U.S. News Once Again Ranks Smeal Undergraduate Program In Top 20
U.S. News Once Again Ranks Smeal Undergraduate Program In Top 20
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA -- Penn State’s Smeal College of Business tied for 17th overall and 10th among public universities in the 2004 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs” issue, which is part of the magazine’s annual survey of America’s best colleges and universities.
Smeal ranked 18th overall and 12th among public universities in the 2003 edition of the report. Several specialty areas are ranked among the top in the nation including:
- Accounting tied for 19th overall and 13th among public universities
- Finance tied for 17th overall and 11th among public universities
- Management ranked 11th overall and 8th among public universities
- Marketing ranked 12th overall and 10th among public universities
- Production / Operations Management tied for 10th overall and 7th among public universities
- Quantitative Analysis tied for 12th overall and 8th among public universities
- Real Estate tied for 10th overall and 8th among public universities
- Supply Chain Management / Logistics ranked 4th overall and 3rd among public universities.
“Rankings offer an external perspective on our programs,” said Dean Judy Olian. “The upward trend in rankings reflects the many improvements that have been introduced into the undergraduate program’s learning and development opportunities.”
The Smeal undergraduate program recently completed a comprehensive renewal initiative. Based on the input of alumni, recruiters, students, corporate partners, and faculty, the program has been enhanced in several areas to provide greater financial acumen, business communication skills, and learning opportunities across the functional boundaries within business.
Student accessibility to courses outside their chosen majors has been increased; a new minor in international business; increased emphasis on ethics in decision making; and a program for developing business presentation skills that are “close to the numbers” were also introduced with the undergraduate renewal.
“Demand for our programs has never been higher among undergraduates,” said David Christy, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. “From the program renewal to the recent integration of Information Systems and Business Logistics into the new Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems, we continue to offer a program that is responsive to the developments in the marketplace and needs of our students.”
The U.S. News rankings are based on survey responses by deans and senior faculty at undergraduate business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Back to Latest News
REPORTERS & EDITORS: For more information, please contact Wyatt DuBois in the Smeal College of Business Media Relations Office at 814-863-3798 or wed112@psu.edu.
Penn State's Smeal College of Business offers highly ranked undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, Ph.D., and executive education opportunities to more than 5,500 students at all levels. Featuring academic departments of accounting, finance, marketing, insurance and real estate, management, and supply chain and information systems, the college is also home to major research centers such as the Center for Supply Chain Research, the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, the Center for Digital Transformation, the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Center for Global Business Studies, and the Center for the Management of Technological and Organizational Change.
