BusinessWeek ranks College of Management's Undergraduate Program

The NC State College of Management’s undergraduate business program placed 71st overall in BusinessWeek’s 2007 ranking of undergraduate programs, and 37th among the public universities ranked this year.

The ranking is based on survey responses from graduating seniors and recruiters, as well as other information, including graduates’ starting salaries, the number of graduates who enroll in top MBA programs, and an academic quality score that includes average SAT scores and faculty-student ratios.

A total of 123 schools were surveyed, but only 93 had sufficient student and recruiter response rates to be included in the ranking. BusinessWeek surveyed 466 corporate recruiters and received responses from 245. The college was ranked 73rd by the recruiters and 47th by the students.

“It is meaningful for a school that is so relatively young to be invited to participate in this ranking,” said Ira R. Weiss, dean of the College of Management. Established at NC State in 1992, the college is among the youngest AACSB-accredited business schools in the nation.

“Being so new means that we are building curricula that provides our students with the skills that today’s employers are seeking when hiring graduates. It also means that fewer employers have experienced the quality of our students. As we grow and expand our partnership network, we believe recruiters will view our students very positively,” he said.

“Rankings are a useful tool for students as they begin to consider colleges and universities,” he said, “but they are only one measure. The overall campus experience, the quality and commitment of the faculty and staff, opportunities for leadership development -- these all are among the factors that need to be weighed when selecting a school.

“In our first 15 years, we have built a foundation of quality faculty, staff and programs, and are starting to be recognized as a business school that provides real value to our students and to those who hire our graduates,” he said. “Shortly, the college will be adding significant new offerings for our undergraduates, including a concentration in entrepreneurship and greater opportunities in the global marketplace," he said.

“We look forward to being part of the annual BusinessWeek survey. This is a great way to measure and provide feedback to us about how the business community views our graduates. Without question, we will strive for positive improvements each year,” Weiss said.