore a number of businesses in Spain and engage in conversations about how their organizations are run similarly to and different from comparable organizations in the United States.

They also provided us an opportunity to offer suggestions on addressing some of the biggest challenges they were facing. The classes I took while I was there really focused on helping me understand the European Union and how that affects business practices in Europe.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 195

302 BUCHTEL COMMON, AKRON, OH 44325 ADMISSIONS OFFICE: 330-972-7100

University of akron

A $92,264 In-State Total Cost

$106,880

Out-of-State Total Cost

74%

Acceptance Rate

1154

Average SAT

$42,651

Average compensation (including bonus)

81.7%

Class of 2018 accepting jobs 90 days after graduation

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t the University of Akron College of Business Administration (CBA), students graduate with an edge. The CBA EDGE, to be exact. EDGE is a professional development program designed to help students organize their college participation and experiences to easily evaluate their readiness to enter the world of work. How it works is Akron business students earn points when they take part in college events and activities, and with 2,000 points, or upon completion of the advanced level of the Leadership Institute, they will receive a CBA EDGE medal at their commencement ceremony.

This is one piece of the undergraduate business experience at the University of Akron, a public university in Akron, Ohio. This past fall, the four-year undergraduate business program received 1,603 applications and 1,186 were admitted. The total full-time enrollment for all business majors in Fall 2018 was 1,320.

According to this year’s a Poets&Quants alumni survey, Akron alumni seem content with their experience. About 70% of the Class of 2016 said they would recommend the undergraduate business program at Akron to a close friend or colleague. Some 60% said they felt the program prepared them well for the world of work, and 46% said they felt their degree was worth its cost in tuition.

THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE Akron business students have 14 majors as learning options. The school also offers an Accelerated Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Accounting Program to students who qualify, and all students are expected to complete the CBA core curriculum on top of 27 credits from their chosen area of concentration. The core curriculum for all business majors except for Economics majors includes courses in Accounting and Finance, Business Analytics, Business Law, Management, and Marketing.

The Akron CBA is most proud of their Financial Planning and Risk Management and Insurance majors. While other schools may offer minors or certificates in these areas, not many offer full-fledged majors.

They are also the only school to offer a Certificate in Professional Selling for Engineers in the country.

From the get-go, business students join business learning communities and take classes in cohorts, allowing them to build and develop firm friendships that often carry on throughout their college experience.

They also attend the CBA Success Seminar that is designed to help them transition from high school or work college. It also includes the framework to career development and a Personal Leadership Skills course. “We have a very extensive professional development program and a curriculum that is oriented towards data analysis and experiential

UNIVersity of Akron learning,” says Katy Selzer, operations coordinator at Akron’s CBA. “All our students take a three course sequence in data analytics and most take at least one more course specific to their major in advanced analytics.”

The school also has over 270 business practitioners on their advisory boards whom students can interact with and an alumni network of over 24,600.

“Typically, 83% of our courses include professionals as guest speakers; 61% include applied projects working with external companies; and 41% include business professionals in the classroom to listen to and evaluate student presentations,” Selzer says.

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES AND CAREER OUTCOMES About 65% of alumni from the Class of 2016 told Poets&Quants that they were engaged in a signature experience while at Akron CBA. Other than the Leadership Designation Program, students also went on service trips, worked on market entry projects, took part in competitions, completed capstone projects, and conducted research with local companies.

Eric Vlahos, Class of 2016, was a part of the People’s Bank Undergraduate Business Case Competition, where he created a “go-to” market strategy where they weighed whether Biometric Scanning or Mobile Payment app was more beneficial.

“I handled all of the marketing efforts without any help from faculty. We competed, presented to the CEO and board team, and won first place for the first time our school ever competed,” Vlahos says. “We won $5,000, and trophies. One of the highlights of my college career.”

The school shared that 46% of student in the Class of 2017 completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation, and 40% of students from the Class of 2018 did the same. Within three months of graduation, 76% of graduates from the Class of 2017 had secured full-time jobs, with an average salary of $50,468, and an average signing bonus amount of $5,409.

