GU's MBA Program Ranked No. 58 in Nation

April 21, 2010

Gonzaga News Service 

Gonzaga's Accounting & Entrepreneurship Programs Also Recognized

SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga University's Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is ranked No. 58 in the nation for part-time programs by U.S. News & World Report in its 2011 America's Best Graduate Schools issue. In the specialty rankings, Gonzaga's accounting ranks No. 31 and entrepreneurship No. 24.

U.S. News & World Report bases its rankings on a number of quality indicators, including peer assessment scores, recruiter assessment scores, placement success, mean starting salary and bonus, and student selectivity. Only the 314 part-time programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) are considered for these rankings. According to AACSB, approximately 25 percent of MBA programs nationwide achieve this prestigious accreditation.

This is the first year Gonzaga's MBA program has been included in the U.S. News & World Report rankings as this is the first year the rankings have been expanded beyond the top 30 programs. Gonzaga was among only four programs in the state of Washington and the only program in Eastern Washington to be included in the rankings.

Clarence Barnes, dean of the School of Business, said he was pleased with the recognition.

"Recognition of this type encourages us to continue devoting our resources and energies to ever improving the quality of education delivered here at Gonzaga," Barnes said. Gonzaga's MBA program currently has an enrollment of approximately 200 students, 65 percent of which are working professionals in the Inland Northwest. The program offers eight areas of concentration, including accounting, entrepreneurship, ethics and finance. MBA enrollment for the current academic year is up 10 percent from the previous year, and applications for fall 2010 are currently up more than 50 percent.

"To be ranked among the high-caliber programs was humbling, and yet further recognizes the commitment of Gonzaga's faculty and staff to providing exceptional business education to our students," said Jinny Piskel, director of Gonzaga's graduate business programs. "I am extremely proud of the program's accomplishments and look forward to seeing its future achievements."