The David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah continues to receive top 10 rankings for its entrepreneurship program, which consists of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy.
The latest ranking is from U.S. News and World Report, which listed the school’s undergraduate program No. 10 (or No. 6 among state schools) and graduate program No. 17 for 2020.
Both the undergraduate and graduate rankings are improvements from last year. The Eccles School jumped five places in the undergraduate ranking (from No. 15 for 2019) and seven in the graduate ranking (from No. 24 for 2019).
“This ranking shows our continued success in providing one of the best programs for entrepreneurship for students of all ages,” said Taylor Randall, dean of the David Eccles School of Business. “We have opportunities for everyone on campus, whether they want to start a company at Lassonde Studios with support from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute or take a deeper dive with a major or minor in entrepreneurship. No school offers the same breadth and variety of programs for aspiring entrepreneurs.”
The Eccles School and the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute have seen tremendous growth in their entrepreneurship offerings in recent years.
In 2016, they opened Lassonde Studios, a one-of-a-kind innovation center for all students on campus to live, create and launch together. The five-story building has been featured by publications including The New York Times and Architectural Digest and continues to attract worldwide attention. Inside is an innovation space on the first floor for all students to attend events, prototype and launch companies. Upstairs is more makerspace and 400 bedrooms for students who want to live above all this activity and immerse themselves in an entrepreneurial community.
“We have grown exponentially in the last few years and are now working with thousands of student entrepreneurs and hundreds of student startup teams every year,” said Troy D’Ambrosio, executive director of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and an assistant dean at the Eccles School. “I don’t think students will find a more entrepreneurial community than we have here. We define entrepreneur as a verb, and we invite students everywhere to entrepreneur with us.”
New for the 2020-21 year, the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is offering the Lassonde Founders program. It is a residential entrepreneur community for incoming students who are active entrepreneurs. All students can apply now to join this program.
Two more new opportunities are academic programs including Lassonde+X, a three-course program for all undergraduate students to learn the entrepreneurial mindset, and the Master of Business Creation, an intense nine-month program that is entirely focused on helping a founder grow and scale their company.
“We have assembled one of the most innovative and accomplished entrepreneurship departments anywhere,” said Todd Zenger, a presidential professor and chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy. “Together we have designed novel curriculum that allows students to engage with us in a variety of different ways, ranging from an exciting new freshman level introductory entrepreneur course to the newly unveiled Master of Business Creation.”
The U.S. News undergraduate business school rankings are based solely on the judgments of deans and senior faculty members at peer institutions. This year, they surveyed deans and senior faculty members at each of the 504 undergraduate business program accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
For the U.S. News graduate business school rankings, they surveyed all 475 MBA programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International.
Find complete rankings on the U.S. News website for undergrad entrepreneurship rankings here and the graduate entrepreneurship rankings here. Read more about the ranking methodology for the undergrad ranking here, and the graduate ranking here. Both of the new rankings were released in 2019.
Learn more about entrepreneuring at the Eccles School, where entrepreneur is a verb, here: 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.
