The Washington State University College of Business and Economics’ undergraduate business program is among the 10 best in western
In overall national rankings, the College’s international business program received an exceptional ranking of 22nd; it has been in the top 25 for the past three years.
In overall rankings including private schools, the WSU business program placed 87th, and 56th among public schools. The number of ranked schools increased to 166 this year, from 131 last year.
“We are very honored that our programs are held in such high esteem and that we are recognized for offering a truly world-class education to our students,” said CBE Dean Eric R. Spangenberg. “It has been our mission to provide exceptional undergraduate business education, and this ranking validates that we are on course.”
The U.S. News and World Report annual rankings appeared online August 19, three days before the start of WSU’s 2005-6 academic year. The ratings are the result of averaged peer evaluations by more than 450 business schools with undergraduate programs accredited by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Administrators assess programs’ overall quality, taking into account factors such as curriculum, record of scholarship, and quality of faculty, students, and graduates.
In an effort to increase external recognition of the excellence of its programs, the CBE set a goal in 2004 to increase its peer assessment score by .1 each year—an ambitious goal that only 4.5% of ranked schools were able to accomplish in 2004.
“We are pleased to have raised our assessment score from 2.7 last year to 2.8 this year,” Spangenberg says. “Our 2.8 designation puts us in company with institutions such as
Among public schools in the western states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii, the WSU business school’s assessment rating put it into top 10 category. It is in company with the undergraduate business programs at the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Arizona, the University of Washington, Arizona State University, the University of Colorado-Boulder, the University of Utah, the University of Oregon, San Diego State University, the University of California-Riverside, and Colorado State University.
Other recent rankings highlight CBE excellence. In 2005, Entrepreneur magazine rated the CBE entrepreneurship major as the top entrepreneurship emphasis program in