SMG among Top U.S. Undergrad Business Programs

Businessweek ranks school number 18

| From BU Today | By Amy Sutherland

Businessweek has ranked the School of Management 18th in the nation in undergraduate business schools, up from 43rd just three years ago. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

The School of Management sprinted into the top 20 undergraduate business schools nationally in the latest Bloomberg Businessweek rankings, leaping 13 spots to number 18.

It’s the highest position ever given by the magazine to SMG, which just three years ago placed 43rd, and it marks “a remarkable rise,” says Steven Davidson, the school’s director of learning assessment and research.

Businessweek, which ranked 124 schools nationally, lauded SMG’s academics and cited employers’ growing awareness of its quality.

“They earned top marks in the areas of business students with internships (86 percent) and hours of time spent on class work per week (15.5),” a magazine spokesman says by email. The rankings are based partly on comments from students, who “specifically mentioned the required Core program as a high point, as well as the strength of business faculty,” the spokesman says.

“We are very pleased with the rankings improvement, which recognizes the work of SMG’s team of talented faculty and dedicated staff,” says Kenneth Freeman, Allen Questrom Professor and Dean of SMG. “This represents an important step for the school as we strive to become one of the world’s elite business schools.”

Besides surveying students, the magazine polled 257 employers on the quality of the schools’ graduates, curricula, and career services, says Davidson. It also compared schools on the number of graduates they funnel into top MBA programs and on the starting salaries of graduates.

“It is very satisfying to see the progress of our SMG faculty and staff being recognized by the increased satisfaction of our students and their future employers,” says University President Robert A. Brown.

SMG, celebrating its centennial next year, ranked 37th among MBA programs in the most recent U.S. News & World Report compilation. Its evening MBA program placed first among local Boston schools and 25th nationally, up 7 notches from last year.

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