Undergraduate Program
We aim to prepare students to be leaders, creative and critical thinkers and lifelong learners.
The outstanding caliber of our undergraduate program is widely recognized. U.S. News and World Report has ranked it among the top 15 programs in the nation every year since it began ranking undergraduate programs.
Perhaps due to this success, a significant reevaluation of the program had not been done in 20 years. Throughout 2005-06, we undertook a major initiative to identify strengths and weaknesses of the undergraduate program. The program was benchmarked against other top undergraduate business programs. We gathered input from undergraduate student focus groups, peer institutions and the Dean’s Advisory Board.
As a result of this extensive program review, a series of recommendations was developed around three main goals: Increase the diversity of the student body, enhance communication, professional skills and career preparation of our undergraduates and meet the growing demand for undergraduate business education in an era of resource constraints.
In spring of 2006, several specific recommendations of the committee were adopted, including:
- The School of Business will switch from junior to sophomore admission, beginning in the fall of 2008. The change is intended to create a more diverse learning community, encourage students to pursue more challenging coursework outside the School of Business, better prepare students for meaningful internships and provide more opportunity for students to study abroad or have similar international experiences.
- Conditional on new funding, the school will create a director of admissions position to recruit up to 10% of our class straight out of high school.
- The school has a goal of having all business undergraduates complete a short international study trip, semester-long international exchange program or international internship to ensure greater global awareness among all business students.
Other major initiatives during the year included:
- Development of curriculum for a series of programs to be offered in the new Accenture Leadership Center to prepare students to understand the nature of leadership and coach them to become leaders on campus, in the community and in their professions.
- Approval of a new concentration in Entrepreneurship within the Management and Human Resources major.
Undergraduate Profile (Juniors and Seniors) |
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| Fall 2003 | Fall 2004 | Fall 2005 | Fall 2006 | |
| Enrollment | 1,306 | 1,282 | 1,271 | 1,298 |
| Women | 46% | 42% | 38.8% | 38.3% |
| Minority | 3.5% | 7.3% | 2.6% | 3.7% |
| International | 6.9% | 7.4% | 6.6% | 6.5% |
| Program Rankings |
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| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
| U.S. News & World Report | 11 | 14 | 12 | 13 |
| *BusinessWeek | 27 | |||
*BusinessWeek began ranking undergraduate programs in 2006. |
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Employment Report for Undergraduate Students
A recovering national economy was reflected in enhanced job prospects for new graduates. At graduation, the Business Career Center (BCC) of the School of Business reported that the average BBA starting salary was up almost 4.5% over the previous year, signing bonuses also increased and the percentage of students receiving signing bonuses rose from 39% to 47%.
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
| Base Salary for Full-time Positions |
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| Average | $39,655 | $41,159 | $44,255 | $45,769 |
| Signing Bonus | ||||
| % who received | 34% | 34% | 39% | 47% |
| Average | $3,174 | $3,279 | $3,888 | $4,077 |
Tuition |
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| (Per semester as of fall 2005) |
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| Resident | $3,142 |
| Non-Resident | $10,142 |
Job Acceptance |
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| Figures are as of Oct. 1, 2006 for undergraduate students who graduated in August/December 2005 and May/August 2006. | |||||||||
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Alumni like James Wierzba, BA ‘75, MBA ‘79, are helping the Accenture
Leadership Center in its efforts to assist undergraduates develop their
leadership skills outside the classroom.
Looking Ahead
The Accenture Leadership Center, which opened fall 2006,
offers multiple opportunities for undergraduate business students to improve their understanding of leadership and their own ability to lead. Its programs bring together business leaders and students in a series of innovative programs to help students develop skills needed by future business leaders.