In the P&Q survey, 35% of alumni from the Class of 2016 said their time at Akron was life-changing, and about 70% said they believed their business degree from Akron would help them climb to a higher socioeconomic status. Almost 80% also said that their first job after graduation was in their desired job function, and 60% said their first job was at their desired company.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY ““I was apart of the People’s Bank Undergraduate Business Case Competition along with two other students. We created a “go-to” market strategy where we decided whether Biometric Scanning or a Mobile Payment app was more beneficial. I handled all of the marketing efforts without any help from faculty. We competed, presented to the CEO and board team, and won first place for the first time our school ever competed. We won $5,000, and trophies. It was one of the highlights of my college career.” - Recent alum “I studied abroad in South Korea and China for cultural immersion, and gained fluency in multiple languages.” - Recent alum

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 197

Rankings methology explained HOW WE CRUNCHED THE DATA TO RANK 88 SCHOOLS

BY JOHN A. BYRNE

H

ow do you judge the value and quality of an undergraduate business education?

In our third annual Poets&Quants‘ ranking of the best undergraduate programs, we believe that the answer to that question comes down to three core issues: the quality of the raw talent coming through the door, what a school does with that talent over four years, and finally how the marketplace responds to the graduates coming off campus. In other words, what’s the quality of the incoming students, what is their view of the academic experience, and what career outcomes are achieved by the graduating class.

And that is exactly the approach we take in what we sincerely believe is the best ranking of undergraduate programs currently available. This year, we rank 82 different business schools in the U.S., up significantly on the 50 ranked on our debut list last year.

In the world of undergraduate business education, there is only one other ranking that matters: U.S. News & World Report. The U.S. News list, however, is merely a subset of data from its overall university rankings. Largely a popularity contest, it is solely based on a poll of deans and senior faculty members, most of whom have little to no knowledge of the programs at rival schools. Asking deans to rate other schools is less a measure of a school’s reputation than it is a collection of prejudices partly based on the self-fulfilling prophecy of U.S. News’ own rankings.

SEVERAL DEANS ASKED US TO CREATE THE RANKING In creating our 2018 ranking of undergraduate business schools, we invested considerable time and effort into putting together a well-balanced approach that was both fair and thorough. We equally weigh admission standards, the full academic experience, and employment outcomes from data is specific to each business program– not the overall university to which it is attached. That is an important distinction because gathering such information as average SAT scores and starting salaries

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

and bonuses, among other things, is not readily available anywhere else. Admission standards, an assessment of the academic experience and employment outcomes of a business program are critical factors of the quality of the educational experience. Excluding any one of them would result in a disingenuous effort to rank the very best schools.

We made one major tweak to this year’s methodology, but nothing that would dramatically change our approach. We added last year’s alumni responses to the results and gave those responses a weight of 25% to the overall alumni results. The reason: To insure that yearover-year fluctuations don’t have an outsized influence on the results and to increase the credibility of our alumni survey by having more opinions behind it.

Of the 95 schools that completed this year’s school survey, 88 also hit the minimum 10% participation rate for their alumni. Of those 88 schools, 45,680 alums had the opportunity to provide responses to the survey about the academic and co-curricular experience of their higher education. Of those, 5,627 completed the survey for an overall response rate of 12.32%. We combined those responses with the 5,551 alums who completed the survey last year. As a result, our alumni scores are based on the perspectives of more than 11,000 recently graduated students from the ranked schools.

SOME DISAGREEMENT OVER OUR RANKING APPROACH Although we make every attempt to rank schools fairly, rankings are highly controversial. Not surprisingly, every business school dean isn’t going to agree with our approach–especially if the school doesn’t fare all that well on our methodology. Several deans believe we should adjust starting salaries by cost-of-living in their geographic areas. But given the many far-flung locales where graduates choose to work, including many international locations, it was nearly impossible to devise a fair system of taking cost of living into account.

Besides, we discovered that contrary to popular belief, the power of a higher education brand often exceeds either geography or industry choice as a factor in compensation. Prestige also results in a degree that more effectively travels, having value far beyond a geographic region. The data backs this assertion up in one city after another from Washington, D.C., to Boston and the Bay Area. Even so, we put more emphasis on whether a student was able to get a job within three months of graduation instead of putting too much focus on starting pay.

ADMISSIONS STANDARDS (33.3%) A vital factor in judging any higher education effort is the quality of the incoming students. After all, a tremendous amount of learning—both academic and social—occur as a result of the quality of your classmates.

We agree with that old cliche about playing a sport with people who are equal or better than you. If you play with someone you can always beat, you’ll never reach a level of personal excellence.

