The full-time MBA program at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business received a No. 6 ranking for entrepreneurship by Bloomberg Businessweek in its listing of the 2019-20 Best B-Schools released recently. The Eccles School also ranked No. 22 for learning.
The Bloomberg ranking is another in a series of top 10 entrepreneurship rankings for the Eccles School. It started to appear among the top schools a few years ago, as it has significantly grown its entrepreneurship opportunities.
“Instilling entrepreneurial innovation and grit in our students is a driving force behind everything we do,” said Brad Vierig, associate dean of MBA Programs & Executive Education at the Eccles School. “Our students are entrepreneurs – regardless of whether they actually start their own businesses or not. The curriculum and experiential opportunities available to each MBA student equips them with the leadership and strategic decision-making skills needed to become innovators in any role they fill.”
MBA students at the Eccles School can take lessons learned from their exposure to entrepreneurship and apply the same principles that make a great entrepreneur – including tenacity and innovation – at their internships, post-graduation employers and eventually perhaps their own companies.
“Entrepreneurship is one of our core values at the Eccles School,” said Taylor Randall, dean of the David Eccles School of Business. “We want all of our students to learn how to think and act like an entrepreneur. Whether or not they start a company, they will use skills like problem-solving, innovation and grit to succeed in any career they pursue.”
The entrepreneurship program at the Eccles School is led by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy. They work together to provide a unique variety of opportunities inside and outside of the classroom.
One of the biggest recent additions was the opening of Lassonde Studios in 2016. The five-story innovation building has been featured by publications around the world and invites all students on campus to live, create, launch. The Eccles School has also grown its academic offerings for entrepreneurs, with new opportunities for undergraduate students, including the three-course Lassonde+X program, and a new Master of Business Creation degree, which allows students to spend nine months focused entirely on growing their company.
“We put the student first in all of our programs. It’s all about their goals and dreams,” said Troy D’Ambrosio, executive director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and an assistant dean at the Eccles School. “At Lassonde Studios, we welcome all students on campus to bring their ideas to live, start or join a company and learn by doing. We define entrepreneurship as a verb, and we invite all students to entrepreneur with us.”
The Bloomberg Businessweek rankings are based on survey responses from 26,804 MBA students, alumni and recruiters. The rankings are based on this premise: “The best judges of MBA programs are graduating students, recent alumni and companies that recruit MBAs. And we want the best answers.”
Find the complete Bloomberg rankings, methodology and more information here: https://www.bloomberg.com/business-schools/. Learn more about the Eccles School ranking at https://www.bloomberg.com/business-schools/utah-eccles/.
Learn more about entrepreneuring at the Eccles School, where entrepreneur is a verb, here: https://eccles.utah.edu/entrepreneur.
About the David Eccles School of Business
The Eccles School is synonymous with “doing.” The Eccles experience provides a world-class business education with a unique, entrepreneurial focus on real-world scenarios where students put what they learn into practice long before graduation. Founded in 1917 and educating more than 6,000 students annually, the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business offers nine undergraduate majors, four MBAs, eight other graduate programs, a Ph.D. in seven areas and executive education curricula. The School is also home to 12 institutes, centers and initiatives that deliver academic research and support an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation. For more information, visit Eccles.Utah.edu or call 801-581-7676.
About the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is a nationally ranked hub for student entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Utah and an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business. The first programs were offered in 2001, through the vision and support of Pierre Lassonde, an alumnus of the Eccles School and successful mining entrepreneur. The institute now provides opportunities for thousands of students to learn about entrepreneurship and innovation. Programs include workshops, networking events, business-plan competitions, startup support, innovation programs, graduate seminars, scholarships, community outreach and more. All programs are open to students from any academic major or background. The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute also manages Lassonde Studios, a five-story innovation space and housing facility for all students. Learn more at Lassonde.Utah.edu.