We relied on three metrics to measure admissions: The average SAT scores for the latest entering class, given a 35% weight in the admissions category; the percentage of the entering class in 2016 who finished in the top 10% of their high school class, accounting for another 35% of the category; and finally the acceptance rate for the business school program, weighted at 30%.

In several instances, prospective students must pass two hurdles to get into a business school program: First, the university admissions standards and then the business school’s own admissions criteria. We used both acceptance rates to calculate the actual odds of admission for students entering a two-year business program in their junior year.

This data was gathered through a survey that was completed by 93 schools.

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE (33.3%) No study of undergraduate business programs would be complete without an assessment of the academic and extracurricular elements of the educational experience.

So we sent surveys to alumni of each school to determine how satisfied they were on every level of that experience.

Deans suggested that we choose alumni who had been away from their schools for two years. That would give them ample time to road test their education, to give an accurate assessment of how well prepared they were for the world of work.

Our survey asked a dozen core questions of graduates, each rated on a one-to-ten scale of satisfaction. For the full list of questions and the graded results, see

“2018 Rankings Report Card: How Alums Grade Their Schools.” We also asked alumni whether they had a “significant experience,” defined as a major consulting project, thesis, or other program feature instrumental to their professional development, or a meaningful global immersion.

Schools that either declined to allow their Class of 2016 alumni to be surveyed or failed to meet a 10% threshold for the response rate were excluded from our ranking. As noted earlier, the most important change in this year’s ranking is the addition of the responses from our previous alumni survey. Those responses were given a 25% weight, while the latest alumni survey accounted for 75% of the weight. If a the school’s alumni was not surveyed in prior years, we relied solely on the latest survey results.

EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES (33.3%) Students who go to business school expect to get a job not long after graduating. Summer internships are a key way to open the door to a full-time job opportunity. So our employment outcomes category is based on three metrics: the percentage of the latest graduating class (the Class of 2018) to gain jobs within 90 days, weighted 50%; the average salary and bonus for the latest graduating class, adjusted by the percentage of graduates awarded a bonus, weighted 30%, and finally, the percentage of the Class of 2016 that had internships before their senior year, weighted at 20% for our compensation data).

THE FINAL RANKING The results of all three categories measured were then combined equally to determine an overall ranking. In each category, index scores were created to give credit to one school’s lead over others. We publish the numerical ranking with underlying index scores so that readers can determine how useful an actual ranking could be in relationship to the other schools on the list. It’s important to note that there are nearly 700 undergraduate business programs accredited by the AACSB. The business schools singled out in our debut ranking are all extraordinary, each in the top tenth percentile of accredited schools.

Ultimately, this ranking and the mountains of data we are publishing is an effort to more fully inform prospective students and their parents to make the best educational decisions possible.

THE BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOLS 199

POETSANDQUANTSFORUNDERGRADS.COM

campus notes

The Kelley Effect As lived by Susan Jones, CEO & Founder of Seed Strategy

1 OF 288 professors offering research insights

1 OF NUMEROUS collaborators fueling innovation

1 SUCCESS STORY growing with every moment 1 CLIENT increasing brand value

1 OF 36 branding experts working at Seed Strategy

The pivotal moments in Susan’s life mean a lot more than most.

Each one starts a chain reaction of new paths, connections, and opportunities. Susan earned her undergraduate business degree from Kelley, so her moments go much farther.

Start building your momentum at gokelley.iu.edu/kelleyugrad

GO FROM MOMENT TO MOMENTUM

Rutgers Business School Top 15 Best Return on Investment in the U.S. Poets&Quants, 2019

business.rutgers.edu

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EXCEPTIONAL ACADEMICS Majors • • • • • • •

Business Analytics Entrepreneurship Finance Global Business Leadership Skills Management Information Systems Real Estate

Proximity to New York and Philadelphia Close proximity to New York and New Jersey’s top global companies bring internship & job opportunities.

Accounting Business Analytics and Information Technology Finance Leadership & Management Marketing Supply Chain Management Future Leaders MBA (BA/BS Accelerated MBA for Undergraduates)

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Minors • • • • • • •

CORPORATE CONNECTIONS

PERSONAL TOUCH Exceptional Mentoring Rutgers Business School’s TeamUp provides students one-on-one consulting with a business professional on how to grow and prosper in their career.

$17.99 ISBN 978-0-578-49557-6

• Sales 9 780578 495576

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey – Founded 1766.

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